Category: New Zealand

Philanthropists, Philosophers (pseudo) and Philistines. All in evidence at the Auckland Art Gallery.  The Maori Portraits by Charles Goldie are stunning – the sitters jump out of their immortalised prints.  Many of the galleries have been funded by legacies from fortunes made by traders.  The modern art is striking in being thought provoking on one hand and being accompanied by appalling pretentious bullshit description panels.  Thus speaks the art critic.

A leisurely lunch followed on the 52nd floor revolving restaurant in the Sky Tower.  Not bad views it has to be said.  We were able to appreciate from a new perspective yesterday’s walk.

A closer inspection of the container dock was fascinating – I hope someone knows what are in those stacks.  The skills of the drivers maneuvering their payloads is to be admired: artistry all of their own – all with a happy wave and smile to the passing pedestrians.

It had to be done – what’s the point of an isthmus if you can’t take it by the scruff of its 16km neck? The walk yielded great contrasts between the city, surburbia, parks, geology and cultures. Rounded off by discovering something in common with the UK – railway maintenance on a Sunday with replacement buses.

We’d commented on how thin most people seemed to be (vs the fat ones we saw in Las Vegas). Facts don’t bear this out though. Turns out NZ is in top three obese nations, after Mexico and USA – and sadly the rate of diabetes is x3 amongst the Maoris.

Built up port area soon gives way to University spaces and colonial style housing, with an indication here and there of the previous industrial works. The volcanoes offer panoramic views of the spread out estates beneath. The trees in the parks are a distinctive feature – the one featured below is only 100 years old.

It was hard not to think about watching The Darkest Hour on the way across with its [perhaps justified] glorification of Churchill. War memorials to the First World War are a salient reminder of how it was a World War – with many Anzacs left on the beaches of one of Churchill’s lesser celebrated schemes at Gallipoli.

And so back to the City via bus and train. Not switching off the GPS adds some heathy stats to the totals. So ignore the last bit of the route after Onehunga.

The 10 hour flight zipped passed with an arm wrestle for the arm rest with the person next to me. I was happy to share – she wanted and took nothing less than 100% and had a velcro wrap around her arm to assist.

Immediate impression is of “low rise” buildings and space between them.  A later look in the city centre sees the multi-storeys starting to grow like a forest.  We meandered to the redeveloped dock area.  Are all dock areas the world over being redeveloped? Look to be a good job here with a mix of uses and blending in the old. The juxtaposition with the storage units remind us of Footdee in Aberdeen.

The Volvo Boat Race is here, starting today and for the next three weeks.  Well the stands are here, the boats are stuck at sea in the doldrums.  We might then get to see them when they reach Cardiff in May/June.

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Other impressions are of the homeless and buskers – in contrast to Singapore.  And quite a few people with their God on their mind.  The buskers add a liveliness to the place.  Smoking outdoors is different here – hookah pipes appear.