Suburbia meets downtown in this sprawling metropolitan centre on the North Island. Unlike most cities of this magnitude on the global economic and social scene, Auckland has developed around the desires of its population. Where, in London, New York and Paris - its peoples cram in to shoebox like apartments and pay through the nose for garage spaces, here it is different. Suburban style houses are the norm. Kiwis love the outdoors and Aucklanders are no different. Large sweeping gardens accommodate their outdoor living, whilst driveways and garages allow for their boat trailers to be parked. Whilst this comes at a cost, there really are very few apartment style blocks which have become the norm in many western cities.
The style of living, combined with the proximity to incredible beaches, awesome cuisine and beautiful shopping districts, makes Auckland a very habitable little city. On arrival, we headed for Mt Eden and ascended to the summit to take in the views of the city from a height. Owing to the style of accommodation, and the attraction of living this appealing city life, the first noticeable factor is the breadth of the city. It sprawls as far as the eye can see and the sea will allow. Next up, the sky tower. A landmark monument which is impossible to escape. Wherever you are in this city, the sky tower will be looking down on you. A feat of engineering and a cool structure to look at, it was awesome to see from this standpoint.
The next landmark to catch my eye was Eden Park - a modern looking stadium, home to all sporting events in New Zealand - most notably Rugby, of course. The sight of the 2011 world cup final and the final test between the British and Irish Lions, we headed here next to get a closer look. Impressive in size, impressive historically, I felt very privileged to be in the vicinity of this great sporting landmark.
After the long drive from the Coromandel and the walk to the summit, we were both ready to settle in for the night. As such, we headed to Z Pier - a car park in the Westhaven Marina. Never will I feel as though a car park is home as much as I did this one, at least I hope. The showers were hot and powerful, the toilets clean and the view ridiculous. Fancy a hotel room, offering a view of the sky tower to the left and the Auckland Harbour bridge to the right with the marina straight ahead? Well given the local hostels were charging close to £75 a night - I can’t imagine what this would have cost. For us £10 for 24 hours parking. Unbeatable - hence the reason we were happy to call it home. We got to know the neighbours. Lev from Torquay, the Online Marketer who was working remotely, Peter and Linda a little retired couple spending the weekend in Auckland to get new tyres on the caravan and then the German lads who thought a little differently about the place than we did. Not so much a home, more a nightclub. Bose speakers fully charged and sharing some of the most hideously poor drum and bass - whatever the time of day, they were rather isolated in the car park. I am hardly surprised really. Nonetheless, they didn’t bother me - need a bit of a mix of people to build a community and that is what we had here. It wasn’t long before we could park the GPS - we knew the way back!
Everything ready and the Pod securely parked for the remaining time we had with her, we headed into the North Wharf for a night cap. The North Wharf is a modern, trendy and spotless, new area on the waterfront. Large glass buildings provide some of the most sought after real estate, whilst lavish yachts bob in the marina waters. The ground floor of the buildings have been carefully supplied to hip bars and groovy restaurants. Set back one block, the famous Auckland Fish Market - where ice cold fish, fresh off the morning boat are sold to local seafood lovers. As you cross into Viaduct Harbour, the energy goes up a notch. Lively bars spill out into the harbour front and their music compete for air time. Through glass window, dressed up folk move to the beat of a Friday night whilst expensive craft ales are poured by the gallon. Looking for a suitable place to pop in for one, which wasn’t too much like a night club - given we were wearing sports clothes and flip flops and perhaps it was obvious we were living out of a van, we decided on Dr Rudis. A balcony bar overlooking the marina, the perfect spot to enjoy a welcome drink to the city. Taking in the view, tasting the craft ale - we were soon done and headed back to Z Pier for our first of three nights.
We were woken by the rush of locals launching their boats in to the sea. The car park filled with trucks and trailers in what seemed a blink of an eye. As the sun beamed through the pods windscreen, we though it best to get after it whilst the weather was being good to us. In positively balmy conditions, we headed for the Harbour bridge along the west haven boardwalk. A pit stop in Buoy for the morning coffee was just what the doctor ordered. Set underneath the bridge itself and with sweeping views of the city skyline, what a place to drink into your morning. From here, it was around the headland before rising up to the area of Ponsonby. Arguably the hippest region of the city, Ponsonby is home to an eclectic mix of boutique clothes stores, vintage shops and a stupid number of artisan cafes. We ducked into a few shops and dealt the credit card a blow before reaching Ponsonby Central, an indoor market hall full of enticing eateries. A set of pancakes and a little quiche to share - a real treat for lunch. You could spend some time here - little vendors have all sorts of cool items to keep you browsing and the shops re full of trendy clothes and gadgets.
From here, we followed Ponsonby road towards downtown and St Kevins Arcade. In an equally atmospheric hall - locals chat the local goss over flat whites, lattes and green smoothies whilst the vintage shops churn out over priced second hand guff. Nonetheless, this area dragged us here for a reason. There was a fun energy to the place and an edge to it which got us hooked to explore some more. We continued to Queen Street, Auckland Oxford Street equivalent. Large shops line the street in the shadow of the sky tower, whilst big brands have you checking the exchange rates for bargains. Having sufficiently examined every souvenir shop on the street and enjoyed browsing some of New Zealand’s own brands - it wasn’t long before we found Adidas - the provider of the All Blacks attire. With all the World Cup kit on sale and with a bigger range of goods than one could imagine - this was like heaven for me. We spent a good hour or so in the shop, trying what seemed like every garment on. At one stage, I would be shocked if there was anything left on the shop floor as so much was in the fitting room with me. We ummed and ahed before going ahead and pulling the trigger. Suffice to say, not all for me. However, in a moment of sheer kindness, the gent behind the counter said “I can see how much you want this mate, let me see what I can do for you..?’ And with that - he reduced the cost by a significant amount. An astonishing act of kindness and one which I don’t think ill be on the receiving end of again any time soon, eh!
With the joy of retail therapy still simmering in me, we headed for the Britomat District. Exposed lamps hung from foliage whilst mirrored water features reflected the Auckland Sky line. Yet more trendy retailers lined the pedestrian streets and entertained us, before we landed in a `frozen yoghurt establishment. A quick frozen treat to fuel us up, we then jumped on an electric scooter and headed for New Market and Parnell. Passing the War Museum and with views down to the sea, this area rivals Ponsonby for the grooviest part of town. A Westfield at the heart of the city and numerous boutique retailers selling clothes to make you want to change your entire wardrobe, it wasn’t long before we felt we should leave, to prevent a call from the bank!
We jumped on the electric scooter - destined for Z Pier. It was exhilarating, funny and I am convinced this is the best way to get about any city. We were loving it, sharing the same scooter and sharing the pleasure together. It is amazing though, how moments can change so quickly when something happens. As we were hurtling towards three gents, the brakes were applied and a decision was made to hit the off road diversion.Sadly, the off road functionality of an electric scooter is not what you might imagine. As such, within seconds we were careering towards the tarmac, all the items of clothing and contents of our bags expelled into the air. With some embarrassment, we cracked to the ground in a heap. Zoe’s leg was weeping and looked like something rather severe had happened. Members of the public looked on and were trying hard to hold back the giggles, whilst zoe held back the tears. We jumped back on for about 200 metres before we were out of sight of the immediate onlookers. The scooter was docked and we headed for the local supermarket to get some wet wipes and antiseptic cream. The walk back was less fun, but arguably safer!
Having walked about 6 hours, covering a great proportion of the city, we decided to head to the west coast beaches the following day. A 40 minute drive west and within easy reach of the city - lye some of the best beaches in New Zealand. The volcanic black sands travel for great distances under the towering Lion Rock. Huge swell break onto the barren beach, offering Auckland’s surfing community with some of the best surf in the Southern Hemisphere.
At low tide, water billows through the cracks in the rock and creates a blue pool between the beach and the island. Warm waters lap the beach and offer a refreshing hike through the beach. We clambered up the rockside to take in the view, before capturing the moment with our cameras. As the sun set, the sky turned red and lit up this little piece of heaven on earth. The lion rock, mirrored in the backwash of the ocean, set to the soundtrack of the breaking waves.
We found it hard to leave this little spot called Piha, so we decided to set up our kitchen. Pasta Pesto on the menu, we boiled the water and enjoyed a meal on the beach to cap off an amazing three weeks in New Zealand.
From the people to the nature, the cities to the countryside, the Maoris to the invaders, this place will long live in our memories. There really is no place quite like it. With diverse topography, rolling British countryside, juxtaposed with bubbling geothermal hot springs and tectonic masterpieces. New Zealand offers something for everyone. It promotes a simple life where life is so much more important than anything else. One of community engagement and the love of the great outdoors. There is a reason why we will definitely be back in the new year….