Rude. Unfriendly. Concrete. Grey. Since living in Wellington, these are all words that I have heard to describe the Auckland experience, accompanied with a slight grimace and a lengthy description of standard skyscrapers and average sights. The city seems to be so negatively perceived, that the less than flattering acronym, ‘JAFA’, is sometimes heard to describe the people who are from there: JAFA meaning ‘just another f***** Aucklander’ (disclaimer: absolutely not my words). Wow, so of course the city immediately piqued my interest and I resolved to make a visit last month.
For me, the main appeal stemmed from the music and culture accessible from New Zealand’s largest city (though not the official capital). Whenever an international music artist comes to New Zealand, they play in Auckland because the city offers larger venues and that was enough for me to hop on a plane and make the hour journey north from Wellington.
When I first arrived, I found the descriptions I had heard to be quite the opposite of the genuine experience. There were some sky scrapers, though it still didn’t feel like a large, overwhelming city in the same way that London sometimes can. The buildings didn’t cast a shadow over the pavement and there weren’t droves of people that left you feeling claustrophobic. Instead, the streets were lined by large trees, the roads were wide and there were green spaces at every turn.
On the first evening, we headed up to the famous sky tower at sunset to catch the amazing views and twinkling lights of the cars as they filtered out to the suburbs. I can imagine living in the city long-term wouldn’t be without its difficulties. The ‘burbs stretch beyond the horizon line and without decent public transport, it isn’t hard to imagine that a lot of people have to endure a long commute each day. But as a tourist staying in the centre (at The Quadrant), I was ideally placed to access most of the best sights by foot.
The next day we walked through a park to visit the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Located in a grand, white stone building on a hill (don’t expect to get anywhere in Auckland without a steep incline), the museum contains extensive exhibitions on Maori culture and colonial history. I recommend saying you are an Auckland resident (‘proved’ by showing your New Zealand bank card) or by visiting with someone from there to get in for free or at a reduced price. Otherwise it is quite an expensive entrance fee ($25 if you’re an international visitor).
Another must-see and do is the Auckland Art Gallery – again you can get in free if you are an Auckland resident. When I walked in, I was pleasantly surprised to see ‘The Obliteration Room’ by Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, an interactive installation involving a white furnished room, where visitors can participate with forming the art by sticking round dot stickers wherever they like. I saw the same exhibition in a gallery in Singapore and it was interesting to see the art evolve as more people had interacted.
An aspect of the city which did leave a little to be desired was the shopping. Primarily as a backpacker (can I still claim that title?!), shopping hasn’t been on the forefront of my mind. However, as Auckland is often heralded as ‘the place where stuff happens’ (my delightfully specific description there) and the home to the only Zara in New Zealand, I thought it would be rude not to have a look. Turns out there isn’t really any large shopping streets as such, just the odd place dotted around. There is a shopping mall just outside the city, but a car is required to make a visit, rather than there being a central hub for shopping.
As my time in Auckland came to an end, I half expected someone to be rude right at the end as if to fulfil some kind of lingering stereotype, but there was nothing. I’ve come to the conclusion that, similarly to the UK, where locals tend to delight in talking about London as though it is a place to be feared and avoided at all costs, Auckland is perceived as something of a concrete jungle enigma which sparks extreme and often negative reaction. And while I don’t blame them after having spent many an hour on London public transport myself, it just shows that you never know until you visit.
Marriarty 