By Nora_Wolcott
After weeks of not sleeping in my own bed, travelling from the Southernmost tip of NZ up to the Northern Coast, I've been overwhelmed with the scenery of this beautiful country. If I'm honest, I was also fairly run down by the end of my weeks of travelling, sleeping in hostels and waking up at the crack of dawn to tramp up mountains. Therefore, my decision to take a weekend in for myself wasn't a hard one. After a few days back in class I realised I had quite a bit of work to catch up on, and basic mundane things (groceries, laundry, etc.) that I had been neglecting. This week is the first week I've spent completely in the city of Auckland, and it's given me time to reflect on the merits of the city itself.
After travelling almost the entirety of this country, I can conclusively say that Auckland is the only real city in the whole place. However, it is a surprisingly major hub for such a little island, with a population of 1.4 million, almost twice as large as Washington, DC. This is apparent simply by looking at the architecture, all glassy skyscrapers, not the collection of townhouses I've grown to love back home. The most striking element of the skyline is clearly the Sky Tower, whose luminescent spire is reminiscent of Toronto. However, there is a lot more to the city than these touristy landmarks; just as in DC I've come to favor AdMo and U St over the White House and Capitol, there are many hidden gems within this major metropolitan area. For instance:
Queen Street, while not exactly a hidden gem, Queen St is the Broadway of Auckland, a major shopping hub just 5 minutes from my apartment. I'll never get tired of the endless Vietnamese street food, Kiwi boutiques and Indian groceries that this street has to offer.
Ponsonby, which I discovered via the impeccable Augustus Bistro, is a sophisticated little borough just North of city centre. This neighbourhood is effortlessly chic, though a little on the bourgeois side, but I've come to love it for the live music that springs up when the sun sets.
Auckland Domain is a nearly 200 acre park set aside from the city just enough to avoid the overwhelming crowds of downtown. Home to major spots like the Auckland War Memorial Museum, the Wintergardens and Cricket Fields, I prefer to utilize the park simply as a quiet, sunny study spot.
Viaduct Harbour is another spot that's not exactly tucked away, but has some really incredible local joints set aside from the touristy hotspots. Views of the sailboats the city bears its nickname from, alongside the volcanic islands off the coast, make the dining spots here all the more memorable.
Parnell is a little neighborhood just South of city centre, which has become one of my favorite spots not only because of the quaint architecture, but because it's where the majority of my friends here are living. Because of this, I've been able to get a real insider's look into the wonderful little gems in this more relaxed part of town.
Ultimately I'd urge anyone travelling abroad to a city to dig a little deeper than the destinations recommended on the tourism sites, and get to know the real local character of the place you are visiting. I'm incredibly privileged to have met such great Kiwis to show me around, and they are such a hospitable people that anyone coming to the city would not have to look far to find themselves a local tour guide. I'm so glad that this week I took the time to step back from my travels and really focus on the city itself.