Auckland... Ah, yes...
by prudence on 01-Jul-2010
I'm briefly back in New Zealand for a conference. In Auckland.
There's a lot of nostalgia about this trip. This was the first city we ever visited outside Europe. I remember being bowled over by the clarity of the light, and the big, blue views of the bays, dotted with sailing boats. We later lived here for several years. We walked its beaches and its nearby bush. We laid to rest two beloved pets in our suburban gardens.
Auckland airport is beautifully situated. As you fly in, you catch glimpses of the Hauraki Gulf, and New Zealand's humpy, bumpy, green, green countryside. Even in winter, the light is strong and clear. There's just been a rain shower, and tails of the squall are veiling and unveiling dramatic bits of Manukau Harbour.
As you taxi into town, you remember that cities can have hills, and you remember how disproportionately expensive Auckland taxis are, and you wonder how a city of 1.4 million can generate such traffic tail-backs...
I've enjoyed reacquainting myself with that lovely area near the university, full of parks and gracious old buildings. I've enjoyed hearing the Maori language again, as representatives of the original occupants of the land quietly welcomed conference delegates. I've enjoyed revisiting that wonderful NZ Chardonnay, which is so expensive in Australia. I've enjoyed watching NZ TV, where Goldstein and the irrepressible Briscoes woman still figure in the adverts, just like they did when we first came, well over a decade ago.
Maybe it's because I've just seen Toy Story 3 -- with its magnificent evocation of time passing, roles changing, things being left behind, and all the pain that comes, not necessarily through bad things happening, but just through the ordinary process of life moving on -- but I'm finding it a very poignant visit.
There's a lot of nostalgia about this trip. This was the first city we ever visited outside Europe. I remember being bowled over by the clarity of the light, and the big, blue views of the bays, dotted with sailing boats. We later lived here for several years. We walked its beaches and its nearby bush. We laid to rest two beloved pets in our suburban gardens.
Auckland airport is beautifully situated. As you fly in, you catch glimpses of the Hauraki Gulf, and New Zealand's humpy, bumpy, green, green countryside. Even in winter, the light is strong and clear. There's just been a rain shower, and tails of the squall are veiling and unveiling dramatic bits of Manukau Harbour.
As you taxi into town, you remember that cities can have hills, and you remember how disproportionately expensive Auckland taxis are, and you wonder how a city of 1.4 million can generate such traffic tail-backs...
I've enjoyed reacquainting myself with that lovely area near the university, full of parks and gracious old buildings. I've enjoyed hearing the Maori language again, as representatives of the original occupants of the land quietly welcomed conference delegates. I've enjoyed revisiting that wonderful NZ Chardonnay, which is so expensive in Australia. I've enjoyed watching NZ TV, where Goldstein and the irrepressible Briscoes woman still figure in the adverts, just like they did when we first came, well over a decade ago.
Maybe it's because I've just seen Toy Story 3 -- with its magnificent evocation of time passing, roles changing, things being left behind, and all the pain that comes, not necessarily through bad things happening, but just through the ordinary process of life moving on -- but I'm finding it a very poignant visit.