A New Perception

Our typical modus operandi upon arriving at a new destination has always remained pretty typical. Set up a temporary base, find out the main sites of interest, and blitz through as many of them as possible using whatever time and effort was available. However, when we got to Auckland, our mission statement was slightly different. We were looking to stay here long-term & our savings balance was looking smaller than Daniella Westbrook’s septum, and similarly, was in serious need of rejuvenation. We’d allowed ourselves to get into this economic depression because our intention had always been to establish a more permanent base in Auckland, and quite simply, we had a kick-ass time in Australia.

What this meant, is like most people in their home towns, we missed out on all the usual sight-seeing getting-to-know-your-city things. In fact, we did very little exploring at all - venturing no further than just outside the city centre in all directions. This, I now realise, is one problem with living in the centre of the city – it's easy to believe that what you see, is everything there is. We’d built up a rather dim view of Auckland because of this, and as such, have spent the last month trying to see beyond our previous myopic understanding.

On the last Sunday of August, we took a ferry across the harbour to "historic Devonport", as it's affectionately known in the guide books and tourism posters. We’d previously put off this epic voyage in expectation of needing a full day to go there. It turned out to be a little nearer than we thought, but although it was only 10 minutes away on the ferry, it is a million miles away in terms of scenery and speed of life. Somehow, that ferry crossing had taken us back in time 30 years and across the world to the south east coast of England. It felt like home; familiar green hills rolling in waves gently down to play in the sea. A network of paths that divide scores of white painted houses tucked cosily into the lush green flanks.

With time on our side, and the sun on our backs, we walked away from the ferry building and the concerns of normality, around the waterfront, and gradually inland up the curves of Mt. Victoria. When we made it to the top, the view was unbelievable. Not in the usual sense where the sight itself is exceptionally striking, but unbelievable due to close proximity of such amazing contrasts in land and colour. There are the volcanic islands (including Rangitoto island) that stand out from the rich blue sea to the north & east, the rolling green hills of where we stood in Devonport, and just a short distance to the south is the city centre. This vantage point also illuminated our perception of what lay beyond the city centre to the south as the similar rich green hills of Auckland Domain, Mt. Eden, and One Tree Hill stood tall among the dull colours of buildings. It was like climbing the garden fence and seeing beyond it for the first time.

With the subtle dual-persuasion of gravity and curiosity, we wandered down the opposite side of Mt. Victoria from which we came, and made our way to the nearest beach. Now that the city was completely obscured from view, it was even easier to forget where we were. We reclined onto the sand, collected a careful selection of shells, climbed over the rocks, and gradually made our way back around the coastline to our starting point at the ferry terminal. It was during the last part of this walk that we spotted a traditional fish ‘n’ chip shop that would later become a favourite stopping point.



The following weekend, we turned our attention to the south and walked to one of the hills we’d spotted from Mt. Victoria. 15 minutes of walking from our apartment and we arrived at the edge of its boundaries. From there, it was a choice of paths differing in what sights they promised en-route and what name had been assigned to them. ‘Lovers Lane’ was a well kept path that wound its way alongside a stream, past a small waterfall, and arrived at a duck pond that was heard long before it was seen.

By no means, were the sights mentioned here some of the most amazing that I’d ever encountered, but the fact they reside so close to the city centre was something I hadn’t experienced before. I’d heard before coming to New Zealand that the country offered an amazing amount of variety for such a small place, but I hadn’t considered how close this would actually make the changes. The other point to consider is that the two places mentioned here, are just a snippet of what exists within a small distance from the centre. Countless islands are just a short ferry trip away, hilly ranges sit within sight to the west and an infinite supply of beaches are to the north. We’d sampled a taste of a greater feast and our appetites were now fully awakened from their slumber.