Then after grabbing a bun at a sketchy looking dairy for a quick breakfast (I was surprised by the number of things they don't refrigerate that should be in the fridge), I set off to explore Auckland CBD to find out what it could offer...unfortunately, not too much. It's just another "big" city (this is relative to the rest of NZ, the city has less than 1.5 million people), and there's not much to do in Auckland besides usual city stuff like shopping, going to see a movie and lounging around in cafes if you don't have a job. I would later find out talking to the Kiwis (the people of NZ) and foreigners living in Auckland that the general consensus was that there really wasn't anything to do in Auckland - you'd have to leave the city to get to do the great outdoor activities NZ is known for. One thing I did learn walking around through the city was that the weather really does change quite fast in NZ - it started off nice and sunny when I set out from the hostel after 10am, and it was cool, cloudy and windy by noon (despite what the photos may show since I adjusted them a bit).
This was also the only time I used my Lonely Planet guidebook to NZ during my entire trip in NZ! And I only used one page of the book, which had a recommended walking guide to the city in it. In other words, it's useless and becomes paper weight, and I definitely do not recommend getting it because of the great availability and accessibility to tourist info in NZ. So unless you plan to do a road trip by yourself/with others, you don't need a guidebook to NZ (and even then, you could very easily survive without one). Almost every town/city in NZ (except for the really small ones) has a centrally located tourist info center called the i-Site. Why? Because, as I would find out in the coming days, the entire country is a giant tourist trap (which makes sense, their #1 industry is tourism). And from a purely backpacker's perspective, this is terrible, because it means to do almost anything in the country has an elevated "tourist premium" added to the costs (I think it's quite obvious this will come up many times in my posts about NZ hahaha).
But enough text, please enjoy my photos of my self-guided tour of Auckland.
Sky Tower.
An Anglican church I always passed by on my way into the CBD.
Getting in the CBD. A lot of the architecture in NZ is reminiscent of older English buildings (sorry, I don't know the periods, I'm not an architecture buff haha). And you might notice they offer bungy jumping in the heart of the city...yes it's real, except it's reverse bungy jumping (they strap you in on the ground, and launch you into the air with a bungy cord on each side so that you experience the bungy recoil feeling in the air). I didn't do it, it looked boring to be quite honest.
Another view of Sky Tower.
Around and inside St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral. Remember how I said the country was a giant tourist trap? Well unfortunately, it didn't stop at the churches (which had lots of tourist info available inside...kind of sad), so I did the tourist thing and broke my rule of not taking photos inside a church. The area outside the church was pretty neat though; there were some cafes tucked away in the alley behind the church (2nd photo) and a big open lawn in the back where there were some office guys on their lunch break playing a game of frisbee! One thing I loved about NZ is how most Kiwis are so laid back.
An ad I passed by for Canadian Club...so that's what they think of when they meet a Canadian - an RCMP officer? Hahaha.
Like any other city, the downtown area is a mixture of new and old styled buildings, although the clash seemed to be really prominent in Auckland because there weren't that many tall office buildings (and almost all of the old styled buildings looked either renovated or new).
At the pier area, where the city's main bus hub is located too (2nd photo, yeah I know it doesn't look like much, and it's not). Public transit in NZ is a mess, especially in Auckland, where there are multiple public transit companies (all privatized), all with their own separate fares, ride passes, systems, and routes. Needless to say I didn't bother with riding the bus (especially since the city is small and easily walkable).
More views from the pier. The building complex in the 3rd photo was actually pretty interesting - the entire length of the complex was designed to look like a modern ship (think cruise ship)...I tried my best to capture it all.
A model of the extinct moa bird, hunted out of existence by NZ's natives, the Maori. Apparently it was a huge bird: up to 3m tall and 250kg. Take a minute to think how big of a big that is hahaha. And of course, in the background, one of the many souvenir shops in Auckland (I don't think I've ever seen such a concentration of souvenir shops in a city before - like I said, tourist trap).
One of several shopping arcades. I liked how this one looked. Notice the Christmas ornaments? Of course they celebrate Christmas in NZ, although it's summer there in December.
An alley of fancy restaurants and bars in the heart of the city, heading towards the upscale shopping area of Auckland.
The upscale area.
Entering Albert Park, a very large park in the Auckland CBD that borders the University of Auckland campus and spans a couple streets.
A former synagogue converted to a university building, on the way to the University of Auckland.
On the University of Auckland campus. The second photo is of the university's famous Clock Tower.
Back in Albert Park. It really was a very nice park; a great place to relax and get away from the city buzz. All the palm trees made me think I was in someplace like Miami for a moment. That's the neighbouring Clock Tower in the 4th photo.
Tucked away in a tiny alley is a stairwell completely decorated in artwork dedicated to the women's suffrage movement - NZ was the first country in the world to legally allow women the right to vote!
Back in the CBD where the entertainment area is located (notice the big movie theatre is in the 3rd photo). If you can make out the Coke banner in the first photo, you'll notice it says "Christmas in the Park" - the annual city wide party celebrating Christmas that includes many free performances and concerts...it's just how they celebrate Christmas in Auckland (and Christchurch as well).
Plenty of Japanese (and in general, Asian) fare in Auckland - lots of Asian immigrants in Auckland (makes sense given NZ's proximity to Asia).
Myers Park, with a replica statue of Moses!
Overlooking Myers Park and the CBD from a shop window at the small shopping complex at the north end of the park...Auckland is very hilly.
Karangahape Road, more commonly known as K Road, Auckland's well-known seedier and funky street. I think the last photo says is all hahaha. Even the Chinese supermarket I stopped by to pick up some apples tried to rip me off by ringing it up as a more expensive variety, but I was able to point out their mistake (a couple of customers before me walked back into the supermarket to have their bill looked over again too).
Later that night, I actually went to a CouchSurfing weekly meet-up (for CouchSurfers in Auckland) at a nice bar down at the pier. I had a compact digital camera this time(!) (which I bought when I came back to Canada for my dental school interview), but completely forgot to take some photos. The turnout wasn't that great though anyway (just my luck); there were probably at most 20-30 of us, while the last few meet-ups had turnouts of 70-90 people! But I got to meet some other travellers and locals. I even met a Chinese guy who grew up in Richmond Hill and went to Richmond Hill High School and was now working in Auckland for a few years! It was nice to chat with someone from back home. It really is a small world!
The only photo I took that night, on my walk back to the hostel. It's as steady a shot as I could get using my compact. I hate to say it because I think it makes me sound like some kind of photography snob, but I've found it surprisingly difficult to use point-and-shoots after using my DSLR for so long because they lack so many features (they seem too simple)! Plus I've gotten used to having full control of my shooting settings.
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