Backpacker Student: Auckland

I don’t think my arrival into New Zealand could have been much lovelier. After a three and a half hour flight from Brisbane and hopping two hours ahead in the new time zone, we descended over the North Island as the sun set, which cast pink hues onto the clouds that drifted leisurely over dotted islands. Rolling green hills came into view and I felt excited about my arrival in a new and beautiful country. From Auckland airport I took the bus into the city and found my way to my hostel on Karangahape Road- known locally as K’Road- with its numerous small Turkish and Asian cafes. I met my dorm mate Ryan, a cheery American at the start of a round-the-world trip, before heading out for a quick dinner of pizza and beer. I didn't feel like venturing much further out after that, and went to bed to the sounds of Friday night revelry on the street outside, preparing myself for a day of exploring in the morning.

I didn't have much of a plan for my first day in Auckland, but came down the hostel stairs happy to find myself in a haze of winter sunlight and coffee steam from outdoor café tables. It was a crisp, bright day in Auckland, and I was lucky that the fine weather continued for most of my stay. I wandered down the steep hill of Queen Street and made my first stop at the art gallery. The building of the gallery is magnificent, with large glass panes allowing beautiful views through to Albert Park, and wooden ceilings and pillars decorated with Maori-inspired motifs. I was shown around by a friendly guide called Trish, and the gallery provided interesting insights into New Zealand culture and history. Afterwards I wandered through Albert Park with its lovely view over the city (I was to find many such vantage points over the next three days) and found my way down to the harbour, where there happened to be a Maori festival on, with stalls and a dance performance. I couldn't see much as it was heaving inside, but upstairs I chanced upon a great little photography exhibition put on by Greenpeace commemorating a history of protest in New Zealand. The photos spanned from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, incorporating peace campaigns, anti-nuclear protests and direct action, protests against the Vietnam War, Maori-rights campaigns and student protests. One of the Maori rights campaigns that caught my attention took place in the 1980s to campaign for the Maori language to be incorporated as an official language of New Zealand. Everywhere I went in Auckland official signs were always displayed in both English and Maori, and this reminded me of how change always comes about in society by people fighting for it. The last exhibit was a mirror, and the accompanying sign reminded visitors that their actions and decisions can help shape the world. It was a nice detail that I liked very much. Leisurely I made my way back uphill and finished the day in the stylish suburb of Ponsonby, where I browsed the boutique shops and enjoyed yet another great view of the city- Auckland is very hilly, with its CBD on low ground near the waterfront, allowing for lots of unexpected and spectacular glimpses of it wherever I went.

Sunday was a busy and tiring day for me, but very rewarding nonetheless. I took a morning ferry across the Waitemata Harbour to Rangitoto Island, an extinct volcano with brilliant hiking opportunities. The main walk is a moderate hike up to the summit, and as the herd of passengers disembarked onto the island, everyone set off in that direction at varying paces. Being a volcanic island, the foliage was wonderfully lush and green, and the sun showered down as I crunched over the black lava rocks. I reached the top and had a look at the crater; I had never seen a volcano crater before, and it was only distinguishable because of the distinctive bowl shape of the land. All was covered in trees and bushes, with the exception of a captivating little circle of grey ash right in the middle without much growing on it, which filled me with an incredible temptation to go down there and stand right in the middle of it. But I sensed that if I did so I would probably inadvertently cause an unexpected eruption and devastate most of Auckland, so I decided to keep to the assigned paths. A short way further up was the lookout point, and the views were fantastic. It wasn't the view over the city that impressed me as much as the view of the rest of the Hauraki Gulf, which is made up of several lush green islands. It was certainly a pleasant place to sit and eat my picnic. After resting up a while I continued, this time hoping to take a route that would distance me from the crowds. I definitely succeeded in that respect, finding a walking track away from the direction of the wharf which I had just to myself and to the birds. Neighbouring Rangitoto is another island called Motutapu, and the two are connected by a narrow causeway. I had aimed to head a little way onto this island before taking a long coastal track back to the wharf, but in the end I decided to play it safe and turned off before the causeway. I reflected on what a colonial attitude it was of mine to feel compelled to go to the other island purely for the accomplishment of setting foot on it, but in the end, that is what travel is often about.

The coastal walk began with wonderful secluded views of the bay before turning off into the forest for most of the way. It became hard going and I realised that I shouldn't overestimate how much I can do! In any case, I made it back to the wharf with lots of time to spare before my ferry departed, and I was so worn out I could hardly compel my feet to explore any further. I had possibly overdone it a little, particularly as all the travelling I've done recently had brought me down with a cold which I had hoped to remedy with some fresh air and moderate exercise. Instead I had worn myself out enough to bring on a severe case of the sniffles. I was chilled through when I got back to the hostel, so I warmed up with a hot shower and went out for a bowl of udon noodles and some green tea, which I couldn't taste properly because of my cold. I went to bed feeling a little sorry for myself.

Thankfully, I enjoyed a tremendous night’s sleep after my long day of activity (doubtlessly ensuring the opposite effect for my room-mates) and woke up feeling miles better. I promised myself I would take things easier today, and I did... to begin with at least. I had decided to go to the Auckland Museum to learn about New Zealand’s history, and set off in that direction first thing. The museum- a grand neo-classical building on top of a hill with another great vantage over the city- is located in Auckland Domain, a huge park that also houses a delightful wintergarden. I went here first, enjoying the surroundings and indulging in generous sit-downs to rest my legs that were still complaining from the day before. Next I went on to the museum, and paid the fairly steep entry fee of $25 for international visitors, with no student discount, I was dismayed to find. I was further disgruntled to find half of Auckland’s juvenile population running and shouting through the galleries. I hate the school holidays. Grumpiness aside, the collections were spectacular- and I even managed to avoid most of the children if I went to the least colourful and interactive galleries. The ground floor is devoted to Polynesian and Maori history, and contains huge numbers of anthropological artefacts from different Pacific islands. I found it really useful to learn about the time scale of Polynesian migrations across the Pacific; I didn’t know before that New Zealand was the last country in the world to be settled by humans- the first Polynesian migrants are thought to have arrived around 800 years ago, the descendants of the Maori people. In contrast, Aboriginal people are thought to have arrived in Australia as much as 60,000 years ago.

Upstairs, the second floor focused on natural history, and I particularly enjoyed the volcano exhibition. Of course, volcanic and tectonic activity is of great significance to the lives of New Zealanders, and the exhibition sought to explain both the risks and the importance of volcanoes to life, as well as explaining the science behind them. It was like A-Level Geography all over again. Finally, the top floor is dedicated to war memorials and war history, but I spent less time here as my brain was already worn out after taking in the first two levels. I went back out into the sunshine and enjoyed another rest looking out over the city and the harbour. In the afternoon I ventured into another suburb of the city, Parnell, which is referred to as a village and is suitably quaint. Northeast of the main shopping strip is a wonderful park and rose garden, on the top of a hill facing straight out onto the bay, and it was a beautiful spot to relax and soak up the surroundings. From here I walked on to Parnell Baths, a historic outdoor saltwater pool that is now closed for the winter, but looked as though it would be a fantastic place to spend an afternoon in Auckland. I followed the elevated walkway around the baths and looked down into the murky water half-filling the pools. There is something eerie and captivating about abandoned swimming pools!

In my rough plan for the day I had considered a walk to a seaside resort called Mission Bay, if I had time and energy for it after the museum and Parnell. It was only four o'clock when I found myself at the baths so I decided to walk some of the way around the bay to use up the rest of the daylight. Well, I didn't quite make it to Mission Bay- I had had enough by the time I reached the headland that precedes it- but I was in time to watch the sun set from a wooden jetty where silent fishermen cast their lines out and took no notice of me. I think the expedition was probably worth this pleasant moment, but I certainly didn't enjoy the long trudging walk back to the city. It must have been about five kilometres- not what I needed after a full day walking about town, especially after promising myself a leisurely day. After what seemed like an endless road, I reached the CBD and turned up Queen Street to head to the hostel. And I was taken aback by the number of homeless people lining the street as commuters headed home. It really put things into perspective for me. I had noticed early on that there seemed to be lots of homeless people on the streets in Auckland- many of them Maori- but on Queen Street that evening it was very striking and saddening to see. I also noticed that the City Mission was advertising its Winter Warriors campaign on bus stops to help the city's homeless over the winter, and I will include a link to their website here in case anybody reading this would like to make a donation to help the city’s many homeless men and women.

Finally I came to my last day in Auckland before an evening flight to Melbourne, and wasn't certain how to fill it. In the end I decided to take the short ferry trip across the water to the seaside village of Devonport. The good weather didn't last into Tuesday and it was an overcast day; I can see that Devonport would be very pretty when the sun shines on it, but today it felt very quiet and empty. Firstly I headed up to Mount Victoria, a small hill overlooking the town, which allows views in all directions. From here I got a great view of Rangitoto in all its dark, symmetrical glory. I came down the hill and stopped to look at the writers’ house, principally because I’d never heard of a writers’ house before. The cottage was originally built as a signalman’s house when the hill was used for an artillery emplacement. Later it was established as a house for visiting writers and writers-in-residence in honour of the late Michael King, a popular New Zealand historian who died tragically in a car accident in 2004. His Penguin History of New Zealand, according to the information sign, remains a hugely popular and significant history of the country, and his engaging writing style has earned him the title of 'the people’s historian'. I happened to find a copy of the book in a great second-hand bookshop in Devonport, and so far I can see why King was praised in this way.

In the afternoon I visited the Tepid Baths, another historic swimming pool in the city- but this time an indoor pool that I could visit, complete with sauna and steam room. I enjoyed the chance to have a swim and use the spa facilities. A woman in the jacuzzi even asked me if I was alright as I was so red, but I explained to her that this is normal for me. ‘You could poach an igg in here’, she added in her Kiwi twang. I dried off and felt very refreshed as I headed back into the city. My Auckland visit came to an end as I boarded the bus to the airport and set off back to Oz. I’m really glad I had the chance to see this lovely and surprising city, and I know I’ll have to see more of New Zealand one day.