Residents in Aotearoa

Auckland from the top of Mt.Eden. Another of the many volcanos around the city.  Looking across the crater.

Today I thought I'd start to talk a little about Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, and our adopted city.  It is not the capital, that's down in Wellington, but it's size makes it special.  

It's population is about 1.4 million.  Since New Zealand's entire population is just over 4.4 million, you can imagine the impact Auckland makes on the country as a whole.  And this impact has lead I've discovered, to a bit of an attitude on the part of folks that do not call Auckland home. 

As you might imagine, Auckland has the busiest and most developed highway system in the country. This has lead many Kiwis from outside the city to dread the ordeal of navigating through Auckland when it becomes necessary. Personally, I know that we have much worse in Milwaukee, Chicago, and umm, almost any big city in the U.S. Nevertheless, if you live on a sheep ranch out in the bush, and you have to attend a sheep shearing symposium in Auckland, you will approach the city with white knuckles and an elevated heart rate.  I know that feeling all too well from my years of approaching Milwaukee, Chicago,and umm, almost any city I've driven too.  

All this angst among many Kiwis has lead them to label Aucklanders with a less than polite nickname. Since I now live in one of Auckland's 'burbs, I too would be considered by them to be a JAFA.  Since I don't like to use certain words, I will define JAFA with the offending word deleted. It stands for "Just Another - Aucklander"

Despite this connotation, we Aucklanders are a happy bunch. Jeanne and I love to visit the city fairly often and we have a number of favorite places, pictures of which I am sure will find their way to this site in the future. We'll start today with a few that might give you the flavor of the place. 

This is a tree in Mount Albert Park. The park is located just a few blocks from Auckland's 'main' street, named Queen Street, and is full of trees, flowers, fountains, benches facing fountains, and 'frolicking' Aucklanders.  

Here is another tree and what do you know?  There are two 'fascinated' Aucklanders.

With trees in parks like these, how could we Aucklanders be anything but happy, I ask you?

But, let's just say for the sake of argument, that there are a few Aucklanders who were unhappy.  What could they do about it?  They could jump off the Sky Tower I suppose, and become a 'falling' Aucklander.  As it happens, there is a steady stream of jumpers. They often have to wait in line to get the chance.  

Of course, you notice this jumper is following a line down and he, just like all the other 'fallers', will find that the mechanism to which he is attached will slow him down toward the bottom and deposit him with no more than a gentle bump upon the landing platform.  

I don't know for sure, but maybe it's an Aucklander's breakfast (or brekki here) that helps to make them happy. Many stop at No. 1 Pancake (below) to get a Korean style treat. The syrup or other fillings are on the inside of this fried bit of happiness. This tiny hole-in-the-wall business is world-famous in Auckland and is my personal favorite place in Auckland.  

Of course, Aucklanders also need a beverage in the morning.  Something that will get them going. Something to wake them up. Other cities might rely on coffee or tea to wake up it's citizenry. Auckland offers the Moa.  

You'll note that this bottle of beer, named after nine-foot-tall birds, is specifically meant to be enjoyed for breakfast! Aucklanders can say, "Well, I downed a Moa at brekki and I'm off." Wow. 

I'd say that if a guy has downed a Moa for breakfast, and then stopped at No. 1 for a hot 'brown sugar and cinnamon', he would definitely be ready to face his day, whatever it brought. 

He could even dare to climb Mt. Eden on foot and make his way over to the 'brass distance dial' and mull over how remarkable an adventure he was on.  (Phew, this hill was quite a climb.  I wonder if I have another Moa in my pack?)                                                        -djf