Just a few random thoughts about our trip to Auckland.
New Zealand is a small country, with just under 4.5 million people. Auckland, the largest city, has a population of 1.4 million.
Air New Zealand was a cut above. Processing through the airport was very streamlined, their frequent flier lounge was nice and well stocked, the aircraft was new and clean, crew extremely friendly and very helpful, baggage was processed quickly on both ends. We were in an exit going over and a regular seat coming back. Leg room in the standard seat wasn’t generous, but I did fine on the 9-hour flight, so it must have been sufficient. And the seat was more comfortable than United’s standard seats.
This is a long flight without jet lag! The time difference between Honolulu and Auckland is 23 hours. When it’s 8 a.m. here in Honolulu, it’s 7 a.m. tomorrow in Auckland. What that really translates to, in practical terms, is just a one hour time shift, avoiding jet lag.
The Auckland Airport is bright and modern. The arrival area was a contrast to the dingy walkway in Honolulu Airport’s international arrivals area that greeted us on our return to Hawaii.
We’ve now been to New Zealand twice, but we’ve had only a limited view of things since both trips involved conferences at the University of Auckland. So we have not ventured outside of Auckland, but have enjoyed wandering around the city, which is the largest in the country.
My impression is that Auckland’s population, at least in the center city, is surprisingly diverse. Walk along a downtown street and you’re surrounded by a very diverse flow of people. Visually, perhaps more diverse than a similar scene here in Honolulu, I think.
And their Maori history and culture is very visible in contemporary life, in the media, in government, etc.
We were struck by the penetration of certain U.S. corporations. McDonalds was popular in the food courts, although Burger King was also a big presence downtown. Subway was quite visible. And this in a city with a slew of small local eating spots.
The whole thing with driving on the left side of the road is difficult to adjust to. We haven’t dared to drive, because it causes problems even when walking in the city. When crossing a street, we’re trained for a lifetime to look left for oncoming traffic in the near lane. Do that in Auckland and you’ll find yourself stepping out in front of a bus or something.
While we were there, a group of Americans were involved in a terrible accident in which three were killed. It sounds like a classic result of failing to adjust to driving on the “wrong” side. Their rented SUV was turning right on a highway, and the driver apparently turned into the right lane, rather than the left lane, colliding head-on with an oncoming truck.
Friends were suggesting that we rent a car and see more of the surrounding area. Not going to happen.
Books are alive and well in Auckland. There were at least four book dealers in the downtown area closest to our hotel. These aren’t big chain operations, but rather small local booksellers. It was great to see and to have a chance to browse again.
In our apartment hotel, we noticed that the plugs for the toaster and electric kettle, as well as for the cook top, all had their own switches. So you first had to turn on the plug, and then turn on the appliance. When done, you had to remember to turn off the plug. I don’t know if this is an energy savings or a safety thing. Maybe someone else can fill in the blank.
We were within a short walk of two or three small urban markets. These small supermarkets with limited products were built into the urban landscape. One was at street level, the other had a street level entrance but the shopping area was upstairs and accessed via an escalator. They carried all the basics, including fresh meat, dairy, and vegetables.
They seem to do a brisk business, and there were always checkout lines of young people, downtown workers, and urban dwellers with their shopping baskets.
The Auckland Art Gallery was just a couple of blocks from our hotel, and admission was free. It’s a beautiful building with a varied collection. Needless to say, we were there a couple of times. We didn’t make it to the much larger Auckland Museum on this trip. Something for next time.
We had wifi in our hotel room, which allowed us to keep connected. We were able to watch broadcast news from Honolulu via streaming video. It was interesting to see how much more of the Hawaii newscasts were taken up by routine crime stories, which were largely absent from the broadcasts by New Zealand and Australian stations available via cable.
Although we watched the daily news, we didn’t see a daily newspaper.
We quickly got used to commercial life without pennies, but with $1 and $2 coins much in evidence.
And so it went in Auckland.
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It’s been several years since my family spent two weeks driving around New Zealand. An enjoyable experience, although we did take the bus tour to Milford Sound. The flight back in small aircraft was a bit scary. We enjoyed the diversity of North & South Islands. I am always disappointed to see American fast food present, although the children did welcome McDonalds in Paris.
Backpacked, drank and skiied for 3 weeks in the 90s. Buses in New Zealand were excellent on both islands. The Interislander Strait Ferry between the islands was beautiful. The ocean and mountain views are better than movies. And very un-American: Mountain roads didn’t have guardrails.
About the only downside: local person smoking in the bus bathroom. after a few hours, stench was worse than the hydrogen sulphide rotten egg smell in Rotorua.
The plug is an Australian standard, and is switched for safety. That feature is inherited from England, which also uses switched plugs. When I lived in England my hot water kettle had no switch, but I just left it plugged it in all the time and use the outlet switch to turn it on and off.
FUN READ Ian. I think you have a hidden talent as a travel writer.
As for Honolulu International Airport, please consider dedicating an entire blog to that mess.
If you think driving in New Zealand is challenging, try the U.S. Virgin Islands. There you drive on the left in cars like the ones here with the driver in the left-hand seat. Passing is really exciting.
Winston Churchill looked the wrong way before stepping into the street in New York City in 1931 and was hit by a taxi, suffering multiple injuries.
Another great blog post. So fascinating about the switched outlets!
We often stream Hawaii News Now on the mainland, mainly because we find it a much “happier” newscast. Our local stations, in the last three states we’ve lived, are always doom and gloom, stabbing, break-in, accident, kidnapping, corruption…phew, you start to get depressed after a while. Interesting to hear that the New Zealand stations broadcast even more positive than Hawaii.
just asked some friends in Auckland about their switched plugs. As dr reported, it’s for safety (NZ plugs, like those in the UK, are higher voltage). Here in our condo (Oahu) we’ve had some plug switches handed out for use — & we’re finding it very convenient — but that, of course, is for our $$$ savings initiative.
Also, don’t let the ‘other side’ driving deter you from some venturing out next trip. We did a 6 week trip around both North & South Islands (driving) a decade or so ago. We used the technique we’ve honed in Ireland: the ‘navigator’ in the passenger seat on constant vigil, with the frequent cry, “Keep LEFT!” The whole of NZ is worth a good visit and driving really is the best way to go!!