A first word from Auckland
Auckland July 25th 845 AM....56 degrees and chilly...pretty day
It was sad to leave Papeete and I have developed a sort of affection for the place. Royal Tahitien very good to me. The flight out at daylight (Air New Zealand was 4-5 hours late...but their employee slowdown appar. is ending) was oddly a plus: I got a little more sleep and got magnificent views of Moorea (it is pronounced Mo-O-rea by the way...) and Bora Bora at a distance...landed at Rarotonga, a happy little airport on that pretty volcano (with a reef around it) which I had visited 25 or so years ago....trio playing Cook Island music at arrival...festive. The plane then flew on to Auckland absolutely jammed because Rarotonga is where New Zealanders in their winter (now) glom.....
Auckland Airport is tremendously civilized and it is fun to hear the Kiwi inflections again. The clue (and listen for it) is the letter "e" making "Fred" FRAY-ud)....Sam Porter's great transfer man met me in a classy ancient cadillac....from the air NZ looks so pastoral, neat...almost as pretty as a Cotswold scene.....on the drive in, through rather poshy parts of Auckland (now population 1 1/2 million) reminds me of Vancouver (though it is granted utterly detestable to be someplace and say it reminds one of another)....Downtown has been completely, radically updated....apartments are located on long piers into the harbor...and the Hilton is actually rather a boutique type hotel with water on 3 sides....Sam was right: it is a winner...my room has a large balcony with uninterrupted harbour view...a view lovely though rather a far cry from the best. Took a long nap, walked some deserted Sunday streets, liked the feel. The city still seems at first impression to have one foot in the provinces and another in the world.
The Hilton has a wonderful wine bar (had a magnificent local pinot noir)...Trevor, the head barkeep gave me a couple of tastes too including a world class Chardonnay, a wine I usually detest which which was delicious. Dinner was an avocado and chicken sandwich and then to bed for 9 uninterupted hours...bliss. The room is comfy, large, bright (but with good black out curtains), view as mentioned lovely....breakfast very positive in the Bristol Hotel Wien tradition with succulent smoked salmon and proscuitto...grand breads....
I have a feeling that Auckland (having done my homework) is not a city in which one would dig up many layers if one tried although it IS biracial and the Maori presence is pervasive. Rather, it strikes me as infinitely livable. I have the feeling that tourists shouldn't come to NZ unless they are somewhat passionate about nature, tidiness, lovely manners....but with some anthropological interests (the Maori again). I like it enormously really but admit that Peter Lorre, Paul Muni....
Eric Ambler and John le Carre....Gaugin or Derain or Rothko are NOT all lurking around the corners unseen.
That's it for now.....I can see why some find the city a tad dull....it IS....but sometimes dullness is terrifically salubrious when you think about it. Will write again with more balanced impressions...
-FRED
It was sad to leave Papeete and I have developed a sort of affection for the place. Royal Tahitien very good to me. The flight out at daylight (Air New Zealand was 4-5 hours late...but their employee slowdown appar. is ending) was oddly a plus: I got a little more sleep and got magnificent views of Moorea (it is pronounced Mo-O-rea by the way...) and Bora Bora at a distance...landed at Rarotonga, a happy little airport on that pretty volcano (with a reef around it) which I had visited 25 or so years ago....trio playing Cook Island music at arrival...festive. The plane then flew on to Auckland absolutely jammed because Rarotonga is where New Zealanders in their winter (now) glom.....
Auckland Airport is tremendously civilized and it is fun to hear the Kiwi inflections again. The clue (and listen for it) is the letter "e" making "Fred" FRAY-ud)....Sam Porter's great transfer man met me in a classy ancient cadillac....from the air NZ looks so pastoral, neat...almost as pretty as a Cotswold scene.....on the drive in, through rather poshy parts of Auckland (now population 1 1/2 million) reminds me of Vancouver (though it is granted utterly detestable to be someplace and say it reminds one of another)....Downtown has been completely, radically updated....apartments are located on long piers into the harbor...and the Hilton is actually rather a boutique type hotel with water on 3 sides....Sam was right: it is a winner...my room has a large balcony with uninterrupted harbour view...a view lovely though rather a far cry from the best. Took a long nap, walked some deserted Sunday streets, liked the feel. The city still seems at first impression to have one foot in the provinces and another in the world.
The Hilton has a wonderful wine bar (had a magnificent local pinot noir)...Trevor, the head barkeep gave me a couple of tastes too including a world class Chardonnay, a wine I usually detest which which was delicious. Dinner was an avocado and chicken sandwich and then to bed for 9 uninterupted hours...bliss. The room is comfy, large, bright (but with good black out curtains), view as mentioned lovely....breakfast very positive in the Bristol Hotel Wien tradition with succulent smoked salmon and proscuitto...grand breads....
I have a feeling that Auckland (having done my homework) is not a city in which one would dig up many layers if one tried although it IS biracial and the Maori presence is pervasive. Rather, it strikes me as infinitely livable. I have the feeling that tourists shouldn't come to NZ unless they are somewhat passionate about nature, tidiness, lovely manners....but with some anthropological interests (the Maori again). I like it enormously really but admit that Peter Lorre, Paul Muni....
Eric Ambler and John le Carre....Gaugin or Derain or Rothko are NOT all lurking around the corners unseen.
That's it for now.....I can see why some find the city a tad dull....it IS....but sometimes dullness is terrifically salubrious when you think about it. Will write again with more balanced impressions...
-FRED
posted by ultimatetraveler at 6:45 AM
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