Travels with Zen-Aida » Auckland

Auckland: City of Views

zda — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:38:43 +0000

While not the capital of New Zealand, it is the country's largest city with 1.4 million inhabitants (roughly 31% of the entire country's population). The central city area is located on an isthmus between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, boasting two harbours on two separate major bodies of water.

I had been told by many people that Auckland is not a nice city to live in. Well, so far, I have spent two weeks here and have no complaints other than the wintry weather. Clean streets, good bus system, more coffeeshops and small Asian restaurants than anybody can keep track off, an astonishing number of shops and commercial spaces for rent/lease/sale, approachable and very friendly people, good accommodations. But if the landscape is to be green, then it must rain. And raining it is.

On the few sunny days so far, I have dashed out to take photographs. One of my first outings was a harbour cruise. I am a sucker for skylines and marine vistas, so you will have to indulge me.

The New Zealand Film Festival was the best show in town, so I took in several films in the magnificent Civic Theatre (see separate article "Elephants in the Sky").

Now I am off to investigate the rest of the North Island, especially some of New Zealand's over 100 hot springs!

Auckland: Elephants in the skies – the Civic Theatre

zda — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:30:39 +0000

Picture this: Auckland, New Zealand, prior to 1929. Stores only open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Monday to Friday, few restaurants not open late. Although the first commercial film was shown at the Opera House in Auckland in 1896 and there were over 600 cinemas in New Zealand by the 1920s (a statistic states that in 1927 there was 1 cinema per 1000 inhabitants), there was nothing like the Civic Theatre, which opened its doors on December 20, 1929 amidst great fanfare. Built in only 33 weeks, it made the visitor of the new talking pictures gasp with wonder as soon as he entered the foyer: Inspired by Indian décor, 414 elephant sculptures hold up columns and light fixtures and guard Buddhas sitting crosslegged on niche pedestals in golden light. Blue and pink neon lights (in 1929!) backlight twisted columns and turrets.

Once in the main hall, which used to seat 2750 visitors, you think you are outdoors in a Moorish garden with minarets and spires as you look up - a domed cobalt blue ceiling full of twinkling stars and projections of the Milky Way (shown in their April 1929 position) explain why the theatre is called "built in the atmospheric style". Nowadays, it is only one of seven theatres built in this style still in existence and operation and the only one in Australasia.

The extravagant show curtain depicts an idyllic landscape of flamingos traipsing in a rhinestone-studded lagoon, overhung with branches of hand-embroidered cherry-tree blossoms, framed by two mighty columns of intricate, Moorish lattice-work, crowned by elaborate turrets that reach into the sky and are guarded by two statues of golden Abyssinian panthers with glowing green eyes.

Originally designed by architects Charles Bohringer and William Leighton for the businessman Thomas O'Brien in the style of the famous "Eberson theatres", the building contained several innovations, including a tearoom with dance floor (the Wintergarden) in its basement, from which patrons could observe the main screen and look straight up into the cobalt-blue star ceiling. There was also a 'gondola' orchestra pit which could be lifted or lowered as needed and featured the second largest Wurlitzer organ in the Southern Hemisphere.

With the onset of the Great Depression, which also hit New Zealand, attendance figures dropped. A contributing factor may have been Mr. O'Brien's insistence on showing British films rather than the more popular American ones. In 1968, the Wintergarden cabaret was closed and the last film shown was "LA confidential" in 1998. Sadly, by this time, the once so glamorous building had fallen into a state of disrepair. After a NZ$45 million (approx. €23 million/US$ 30 million) restoration, it reopened exactly 70 years after its inauguration, on December 29, 1999, and is now operated by THE EDGE^® , a company formed by the municipal boards to manage various Auckland venues. Once again, the Civic Theatre is the pride of New Zealand and now hosts visiting musicals, the New Zealand Film Festival and other top acts.

Where did the day go?

zda — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:06:36 +0000

Crossing the date-line doesn't hurt, in fact, you don't feel it at all. It's all just on paper and in your head: taking off from Santiago de Chile at 22:50 on Monday and arriving in Auckland, New Zealand at 4 in the morning on Wednesday. Actual flying time: 13.5 hours, roughly the same as Frankfurt - San Francisco. But it feels different, like I should be getting a gift certificate to cash in for the lost day. I suppose I will get it back in increments, as I continue flying west ....

Excellent flight on LAN, by the way. I am not a jaded business-class traveller who takes these things for granted, so, boy, did I love those fold-down-to absolute-flat seats, the pilllows and duvets cased in ironed percale cotton covers and the sheer space available. I could easily have slept those 13.5 hours, except that I felt so happy, safe and comfortable lying, extended in full comfort and enjoying the smooth flight, that I barely slept a wink.

Airstream Retro Coffee open at 4 a.m.

Arriving in Auckland at that pre-dawn time, I was surprised to find many services functioning already (but then again, it is in their interest to do so, since there are several overseas flights arriving): the duty free store, at least one bank, newspaper stand and a coffee shop - located in a converted "Airstream" aluminium caravan from the 50s, on the sidewalk, where everybody waits for bus/taxi/pickup, smart business idea.

I had informed myself online, but not made any hotel reservation yet. I decided to give the Aspen House a try because of their good rating on Lonely Planet and the fact that I knew they had space as well as being smack in the center of the city. Also, they had a two nights-for-one-deal going. Arriving at Emily Place via the shuttle-bus service at about 5:30 a.m., I am greeted by the single, loud and melodious song of an invisible bird hidden in what I later see is a charming city park, with four gingko trees, several rubber and palm trees, all easily over 100 years old. Aspen House is divided into a hostel and a hotel wing.

Aspen House Hotel on Emily Place

As a lady-in-her-prime, I choose a hotel room with private bath at $NZ65 a night. The high-ceiling room is adequate and clean, painted pale gray with one rust-red wall and a small window giving onto a blind inner courtyard. There is a slight resemblance to a prison cell, but maybe this is just the newest look in post-moderne-retro décor. At any rate, the double bed is incredibly welcoming, as I sink into it for a few hours of catch-up sleep.

Waldorf Stadium Apartments on Beach Rd.

A couple of days later, I move to the Waldorf Stadium Apartments, a building just opened in January 2009 with excellently appointed serviced apartments. I chose a studio of about 40 sq. meters, with a little kitchenette fully equipped including a cute dishwasher-in-a-rollout-drawer, my own washer and dryer, high speed internet and a city view. In addition, city buses stop right outside the door and Auckland's largest 24/7 supermarket is right around the corner. The weather is rather inclement, to but it elegantly... I think I will hibernate here for a few days.