Reflections on Auckland, New Zealand

The purpose of this particular blog entry is to satisfy the requirements of the blog that I feel have not been fulfilled in previous entries. For Auckland, previous blog entries have provided pictures and commentary on portions of the built and natural environment, local culture, minority culture, and conversations with Suzanne and the University of Auckland and Grant at Pattersons Architecture. For this blog post, I would like to take some time to further reflect on the city of Auckland and my experiences. This post will also provide a chronologically correct posting where I can upload a reflections video of Auckland.

My first impression of New Zealand was the inspirational beauty of the natural environment. Mountains, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, seas, and rolling hills all paint the backdrop for this country I feel privileged to have visited. I love seeing God's handiwork every time I take a look around and it is nice to see the care that the people here take to preserve their natural surroundings. (Like not allowing Giant African Snails through customs!)

Buildings here are not quite as innovative in sustainable initiatives as Australia, but there are definitely folks in the construction industry who support these measures. Once productivity rises, I hope to see their government focus back on sustainable practices and continue being good stewards of their natural environment as the built environment continues to grow.

In conversations with folks around town, each person has a unique story, but each story begins with "I came here many years ago, fell in love with the place and moved here." Mark at Unitech, Suzanne at the University of Auckland and even my taxi driver away from the Geyser all have this in their story about why they came to New Zealand. The taxi driver was a pretty chill guy from the island of Fiji who explained that he was here mostly for work. One day he dreams of going back to the island, but life is good in New Zealand and he doesn't plan on leaving Auckland any time soon. Overall the local people here are friendly and do what they can to point you in the right direction or provide you with the information you need.

The minority and indigenous culture of New Zealand (as mentioned in previous entries) is the Maori people. Unlike the Aborigines in Australia, the Maori have significantly shaped the culture and way of life of newcomers here in New Zealand. Even today there are construction folks looking into Maori construction techniques to develop low cost housing options for lower income families and also to use in disaster areas like Christchurch. As previously mentioned, universities have places where Maori people can come and receive higher education, but maintain their cultural identity. Even the national rugby team (rugby is the only sport folks care about), the All Blacks have the "Maori" name printed on the front of their jerseys. It doesn't take long to look around and find something that has been influenced by the Maori. I took a few minutes to try and figure out what causes this influence, but all I can really think of is the intense nature of the Maori, as noted by the Haka pre-war dance. Even with guns, European settlers must have been intimidated (at the very least) and so I suspect more peace treaties were made here than in Australia, who seemingly manhandled the Aborigines.

Overall I had a wonderful stay in Auckland. I didn't enjoy taking taxis almost everywhere around town (The bus system here is wacky), but the walks along the beaches and up the hills and mountains were spectacular. I really hope Auckland continues to maintain this natural beauty through the coming years. For now, it's time to go to the South Island and visit Queenstown!

For a full recap of my adventures in Auckland, please click on the following link:

(Video coming soon!)