by Focus
© 2002 M. Myska, all rights reserved
Auckland, New Zealand, is a large city, with 1.2 million people, but it doesn't feel that way to the visitor. It doesn't feel that crowded. It doesn't have the throngs of people bumping and pushing one another. Instead, it has a downtown area with shiny tall buildings, and a surrounding suburban area that has a small town feel, with corner groceries and shops. It doesn't have the smog. It doesn't have the grime. Instead, it has a cool fresh ocean breeze. The high temperature varies, from summer to winter, from 70 to 50 degrees F. It doesn't have the beggars. Instead, the people I see downtown seem young and energetic. Auckland does, however, have rush hour traffic jams. The roadways have not grown as quickly as the population.
Auckland is multicultural. There are the native Polynesians, the Maori. There are the descendants of the English settlers. Also there is a large Asian population. So as my daughter drives down the street I see many races mixing together, and I see signs advertising a variety of cuisine: Indian, Korean, Cambodian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Irish, English, and American. Yes, MacDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken are alive and well in New Zealand. My daughter misses Mexican food, but has even found two restaurants serving that!
One reason there are so many young people in Auckland is that they come to learn. My son-in-law works at the University of Auckland, and my daughter hopes to attend the University when her residency comes through. But there are other schools as well. Technical schools where one may learn about computers or mechanics. Schools where one may learn to be a nurse, a cook, or a dental assistant. Finally, teaching English has become a major industry in Auckland, for many young Asians come to New Zealand to learn the language. In the tourist guide there are two pages of English language schools listed.
Auckland has many tourist attractions, things to do and things to see. The things to do are aimed at the young and active: hiking, biking, swimming, surf fishing, sea kayaking, scuba diving, parasailing, skydiving, rafting, golfing, sailing, horseback riding. You could climb the Auckland harbor bridge. You could climb the Sky Tower - or jump off it!
Being old and cautious, I concentrated more on the things to see. I saw the gardens at the Domain. I watched an excellent play about the culture clash between Maori natives and English settlers. I visited the Auckland museum, where the highlights were a Maori war canoe and a Maori meeting house. I toured the Auckland Art gallery - and a couple of private art galleries too. I didn't climb or jump off the Sky Tower, but I did treat my daughter and son-in-law to dinner at the Orbit, the revolving restaurant high in the tower. With my daughter, I went on the ferry to Waiheke Island, for an overnight visit. There we planned to go horseback riding; but as it was hailing and the winds were strong, our plans had to be canceled. Instead, I took a walk in the rain, and did a little shopping, while my daughter napped.
Riding the ferry back from Waiheke I got a great view of Rangitoto, the most recent and largest volcano in the Auckland area. I also saw Auckland, with a mist obscuring the Waitakere mountain range behind it, so that the city's own volcanoes stood green above the buildings nestled around their bases.
Auckland is built on a volcanic field. In the Auckland volcanic field there are 49 discrete volcanoes! Many of the suburbs are named after the local volcano; for example, my daughter lives in the Mt. Roskill district. The volcanoes are not very large, for each has erupted only once, then gone extinct. However, the field as a whole is not extinct. The field is active, and a new volcano could erupt anywhere in the Auckland area at any time, with very little warning.
Early in my visit Joy, Margo's mother in law, drove us to the top of Mt. Eden. Mt. Eden doesn't look very impressive at first glance; just a low green hill. But the top makes a good viewpoint to see the surrounding area. Not expecting much when we arrived, I didn't even bother to take my camera out; I left it locked in the car. I got out, and admired the view of the city - but as I didn't recognize any of the landmarks that were pointed out to me, the fact is I didn't find the view all that interesting.
What I did find intriguing was the mountain itself. I stood on the rim of the grassy hill, and looked down into the cone. The slope was steep, but, feathered with grass, it looked soft. Children could slide down the slope, laughing. People could sit on the rim and picnic. Only a small jumble of black basaltic rock in the center of the cone spoke of heat and violence. The volcano was old, extinct, its heat covered with a cool veneer, its passion a thing of the past.
Somehow, I identified with that volcano. Am I like this, I wondered? Comfortable and soft and safe, with my passion extinct? Or am I merely dormant? Is it possible that something or someone will cause me to erupt once more?