#dailyat6am, Auckland, Observation, Wild Horses

Disillusionment With The America’s Cup

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Daily Photo – Replica America’s Cup

The other day a news item about the America’s Cup came on the television that did two things. Firstly, it reminded me that I had a photo of a replica America’s Cup I could share with you all, and secondly, it made me curious about who the current holder was. The reporter was broadcasting from Naples in Italy, which confused me somewhat as I thought New Zealand was the current holder of the ‘Auld Mug’. Clearly I’d lost touch with the event, I didn’t remember Italy winning it, though I also couldn’t recall New Zealand winning it either. Traditionally, the regatta has usually been held in the country of the holder, so I decided to take a moment to reacquaint myself with what exactly was going on.

The America’s Cup used to be a very big deal. The first time New Zealand won it there were parades and parties up and down the country. When we challenged for it in 1995 we all wore red socks, somehow believing this would make the boat go faster, though I’m still not entirely sure how! Now, 30 years later, I didn’t even know who held it. After some quick Googling, I was astonished to discover that not only were New Zealand the current holders, they had actually won the last three events. I then discovered the most recent regatta had been held in Barcelona. Instead of things beginning to make sense, I only became more confused. Why on earth would New Zealand be defending the America’s Cup in Barcelona and now Naples, instead of Auckland, a city that proudly claims to be ‘The City of Sails’? Intrigued, I kept reading and soon discovered that Team New Zealand had taken the America’s Cup to Europe for the same reason they took it to Barcelona last time: money. After the 2021 defence in Auckland, the Government was reluctant to contribute to the estimated $300 million it would cost to host another event. Meanwhile, Europe offered larger crowds, major sponsorship opportunities, and far better television audiences. From a business perspective, it made perfect sense.

So what it all boils down to is that New Zealand simply chose not to pay the enormous price tag required to host it. Now, I’m sorry, but when you can’t get a sailing event done in a city that calls itself ‘The City of Sails’ because it costs too much, there is something desperately wrong with the price tag of the sport, and it needs immediate attention. Not far from my home there’s a local yacht club that regularly holds regattas on the harbour, and they all seem pretty happy with the way things run. Just saying!

#dailyat6am, Auckland, New Zealand, North Island, Wild Horses

Erhu Busker on Queen Street

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Daily Photo – Erhu Busker on Queen Street

I strolled through the streets of Auckland’s CBD when I came across a man playing an Erhu. I thought it was rather good and added a silently different atmosphere to the area which wasn’t nearly as busy as I’d expected. However, clearly I was in the minority as his case wasn’t almost void money. Not being in any hurry, I stopped, dropped some money in his case and in return he let me take as many photos as I wished. He was a lovely chap, happily sitting there playing his music to those who were passing by. Watching him, it was hard to believe that playing music on these very streets was once considered a dangerous, criminal act. In fact, central Auckland has a surprisingly turbulent history when it comes to street performers.

It all started in the early 1880s, when The Salvation Army first arrived in Auckland, they did what any modern-day street busker might do: set up on a corner of Queen Street playing brass instruments, beating tambourines, and singing hymns to gather a crowd. Not everyone appreciated this, especially the Auckland City Council and the police. Rather than passing laws specifically banning music, authorities used general public obstruction and police offence laws to arrest Salvationists for blocking footpaths and disturbing the peace.

At the same time, organised anti-Salvation gangs known as “Skeleton Armies” marched through central Auckland carrying skull-and-crossbones flags, banging tin cans, throwing rocks, and attempting to drown out the musicians. The result was the bizarre situation of police arresting the Salvation Army performers for “inciting a breach of the peace”, on the grounds that their music provoked riots and disorder. Courts often fined the Salvationists, effectively ruling that making music in the street became illegal if other people reacted violently to it.

Erhu Busker on Queen Street

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#dailyat6am, Aotearoa, Auckland, North Island, Wild Horses

Rainy Day at the Viaduct Harbour

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Daily Photo – Rainy Day at the Viaduct Harbour

The other day I saw a photo taken somewhere in the Viaduct Harbour. It was fine, sunny, and filled with people happily strolling around, visiting a few of the nearby bars and restaurants in the afternoon sunshine. In fact, it was the exact opposite of when I was there. From my vantage point on the Eastern Viaduct near the corner of Lower Hobson Street and Quay Street, the rain bounced off the pavement while the wind swirled between the surrounding buildings, driving it at odd and unexpected angles. Looking back across the Viaduct Harbour, then towards where the city should have been, now replaced by a thick, heavy white mist, I contemplated my surroundings and couldn’t help thinking that perhaps this was a more accurate introduction to Auckland than the polished waterfront scenes that appear in tourism campaigns. The harbour was rough, the wind unpleasant, and the city itself had vanished completely into cloud, yet there was still something strangely captivating about it all.

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#dailyat6am, Auckland, North Island, Wild Horses

Navigating Te Komititanga Square In The Rain

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Daily Photo – Navigating Te Komititanga Square in the Rain

To escape the heavy rain, I’d been at the New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland, located adjacent to the Viaduct Basin, and I was now heading back to my hotel. As the rain continued to fall, I came across Te Komititanga square where, among other things, stands the grand and ornate former Chief Post Office.

The building operates as a train station servicing the greater Auckland area, but it began life as one of the most important buildings in the country when it was officially opened in 1912 by then Prime Minister William Massey in front of a crowd of 8,000–10,000 people. The fact that it was located next to the harbour ferries, railway station, tram terminus, and commercial wharves shows just how important the postal service was at that time.

I’d read that it was recently transformed to service part of the Auckland train network; inside, you can see the original century-old stained-glass domes along with a massive 14-metre-long hand-blown glass chandelier that hangs in the main space, which really is quite impressive. The area immediately outside the building has been turned into a large pedestrian plaza that acts as a connection to the city, as people come and go from the station and head into the city and surrounding business and shopping areas or link up with the ferry terminals at the nearby wharves.

It also acts as a spot where you can take photos while standing in the rain, getting odd looks from people as you get extremely wet and then re-orient yourself to work out in what direction your hotel might be!

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#dailyat6am, Auckland, North Island, Wild Horses

Navigating Albert Street in Auckland

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Daily Photo – Navigating Albert Street in Auckland

In the morning I felt like going somewhere indoors, a museum perhaps, or anything with a roof for that matter. It was still raining, and the drenching I had received the previous day had left me with a limited selection of dry clothing. What I had on felt like an asset worth protecting. I went into the Strand Arcade, tucked between Queen and Elliott Street in central Auckland. It was long and thin, with polished tiled floors, narrow shopfronts pressed close on either side, and a high glass ceiling from which banners and an old-fashioned lift hung. The place carried the feeling of a slightly faded but dignified slice of a bygone era. I ambled around slowly for a while, but with nothing to hold my interest, I headed back out onto Queen Street, which, frankly, was a disappointment.

There was a time when Queen Street was the place to be, the social and commercial spine of the city. If anything was happening, it was happening here. Heavy traffic flowed past crowded footpaths, and the street carried an energy that is now difficult to imagine. These days, the crowds have drifted elsewhere. The pull of the suburbs and their sprawling malls has drawn people away from the city centre, leaving behind stretches of empty pavement, buildings sitting idle, and a place that feels in need of a good spruce-up. Perhaps it was the rain, but there was a sense of something slipping, quietly but steadily, into decline. I kept walking until I reached the Viaduct Basin, and the contrast was immediate. Here, the city felt awake again. There was movement, noise, and a sense of purpose. Cafés and bars hummed with activity, and people hurried along the waterfront in small groups, trying to avoid puddles and the bursts of sea spray whipped up by the wind. I carried on until I found myself outside the Maritime Museum at the Viaduct Basin and decided to take a look. This was not born of any deep passion for sailing, but rather a practical need for shelter. I spent several hours wandering through the exhibits, leaving a faint trail of small puddles wherever I went.

When it came time to leave, I stood in the foyer, watching the rain bounce off the pavement. Just as I was considering my next move, I noticed the café was open, so I decided to linger a while longer, sitting by the window, sipping coffee, and watching the rain strike the glass as if it were being sprayed from a garden hose.

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#dailyat6am, Auckland, North Island, Wild Horses

St Matthew Church in Auckland

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Daily Photo – St Matthew-in-the-City In Auckland

I stood in the museum foyer near the entrance, watching the rain bounce off the pavement and wondered what to do. The wind rocketed off the harbour and swirled between the buildings, driving the rain at odd and unexpected angles. Along the footpaths and streets, it had gathered where the gutters were blocked, forming large puddles that stretched across everything, creating a kind of liquid obstacle course that I was now faced with. Looking out into the damp, windblown murk that hid the city, I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t put it off any longer. I zipped up my vest, took a deep breath, stepped out into the watery chaos, then sprinted across the street to the first covered shopfront I could find.

From there, I spotted the next dry patch and made a dash for it, stopping briefly to reassess. I continued this zigzagging pattern up the street for some time, pausing at traffic lights where heavy traffic sped through puddles, sending sheets of water onto the footpath, right where I stood.

After several minutes of this, I came to a large, busy intersection. On the opposite corner, diagonally across from me, stood St Matthew’s Church, which just happened to be open. I dashed across and ducked inside, not for any religious purpose, but simply because it was open, it was free, and it gave me a chance to dry off before continuing my slow assault up the street.

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#dailyat6am, #fromtheroad, Auckland, New Zealand, North Island, Wild Horses

The Auckland Weather

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Daily Photo – Rain on the Auckland Motorway

When I arrived in Auckland, I had plenty of plans for the next few days, all carefully assembled in my head with great care somewhere over the Cook Strait, and like most plans made at 30,000 feet, it seemed both admirable and faintly heroic at the same time. Wherever possible, I intended to walk, only using public transport if absolutely necessary. You see so much more of a place when you’re not trapped in a moving vehicle. Sure, you get places quicker, but you also miss a great deal of what’s going on around you. On this trip, I’d vowed to only use it if I had no other option.

That was of course, until I stepped off the plane.

Even before that moment, there had been a few warning signs that the weather wasn’t altogether pleasant. The first was that the terminal, along with most of the city, appeared to be hidden beneath a low blanket of cloud that seemed to have swallowed everything between us and where the airport ought to be. The second clue came from outside the plane, where the ground crew were scurrying about in the sort of gear you only wear when you’re expecting to get thoroughly drenched.

An announcement from the captain then confirmed my suspicions, it was raining!

Not the gentle, polite sort of rain you can wander about in without much concern. This was hard, heavy, determined rain that makes you question whether going outside is a sensible life choice. The kind that falls with such enthusiasm that even ducks might think twice.

In fact, the MetService was warning that the wind and rain could soon become severe enough to cause disruption across the city. I disembarked, found a bus into town, and watched from my seat as the rain pelted down. By the time we arrived somewhere near where I was staying, if anything, the weather had only worsened.

My plans, it seemed, were going to need a fairly substantial rethink.

#dailyat6am, Aotearoa, Auckland, North Island, Wild Horses

The Auckland Sky Tower at Night

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Daily Photo – The Auckland Sky Tower at Night

Recently I spent some time in Auckland, where apart from a period of about three hours on a Wednesday night when the weather momentarily cleared, all I saw of the Sky Tower was it disappearing into a thick, heavy mist while rain pelted down onto the city below. During that three hour period when the weather cleared, I ventured out on the streets and took this photo while the Sky Tower was visible. The thing was, the view I wanted was in the middle of the street meaning I had to cross the road, stop to take a photo and get back to the footpath before the lights turned.

#dailyat6am, #fromtheroad, Auckland, Wild Horses

Rain at Auckland Airport

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Daily Photo – Rain at Auckland Airport

I was in Auckland for a period of time, most of which I could spend as I pleased. My plan had been to see the city the way I prefer to see most places, which is on foot. Public transport would only be used where absolutely necessary, preferably when hills became unreasonable or distances began to resemble something more suited to a road trip.

Before landing at Auckland Airport, I had spent much of the flight reading about possible spots I might like to visit and then plotting potential walking routes around the city. By the time the seatbelt signs came on for landing, I had what I believed to be a fairly respectable itinerary.

All of that changed the moment we came in to land, because it was raining.

Not the gentle, polite sort of rain you can wander about in without much concern. This was hard, heavy, determined rain that makes you question whether leaving a building at all is a sensible life choice. The kind that falls with such enthusiasm that even ducks might consider staying indoors.

In fact, the MetService were warning that the expected wind and rain might soon become serious enough to cause real disruption across the city and surrounding areas.

Having disembarked from the plane, I stood watching the rain pelt down across the runways, dissolving the city into a white mist where it ought to have been. Since I hadn’t brought a jacket, it became clear that my carefully planned walking itinerary was about to undergo a fairly substantial rethink.

#dailyat6am, Aotearoa, Auckland, New Zealand, North Island, Wild Horses

Searching For The Top of Auckland’s Sky Tower

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Daily Photo – A View of the Sky Tower You Don’t See on Postcards

If you google “Auckland’s Sky Tower,” you’ll most likely be shown images of the city’s skyline at night, with the tower brilliantly lit in a kaleidoscope of colours, standing like a beacon above the harbour, its lights reflected in the water below.

Alternatively, it can be seen as a gleaming spire piercing the night sky, wrapped in ever-changing lights like a giant neon candle over Auckland, turning the city into a miniature Christmas village on a summer evening while its colours dance across the harbour.

Well, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but I’m here to tell you that isn’t always the case. The last time I was in Auckland, apart from a period of about three hours on a Wednesday night when the weather momentarily cleared, all I saw of the Sky Tower was it disappearing into a thick, heavy mist while rain pelted down onto the city below. For three days, all I saw was a grey shaft vanishing into a white nothingness. Still, it provided an alternative view of the Sky Tower, one the Auckland tourism board probably doesn’t rush to put on postcards.

#dailyat6am, Auckland, New Zealand, North Island, Wild Horses

The New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland

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Daily Photo – New Zealand Maritime Museum in Auckland

Recently I spent some time in Auckland and, on the afternoon of the third day, ducked into the Maritime Museum in the Viaduct. This wasn’t born of any wild fascination with boats or a burning passion for sailing vessels, but rather the simple fact that it had been raining incessantly since I arrived. I figured a few hours wandering around would at least give me time to dry off. So in I went, and spent a good few hours leaving small puddles of water where ever I went.

While I was there, I took this photo. It’s actually made from eight images stitched together to create a panorama. As I was travelling light and without a tripod, it was shot hand-held, which made the final processing a little more challenging.