"Townlets"

Recently we showed you a little of downtown Auckland. It was a really enjoyable day and we covered almost every bit of the Central Business District. We love looking at old buildings, no matter where we are. Downtown Auckland is just about a fifteen minute drive from our flat. Auckland city is on the south side of the harbor, and we live just on the north shore of the harbor. In fact, we live in North Shore City. NZ doesn’t have counties, but instead districts, and North Shore is a district.

Because there’s such a big population in the areas surrounding Auckland, the people identify themselves not with the city, but with their little neighborhoods. I wouldn’t call them villages or hamlets, because that gives you an idea that they’re separate and identifiable and rural, and these aren’t. There really isn’t a beginning and an end to each place name. They all run together, but yet people identify with one particular place. It all just looks like suburban sprawl to the uninitiated. So we finally decided to call them “townlets”. Each little "townlet" has a definite “downtown”, a little main street of a block or two max of tiny little shops, such as a bakery, take-aways (fish and chips, Chinese food, etc), dress shops, hair dressers, realtors, travel agencies, superettes (very little grocery stores) or dairies (tiny convenience stores), and a “post shop”. I love these little downtowns. They’re usually very narrow and packed in as well. I counted the other morning when I was out walking in downtown Takapuna, and the frontage of the average “shop” is six strides. Their street exposure is very minimal, but the building is deep, just like the housing lots. These little “townlets” are usually spaced no more than a couple miles apart, and just blend into each other. Dad runs through two of them on his morning runs. Takapuna is on the south side of Lake Pupuke, and Milford is around the north side of the lake. If we go the other direction from our flat, Northcote is about two miles, and beyond that Glenfield is another two miles or so. Just north of Northcote is Hillcrest, where we’ve found our little green grocery. We can easily walk through a half dozen little places while we’re out walking. People very much identify with their very own little "townlet". I guess to bring it down to U.S. thinking, it’s kind of like our subdivisions. In Lewisville, it’s The Valley, or “the wood streets”, or in Houston, like Westador or Ponderosa or even a specific area like Greenspoint or Bear Creek.

We actually live in Takapuna, but it’s within the North Shore district, yet is still considered Auckland. Mail addressed to any of the three will eventually get to us. (Greater) Auckland has about four million people, which is half the population of New Zealand. So it’s obviously pretty packed in through Auckland and the surrounding suburbs. Outside of that, NZ is pretty rural. So it’s not like there’s really any shortage of land, but for some reason, when they started settling, they really packed the people in. Probably because they came here from industrial England and Europe, where people lived on top of each other. Businesses, homes, everything was built right out on the street. I remember in Boston seeing Paul Revere’s home built right out on the edge of the street. I guess I’m Western enough that that’s not acceptable to me! I want my space.

Downtown Takapuna

The little downtown streets are narrow, this one is even paved with brick pavers. The taller building on the left is an office building, and the real tall one is condos.

At any rate, that same crowded mentality exists here. We’ve noticed from the beginning how packed in people live, but getting a Google satellite view is very telling! The houses have almost no green space at all around them. They’re built close to the street, usually with a fence between them and the street, as you saw in an older blog of mine. And then there’s a single-lane drive going back to what sometimes looks like a whole other little settlement!

This is actually two little lanes, side by side, going back to multiple houses. It's not uncommon to have the lanes be two strips of concrete for the car tires, with grass growing between them like here. Notice all the mailboxes behind the telephone pole.

Or some lanes are just plain grass, like here.

There might be one or two mailboxes, or a dozen or more out at the front of the driveway, indicating that a whole bunch more people live down that little lane.

Another double lane, with multiple mailboxes in a couple groupings.

The houses sometimes are single dwellings, or frequently are what they call “brick and tiles”, a very popular style here. Most government housing is brick and tile. They’re connected duplexes, triplexes, whatever, built out of bricks, with a tile roof. They refer to brick and tiles like we would say “ranch style” or “cape cod” or “rambler” to define a building style. These little brick and tiles are very small, but sufficient for two or three people. It seems to me that the majority of households here are very small. Anyway, the houses are built right on top of each other, sometimes actually attached to the house next to it. There is no standard building style or code, just whatever. They frequently build the houses end to end, rather than facing the street. Notice the car parked on the grass. They make absolutely no attempt to provide parking. We've seen small colleges built with no parking available. As long as there's land enough to build a building on, they do. However, parking is absolutely at a premium almost anywhere.

These little brick and tiles are typical. The opaque walls you see are kind of a windscreen at the front doors. On the porch of two of these is a clothes drying rack. Very few people own dryers - they prefer their wooden drying racks, and you'll see them on porches, balconies, in windows, anywhere, even in high-rise condominiums. Hmm, an expensive condo, yet still no dryer??? Uh-uh!

You'll notice these brick and tiles have glass garage doors underneath the main house.

Garages are not the norm. If anything, they will have a teeny tiny single garage. However, I’ve seen several houses with glass doors on the garages, like above. It always strikes me how there doesn’t seem to be a concern for security here. How long would it take in Houston for someone to break into a glass garage door?? But that isn’t a problem here. In fact, security just isn’t an issue anywhere. When we’re out early in the morning or late at night walking, there are always dozens of others out too. It's a very outdoor society.

Telephone poles are not something you want to mess with here. They're STURDY - made of concrete, and with a bundle of insulated wires bound to them and a sign that says, "Live Wires".

They've come up with some other unique uses for concrete. These peculiar packing lot pavers make for a solid bed that can't sink or rut.

This kind especially caught my attention. The blocks are hollow in the middle, allowing grass to grow through them, but still creating a solid parking space. That way, they can safely have their grass and park on it too!

We love being outdoors and seeing all the different things that make New Zealand unique. One of the things that is abundantly obvious is how clean everything is!! It's almost impossible to find discarded beer cans or candy wrappers or trash of any kind. The parks don't even have waste containers. The mentality here is that you take your "rubbish" with you. Pack it out. And they do. It's so refreshing to see sidewalks, gutters, lawns, streets - everything free of trash. That's part of what makes this such a beautiful place!

The Seasons of our Life

Just thought I’d give you a sampling of our good fortune in eating here. Look at this spread we got at the “Simply Fresh” vegetable and fruit market. The name is "spot-on"!



This is what we got: three somewhat smallish heads of broccoli, a humongous beautiful white cauliflower, ten scrubbed carrots, eleven tender little zucchini, four little bell peppers, five tomatoes, the biggest cabbage I’ve ever seen, six yellow onions, a bag of spinach leaves, twelve big, crunchy, sweet, juicy Braeburn apples, and fifteen cute little mandarin oranges. The cost? Under $10 U.S. Unbelievable!! It’s all New Zealand grown, so it’s fresh and hasn’t been in cold storage or shipped in. We’ve made these things our staples now! Since this picture, we’ve also found a real buy in NZ-grown potatoes. A ten-kilo bag (22 lbs) for NZ $4, or US$ 2.40. Twenty two pounds is a lot of potatoes, but we store them in our under-the-eaves storage and they keep just fine. The taste is SO GOOD!! I thought a potato was a potato, but these are wonderful! They’re not sized or graded, which is probably why they’re so cheap. You can buy potatoes here which are caked with mud (like that Plano black gumbo), or brushed, or washed. The washed, of course, are the most expensive, and look almost skinned, like new potatoes. Obviously, for the price we paid, we own a little NZ earth! We've also had the sweetest pineapple I’ve ever tasted, two of them for a dollar NZ, or sixty cents US. Unheard of! We’ve found a way to survive here, in spite of their fixation with sausages, marshmallows and fish and chips! I still must say I miss Mexican food and big pieces of chicken and potato chips!! But Dad can prepare vegetables in more ways than you could even imagine, and we’re really enjoying them!

We have this pretty camillia hedge under our balcony that has just been blooming it's heart out. Not big full blooms like the camillias we're used to, but little single petal blooms. However, you can see what the rain has done to them. The ground has just been carpeted with petals, but in spite of that, the hedge just keeps blooming. The rain has been very dominent for the past several weeks. It rains nearly every day. Every night, for sure. We wake up with the streets wet, and the temperatures cold. For whatever reason, and no one can explain to us either, they have built houses here without insulation and without heating. So it's basically like living in your garage, as far as comfort goes. We actually had ice on our windshield when we went to work the other day. And they say it never freezes here. It's a damp cold, because of all the rain, and we have literally been chilled to the bone!! When we got home from work the other night, Dad changed his clothes and went into the kitchen to start supper. This is what I found:

He was just being a dork, and he got the laugh out of me he was trying to get. He did take off his gloves and hat, but it was literally that cold in the house! We frequently turn on the (empty) cothes dryer as soon as we get in the kitchen to create a little warmth (it vents out through the door).

One of our little retired ladies in the retirement village told us we could have her space heater because her son was buying her a new one. That's what they all use to heat their places. It puts off a good glow, if not much heat, and we call it our "fireplace' because of the glow. It actually makes it look very homey in the living room without the lights on.

But to really feel the heat, you have to get right up to it, which I frequently do!!

Finally, the cold broke for the weekend, the sun came out, and we couldn't stand not to be out. We walked down to the lake, and it looked like everyone else that's been holeing up inside had the same idea. Even the ducks and birds and swans were out in full force.

We saw several black swans in the lake, and they have beautiful markings. Look at the white feathers under this one's tail.

As we left the lake, this is what our day looked like. Kinda reminds me of a New England calendar picture, huh?

Dad had checked to see when low tide was, so we continued down to the beach. What a gorgeous day it was turning out to be. The beach, too, was over-run with people, and everyone we passed commented on what a beautiful day it was. The sun was just drawing everyone out!

This container ship was starting out to sea and it was fun to see how fast it actually went. I've never seen containers stacked like that.

We had a really wicked storm a couple weeks ago, with strong winds and rain and just generally nasty weather. We walked down to the beach that evening, and it happened to be at high tide. The waves were smashing and blasting against the sea wall and whipping and spilling all over into the parking lot. It looked like something you might read about in a Jane Austin novel, happening along the cliffs in England. Very ominous and treacherous.

This was the scene, however, on Saturday with the tide out. Hard to believe the difference! This part of the beach is covered in black volcanic rock, that, at high tide, isn't visible.

Dad is just fascinated by the beach at low tide, and loves walking among the rocks and the tide pools created in the crevaces of the rocks when the tide is out.

He wanders and looks and feels and totally enjoys seeing what he can find each time. Very relaxing for him.

This time it was another big starfish, but so attached to the rock that he couldn't pick him up.

We'd brought a lunch, so we found a warm, sunny spot to eat and soak up the sun we'd been missing during all the yukky days of shivering and freezing. It was so nice to be WARM again.

Then Dad, like he's always done, found a place to stretch out and let his lunch settle. Familiar?? Did we ever take a trip where he didn't find a picnic table to have a quick little snooze after lunch?

All in all, it was wonderful to be outside and enjoying the sun and beautiful scenery again.

The end of a perfect day!

Auckland Architectural Sampling

This past Saturday was supposed to (according to all reports) rain on and off all day. So Diane and I decided to stay close by so if we got "hosed" we could "pop" over to our "flat" and change into dry "duds." (As they say).

Each armed with an umbrella, packed down with a small lunch, a map, and our GPS (belt and suspenders), we headed for the CBD of Auckland. As much as we have admired and enjoyed the natural beauties around us, I really do have an interest in buildings and architecture. So, not only did we want to see the heart of Auckland, but we thought others might be as interested in some of the architecture as we are. If you really want to see the place inch by inch and building by building Google Earth might be a place to start, but since you are already reading our blog, you might as well keep going and see if you’re not satisfied with just a sampling.


The heart of Auckland City is at the corner of Victoria and Queen Streets. There you will find the Civic Theater. Appropriately so, it is a composite of traditional and modern architecture. The city is full of beautiful 19th Century buildings with glass and steel high-rises sharing the same block.

Our picture journey will focus mostly on the older and more traditional buildings that give Auckland its distinct flavor.

Walking the streets of down-town Auckland are people from all around the globe, many still speaking their native tongues. But the majority seems to be of oriental descent.

Walking down Queen Street is much like any other major city there is a mixture of fast-food, one-of-a-kind ma & pop shops, and elegant upscale restaurants.

None of the name brand stores brandish their logo building styles, however. Here we are starting with Burger King. The only identifiers are the small signs. Otherwise, it is a beautiful building, with the original façade and glass work.

Not to be out done, McDonalds occupied the street level of this building. Their sign was no bigger that Burger King’s. I was more interested in the upper levels, so I cut of the level below the glass awning, where McDs resides. It appears from the window ad that one of the flats is available for “hire.” Rent here is paid on a weekly basis. There is no such thing as getting three months behind. You’re out after the second week of non-payment.

Wendy’s competed with the others from this storefront. Not quite as elegant, but they were present and accounted for… so was Subway, and Dominoes Pizza.

That is enough, about common restaurants. --- This building is occupied by Britomart – the Transit building. (Buses, trains, ferries, etc.) Think of it as a train station.

This is the original Ferry Building. It sits on the water’s edge of the harbor. It also houses some of the Customs activities. (Sorry the sun was behind the building).

This is the Auckland Sky Tower. It is the Auckland landmark. For $120 you can jump off the widest platform that goes around the tower. It is about 192 meters (630 feet) off the ground, and takes 11 seconds to free-fall.

It really isn’t a free-fall. Because of the high winds and the many buildings below, and the desire for a soft landing, the fall is controlled by two guy-wires.

For another $120 you can also bungee jump from the lower deck of the Harbor Bridge. It is only about 43 meters (140 feet) to the water. One of the young women at our office did this a week or two ago; and now she's saving up for a repeat performance. I’m going to do it too … right after Diane.

Back to the waterfront, this is this modern harbor control building. Auckland harbor is very active with commerce, pleasure, and ferries to the nearby islands. Recently the Queen Mary 2 docked here for a day… it was a massive piece of hardware.

Technically, these yachts are not buildings, but some of them serve the same purposes. Besides, I thought the peaceful placid waters, reflecting buildings, yachts, sky and clouds, made for a great picture.

I really liked this old corner building, housing retails shops and law offices. You can also glimpse the modern high-rise condos in the back and the pre-cast concrete building on the left.

Which do you prefer?

The Guardian bank building is still used by its original owners, proving that they have guarded their building well. I wonder if they’ve done as well with their investors’ capital. Most other banks occupied more modern structures.

Speaking of modern structures, I thought we should include at least a few in our tour of Auckland’s CBD. This theater “Sky City Cinema” is clad with polished aluminum.

Not more than a few feet from the entrance to the cinema, we came across several people practicing their yoga-style meditation. Without a doubt it was impressive that they chose the busiest corner of the city to test their powers of concentration.

While we were watching and musing over their enchanted postures, we were approached by a young Chinese lady inviting us to join them. They would be most willing to give a couple from America lessons, including tips on the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of their practices. There were probably some social benefits too, but we didn’t see any.

I was so enchanted by their ability to “relax” right there in the middle of the city, that I decided to try my own form – in the middle of a down-town park. I thought I did very well, even without the lessons.

As expected, the government offices are found in some of the more unique buildings. This is a picture of the Auckland Town Hall.

This “Government” building houses the judiciary (The High Court). How strange – a castle for the judiciary. Maybe they think their role is to protect the laws, rather than make them … how novel.

Pictures of this building in the summertime show it to be covered in green ivy. It is winter now, so this is what we got. This building is situated just a few steps away from the High Court building. It houses mostly law offices. (As you would expect).

The name of this building is “The Old Government House.” It must not have been good enough for elected officials, so it is now used by the students of the University of Auckland.

In the name of open mindedness, diversity, and equal rights … I wanted to show that Auckland isn’t made up of all heathens. This is St. Andrews Presbyterian Church.

Still in the interest of fairness, we’ll include a shot of the Free Masons Hall. Do Masons accept Mormons? This building appeared to be well maintained, but was in the process of being renovated.

Finally, a shot of a typical commercial district. I’d call it an alley, it certainly isn’t a street. When they put a roof over the walkway, they call it an Arcade.

Hope you enjoyed our little tour. By the way, we didn't have any rain -- that is only because we were prepared.

There are literally hundreds more like these. If you’re interested, come over some time and we’ll pull out the slide projector. ;>}