JAFA
Well, transitioning up to Auckland has been pretty much a breeze so far. I left Wellington on Sunday morning, catching a ride with two German guys are travelling the North Island. We took a scenic route up to Turangi, a town just nestled between Lake Taupo Tongariro National Park (the home of Mt. Ngauruhoe AKA Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings). We spent the night there and then finished the trip to Auckland on Monday. Lots of good pictures and scenery along the way--all to be posted soon.
I jumped right into life in Auckland, and within a few hours of arriving on Monday I already had a job lined up (I'll be doing the same thing I was doing in Wellington, but now I'll be based in the Auckland Ministry of Health office), and had checked out four flats. I saw two more yesterday and will see two tonight and hopefully will move in somewhere this weekend.
Being up in Auckland this time is much different from when I arrived in May. Although I still don't find it to be as welcoming or pretty as Wellington, this time I am equipped with the connections and friends that allow me to settle in without too much stress. It will still take some figuring out to understand my way around (especially since I have to take the bus and/or train out to my job), but it shouldn't be too difficult. And maybe in my time here I will figure out why the rest of the country hates Aucklanders so much. Is it that Aucklanders really do think that the world revolves around them or that the rest of the country is just jealous? The jury is still out, but then again, I have only been here three days.
4 comments:
There seems to be a larger concentration of pretentious twits in Auckland than elsewhere in the country: the Aucklanders that think that they, and Auckland, are God's gift to humanity are the ones that piss the rest of the country off. I know there are these types of people everywhere, but there's a special "Auckland flavour" to these ones.
As for the city itself, I really didn't like it when I was there. It's ugly and terribly planned, has poor public transport, is hard to walk around, is expensive, and on top of it all, the customer service from many places up there is pretty disgusting.
They say Wellington is steep and hilly... Auckland was bloody terrible to walk around, and the bus drivers up there are complete and utter bastards who required exact change, and when I say exact, I mean the exact amount.
I'm looking forward to getting to share a city with you, yet again, come December 12. By then you should have things figured out and you'll be able to give US the whirlwind tour of our collective Kiwi stomping ground.
And don't let those people who claim Auckland is the armpit of New Zealand scare you. Just ask a few JAFAs (I prefer Jolly and Friendly Aucklanders to Just Another *#@! Aucklander) what they think of Wellington. You may find some solace in the collective opinion that the scenery in Wellington doesn't justify dealing with the weather.
I suggest you hop on a bus, politely ask the driver to break a $5 and thank him/her when you get off, and find the little neighbourhoods that make Auckland the odd patchwork quilt that it is. We'll be asking you for pointers when we roll into town in a few weeks.
I've noticed that kiwis tend to hate every place that they are not currently living in.
"Yeah, Wellington's okay, but if you want to see the *real* New Zealand, you'll go to 'The Mainland.'"
"Wellington? Why the hell would you want to go there? It's windy all the damn time."
"Christchurch? It's the only place in NZ with air polution. Besides, it's a good old boy's club."
"Tauranga? Yeah, it's a nice area, but it's getting a bit of a traffic problem and it's full of old retirees."
"Auckland? Bunch of stuck up suit-wearing twits."
"Wellington? Bunch of stuck up suit-wearing twits."
"Queenstown? All a bunch of f(*<@ing tourists."
"Invercargill is too damn cold."
"The real New Zealand is north of the Bombay Hills."
"New Zealand starts south of the Bombay hills."
"New Zealand? Yeah, it's the greatest country on earth. God's own."
Sigh. Come on, New Zealand, stop giving me schizophrenia. Or as Roni says, "if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with."
I always had correct change on the bus in Auckland, because my mate told me I had to. I saw people politely ask bus drivers to break notes, and even coins, and the bus drivers refused.
Currently living in Wellington. Love the city. Have no problem with the wind. Like Masterton too: A nice small town. As for the other cities... :-P
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