When we were here over Christmas I had formed the view that Auckland was somewhat scrappy but determined I would seek out some of the gems suggested by my guidebook were lurking there. I set off from our hotel along Queen Street, rising away from the business centre and up to Myers Park. In the 1900s this area of Auckland had been described as 'an unwholesome spot, a quarter of slum shanties and rubbish tips'. Myers, a local businessman and ex-mayor, bought, cleared and redeveloped 'this unsightly gulley' and turned it into this delightful park.
With at one end a copy of Michelangelo's 'Moses'. This had been donated by a local department store, the original having been produced in the early 16c for the tomb of pope Julius II.
And at the other end of the park the 'Five Rams, donated by the sister Chinese city of Guangzhou to celebrate their 10 year anniversary in1999.
Then back down Queen Street to the civic heart of the city, Aotea Square, and the Town Hall.
Off to Khartoum Place, a pretty little square with tiling celebrating the suffragettes - NZ women were the first in the world to win the vote.
Along Wellesley Street to the Auckland Art Gallery, behind which...
...is Albert Park, another delightful green area so close to the bustle of Queen Street. And beyond that...
...the University area with its Clock Tower currently undergoing refurbishment.
And as one heads back to Queen Street, another quiet corner of greenery and running water helping to build a picture of a less scrappy Auckland than the one I first saw.
Robert Cole
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