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Monday, September 12, 2011

Beyond the Sea to The City of Sails

I like how each city in New Zealand has her own tagline, and while travelling down the length of New Zealand's North and South Island, I kept a look-out for the signboards welcoming us to the cities and noted the unique character of the cities from their taglines.

The City of Sails!  
Kia Ora to Tamaki Makarau! That means 'Welcome to Auckland' in the Maori language. Yes, we are talking about Auckland, also known as Akarana. Here are a few interesting facts about Auckland you might like to know.

  • It is on an isthmus between two harbours.(That's how it got its name, see? Yachts sail in all the time, heading for the harbours and the Hauraki Gulf Islands.)
  • One in every three households owns a boat.
The Auckland Waterfront











View of the Auckland CBD from the Waterfront.






Landmarks


Sky Tower



  • the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere
If you are into jumping off buildings, try the Skyjump - 192 metres of base-jumping from the tower (attached to a cable, of course, of course!)


You might want to catch the action in the reflection of this building as you jump.



Auckland Civic Centre

  • a famous heritage atmospheric theatre




It is on Queen Street, the main street in Auckland CBD for commerce and entertainment.



In case some of you, like me, are wondering what an atmospheric theatre is, here are some notes from Wikipedia:


It is "a movie palace (cinema) which has an auditorium ceiling that is intended to give the illusion of an open sky as its defining feature. The decorative and architectural elements often convey an impression of being seated in a fantastic foreign setting, which might be anything from a palace or village square to a garden or an outdoor amphitheatre at night".

Auckland Town Hall

  • the concert hall inside has some of the finest acoustics in the world 


Auckland War Memorial Museum

  • known for its neo-classical architecture, one of New Zealand's finest heritage buildings


Auckland Domain

  • the oldest park in Auckland, developed around the ring of an extinct volcano
Close-up of the roots and trunk of an ancient tree.


 tide of ancient time 
floods me with anguish and pain 
twisted trunk still stands 

For Haiku Heights Prompt: Flood

If you love gardens, and wish to see the Auckland Domain's famed Wintergarden, click here.

Below is my favourite shadow shot in the park. I just love how the shadows of the crown of the tree makes that design on the ground.


A view from the Auckland Domain overlooking Auckland City.


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13 comments:

  1. So nice to see pics of my city :)



    I'd love you to share your pics with me at Walkabout

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  2. Beautiful place and lovely shots too!! Very interesting. Nice Haiku, the twisted roots have entwined many tales from the past!!

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  3. Beautiful pictures of your city. I loved your Haiku too. Well done.


    Melanie

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  4. These are beautiful pictures...and one day the future would say something similar on our lives and times we lived in.

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  5. Very good post and nice photos.

    Regards and best wishes

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  6. Auckland seems to have an awful lot in common with Victoria, British Columbia. Thanks for the tour.

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  7. Rosie - you always capture the prompts with interesting array of photos and summarizing words full of imagery! Nicely done!

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  8. Oh that brought back many memories for me from the time we lived in Auckland back in 1993! Will shares this with the rest of my family for sure. Thanks

    Veronica

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  9. beautiful haiku and some wonderful photos to go with it too!

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  10. Beautiful photos!! I would love to be standing there
    looking out over all the boats!


    I'm your newest follower and would love for you to follow me.
    Have a wonderful day!!

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  11. Great shots. That reflections of the tower is just stunning!

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  12. great collection of photos. your wonderful shots make me wanna visit Auckland right away. :) thanks for the beautiful journey.

    Greetings from Penang. :)

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