Discovering Auckland

Things I love about Auckland? Let me tell you of a few.

I love the nickname for the people who reside here - Jafa's.


I know the 'F' stands for something else, but I like to think of it as Just Another Friendly Aucklander ;) I went to a conference in the city last year, and some of the people were playing on this and had a large bowl of Jafa lollies for people to help themselves to - I took a few packets home with me.

I love the Harbours.
Across Twin harbours the city scape really is nothing like anything I have seen before. I've resided in Sydney for a many year, being another famous town on a Harbour, but Sydney is nothing like Auckland. In Auckland you can pretty much drive for 10 minutes in any direction and see water, I constantly feel closer to nature, and I love this.

I'm fascinated by the landscape.
The volcanic foundation of the city makes for rolling hills and unusual architecture. There are 50 volcanic cores and dormant volcanoes around Auckland. Many of which are built upon. In Australia, I am used to the land being cut and filled - each block or section of land being leveled for the house to sit on. In Auckland they leave the land, and level the house, which may take 1, 2 or 3 levels to accommodate the amount of house that is desired.

I love the people.
They really are very friendly and helpful, and appreciate others, not all people are this way, but a great many are. I remember parking in a shopping centre, very early on being in the country, and seeing a guy doing something under the dashboard of his car. I had to go and at least talk to him, in case he was attempting to steal it. I went up to the window, nervous as anything and asked " Hey, can you use some help?" He replied "No, I'm just fixing the  <insert something mechanical here>" He showed me the packets he had from Dick Smiths and the parts he was trying to fix. Then.. he turned and said "Thanks very much for asking". Such a nice guy, thanking me for checking if he was stealing a car.

Auckland really is full of friendly people ;)