Te Ao Mārama

Our last day in Auckland - and our final day in New Zealand. A day of wandering around the city between hotel checkout and airport check in. 

I feel guilty that we’re not taking full advantage of our four ‘bonus’ days here - but I know you’ll sympathise with the ‘ready to go home’ feeling that comes at the end of even the best trips. We’ve used up all our reserves of energy, clean clothes, and, in my case, some medical supplies - so some of our time is spent trying to find what I need in city pharmacies. This hunt is frustratingly unsuccessful, and I end up trying to ration what I’ve got creatively.  

It’s also good to see Auckland in the sun - and today is particularly glorious in terms of weather. We’ve seen most things that were originally on our list - but today we decide to walk over to the War Memorial Museum - a massive edifice standing proud atop a hill in the green of Auckland Domain. To be honest, having visited the exceptional Te Papa in Wellington, we’re not planning actually going round the exhibits; instead it’s the new South Atrium that interests us. You’ll know by now how much new architecture interests me, and I’m particularly interested where symbolism is involved. There is no doubt that the neoclassical style of the museum’s original north entrance is intrinsically linked to the ‘Old World’, whereas the new entrance challenges this making, in the words of Albert Refiti, ‘a space for decolonisation to begin’. Relying heavily on both Māori beliefs and artistry, we both love the use of wood, textures and carving, finding the whole thing very aesthetically pleasing. But of course, it’s more than this, and full of symbolism. Not surprisingly, it has won many design and architecture awards. 

https://www.jasmax.com/projects/featured-projects/te-ao-mārama-south-atrium-auckland-war-memorial-museum-tāmaki-paenga-hira/

The walk up through Albert Park and then Centenary Walk is delightful - but for the fact both routes involve steep hills! There seem to be numerous arboreal casualties as a result of the recent high winds however, with several areas surrounding toppled giants roped off for safety. 

We walk down to the harbour for a last ice cream, and have a glass of wine down by the waterfront - a far more pleasant experience than it was back in January’s weather - before collecting our luggage and heading out to the airport for the long-overdue start of the journey home.….