Day 55, Level 1: Commercial Bay, All Birds, WOW Wellington and going Beyond!

A nice Sunday ...

After a lie-in and reading the paper, Brett and I decided to go into the new Commercial Bay development in the city centre. We took the train. Being Sunday, we got a park easily enough at our local train station (utterly impossible weekdays).

It's convenient (as long as it's a Sunday) but despite the train track running along the waterfront and harbour, it's actually not very scenic.The tide was out today and mudflats are the main view. Yuk. Along with cranes and ugly port paraphernalia, and the blackness of a tunnel.

And then ... the Britomart terminal is possibly the most sterile station I've ever been in in the whole wide world. When they built this train hub (opened 2003) they tried to make it look "volcanic", alluding to Auckland's 53 volcanoes. But it's just a heap of metal which couldn't look more clinical or disco-gone-wrong if it tried. Gloomy and utterly ghastly.

Sorry, I'm not being very kind - but there's not a lot to be effusive about when it comes to Auckland city, its waterfront or public transport. Great shame. Maybe things will come right in time for our grandchildren to enjoy an area that should be splendid - but, due to years of mismanagement, egotism and ignorance, it is in a totally shambolic state right now. And will take decades to be transformed. So disheartening.

When I returned home from the UK in 1990 I had high hopes for this city and its potential - but sadly, it's delivered absolutely nothing. Rather than learn from all the other bigger older cities of the world, Auckland chose to reinvent the wheel - and it's been a disaster. This city should be so much more advanced than it is, but alas it's a city clunking around in an unaligned shambles. Whilst it's livable enough for me, I'm pretty embarrassed by this city I've lived most of my life in. It should be much better than it is.

Auckland has the bones of greatness, but it has a very long way to go to achieve it. Hopefully the powers that be will finally understand it's about the future generations and do something constructive to make it work properly. Most of us alive right now will never see Auckland's potential. But that's okay, if only that potential will be finally be realised in time. If someone does something constructive! But no one seems to ...

Brunch was our main focus today, but also a look-see at the new Commercial Bay development. Various friends had been, some raving, some not so much. Mixed reports.

We were largely underwhelmed. As far as eating goes, it's very much a Foodcourt experience - order your food and receive it in a cardboard box or compostable bowl, with bamboo utensils, amongst the masses. And pay top dollar.

How do you eat poached eggs properly from a bowl? With difficulty Brett assured me.

My salmon bagel was really nice - but cutting it with a bamboo knife within a cardboard box was always a no-go so I ate each half with my hands, picnic style. It worked, but wasn't quite what I was expecting.

The coffee was excellent!

Food from all around the world is available here and it's good to see the place busy.

Pho, dumplings, curry, burgers, poke, pasta ... we didn't feel like any of that at 10.30am in the morning!

There were just two places that served breakfast/brunch style food, and what we had wasn't bad.

Overall the place is probably more geared towards evening and we may have to return again to see it in that guise.

The environment is dark and industrial - black and copper - and to be honest you could be anywhere in the world at any time of day. Kind of claustrophobic and oppressive.

And reality is, in most places in the world, you wouldn't be paying these prices!

This place was developed with cruise visitors in mind - which is no longer a possibility right now. But really, are high cost food-boxes, and eating on a shared bench in industrial claustrophobic surroundings really going to be attractive to tourists/cruisers when this can't even make the locals smile (actually, only grimace)? I don't think so.

Honestly ... if I rocked up to a port anywhere in the world and had the sort of experience we had today, I'd be totally underwhelmed and would write it off as nothing to write home about.

Shame, Auckland should be offering something better than this - to it's citizens and its visitors.

I won't be going back any time soon, nor will I recommend it.

In summary - world-class experience? So NOT!

Final verdict - I'm not a fan. But I never thought I would be, I'm just not into big mall/food court type things. I've been, I've seen. And that's that.

On the retail spectrum ... the shops in the complex are high-end - with no one in them. And hardly any stock. It's all about minimalist showcasing. I don't get it. A handbag shop we passed had about 20 bags on display, acres of space, several shop assistants and no customers. A clothing shop - 3 racks with a few dresses and whatnot. Loads of space, nothing going on. Left right and centre it was like "where are the customers?". How the hell are these people surviving? I-do-not-get-it.

Afterwards we headed to Britomart area to go to the All Birds shop. This area of city downtown is much more open, inviting and attractive. It's been around for a while now. It has great eateries and has always had a nice vibe. It's where we'll be heading next time - head and shoulders above Commercial Bay.

I know I sound negative about my home city, but I've lived here for most of my life, bar a fantastic decade in lovely London in the 1980s.

I came home hoping to see potential but have continued to be disappointed and I still lament what hasn't and doesn't happen. Over the years, I've said my piece, written my thoughts, tried to be an activist for change, and still do - but to no avail. Every response is self-congratulatory about utter shambles, pretending it works. So, until the powers that be get this place right, I have no reason to be positive about Auckland.

Get me to Omaha - or anywhere else! In NZ right now. And, in time, anywhere/everywhere else!

I meant to take some photos today, but forgot. I looked online but there are NO photos that show it as it is, only some mockups and pics of the outside building - that do NOT show it as it really is!

Sigh.

I'm sure I'll be despised for not finding this place fantastic. But I don't!

So in a completely random aside, I'll share a colour pop pic I took in Morocco - and a pic of a breakfast Brett and I enjoyed in Morocco.

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:

Beyond Limits ...

There is sometimes a misunderstanding about what these two words mean.

Some people feel rather affronted by the word "limits" and find it limiting, i.e. how dare you suggest I have limits! (What? There's no suggestion - the two words are about taking you beyond them!)

Others see it as an invitation to go much further than what they thought they were limited by. (Thumbs up, that's exactly right!)

Reality:

• We all have limits - whether old or young.
• The young have many more limits because they haven't pushed through most of them yet (even though they have no idea of this whatsoever!) One day ...
  
• The older age group [mostly] understands what it means to push through those limits - and it's  very satisfying!
  

If you've got to a place in life where there are no more limits, you've either done everything in life - or you're done with life! Check those limits again!

My comment to youngies who like to think they know it all is - "If you know everything now, what an f'n boring life you've got ahead of you!" It makes them stop and think.

Tomorrow's post - news of a very special and unique trip!