Auckland, Tāmaki Makaurau, NZ
- whereintheworldsar
- Jul 17
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 22
Blake's poem encourages us to be mindful, to appreciate the interconnected nature of the Whole, that the smallest particles are part of the larger Oneness. It asks us to appreciate the beauty and complexity hidden within everyday life and to perceive and understand that the world is shaped by our own perspective and imagination. In short, Quantum Physics.
Always having lived in the countryside, on the North Shore of Auckland, when I moved to live in Central Auckland in 2018, to be close to the University of Auckland, I was aware that I held a perspective of 'city life' as being something that was chaotic, concrete and uninviting ("who would want to live in the city??") so, upon arrival in my new home, I set out to change that viewpoint through experiencing it as fun, beautiful and easy. I put on my walking shoes and walked the pathways. I jumped onto my bike and rode the bike paths. I slung my camera over my shoulder and I photographed what I saw, what I felt and what others were doing. And I loved it. I loved it all ... it's okay to change your mind! It's okay to grow into something new, or maybe, to remember who you really are....
Here is some of what I saw when I was out and about in Auckland City.
Walks around the waterfront, coffee at a cafe, beaches aplenty, Waitemata Harbour and all the enjoyment we get from connecting with the ocean, the Auckland Harbour Bridge, volcanoes, islands, boating, bike rides in many directions, galleries, university students, churches, parks, trees, birds, creatures, gravestones with residents who had settled here many years ago from all around the world to find a new life perspective like I was, Māori and cultural beginnings, new cultural influences, sunsets, fireworks, gatherings of people, artworks, beauty, industry, business, shopping, entertainment, newness, history, things left behind, things dropped and forgotten and my favourite, the tall concrete needle called the Sky Tower, lit up for special occasions or billowing fireworks in celebration on others, yet just as happy to be plain and grey, all the while standing tall, proud and observing everything from its higher perspective!
Auckland, here it all was, now also known as Tāmaki Makaurau, in honour of the Māori Settlement here many years before me, and all of us now living here, connected through an attraction to the plentifulness of this beautiful area surrounded by the ocean and the rich lands and enhanced by the gathering of people from all nations. To see a world in a grain of sand ...
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