#flathal #flatstanleyproject #newzealand
Our arrival in Auckland (a day early thanks to cyclone Urmil) started with a chance to walk around the city center (downtown)/ central business district or CBD as the locals call it.
Auckland is a great city for walking! We were amazed how many intersections let us go diagonal across the street. All the cars stop at red lights and all the people get to walk wherever they need, at once! There are wide sidewalks for pedestrians to stroll along, benches for friends to rest and chat on, along which run pathways for bikes and those fun looking scooters that can be rented by the hour.
Our second day in Auckland we took a really fun tour. It started off nice and easy, with a bus ride around the city. We glimpsed local landmarks, got out at a park where we spotted some sparrows and blackbirds (immigrants from Europe!) enjoying the sunshine, then we headed towards the Sky Tower and the highlight of the tour: Wētā Workshop.
Wētā is a Māori (indigenous/native) word. Among other things, it is connected to the “God of Ugly Monsters”. What a name for a place that makes movie magic—and movie monsters!
