The Wrong Side of my Car
The blog that wants to go obsolete
Why is walking in Auckland so awkward?
Back when I started this blog I made this handy flyer to remind myself how you’re supposed to get around in Auckland.
Things are improving, slowly, but they’re also coming from a deeper low than I first realised. There’s this deeply ingrained assumption everywhere that you normally drive, while walking is some obscure corner case not really worth catering for.
Let me count the ways walking is awkward around here:
Residential areas in Auckland, New Zealand versus Leuven, Belgium
New Zealanders and Belgians have quiet different ideas about what a run-of-the-mill residential area should look like. Of course the Belgian way is way better than the New Zealand way. And not just because I happen to be from Belgium.
Cottage for sale
This is the coolest auction of the year.
During my walk around Hobson Street I encountered those two little cottages between all those towers, as silent witnesses of a time when St. Matthew’s church was still dominating the skyline of Auckland. One of them is going under the hammer. They’re unique in Auckland, and not just because the somewhat surreal setting.
Let’s explore aerial photography: Auckland
Last time we looked around in Belgium, this time we will have Google Earth hoover over Auckland.
What’s so different between cities in Europe and Auckland? Auckland lies within what used to be the British Empire. Long story short, the British liked their cities Extra Large.
Let’s explore aerial photography: Belgium
Lots of people think I’m weird. I’m interested in weird things. I can spend way too much time on silly things. Like writing a blog nobody reads. “Normal” is overrated. It is often just a fancy synonym for “boring” anyway.
One of the particular things which can mesmerise me for hours are maps. New maps. Old maps. Old aerial photographs. Relief maps. Following how the streets and railways find the best way through areas with a lot of relief. And so on.
Today we have aerial photos, more specifically stills from Google Earth. Let’s have a look at what cities look like from above.
Pedestrian improvements in ponsonby — Not too much please
A few months ago Auckland Transport did a consultation for some improvements on Ponsonby Road. Which is very welcome, as that road is at the moment just another miserable 6-lane highway (2 lanes are permanently used for parking) through the city.
That’s not funny.
Ah another nugget of news blew over from back where I grew up. But first, a joke about council workers:
One day a workman came and dug a hole on the edge of the street. And then he started digging more holes further down the street, one every 10 metres. A few hours later, another workman came, and he began filling up the holes again, one by one.
A curious bystander went to the workman to ask what the point is. The workman answered, “There was supposed to be another guy planting trees, but he called in sick.”
Yeah, lame joke. Everybody knows those things don’t happen in real l—
