Legging-it in Auckland City

The journey into AK city took the same route as driving but without the hastle of one-way systems and parking fees.

We first went on to the quay side to look for information (free stuff). Then we turned away and into the city. The first mistake was going through a door which I thought would take us to the bridge across the road to the shopping centre. Fortunately a kind sikh gentleman used his swipe card to let us out.

Once in the shopping centre I went to Warehouse Stationary where I bought some masking tape and sticky fixing pads. (They are waterproof and stick rocks back on crumbling cliff sides - they might do.)

With no other plan in mind we walked up Queen Street. (This is the central shopping street.) The aim was Aotea Square. This where the administrative buildings are, the theatre and cinema are positioned around a sunken square like Trafalgar Square with out the fountains and the lions. Development is going on and perhaps we shall see the results next year.

The Cinema

Just before the square was a Borders book shop where we had a very nice coffee and cake served by a splendid Chinese man. He was obviously listening and had most of what we were going to order written. He bought our food to the table and then legged it back to get some butter for my muffin. I wish this were a tipping economy, but I thought better and decided not to distort the system. (I legged it.)

Having photographed the cinema we went into the 'arts building' to see an exhibition called 'Queer Images'. There were some digital images, but they weren't the kind of queer that I expected. There was a warning that the images might offend.

We made our exit, photographing the interior (not the images - they would offend).


We got back to the intersection of Victoria St West and Queens Street. Here two four lane roads intersect and so normal traffic systems do not apply. While the pedestrians watch, for a while the traffic makes its usual cycle of road1 then road 2 then road 3 and finally road 4. (Driving around city roads is very slow in NZ) . After this the pedestrians have a turn. All traffic comes to a stop. The walking green man comes on at all four roads. Pedestrians cross in any of the six directions and in any direction. (This makes twelve directions in all.). Instead of the usual flashing red sign the green now becomes an amber number and counts down from 25 seconds to zero when all walkers stop.

The Green Man Legs It

Four Seconds - Face the Camera and Leg It

Having observed the phenomena of the ' *** square dance' we went back to Britomart. There is a huge array of bus stops, but now we have a timetable and were soon back to St Heliers where we picked up money, bought milk, let mum walk on the beach (I was too posh for this) and so to more pancakes and some work.