The Auckland Library seems to be full today as the weather has improved. i guess rainy days like Wednesday 16/2/2011 are for staying home unless you are a travelers. A travelers day is never consistent. i have decided to make the treck from Auckland down to Christchurch and then over to Franz Josef to view the glaciers. I am not a woodsy sort and all the other towns as I will call this place of but a few people not very exciting. As I spent my relax/recuperation days on the beach with thousands; just the normal noise levels that you would expect. New Zealand is more for the out doorsy crowd of laid back, not much to do, walking slowly cause there is not much to do, spend the day in the Auckland Museum because there is not much to do, actually search out a nightclub Karaoke as there is not much to do, eat at 6:00pm because the CBD rolls up much like downtown Dallas at night except for the nightclubs, which are not int he CBD of Auckland and you are fearful that you will have to go to bed hungry because there is not much to do. There is beginning to be a theme...not much to do.
Things I did: Walked down to the Maritime Museum down by the docks, called this by me; as this is not a pedestrian entertainment, people watching type of environment. This is where the BIG banks have their headquarters so all your scenic photos of the city are nothing but an advertising for their monopolies of greed and prominence. The docks are just that, the big tanker liners are lined up taking on the large containers or offloading the same, beautiful sight.
I did decide the walk along the coast to see where it lead and low and behold came upon a marina still surrounded by some very unattractive, view blocking construction freighters, I am going to say they were dredging the inland waters, it was unattractive and smelled like dead fish, most unappealing. However as I rounded a corner of a building I stumbled upon a photo shoot of some kind. Thru my very perceptive/keen observation skills I determined it was some Bolleywood type of photo shoot. My primary identifiers were the few dozen Indian, sari clad women and Mr. Gupta looking men with similar appearing children in prams (it is from the proper English; as stroller is a very American term; when in Rome...) Stepping out of my observer personality I strolled up to a pair of nicely dressed Indi's, my made up term and inquired about the shoot and if they knew what was being shot or who the primary people were. They were giddy with delight as i may have been if it was Cher, Madonna or Ricky Martin. Supposedly they were filming a movie, and the major actor was the son of a very prominent Bollywood actor. My contact did not know the film being shot or the actors name just gossip amongst the spectators. In my pic the guys all in white are the director and producer not the actor. The important guy is the tall guy in a grey shirt and long hair. We came to the conclusion that the guys wore all white so they would be identified as the important guys even tho they were not in the movie, they did stand out in the crowd...I will now be wearing all white as even as a no-body you definately stand out in the crowd and quite possibly be mistaken for someone important or someone who didn't get the memo no white after Labor day or before Easter.....silly Producer/Director so outa touch. Wait, maybe it's me ...It is their Summer months I am visiting on the other side of the world. I'm upside down with alot of this down under.
Continuing to walk along the coast admiring the yacht's, which were very large sail boat types, I overheard a few blokes, that guys in Aussie speak, I haven't figured out New Zealander lingo cause once again no one I met is from New Zealand; they are all just traveling thru. They were filming a guy and his t-shirt said "Biggest Loser". i just listened politely as they were filming with a guy standing just beside the camera guy; next to a guy holding a big screen for the glare/lighting; across from the guy holding the microphone on a big boom. Further down the pier as they were on the lower level with access to the yacht's, I was above on the viewing level, (no access) another "Biggest Looser" shirt with another woman possibly with the network as their chaperon. Initiating a hello are you filming an Australian/New Zealand Biggest Looser, the contestant said it was the American version of Biggest Looser. We shared that we were both Texan's and she was from Houston. She looked good so I have to say this could not have been at the beginning of the shooting for the show as those people are really obese and these guy/girls had obviously shed some weight. I wished her luck, she had a rather foreign sounding name for a Texan from Houston, but she had dark hair and nice face. So be watching and root her on. The guy being interviewed was talking about his being a business man and that his meal choices while traveling were poor as he always told himself that he would eat better when he got home. Note to self: Business travel means expense account which means eat at the best restaurants that you can get away with and have multiple courses that you would never eat at home (budget/time constraints) meaning that you never eat well so you get fat and blame it on your hectic/busy work/personal life. All the while corporate cultures encourage as a corporate benefit the high living life style for the number of grueling hours you are encouraged/expected and asked to work in the name of business solvency. All the while the fat cats at the top are catered to in the life style to which we all dream about and they don't lift a finger so their waist lines are just as round as the working staff but for a totally different reason. Evil corporate life cycle (bitter party of one or as I like to say happy/content/independent of corporate cycle/traveling/observer/critique party of one...Who are you?); and now back to the Biggest Looser contestants. As I wandered further down the marina; the boats got bigger and the residence condominiums got nicer; there was a park which is had to call it such as there was only a bricked in a beautiful pattern but no greenery and it had free wifi. The cities seem to have this in certain areas, of course being technologically challenged, or Apple I-Phone challenged, the phone itself seems to be the problem more than the user I am beginning to learn. Apple may be big at home but it does not travel well. You have to have it in the country of purchase, not Internationally compatible....sucks!! Again more Biggest Loser t-shirts. I stumbled upon the holding tank/park for the contestants they were all color coordinated but separated from their competitors and I guess at the end of their day as they promptly were escorted to awaiting vans and driven away. The End
Pics later as it is taking too long to upload.
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