Round and round, up and down
Through the streets of your town
Every day I make my way
Through the streets of your townAnd don’t the sun look good today? (Shine)
But the rain is on its way (shine)
Watch the butcher shine his knives (shine)
And this town is full of battered wivesRound and round, up and down
Through the streets of your town
Every day I make my way
Through the streets of your townAnd I ride your river under the bridge (shine)
The Go-Betweens. Streets of Your Town
And I take your boat out to the ridge (shine)
‘Cause I love that engine roar (shine)
But I still don’t know what I’m here for
Sometimes it is good to see things from a different perspective. Literally!
I’m in Auckland (Maori: Tāmaki Makaurau) to run a Half Marathon. An old colleague/friend convinced me to join her for New Zealand’s biggest and most iconic running celebration. And it only made sense. We had run the Marines Corps Marathon in DC together (twice!), the Loop Den Haag Half (almost! Since the event got cancelled the morning of the race, much to our relief). Had worked abroad together, vacationed together, and suffered through lockdown together. She now works in Hong Kong, and I am in Sydney, so meeting in New Zealand seemed like a sensible thing to do. As I said, it is all about the perspective.
The Auckland Half Marathon. Fifteen kilometres into the race – my usual low point. And the course’s highest point: Auckland Harbour Bridge. Almost a kilometre long, 45 metres above the water, and me on top of it. At this point, not so much running anymore, but slowly inching along. One foot in front of the other. Being whipped around by gale-force winds – welcome to The Roaring Forties of New Zealand! Race bib flapping in the wind, one hand holding on to the bridge’s railing, the other one to my runner’s cap. Through my watery eyes, I see the skyline of downtown Auckland in front of me: the harbour, the Sky Tower, and in the distance Mt Eden (Māori: Maungawhau) – Auckland’s treasured volcanic cone-shaped mountain.
Due to the lack of significant speed at this point in the race, I am not only able to register the city’s highest natural point but also have time to think back to when I last visited Auckland in 2019. Different times, different points of view.
Travelling to New Zealand had always been my dream. Auckland, the first stop of my infamous “Everything Lord of the Rings” Tour. Upon my arrival, I had decided to walk up Mt Eden. This was my first real solo trip and everything seemed so much more meaningful. The lichen-covered stony stairs leading up to the top of the mountain, the grassy crater, the view of the city. This was my first time in The Land of the Long White Cloud, and I had never thought I would make it here. Let alone return one day.
But here I was – back in Auckland. Same sights, different perspective. Some sights are still the same but they feel different. Or even look different. The Expo Centre, The Cloud at Queens Wharf. Back then, host of a comic con expo, this time the venue for the Athlete Check-In. The same bookstore I visit, same parks, same waterfront.
I remember not really liking Auckland that much four years ago, unsure, where to go, unsure of how to travel on my own. My first dinner alone in a foreign city. Staying in a hotel room by myself. A strange mix of excitement and anxiousness. I remember always feeling slightly rushed – as if I had to go places to keep myself busy. Places like Mt Eden. A photograph of the enchanted old stone stairs still hangs on the wall of my home in Canada as a memory of this magical moment that I’ll never forget.
And then there are new places I visited this time – new experiences and adventures: Waiheke Island for example. One of the top 10 Pacific island destinations, only a 40-minute ferry ride from Auckland. Home to boutique vineyards, and pristine beaches, olive groves and seaside villages, it offered me a new and very different side of Auckland. A lighter, brighter, and more playful version of what remembered from four years ago. Or maybe the place had not changed at all but me?
Together with my friends, we let ourselves drift across this small island. We stopped at vineyards along the street, sat in front of roaring fireplaces with a glass of wine, and talked for hours. Walked along white deserted beaches, collecting shells and watching white boats bopping on the turquoise waters of the island. Rummaged through tacky tourist shops in Oneroa and had French pastry in Surfdale. Wai meaning water; Heke meaning to ebb, drip, trickle or descend. Waiheke thus meaning “Trickling waters”. Just like the water, time on Waiheke trickled by. A welcomed slowing down of things around me.
The marathon is run, my friend from Hongkong has come and gone, and I am spending my last evening in Auckland. Bought a book in the familiar bookstore, that’s called “Everything is Beautiful and Everything hurts”, which describes my current state perfectly. No longer feeling rushed to tick as many items off my travel list as possible, I am enjoying my time in Auckland in front of the large TV screen of my hotel room, watching a very educational movie on Netflix and waiting for room service to deliver the burger and coke I ordered – post-race ritual.
Exploring new places for the first time is one of the joys of travel … but I realized that revisiting old places can be great too! Different weather, different activities, travelling with different people really changed the feeling I have for this city now. By returning to this place, I literally added another perspective to my experience of that place. And I never thought I would ever return to New Zealand, which makes it extra special.
It’s not just places which change over time – people do too! Your own eyes can become like new eyes over time, as you develop into a different version of you, who sees differently. This city may not have changed, but the observer has – I certainly have. I see and experience things differently from this past version of me. And from different points of view. From mountain top to windy harbour bridge. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes” (Marcel Proust).
But if you please excuse me now – my BUTLERBOT has arrived, bringing me my dinner. Things have definitely changed around here. And I kind of like it. Cheers!
Thoughts From the Upside Down 
Cheers!!! So good to hear that you are revisiting some sights you’ve been before and feel different experiences at the same time!! Change is good! Speaking of change, I will be leaving SJW and have secured a new placement at St Theresa Lisieux CHS!! This is my last week at SJW and I start my new high school experience Nov. 6th! We’ll keep in touch though!!
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Gina! You are leaving! I wish you all the best at St Theresa. We will definitely keep in touch. ❤️
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Yes!!! I need a change, being at SJW for so many years, the school has turned into a loonie bin!!!
Thanks for your wishes! I always look forward to reading your blogs!!! Hugs and kisses!!!
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