The Devil is in the Details?

"The Little Big City". The name that we have given this place. It is New Zealand's most populous city, home to two world class universities, the standing place of the tallest free-standing tower in the Southern Hemisphere and it is also extremely secretive. I am talking about is Auckland. Like many others who live here, I grew up in Auckland and have lived all my years here (if you discount the six months I spent in Christchurch, where I was actually born). But why is this city so secretive? Sure there are your cliché tourist destinations which everyone knows and thinks is the full New Zealand experience; arrive in Auckland, hire a car, drive to Matamata, pretend to be a Hobbit, move on to Rotorua, complain about the stink of the place and then drive back to Auckland to enjoy the view from the Skytower and then spend 30 minutes on the water in a jet boat. Sure, if you're under time constraints then this trip is perfectly justifiable, however if you really want to see Auckland you need to look closer at the fine details of this city...

Although only home to 1.4 million people, this city is larger than it may seem. The City of Sails is bursting with bars, bistros and restaurants and like all good places, the best ones are hidden in this jungle. Take the Wine Loft for example; a small and almost undiscoverable bar, if it wasn't for the crude blackboard sign that hangs above its entrance, where the wait staff have some of the intimate knowledge of wine and some of the best nibbles I have ever had, or Enjoy Inn; a Chinese restaurant tucked in between a takeaway store and an Italian restaurant, where the chef and wait staff pick up every little detail to make sure you have the best dining experience. From wine choice to dessert suggestions.

They say that the devil is in the details and isn't that just the case with Auckland? You cannot say you know Auckland until you have found every hidden haven from the CBD's bars to the secluded spots in One Tree Hill or Mt Eden Domain. This city can, and it sure will surprise you. Why is this city special and how did I end up here though? I was placed here by chance but I explored out of curiosity. With a keen eye and camera, a notebook and a blank mind, I've allowed myself to become lost in this city that I "know" and opened up my door to exploration...