Explore Tamaki Makaurau campaign to revitalise Auckland's businesses

This is a campaign started by the New Zealand government to boost the local economy after months of lockdown and being one of the strictest towards the end of 2021 in the OECD.

There were tens of thousands of $50 vouchers to be distributed towards each postal code equally through a lottery system. There seems to be a good chance of being selected as many of my friends have gotten the voucher. Due to the lack of redemption towards the last round of the lottery, they have random $50 and $100 vouchers to be given away.

This is the first year since the pandemic started that Auckland Pride has announced a cancellation of the festival altogether due to the threat of Omicron. Previosuly, we have been able to dodge the lockdown by hours and still manage to hold the festival, but obviously a large gathering is not ideal as cases have been circulating well in advance of the festival which was not the case for previous years.

So while there aren't any celebration going on for this year, I am taking this opportunity in combination of the campaign to discover what Auckland has to offer, as this has been my home for the last 7 years and I have not actually been to any of these venues. It is a good chance to explore more of what this city has to offer as it is not exactly known to be a vibrant and bustling city life.

#1 - Improv comedy @ Covert Theatre

The Covert Theatre specialises in live comedy, improv comedy and runs workshops for people who seek to try this art form. I am a comedy fan but have not been to an actual improv live show, I have been to many scripted comedy shows which the most recent one would be back in early 2021 when Russel Howard did his tour here in NZ, it was also the most memorable as we went into a nationwide lockdown only an hour after the show finishes. It is an interesting format with comedians interacting with the audience at the very beginning asking for suggestions to shape the rest of the show, it does take a special kind of brain to be able to come up with something so quickly and having to go along with the last second script of the other person.

While it was a good night out and needed that after being isolated from the night life for the majority of the past year, I wouldn't be seeking for another round as my preference is more towards scripted comedy.

Out of respect to the artists and talents, I did not record or photograph any of the performances. I would recommend paying to attend one of these shows to support the venue and the comedians.

#2 - Sculpture on the Gulf + Waiheke Island

This is the first time I have actually stepped foot on this small island to the East of Auckland city, even after living in the city for the past 7-8 years. Waiheke is well known for its tracks, weather, and most of all, the wineries.

I was joined by a few friends to start the journey off from Britomart ferry terminal, on board Fullers ferry, taking around 40 minutes each way (direct). The ferry was busy as this was a peak season to visit Waiheke island, with the combination of the Sculpture exhibition, more on that later.

After arriving on the island, we took the pre-booked bus service which took us all the way to the beginning of the track, where the exhibition pieces are spread across the reserve. Each piece of art is themed according to the year's theme, and it's all about the environment. The entire track took about 2 hours to complete, before returning by the dedicated bus to the ferry terminal.

From there we took the local buses (which are EV, very cool) to get into town. The journey was short and 5 minutes of packed sardines later, we arrived at the town centre. We had our lunch at Red Crab Thai cuisine.

After lunch, we took a short stroll around the shops while waiting for the next bus service which will take us to Palm Beach. A not so secret part of the sister beach is Little Palm Beach, which is known for its nudism. We spent a couple of hours at the beach nude tanning before ending our day trip here in Waiheke.

#3 - Maritime Museum with sailing

This is also my first time visiting the maritime museum here in Auckland. I do not have a particularly huge interest in maritime, but I saw that there was a sailing involved which I thought would give me a great view of the city.

Starting off in the museum, I had about 15 minutes to explore parts of the museum prior to the sailing. When time was up, we started gathering in the meet up area, the crew gave children the life jackets to wear while adults have theirs ready to wear on board in case of emergency. We were then escorted to the boat, and took our seats for the departure.

We were fairly blessed with the blue skies, and also saved by the sunscreen that they provide on board. We sailed out towards Auckland Harbour Bridge, where we were allowed to walk freely around the boat not long after the sails were up.

I took some amazing photos from the boat and had a chat with one of the crew members on board, who had been to my hometown in Malaysia, and had lived in Singapore for many years. After passing the bridge, we turned around on our way back to the museum.

We were very fortunate for the warm sunny weather, I can't ask for a better day to go out sailing. After returning to the museum, I continued visiting the other parts of the museum which took around 30 more minutes.

I would highly recommend anyone who is visiting during the warmer months to visit this museum not only for the museum itself, but taking the opportunity to sail on their boats which will give you an excellent unobstructed view of the city.

Conclusion

Auckland has more to offer that we haven't explored even after living for many years. I am glad that the government have this initiative to get people to explore more of the city, whether it is a business they have frequented prior, or a completely new experience. Businesses have suffered a lot during the pandemic, and adding on the tough restriction imposed in the super city for a large chunk of 2020 and 2021, they are definitely deserving of getting back some visitors to support them.

Borders are also gradually opening from 2022, allowing international visitors to again return to the middle earth.