This is my street, looking west down from Ponsonby. About 25 metres in the other direction is Ponsonby Road, which reminds me a bit of Byres Road. The first day was spent exploring this area, with my summer mix playing in my earphones, and looking for the lost unicorn. Two things struck me - the sometimes deafening song of the cicadas is everywhere, and the green man's appearance is accompanied by the sound of a Star Trek phaser being fired.The next day I literally walked around the whole city centre. I went into our nearest supermarket New World and learned that most European products were expensive (McVitie's digestives only comes in a half packs!)and they don't know how to make a decent pork pie. I've met most of Auckland's Anorak members (coincidence: I picked up a book about underground cinema in Onehunga's Hard to Find Books an hour before meeting Chris and finding out he works there).
Ponsonby Road leads onto K' Road, which is where it's happening. Artspace is here, as well as the Auckland office of The New Zealand Film Archive. They've got a big collection of films, shorts and amateur footage that you can watch for free. I looked at two pieces by Len Lye on my first visit - Colour Flight and Color Cry - but I have to get back there soon to check out the Chills documentary, Topless Women Talk About Their Lives and some more Flying Nun related material.
I swung by bFM's office on the Auckland uni campus and filled in some sort of application for people interested in helping out. It didn't seem impossible to get a show, or at least try it out - so we'll see if they get in touch soon. My list of songs is almost up to an hour now...
2 comments:
Actually, this looks quite a lot like Miami! And not just the so-blue sky and the palm trees either, but the white picket fences and the single story houses and their color schemes.
Lucky you!
*jennifer*
I live in Australia but was born and grew up in Ponsonby and often go back there to visit family and friends .. this is such a typical Ponsonby view down Summer street with the weatherboard homes etc, that it really pushed my nostalgia button. The suburb is much changed now from the period of the 60s through to the 80s when it became a community increasingly flavoured with Pacific Island cultures mixed with art and music bohemianism, and what a fascinating place it was to live in. Still a good burb though but now "gentrified" in many ways and quite different.
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