Four or five drinks and you were on your way
Considering how small New Zealand is it always surprises me that the different cities can be so different. We are a tiny country yet there are slightly different accents throughout New Zealand (you only need to travel from Auckland to Dunedin to discover this), there are different values throughout, different culture (I don't mean culture as in 'Maori culture', I mean it as in 'workplace culture', the way the group of people in each city interact and what they think is important.) and a different spread of wealth.
Auckland and Wellington are the only two cities I can really compare since I have only travelled everywhere else, never lived. But that's okay because Auckland and Wellington really are as different as night and day. Auckland is a much richer city but, interestingly, it is also a much poorer city. The contrast between rich and poor in Auckland is astounding. This is a city that houses both the richest and the poorest citizens in our country. In Wellington the rich don't get as rich as they do in Auckland and the poor don't get as poor. This is, of course, a massive generalisation. But, for the most part the spread of wealth in Wellington is a lot more even than it is in Auckland.
The thing that strikes me the most though is the different culture. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and, as such, is quite a political city. Every Wellingtonian has visited the Beehive at least once in their lives, usually more than once. The cafe culture is huge, you cannot walk more than a few metres without discovering a cafe in Wellington. Even in the lower socio-economic parts of Wellington cafe's are thriving.
Driving is the big thing in Auckland. In Wellington it is not uncommon for people between 15 and 25 to not yet have a licence but in Auckland people get their licence as soon as they can. Auckland is so spread out and the public transport system is so appalling that you have to be able to drive to get anywhere easily. Wellington has an excellent public transport system and you can get to most places quickly and easily (also cheaply which is awesome).
The huge driving culture in Auckland brings me to the biggest difference I have noticed between Auckland and Wellington. That is the difference in attitudes towards drink driving. In Wellington it is not done. Yes, people do drink drive but they never talk about it for fear of recrimination from their friends and, actually, it's usually older people who were driving long before it drink driving was considered very, very wrong.
In Auckland drink driving seems to be a lot more common. I need to stop here and point out that I am talking about drink driving NOT drunk driving. While the two go hand in hand there is a difference. You see, in Wellington, if someone is the designated sober driver it is actually unusual for them to touch a drop of alcohol that night. Most people in Wellington who are planning to drive have a completely alcohol free night. Whereas in Auckland most people do have to drive at some point during their night so they 'drink in moderation'. The problem I see with this is that studies have shown that something like 90% of people are surprised to find out they are over the legal driving limit because they think the limit is higher or that they have a higher tolerance. Also, by the time you feel the alcohol in your system, even slightly, you are over the limit so it is easy to drink too much for the legal limit.
Wellingtonian's, as a group, seem to have developed very strong opinions about drinking and driving. Apparently the "If you drink and drive you're a bloody idiot" campaign has worked for those living in the capital. It's not fear of police that stop people drinking and driving, if it was then they'd have one drink or maybe two and then get in the car. Or, in the extreme, carry those DIY breathalisers to make sure they are not over the limit. No, in Wellington, people don't drink alcohol at all if they are the sober driver because, somehow, a total aversion to the idea of consuming alcohol and then getting into the drivers seat of a car has developed. People are far less likely to just shrug and get into the car with someone who has had anything to drink in Wellington than they are in Auckland.
I think part of the difference has to do with Wellington's public transport system. The after-midnight bus service is awesome. There are buses to most places every half hour to hour right through until about 4am and they're cheap. Even a taxi from the middle of town to a lot of places isn't too expensive if there are a few of you going that way. After a night in Auckland city the other night I spent $60 on a taxi and someone else spent $80. These would be practically unheard of taxi fares in Wellington. You'd have to be going from Wellington city all the way to Wainuiomata or somewhere for it to cost that much. (And then I don't know why you'd catch a taxi all that way cos you'd just catch a bus or train for most of the journey.)
Public transport can't be all of it though. I'm not sure what the rest of the reason is but someone should figure it out. share this: facebook
Auckland and Wellington are the only two cities I can really compare since I have only travelled everywhere else, never lived. But that's okay because Auckland and Wellington really are as different as night and day. Auckland is a much richer city but, interestingly, it is also a much poorer city. The contrast between rich and poor in Auckland is astounding. This is a city that houses both the richest and the poorest citizens in our country. In Wellington the rich don't get as rich as they do in Auckland and the poor don't get as poor. This is, of course, a massive generalisation. But, for the most part the spread of wealth in Wellington is a lot more even than it is in Auckland.
The thing that strikes me the most though is the different culture. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and, as such, is quite a political city. Every Wellingtonian has visited the Beehive at least once in their lives, usually more than once. The cafe culture is huge, you cannot walk more than a few metres without discovering a cafe in Wellington. Even in the lower socio-economic parts of Wellington cafe's are thriving.
Driving is the big thing in Auckland. In Wellington it is not uncommon for people between 15 and 25 to not yet have a licence but in Auckland people get their licence as soon as they can. Auckland is so spread out and the public transport system is so appalling that you have to be able to drive to get anywhere easily. Wellington has an excellent public transport system and you can get to most places quickly and easily (also cheaply which is awesome).
The huge driving culture in Auckland brings me to the biggest difference I have noticed between Auckland and Wellington. That is the difference in attitudes towards drink driving. In Wellington it is not done. Yes, people do drink drive but they never talk about it for fear of recrimination from their friends and, actually, it's usually older people who were driving long before it drink driving was considered very, very wrong.
In Auckland drink driving seems to be a lot more common. I need to stop here and point out that I am talking about drink driving NOT drunk driving. While the two go hand in hand there is a difference. You see, in Wellington, if someone is the designated sober driver it is actually unusual for them to touch a drop of alcohol that night. Most people in Wellington who are planning to drive have a completely alcohol free night. Whereas in Auckland most people do have to drive at some point during their night so they 'drink in moderation'. The problem I see with this is that studies have shown that something like 90% of people are surprised to find out they are over the legal driving limit because they think the limit is higher or that they have a higher tolerance. Also, by the time you feel the alcohol in your system, even slightly, you are over the limit so it is easy to drink too much for the legal limit.
Wellingtonian's, as a group, seem to have developed very strong opinions about drinking and driving. Apparently the "If you drink and drive you're a bloody idiot" campaign has worked for those living in the capital. It's not fear of police that stop people drinking and driving, if it was then they'd have one drink or maybe two and then get in the car. Or, in the extreme, carry those DIY breathalisers to make sure they are not over the limit. No, in Wellington, people don't drink alcohol at all if they are the sober driver because, somehow, a total aversion to the idea of consuming alcohol and then getting into the drivers seat of a car has developed. People are far less likely to just shrug and get into the car with someone who has had anything to drink in Wellington than they are in Auckland.
I think part of the difference has to do with Wellington's public transport system. The after-midnight bus service is awesome. There are buses to most places every half hour to hour right through until about 4am and they're cheap. Even a taxi from the middle of town to a lot of places isn't too expensive if there are a few of you going that way. After a night in Auckland city the other night I spent $60 on a taxi and someone else spent $80. These would be practically unheard of taxi fares in Wellington. You'd have to be going from Wellington city all the way to Wainuiomata or somewhere for it to cost that much. (And then I don't know why you'd catch a taxi all that way cos you'd just catch a bus or train for most of the journey.)
Public transport can't be all of it though. I'm not sure what the rest of the reason is but someone should figure it out. share this: facebook
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on Sunday, September 09, 2007 at 12:45 PM.
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