Opinion: Auckland through shaken eyes

There's nothing quite like hosting a visitor to Auckland to force an honest appraisal of the place we live and work. Edward Rooney writes. 
My sister came to call last week, on a brief respite visit from the tragically shaken city of Christchurch. Her inner city home has sustained mostly superficial damage, but she has endured the horrific sights of the deaths downtown and frequent aftershocks ever since.
As you'd expect, she thoroughly enjoyed Auckland's firmer terra firma.
She decided to join me on the commute into work, and spend a day in downtown Auckland, and asked me what she should do.
I drew up a list and I would encourage readers to try the same. A family member or friend wants to spend a day in downtown Auckland, what would you suggest they do?
For the record, here's my list for my sister:
SkyTower, Maritime Museum, Little High St, Khartoum Place Suffrage Memorial, temporary Art Gallery, Albert Park, Vulcan Lane, High St, Chancery Lane, Fort Street Union Bar, Britomart Train Station, PriceWaterhouseCooper lobby.
The first part of her day was the bus ride from Birkenhead into town. She says our bus drivers are much more polite and helpful than their Southern counterparts. Thumbs up Birkenhead Transport.
Considering her rattled nerves, it wasn't too surprising that she found the trip up the SkyTower a little distressing. But she did manage to edge her way around the interior viewing deck, with her back pressed firmly to the wall most of the time.
As I'd predicted, she found the Maritime Museum compelling and enjoyable. She found the museum after ambling up to armed police on the scene of a bank hold-up and one officer took time out from securing the scene to escort her all the way to the waterfront. Nice Auckland constabulory, eh?
Sadly, there weren't any cruises aboard the historic vessels running to her schedule. But she would return and phone ahead to check sailing times.
Little High St, between the first floor of Whitcoulls and Durham Lane, she found funky and bohemian and admitted she could spent hours combing the racks of the vintage clothing stores.
The temporary city art gallery was pleasant, although the creaking wooden floors cranked her fear of collapsing buildings back into high gear. She got into quite high dudgeon over anyone wanting to demolish the tiles in Khartoum Place.
On Queen St again, she rejected a street person's pleas for money and, instead, bought him a Wendy's burger, although she was disappointed by his less than effusive gratitude.
My sister was also disappointed she couldn't persuade any of the hipsters in Albert Park to take a photo of her straddling one of the old cannons, but she can be a bit intimidating when she's got an idea like that into her head.
She thought Vulcan Lane, High St and Chancery Lane to be quite wonderful and could happily spend more time window-shopping and watching the beautiful people totter about in their heels.
Fort Street Union was a pleasant comfort stop where she was amazed to be allowed a quiet cigarette in the upstairs courtyard with her chai latte.
Britomart Train Station was, she says, a little bit of a letdown as she'd expected teeming crowds and flash trains. However, she would like to return to have her photo taken doing a starfish on one of the glass skylights.
The PriceWaterhouseCooper tower lobby reminded her why she'd like to be a highly-paid secretary working casual hours for a rich, but seldom busy, multinational corporation.
By the time she reached my office to join me on the commute home she was as sold on Auckland as anyone I've ever met from Canterbury. She reckons she'll give Christchurch one more chance to settle down, or she's bound for the Big Smoke.
What would you put on the list? Email, letters@theaucklander.co.nz
- Edward Rooney is chief reporter at The Aucklander.