Auckland-based photographer Jono Parker has documented the city in lockdown. Photo / Jono Parker
For many inner-city workers and dwellers, central Auckland used to mean long queues of traffic, the incessant noise of roadworks and the busyness of pedestrians rushing from one place to the next.
You'd hear sirens, cars, trucks, the noise of the green light for pedestrians, a cacophony as people, scooters and bikes all zoomed past you on your way somewhere.
There was hustle and bustle and hardly ever a completely quiet moment.
Then a pandemic hit.
Jono Parker, a professional photographer who lives in central Auckland, says the eeriness set in as soon as lockdown began, more than three weeks ago.
Since then, the city is made up of empty spaces and the absence of sound. The big little city feels bigger than ever, with wide empty spaces and a lack of people.
It is precisely that void that Parker has been documenting in a photographic series he's titled "A forgotten normality".
To see the complete set of photos, visit https://aforgottennormality.com.
The collection of images shows a moment in Auckland's history we hope will never be repeated - that of a city in lockdown because of a global pandemic.
"As a full time photographer - self employed, I am more or less unable to work during this level 4 lockdown, so I've spent a lot of my time over the last few weeks on a project documenting the Covid-19 lockdown here in the usually very busy central Auckland through my lens whilst out on my daily bike rides," he said, assuring that all photos were taken while practising safe physical distancing and staying local.
"I love Auckland and, even though what we are all going through is quite unsettling and foreign to us all, I thought it was important to document this moment in our history and hopefully people find the beauty and emotion in the moments I have captured."
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
