Perks and Privileges: Auckland Showcases it All
NEW ZEALNAD
They took the day off to welcome me. My travels remind me constantly that there are those who just carve out time, no matter what. How lucky (and rich) am I that I have family, a bff, local and global tribes (and strangers!) that do this for me? Seeing each other after all these years, we wasted no time in meeting, greeting, and eating. Soon after indulging in a homemade breakfast, we hit the beach. With multiple accessible shorelines, kiwi culture has a strong emphasis on waterfronts and sports. Snaking down from the terrace top terrain, I started to become aware of what seemed like Nature’s roulette, whether random or instigated. The somewhat recent cyclone had uprooted many cliffside houses and several insurance claims are pending as a result of the damage to homes and lives. The cost of living so close to fault lines is high, yet many still opt (and long) for that kind of vantage point - it seems that privilege too has a price.
As we winded our way down from Torbay to Long bay, the weather remained overcast. The beach was wide and flat and for some of it, even soft and silky. Dressed in sweats, I was warm enough to go barefoot feeling the cool water and shells greet my feet. We climbed over rocky formations, crossed little streams and wrote messages in the sand. From each view Rangitoto Island, Auckland's youngest and largest dormant volcanic cone, was waiting on the horizon.
There’s something so grounding when we write messages to one another, fingers gliding through packed sand, memorializing a specific moment. Seeing sand graffiti satiates me. It’s like I’m privy to peek into the key hole of someone’s soulful sentiments, while the implications of impermanence - of our position, place, perspectives, power, passion, perks and privilege - are but one wave away …
From our random meeting in Melbourne through competition and camaraderie, I witnessed such sportsmanship in her daughter that spontaneously, she invited to take me out when I came to Auckland. We went from strangers to special connection in split seconds. This is a definite perk, both on the road and in routine life, when energies, intentions and calendars align. In this case, so too did our interests. Driving long distances, she came and picked me up, showed me around Devonport where near 360 degree views of the needle, city centre, Harbour bridge and naval bases were in easy sight, as was of course, Rangitoto.
After a short hike, she spoilt me with a massage and grub. Following a deep tissue fascial release (why do they keep telling me my shoulders are so tight?!), we enjoyed Canton noodles and spicy shrimp. This was promptly followed by fried dollops of delish, dipped in condensed milk (a treat to be enjoyed only in finite proportions). Indeed, I’m so fortunate to enjoy all these gifts!
As in other trips such as DRC, Angola and others, I was happy to serve here as well. Organically, we organized a session that attempted to stimulate and stir big questions. In that discussion, I was saddened to hear that much of the inequities for the indigenous community hadn’t improved substantially since my first medical visit to remote villages. Shockingly, in NZ, it’s common to have a wage table allocating outright the pay differential based on gender, race and other isms. Showcased and called out in the media for its inequity and impact, some women were essentially working without pay for the tail months of the year.
I inhaled deeply and took a seat on the bench, the tightness and weight on my shoulders somehow seemed to make some sense now. My privilege is not lost on me. In fact, it glues me even more to continue change making.
May we constantly be clued into what our privilege holds and how we can leverage it to lift,