It may be obvious to some how different Auckland city is compared to the rest of New Zealand. But for me, I could never have imagined some of the differences I have experienced.

The small rural town that I grew up in, called Kaikohe did not have much. With a population of about 4,000, it became quite a shock when I realised that the University of Auckland had more students then my entire town and the hall that I lived in had more residents than the high school that I attended.

In Auckland, you have everything right outside your door. Just a quick walk to queen street where you can find every type of cuisine you can imagine. If you want to go buy some new shoes you will have multiple options within your reach. If it’s not in Auckland I truly believe it does not exist in New Zealand. In rural towns, this is quite the opposite. The only place to buy clothes was the warehouse which did not meet everyone’s expectations. For food, we had New world and Countdown where you could try and imitate the delicious food you wanted yourself but were often unsuccessful in this.

In rural areas, it’s a daily occurrence to come across animals. I woke up every morning to horses, cows, turkeys, chickens, pukeko and list goes on. In Auckland, I have come across a few pigeons and sparrows which are not very exciting if you want my opinion. Unless of course, you go to the Auckland zoo where you can see animals from around the world.

The only sound at night at my house in my hometown was the sound of the river ragging, the horses neighing and turkeys gobbling.  A Friday night in Auckland central sounds a little different. The only way I can describe it the similarity it has to a siamang gibbon monkey noise, except coming out of humans.

I am used to seeing lots of grass, being able to go outside and lie on the grass and watch nature get to work. In Auckland, the only place where there is grass is in parks (which we regularly get reminded to stay safe in at night). During the day the domain or Albert park are lovely places to spend on a sunny afternoon with a few friends.

Auckland is surrounded by beaches, which at first seems great but, the only great thing in my opinion is the views. I would recommend not to use the beaches around the city central are not suitable for this as they are more used for ships.

For many, you might be in the same position as me and might be scared of taking this drastic change in lifestyle. But I guarantee you will adapt very quickly and love it. I definitely have a place for both urban and rural living in my heart.

Thanks for reading

Natasha xx