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Turkish Kia Ora! Welcome to Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland – a city with an enthusiastic Urban Sketching chapter and a vibrant creative arts scene.
The largest city in New Zealand — with a population of about 1.6m — Auckland is getting ready to host the 2023 Urban Sketchers’ symposium.
Jack189417, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
New Zealand’s reputation as a ‘green’ and safe place is well earned. The city-centre has award-winning art galleries, historic museums, iconic theatres, world class restaurants and cafes with great coffee. Aucklanders are known as a friendly, relaxed bunch who are always happy to welcome guests into their friendly city.
Auckland is a very walkable city — a 15 or 20-minute stroll will get you across town and into different parts of the city where there are plenty of subjects for artists to capture. Modern buildings stand alongside heritage architecture. Main streets lead to boutique alleyways. Gardens and green spaces offer a break from the bustling city. Auckland boasts a sparkling waterfront with harbours, piers and yachts. Beaches and volcanoes make for a diverse, unique and awe-inspiring canvas for sketching.
Ziqi CHAI, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
And the people — Oh, the people!
Auckland is a melting pot of many cultures with more than 220 different ethnic communities calling Auckland home. It is this diversity that makes the city’s art, cultural experiences and history so fascinating.
AnnWoolliams, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The indigenous story of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland is compelling and strong. Māori culture is the fabric of New Zealand, Aotearoa: the land of the long white cloud.
This Symposium is seeking to deliver opportunities to connect with indigenous Māori – it is not to be missed – authentic, genuine, uplifting, and we guarantee it will be one of the major highlights of this symposium.
Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons