Pick-a-path story walk: Auckland edition

Travelling for work or business can be an adventure made all the more fun if you have time to explore a new neighbourhood. It might a restaurant I've seen online, coffee recommended by the Twitterverse or a scenic walk. Of course, meeting schedules don't always allow time for exploring, especially if I'm flying in and out on the same day.

I know Auckland's CBD reasonably well but mostly in the context of getting there, finding where I need to go, going to where I need to be and then making my way back to the airport bus with greatest possible efficiency. Often I'm travelling with a friend. We usually have coffee and brunch at Depot, check out luxury homeware that we can't afford and enjoy a treat at Milse on the way to a concert.

Today, I had a few spare hours to explore Auckland's CBD. What would I do? Twitter gave me an idea for an activity that took my navigating to a whole new level.

Imagine a real life choose your own adventure story-style right in the area you're working and staying! That's the Pick-a-path story walk: Skub or No Skub that begins by reading instructions on a lamp post at the corner of Commerce and Tyler Streets and ends wherever your adventure takes you.

There is a basic website with all the pages if you get stuck or discover a missing page. It's not optimised for mobile phones so is a bit clunky to read but came in handy when I couldn't find the next clue. (I think my adventure had two missing pages as I could only see plastic ties around the lamp posts holding what should have been laminated pages.) Also, this Wellingtonian found Google Maps invaluable as I didn't always get a sense from the basic maps on the pages where I should be going and where to look once I got there. (Side note: there sure is a lot of building and construction going on in Auckland right now. Streets and landmarks look quite different if you only visit once every year or two!)

I won't give away any spoilers other than to say that my adventure happened in eight pages. They took me around several blocks before coming to a rather unfortunate end involving a "messy descent into conflict" and my character being arrested on unknown charges. *gasp!*

This is a really cool activity idea and one that would be great for creative folk in other towns and cities to develop for their own communities.

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I've listened to more podcasts during the past two years than ever before. They are a convenient way of accessing information and entertainment on the go and an easier way to multitask when you've got other things to do. They're also great if I'm too tired to read, which is challenging if I'm lying down with my eyes closed.

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