
Early morning on the Te Atatu Peninsula; looking across the Waitemata to the city and harbour bridge. Image: Su Leslie, 2016
I have to confess; April is probably my favourite month. Poised between Auckland’s oppressive summer humidity and the damp, grey of winter, April in my city is often utterly, gloriously beautiful — especially at sunrise and sunset.
Tomorrow is the start of New Zealand Music Month, and I’ve been thinking about the songs that form the soundtrack to my life. One of the first to pop into my head was April Sun in Cuba.
Released in 1977, it was the first big hit for the band Dragon. April Sun in Cuba was released in Australia first; the band having relocated to Sydney from Auckland a couple of years earlier. I don’t know if writers Paul Hewson and Marc Hunter were thinking of Auckland or Sydney when they wrote the song, but the opening lines are:
I’m tired of the city life
Summer’s on the run
People tell me I should stay
But I got to get my fun— Paul Hewson & Marc Hunter
I am definitely tired of the city life, but at least for the moment, the April sun in Te Atatu, or Greenhithe, or Herald Island are part of the solution, not the problem.

“Birds in the winter sky” — gulls above Christmas Beach, Herald Island in Auckland. Image: Su Leslie, 2016
The Changing Seasons is a monthly challenge hosted by Cardinal Guzman. There are two versions:
Version 1 (The Changing Seasons V1):
Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons
Each month, post 5-20 photos in a gallery.
Don’t use photos from your archive. Only new shots.
Version 2 (The Changing Seasons V2):
Tag your posts with #MonthlyPhotoChallenge and #TheChangingSeasons
Each month, post one photo (recipe, painting, drawing, whatever) that represents your interpretation of the month.
Don’t use archive stuff. Only new material!
Pingback: The Changing Seasons: April 2016 – Cardinal Guzman
Oh the hair! Oh the clothes! But the song still sings true. 🙂 I am very happy with the April sun in Christchurch. Auckland looks beautiful too.
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Hehe. The 70s weren’t our finest hour fashion-wise. 🙂
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Nor the 80s!
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Hm! I think the 80s was probably “my” decade. I have a lingering affection for the “desperately seeking Susan” look!
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😀
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Beautiful views. I wish we had some long, sandy beaches around here.
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Thank you. Beaches are very soothing for the soul.
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Yet another Kiwi import we claimed as our own? 🙂
I’m not enjoying April here this year. Too many hot days. I miss the chilly mornings, the mists, the turning colours of a proper autumn. And the water situation is getting a bit dire. Some autumn rains would be more use to us than April sun. to be honest.
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🙂 Work on the basis that all the best Aussie musicians are Kiwi (ok, tongue in cheek). I didn’t realise it was still so hot and dry; which is a bit dumb since the Big T is working in Melbourne at the moment – dividing his time between Broadmeadows and Geelong. Hope you get some rain soon.
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Nice shots. We’ve had a great April here in Wellington too. – which always makes me think ‘Take me to the April sun in Cuba St’
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Hehe. You wouldn’t believe how long I spent looking for a photo of Cuba Street!!!
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The best time of the year, what lowly Auckland views you are presenting, Su.
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Thank you so much. Happy weekend to the Fab Four.
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Great song and glorious photos especially the first one. The colour is amazing.
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Thanks; it was almost worth the two hours I was stuck on the peninsula waiting for traffic to clear so that I could drive home 🙂
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Ugh traffic. The things we do!
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In my case it was a complete accident. I didn’t realise that the one road off the peninsula was slammed until I’d already left the motorway. At that point, there was no way out.
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I love April too but for me it is Spring with all the joys of awakenings. We’ve had a particularly wet April which is making everything more beautiful than normal. I love it.
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Beautiful photos of April in the spring time. It was always favourite month for me too. I hated the humidity of the summer and the cold damp days of winter. Love that song. A biggie from my teenage years.
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Thanks Raewyn. I think ‘O Zambezi’ was the first album by an NZ band I ever bought. I still have it somewhere.
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At least in April our climates are somewhat in sync as we move from winter to summer. The flowers are blooming, trees filling in, and grass turning green. So for different reasons, April is beautiful here also!
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How lovely. I remember you saying you felt you were having a long winter, so I’m pleased that Spring has arrived for you. 🙂
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No, that song and group passed me by I’m afraid (??) looks like they were trying to imitate the Rolling Stones! Your sunrise and sunsets are glorious – what gorgeous light you have captured. I wouldn’t hate living in Auckland. There are worse cities to live in 🙂
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