Auckland, New Zealand: An Occult City – by David Campbell [Book Review]

There are places you can walk past a hundred times without ever really seeing them. A building, a monument, an unusual carving, a strangely positioned structure or an apparently insignificant symbol can become so familiar that we simply stop questioning why it is there. Auckland, New Zealand: An Occult City, by Auckland-based researcher David Campbell, takes a very different approach.

It asks the reader to stop, look again, and perhaps question what might be hiding in plain sight.
Campbell takes Auckland and examines it through a decidedly unconventional lens, delving into the symbolism, geometry, numbers and apparent patterns scattered throughout the city. Some of the structures and features he discusses are instantly recognisable Auckland landmarks, while others are far more obscure. Details that most people would probably walk straight past without a second thought, yet Campbell sees connections and possibilities in these overlooked features and sets out to investigate where those clues might lead.
Interestingly, I have encountered some of the features discussed in the book myself and had the same reaction: “That looks odd. I wonder what that’s about?”

Campbell takes that fleeting curiosity and does what many of us don’t. He follows it down the rabbit hole.
And there are plenty of rabbit holes here.
Campbell is an avid enthusiast and a proficient dowser/diviner, but readily acknowledges that he isn’t an academic or conventional scholar. In many ways, that is part of the appeal of the book. He approaches his subject with the momentum of someone who simply cannot leave an intriguing mystery alone. One observation leads to another, then another, until seemingly unrelated details begin forming a much larger picture.
Numbers feature heavily in his investigations, including their angles, positioning, and potential meanings. From there, the book ventures into sigils, symbolism, coding, sacred geometry, energy grids and ley lines, astrology, astronomy and even the intriguing concept of stargates. Campbell examines the possibility that some of these elements may represent something far more deliberate than coincidence or architectural ornamentation.
This isn’t a conventional history of Auckland, nor is it a work that attempts to prove every theory beyond dispute. Instead, Campbell presents observations, connections and possibilities and invites the reader to consider them for themselves.
Some theories will undoubtedly stretch the imagination. Others may have you reaching for Google to investigate something you have never considered before, and occasionally the sheer number of connections Campbell uncovers can leave you wondering whether you are looking at an extraordinary pattern or simply an elaborate coincidence.
What makes Auckland, New Zealand: An Occult City particularly interesting is the way it changes the way you look at the city itself. After reading it, familiar streets and structures can take on a slightly different character. You start noticing shapes, numbers, alignments and symbols that might previously have gone completely unnoticed.

Auckland becomes less of a collection of buildings and roads and more of a giant puzzle waiting to be examined.
You may not agree with every conclusion he reaches, but it is difficult not to become caught up in his curiosity as he follows one clue after another into increasingly obscure territory.
For anyone interested in the unexplained, occult symbolism, ancient mysteries, sacred geometry, ley lines, alternative history or the hidden stories contained within familiar places, especially locally, this is a fascinating and thought-provoking read.

You can order your copy direct from the author from his page. https://www.facebook.com/aucklanddowsingsociety