Auckland

Introduction

Auckland Night Cityscape

© All Rights Reserved ArnaMarie

Auckland is one of the world's most liveable cities, and Kiwis know it. Auckland is home to over a quarter of the country's population, which is around 1.3 million people, and all indications are that it will continue to grow rapidly. Auckland is also has the largest polynesian population of any city in the world! Originally settled by Maori's in the 1350s, because of fertile soil, many Maori's had left the area by the time Europeans had shown up because of fire arms had made coastal Maori towns to vulnerable to raids. Auckland was settled in February of 1840 and the Governor of New Zealand and it the countries first capital. The capital was moved to Wellington in 1865 because at that time the South Island was being settled quicker. Even after losing the capital status Auckland continued to grow.

Known as the "City of Sails", Auckland is strung narrowly along an isthmus between two harbours at the north of New Zealand, with the Pacific Ocean to its east and the Tasman Sea out west. Auckland has many wonderful sights and museums. Making this city a wonderful place to spend a few days. There is also a very nice night life which can get pretty rowdy. Just remember not to judge a bar by its name, because something that might sound like a dive might be a very class place.

Neighbourhoods

Auckland can be divided into four neighbourhoods:

• Auckland City
• Manukau
• Waitakere
• North Shore

Sights and Activities

Sky Tower

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Sky Tower

The Sky Tower is located downtown. This large observation and telecommunications tower is over 328 metres (1,076 feet) tall making it the tallest free standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere and offers great views of the city. For the more adventurous traveller there is even an option to Sky Jump off the tower at speeds up to 85 km/h. A Sky Jump is a cross between a bungy jump and a base jump. Also the Sky City Casino and Event Centre, a large casino and event centre, is located in the Sky Tower complex for a different kind of adventurous traveller. This casino was refurbished in 2006 and has over 1,600 gaming machines. There are also over 100 tables for games like blackjack and roulette.

Other Down Town Sights and Activities

• Aotea Square is large paved public square and is considered the city centre. It is littered with several shops and has a weekly arts and crafts market on Fridays and Sundays making it a great place for shopping. Queen Street runs along its eastern edge.
• Queen Street is the main street of Auckland and is undergoing extensive repairs.
• Auckland Civic Theatre is a large heritage theatre built in December of 1929 that can seat 2,378 people. It is one of only seven remaining cinemas in the world like it and incorporates many elements from Buddhist and Moorish building styles.
• Auckland Town Hall is a concert hall which is believed to have some of the best acoustics in the world. Phone: +64 9 309 2677, Address: 50 Mayoral Drive.
• Harbour Bridge is the eight lane bridge that connects Saint Marys Bay in Auckland with Northcote in Shore City.

Museums

• Auckland War Memorial Museum, also known as the Auckland Museum, is a museum that has an excellent collection on New Zealand history from prehistoric times to the present. Located on a hill over looking the city it also offers excellent views. The War Memorial is located just outside the main entrance to the museum.
• MOTAT is an museum dedicated to transportation and technology and is located in Western Springs.
• Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World is a good aquarium located in the easter suburb of Mission Bay.

Sports

• Eden Park Stadium is the Auckland's main stadium and is where the All Blacks rugby union play.
• Viaduct Basin is the marina were the America's Cup regattas were held in 2000 and 2003.

Natural Sights

• Auckland Domain is the largest park within the city with great views and a good golf course.
• Mount Eden is an volcanic cone with a grassy crater. It is also the highest point in the city offering great views.
• One Tree hill - Although it no longer has its one tree this volcanic cone that dominates the skyline of the south and inner suburbs is a great hike. The tree was lost in a politically motivated attack but an obelisk marks its spot today.
• Mount Victoria - This volcanic cone is located in North Shore City and offers amazing views across the bay back at Auckland.
• Rangitoto island - Protects the entrance to the harbour and is a main feature on the eastern horizon.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

Auckland Airport (AKL) is the main airport for New Zealand and is where most travellers start and end their trip in the country. This large airport has direct flights to several countries around the world and is located in a western suburb about 21 kilometres south of the Auckland city centre. Remember the airport has very strict bio-security with the use of dogs and x-ray machines. To avoid any fines just declare any biological material. With over 13 million passengers a year it is the busiest airport in the country and has most international connections.

To/from the airport:

• Car: Two state highways connect to the airport. State Highway 20A goes north with access to central Auckland, the western and northern suburbs, and Northland. State Highway 20B leaves the airport to the east and allows access to southern and eastern Auckland, and the rest of the North Island.
• Taxis and shuttles are available at both terminals.
• Bus: The Airbus Express operates 24 hours and connects the airport to the Downtown Ferry Terminal in the central city via Mount Eden and Queen Street. The Downtown Ferry Terminal is opposite the Britomart Transport Centre, which allows bus and train connections to the wider Auckland area. Bus routes 375 and 380 operate from the airport to Botany Town Centre and Manukau City respectively.

By Train

Tranz Scenic operates several trains a day (some night trains are available) betwee Auckland and Wellington. It departs from Auckland at 7:25am (daily December to April, Friday to Sunday May to November) and arrives in Wellington at 7:20pm (the return train from Wellington departs and arrives at the same time).

By Car

By Bus

Intercity and Newmans Coach Lines serve quite a few cities and towns throughout the country from Auckland. Nakedbus serves places as well including Whangarei and Wellington (12 hours), and buses to Gisborne and Napier. Dalroy Tours has buses to New Plymouth (5.5 hours). Main Coachline has buses to Dargaville (3 hours). Go Kiwi travels between cities on the North Island as well.

By Boat

Getting Around

By Car

Some of the options to rent cars include the following companies:

• Avis
• Hertz
• Budget
• Europcar
• NZ Rent A Car
• Thrifty
• Ace Rental Cars
• Go Rentals
• Hit The Road Motorhome and Campervan hire
• Rental Car NZ

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

• Tanuki's Cave - Japanese Yakitori Restaurant serving delicious skewers and other Japanese dishes. 319b Queen Street.
• Prego - atmospheric Italian restaurant on Ponsonby Road.
• Ichiban - cheap and tasty ramen and other Japanese dishes at 17 Albert Street.

Drink

• Elbow Room - Cosy, Mediterranean style bar, on Jervois Road in Herne Bay.
• London Bar - Live Jazz every Friday and Saturday night and no cover charge. Corner of Queen & Wellesley Streets.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• Auckland University

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Most payphones in New Zealand require the use of phone cards for payment and it is getting harder to find payphones that accept coins. As phone cards are available at a lot of outlets, they are easy to purchase and very handy as a backup in case of emergencies.

Dial 111 for emergency police, fire or ambulance services. The worldwide emergency number for GSM mobile phones, 112, can also be used.

Local calls are free from residential phones and charges for calling outside that area can be found at the front of the regional phone books, amongst many other services.

Post

Most areas have dedicated PostShops, however stamps can also be bought at grocery shops, supermarkets and book stores. There are two main formats for domestic mail, namely Standard Post and Fast Post. Fast Post is used next day delivery between major towns and cities (two days from rural areas), whereas Standard Post will take a few working days to deliver nationwide. Standard costs NZ$0.40 for letters/postcards (NZ$0.80 for larger envelopes), Fast Post costs NZ$0.80 (NZ$1.20 for larger envelopes). International mail takes about 3-6 days to Australia (NZ$1.50), and 6-12 days to Europe, Asia and the United States (NZ$2). Post boxes are white, red and black and can be found in many areas throughout towns and cities, including information about when their contents are collected. Most post offices and smaller post shops have opening hours from 9:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday, and 9:00am to 12:30pm on Saturday. You can buy stamps here, or at newsagents and general stores. For parcels, you can use the NZ Post or otherwise courier companies like TNT, DHL, UPS or FedEx.