Auckland Overview

The city of Auckland on the North Island lies 300km (190 miles) south of the island’s northern point. The city extends over a narrow strip of land, amidst bays and harbours of various sizes.

The peninsula of Auckland and its surrounding rugged hills were formed by the eruption of 48 volcanoes over 50,000 years ago. The earth’s crust between the Waitemata and Manukau harbours is in fact very thin and every few thousand years the earth fractures pouring forth more magma, thus creating new volcanoes.

The most recent eruptions occurred about six hundred years ago just off the Maori Motutapu Island. These volcanoes formed yet another island nearby, known today as Rangitoto Island.

It is presumed that over 1,000 years ago migrating Polynesian tribes, who arrived in double-hulled canoes, formed New Zealand’s first settlements. These people lived on hunting and small cultivations, which were productive due to the island’s fertile volcanic land. These tribes settled on the volcano-top territories, which offered a good defence position as well as rich fertile soil.

The Maori population was annihilated after the invasion of the Europeans in the 1820’s. The main causes being the introduction of guns, which resulted in an enormous increase in wars amongst tribes and diseases passed on by the Europeans.

In 1840 the British offered the local Maori tribe £55 and a few blankets to buy the land which has now become Auckland. Auckland was the capital until 1865, the year in which Wellington was declared the new capital of New Zealand.

Being right on the sea, Auckland is blessed with an ideal climate, temperatures are never too low in the winter or too high in the summer. There may be sporadic mild frosts in the winter (June to August), while in the summer it can get slightly humid with temperatures remaining in the mid-20° Celsius (between 70 and 80 Fahrenheit.)

The city’s healthy climate encourages an active outdoor life; there are in fact over 500km (310 miles) of walking trails within Greater Auckland including 22 luxuriant parks and there are probably more boats per head than anywhere else in the world.

In search of new pastimes, the inhabitants of Auckland often escape to the offshore Hauraki Gulf Islands, the Coromandel Peninsula or the Bay Islands seaside sites, which lie along the coast just north of Auckland.

Auckland’s waterfront, re-modernized for the 2000 Americas Cup challenge, harbours the Ferry Terminal, from which boats regularly leave and arrive to and from the islands. East of the waterfront lies the Queen Elizabeth Square, and south of there is Queen Street.

This site is the city’s principal street towered over by the imposing Auckland Town Hall. At the end of Queen Street runs Karangahape Road, known as K Road and between K Road and the waterfront nestles the heart of the city of Auckland.

Southeast of this area is the classy Parnell district, where the Auckland Museum and Auckland Domain Park can be found. The trendy bars, cafés and entertainment are situated northwest of the centre in Herne Bay and Ponsonby.

New Zealand boasts a prosperous economy, tourism being one of the country’s most important resources, offering great outdoor entertainment and natural sites. New Zealand has also gained in attention as well as a financial boost in the city’s business after the release of the popular film the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy.