North Shore City

<a href=”http://www.newzealandtravelvideos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/North-Shore-City-new-zealand.jpg”><img src=”http://www.newzealandtravelvideos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/North-Shore-City-new-zealand-300×225.jpg” alt=”" title=”North Shore City new zealand” width=”300″ height=”225″ /></a>North Shore City (often referred to as North Shore, The Shore, and North Harbour) is a place in the Auckland region of New Zealand’s North Island. The urban districts of North Shore City, Auckland City and Manukau together comprise the Auckland metropolitan area, which has 1.3 million inhabitants, making it by far the largest agglomeration of New Zealand.

North Shore City is bordered on the north by the Rodney District and on the east by the Rangitoto Channel, of the Hauraki Gulf. The channel separates North Shore from Rangitoto Island, an island of volcanic origin. Finally, the entire southern and western border is the Waitemata Harbour. This natural harbor has only two bridges: the Auckland Harbour Bridge, which is a connection to downtown Auckland City; and the Upper Harbour Bridge, which connects with North Shore Waitakere.

The majority of the district is occupied by suburban development. There are rural areas only in the northernmost vicinities, but, given the current consumption of the metropolitan area, these will likely be displaced in the not too distant future by monotonous suburbs.

Residents and city structure

North Shore City, because of its northern location (compared to Auckland City) is often referred to as North Auckland, and is considered the residence of the upper middle class. In particular, the environment of the beaches on the east coast is largely reserved, as it is home to the mansions of the upper class.

With over 81%, North Shore City’s share of European population is even a little higher than the national average. This is an extremely unusual condition for Aucklanders. In contrast, the proportions of the population who belong to the group of Maori and the group that is from the Pacific Islands, at about 8% and 3.5% respectively are only half as large as the average for New Zealand. Only the Asian population is still above the national average.

North Shore City can be divided into many neighborhoods. It is possible to distinguish between central and outer suburbs.

The central suburbs are: Milford, Takapuna, Belmont, Devonport, Bayswater, Northcote, Birkenhead, Highbury, Hillcrest, Glenfield, Wairau Valley, Westlake and Forrest Hill.

The outer suburbs are: Birkdale, Beach Haven, North Harbour, Albany, Long Bay, Torbay, Waiake, Browns Bay, Rothesay Bay, Murrays Bay, Mairangi Bay, Campbells Bay and Castor Bay.

Culture and Attractions

Tourists are interested in the 20 km of beaches along the coast lying to the north, the villas and plots of the upper class at Takapuna Beach, and low tide at Milford Beach along the dike. Also worthwhile are excursions to the north seaside suburbs with their shopping malls and restaurants, and the historic village of Devonport (home of the Navy of New Zealand).

Beyond the borders of the isthmus lie the 47 islands of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. These include Rangitoto, Waiheke and Motutapu, which attract many visitors to their idyllic bays and beaches, galleries, vineyards, restaurants and the annual Montana Waiheke Island of Jazz Festival.

Economy and Infrastructure

Economy

A total of over 22,000 companies are located in North Shore City, which together make up about 6% of the national GDP. Between 1998 and 2002, the number of holdings rose to 29.3%, which is another national record.

In particular, in the last five years the suburban are of Albany has been facing major changes. A few years ago this place was not dominated by North Shore City and was considered rural. Now Albany is the economic center of the city.

It has, among other things, a number of “super stores,” huge shopping centers, and a number of established “mini-suburbs,” which consist of hundreds of identical-looking houses, built from the ground. This indeed made a large number of cheaper homes available, but also destroyed many acres of farmland.

The expansion to the north will in all probability take off after this. Thus, for example, soon the former resort of Orewa, which is already in the Rodney District and has recently marked the northern highway, will begin to be overrun by urban sprawl.

Infrastructure

There are no major traffic problems within the city area of North Shore, though the Upper Harbour Bridge experiences major traffic congestion during rush hour. The worst traffic problems however – and not only during rush hour – are between North Shore City and Auckland City on the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Therefore, even at the regional level, these issues are publicly debated.

At the end of 2005, new Park & Ride places were built along the north-south tangent. These were to help the commuters switch to buses that were built for the roads. A connection to North Shore City on the (still undeveloped) rail system is not planned for the near future.

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