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Auckland

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Oceania
(Australasia)

                                                                  Auckland

                                                   Population: 1,241,600^1
                                              Area: 1,086 km² (419 sq mi)
                                          Location: 36°51′S 174°47′E
    Mayor: Multiple, including Dick Hubbard, Sir Barry Curtis, Bob Harvey,
                                                     John Law, George Wood
                                                                Urban Area
                                                 Extent: North to Waiwera,
                                                       northwest to Kumeu,
                                                         east to Maraetai,
                                              south to Drury and Runciman;
                                                 excludes Waitakere Ranges
                                                    & Hauraki Gulf Islands
                                                   Territorial Authorities
                                                      Names: Auckland City
                                                          North Shore City

                            Urban parts of Waitakere City and Manukau City
                                                         Papakura District
                       Some parts of Rodney District and Franklin District
                                                Regional Council: Auckland
   ^1 Statistics New Zealand estimated resident population, Auckland Urban
                                                       Area, 30 June 2005.

   The Auckland Metropolitan Area, or Greater Auckland, in the North
   Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. With
   over 1.2 million people it has over a quarter of the country's
   population, and demographics trends still cause it to grow faster than
   the rest of New Zealand.

   It is a conurbation, made up of Auckland City (excluding the Hauraki
   Gulf islands), North Shore City, and the urban parts of Waitakere and
   Manukau cities, along with Papakura District and some nearby urban
   parts of Rodney and Franklin Districts. In Māori it bears the
   traditional name Tāmaki Makau Rau or the transcribed version of
   Auckland, Ākarana.

   Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the
   east, the low Hunua Ranges to the south-east, the Manukau Harbour to
   the south-west, and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west
   and north-west. The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow
   isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitemata
   Harbour on the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the few cities in the world
   to have harbours on two separate bodies of water.

History

Early Māori and European settlers

   The isthmus was first settled around 1350 and was valued for its rich
   and fertile land. Many pa (fortified villages) were created, mainly on
   the volcanic peaks. Māori population is estimated to have peaked at
   20,000 before the arrival of Europeans. This event - and the guns which
   they traded to local iwi - upset the local power balances. This
   resulted in extensive inter-tribal warfare, which together with some
   introduced plagues resulted in the area having relatively low numbers
   of Māori when European settlement in New Zealand started in earnest
   (there is however no indication that this was the result of a
   deliberate European policy).

Birth of the city

   After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840 the new
   Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson chose the area as his new
   capital. However, even in 1840, Port Nicholson (later Wellington), was
   seen as a better choice for an administrative capital, due to its
   closeness to the South Island, which was being settled much faster.

   Nonetheless, even after losing its status as capital in 1865,
   immigration to the new city stayed strong.

Growth up to today

   Schematic map of Auckland.
   Enlarge
   Schematic map of Auckland.

   Becoming a base against the Māori King Movement in the early 1860s, and
   continued road building towards the south into the Waikato, enabled
   Pākehā (White New Zealanders) influence to spread out from Auckland. It
   also grew fairly rapidly, from 1,500 in 1841 to 12,423 by 1864. The
   growth occurred similarly to other mercantile-dominated cities, mainly
   around the port, and with many of the problems of overcrowding and
   pollution common to it.

   Trams and railway lines shaped Aucklands rapid extension in the early
   first half of the 20th century, but soon after, the dominance of the
   motor vehicle emerged, and has not abated since, with aterial roads and
   motorways becoming a defining (and geographically dividing) feature of
   the urban landscape. They also allowed further massive expansion,
   resulting in the growth of associated urbanities like North Shore
   (especially after the construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, and
   Manukau City in the south.

   To this day, a large percentage of Auckland is still dominated by a
   very suburban style of building, giving the city a very low population
   density: although it has not much more than a seventh of the population
   of London, it sprawls over a considerably larger area - a fact that
   serves to make public transport by Auckland's rail and bus systems
   unpopular and uneconomic (car usage costs fall slightly with decreasing
   urban density, while public transport costs rise sharply, even if less
   capital-intensive types like bus services are used in the less dense
   zones).

Future growth

   Aucklands problems with urban sprawl, due to rapid population growth
   and its automobile-centred transportation system, are now slowly being
   addressed in planning. As Auckland is set to grow to an estimated 2
   million inhabitants by the year 2050, a Regional Growth Strategy was
   adopted, which sees limits on further subdivision and intensification
   of existing use as its main sustainability measures.

Geography and climate

   Nearing Rangitoto from Auckland.
   Enlarge
   Nearing Rangitoto from Auckland.

Volcanoes

   Auckland straddles the volcanoes of the Auckland Volcanic Field. The 50
   volcanic vents in the field take the form of cones, lakes, lagoons,
   islands and depressions, and several have produced extensive lava
   flows. Most of the cones have been partly or completely quarried away.
   The volcanoes are all individually extinct, although the volcanic field
   itself is merely dormant.

   The most recent and by far the largest volcano, Rangitoto Island, was
   formed within the last 1000 years, and its eruptions destroyed the
   Māori settlements on neighbouring Motutapu Island. Rangitoto's size,
   its symmetry, its position guarding the entrance to Waitemata Harbour
   and its visibility from many parts of the Auckland region make it
   Auckland's most iconic natural feature. It is eerily quiet as almost no
   birds and insects have settled on the island because of the rich acidic
   soil and type of flora that has adapted to grow out of the black broken
   rocky soil.

Hauraki Gulf islands

   Several islands of the Hauraki Gulf are administered as part of
   Auckland City, though they are not officially part of the Auckland
   metropolitan area. Parts of Waiheke Island effectively function as
   Auckland suburbs, however, while various smaller islands near Auckland
   are mostly recreational open space or nature sanctuaries.

Isthmus and harbours

   Auckland CBD seen from across Okahu Bay.
   Enlarge
   Auckland CBD seen from across Okahu Bay.

   Auckland lies on and around an isthmus, less than 2 kilometres wide at
   its narrowest point, between Mangere Inlet and the Tamaki River. There
   are two harbours in the Auckland urban area surrounding this isthmus,
   Waitemata Harbour to the north, which opens east to the Hauraki Gulf,
   and Manukau Harbour to the south, which opens west to the Tasman Sea.

   Bridges span parts of both these harbours, most notably the Auckland
   Harbour Bridge crossing the Waitemata Harbour west of the Auckland CBD.
   The upper reaches of the Manukau and Waitemata Harbours are spanned by
   Mangere Bridge and the Upper Harbour Bridge respectively. In earlier
   times, portage paths connected both sides of the sea at the narrowest
   sections of the isthmus.

Climate

   View towards Auckland CBD from the top of the Mt Eden volcanic cone.
   Enlarge
   View towards Auckland CBD from the top of the Mt Eden volcanic cone.

   Auckland has a warm-temperate climate, with warm, humid summers and
   mild, damp winters. January temperatures average 21-24  °C. February
   can be warmer than January, but temperatures rarely exceed 30 °C July
   maximum temperatures average 14-16 °C. High levels of rainfall occur
   almost year-round (an average of 1249 mm per year), especially in
   winter. Climatic conditions vary in different parts of the city owing
   to geography such as hills, land cover and distance from the sea. On 27
   July 1939 Auckland received its only snow fall in recorded history.
   This is unlike some South Island cities like Christchurch, which
   regularly gets snow down to sea level.

   The unusual early morning calm on the isthmus during settled weather,
   before the sea breeze rises, was described as early as 1853: "In all
   seasons, the beauty of the day is in the early morning. At that time,
   generally, a solemn stillness holds, and a perfect calm prevails..."
   Many Aucklanders use this time of day to walk and run in parks.

   As car ownership rates are very high, and emissions controls relatively
   weak in New Zealand, Auckland suffers from an elevated level of air
   pollution. This can sometimes be visible as smog, especially on calm
   winter days. However, the maritime local climate ensures that most
   pollution is eventually dispersed, and thus the smog never reaches
   levels as seen, for example, in Los Angeles or Mexico City.

People

Cultures

   Auckland serves as a home to many cultures. The majority of inhabitants
   claim European - predominantly British - descent, but substantial
   Māori, Pacific Islander and Asian communities exist as well. Auckland
   has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world.

   A large proportion of the population is also made up of people of Asian
   origin (mainly East Asian and South Asian). This is due to New
   Zealand's world-leading level of immigration, which flows primarily
   into Auckland. Ethnic groups from all corners of the world have a
   presence in Auckland, making it by far the country's most cosmopolitan
   city. It is estimated that over 14 people from other countries
   immigrate to Auckland every day. This strong focus on Auckland has led
   the immigration services to award extra points towards immigration visa
   requirements for people intending to move to other parts of New
   Zealand.
   Auckland CBD at night, with the 'Captain Cook Wharf' part of the port
   in the foreground.
   Enlarge
   Auckland CBD at night, with the 'Captain Cook Wharf' part of the port
   in the foreground.

   The 2001 New Zealand Census showed that:
     * 66.9% of people in the Auckland Urban Area belong to European
       ethnic groups.
     * 14.9% of people in the Auckland Urban Area belong to Pacific Island
       ethnic groups.
     * 14.6% of people in the Auckland Urban Area belong to Asian ethnic
       groups.
     * 11.5% of people in the Auckland Urban Area belong to the Māori
       ethnic group.
     * 1.3% of people in the Auckland Urban Area belong to other ethnic
       groups.

   (These percentages do not add up to 100%, as some people belong to more
   than one ethnic group).

Religion

   Like the rest of the country, more than half of Aucklanders are
   nominally Christian, but fewer than 10% regularly attend church and
   almost 40% profess no religious affiliation (2001 census figures). The
   main denominations are Anglican, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic.
   Pentecostal and charismatic churches are the fastest growing. The
   charismatic and fundamentalist Destiny Church, headquartered in
   Auckland, has gained headlines because of its political activities. A
   higher percentage of Polynesian immigrants are regular churchgoers than
   other Aucklanders, although church attendance drops off in second- or
   third-generation Polynesian Aucklanders. Other immigrant cultures have
   added to the religious diversity of the city, adding faiths such as
   Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism to Auckland's religious
   landscape. There is also a small, long-established Jewish community.
   There is an even smaller Rationalist group.

Lifestyle

   Positive aspects of Auckland life are its mild climate, plentiful
   employment and educational opportunities, as well as numerous leisure
   facilities. Meanwhile, traffic problems (compared to other New Zealand
   cities), the lack of good public transport, and increasing housing
   costs have been cited by many Aucklanders as among the strongest
   negative factors of living there , together with crime (which is still
   low for a city of its size ). Nonetheless, Auckland currently ranks 5th
   behind Zurich and Geneva in a survey of the quality of life of the
   world's top 55 cities . In 2006, Auckland also placed 23rd on the UBS
   list of the world's richest cities.

Leisure

   City Of Sails - View over the Westhaven Marina.
   Enlarge
   City Of Sails - View over the Westhaven Marina.

   Auckland is popularly known as the "City of Sails" because the harbour
   is often dotted with hundreds of yachts and has more per capita than
   any other city in the world. Viaduct Basin hosted two America's Cup
   challenges, and its cafes, restaurants, and clubs add to Auckland's
   vibrant nightlife.

   High Street, Queen Street, Ponsonby Road, and Karangahape Road are also
   very popular with urban socialites. Newmarket and Parnell are upmarket
   shopping centres. Otara's and Avondale's famous fleamarkets and
   Victoria Park Market are a colourful alternative shopping experience.
   There are major shopping malls at Sylvia Park, Botany Town Centre,
   Albany, and St Lukes.

   The Auckland Town Hall and Aotea Centre host conferences and cultural
   events such as theatre, kapa haka, and opera. Many national treasures
   are displayed at the Auckland Art Gallery, such as the work of Colin
   McCahon.

   Other significant cultural artefacts reside at the Auckland War
   Memorial Museum, the National Maritime Museum, and the Museum of
   Transport and Technology (MOTAT). Exotic creatures can be observed at
   the Auckland Zoo and Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World. Movies and rock
   concerts (notably, the " Big Day Out") are also well patronised.

Parks & Nature

   Panoramic view over Auckland from Mount Eden
   Enlarge
   Panoramic view over Auckland from Mount Eden

   Auckland Domain is one of the largest parks of the city, situated close
   to the CBD and having a good view of the bay and of Rangitoto island.
   Smaller parks also close to Queen Street are Victoria Park, Myers Park
   and Albert Park.

   Most of the remaining volcanic cones are surrounded by parks, with
   notable examples including Mount Eden, Mount Victoria and One Tree Hill
   (Maungakiekie). Western Springs has a large park bordering on the MOTAT
   and the Zoo. The Auckland Botanical Gardens are well to the south of
   the main city.

   Ferries provide transport to Devonport, Waiheke Island and Rangitoto
   Island. The Waitakere Ranges Regional Park to the west of the Region
   offers beautiful and relatively unspoiled 'bush' territory.

Sport

   Auckland has its fair share of rugby and cricket grounds, and venues
   for motorsports, tennis, badminton, swimming, soccer, rugby league, and
   many other sports.
     * Eden Park is the city's primary stadium and a frequent home for All
       Blacks rugby and Black Caps cricket matches.

     * Mt Smart Stadium is used mainly for rugby league and soccer
       matches, but also used for concerts.

     * Western Springs Stadium is a natural amphitheatre used mainly for
       speedway races, rock and pop concerts.

   Waitemata Harbour has popular beaches at Mission Bay, Devonport,
   Takapuna, Long Bay and Maraetai, and the west coast has popular surf
   spots such as Piha and Muriwai. Many Auckland beaches are patrolled by
   surf lifesaving clubs which are part of Surf Life Saving Northern
   Region.

   Popular annual sporting events include:
     * The 'Cross Harbour Swim' from Devonport to the Auckland CBD is a
       yearly summer event.

     * The 'Round the Bays' fun-run, starting in the city and going 8.4
       kilometres (5.2 miles) along the waterfront to the suburb of St
       Heliers. It attracts many tens of thousands of people and has been
       an annual March event since 1972.

     * The Auckland Marathon (and half-marathon), an annual competition
       for thousands of enthusiasts, with the course going over the
       Harbour Bridge from North Shore and ending in the Auckland CBD
       (with a detour to Mission Bay for those doing the full distance).

Work

   The Sky Tower is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern
   Hemisphere at 328 m.
   Enlarge
   The Sky Tower is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern
   Hemisphere at 328 m.

   Every business day, many professional and other service workers commute
   from all points of the region to downtown Auckland, often enduring long
   commuting times, drawn by and making Auckland City one of the
   best-earning cities in New Zealand with a median personal income per
   year of NZ$ 22,300 (2001), behind only North Shore City (also part of
   the Greater Auckland area) and Wellington. While office workers still
   account for a heavy part of the CBD commutes, large office developments
   in other parts of the city, for example in Takapuna, North Shore City,
   are becoming more common.

   Most major international corporations have an Auckland office, as the
   city is seen as the economic capital of the nation - although many
   firms increasingly run their New Zealand operations from Australia. The
   most expensive office space is around lower Queen Street and the
   Viaduct Basin. A large proportion of the technical and trades workforce
   is based in the industrial zones of South Auckland.

   The largest commercial and industrial areas of Greater Auckland are in
   the southeast of Auckland (City) as well as in the western parts of
   Manukau City, mostly in the areas oriented towards the Manukau Harbour
   and the Tamaki River estuary.

Housing

   Housing varies considerably between some suburbs having state owned
   housing in the lower income neighbourhoods, to palatial waterfront
   estates. The most common residence of Aucklanders is a bungalow on a "
   quarter acre" (1,000 m²), with the resulting large urban sprawl and
   reliance on motor vehicles. The regional council is trying to curb this
   trend, with housing density strategies such as more townhouses and
   apartments, and prohibiting subdivision of properties on the city
   fringes.

   In some areas, the Victorian villas are being increasingly torn down to
   make way for large plaster mansions with tennis courts and swimming
   pools. The rampant demolition of the older properties is being
   combatted by the Auckland City Council passing laws that cover heritage
   suburbs or streets.

Transport

Dominance of vehicle transport

   Auckland is highly dependent on private vehicles as the main form of
   transportation, to a level unusual for such a large city. This results
   in substantial traffic congestion during peak times, especially for New
   Zealand levels, though comparable to many other cities worldwide.

   With public transport usage declining heavily during the second half of
   the 20th century, and increased spending on roading and motorways, New
   Zealand (and specifically Auckland) now has the second-highest vehicle
   ownership rate in the world, with around 578 vehicles per 1000 people.
   This focus has been partly due to the low population density of the
   Auckland region (again, similar to New Zealand in general terms),
   making public transport less cost-effective when compared to denser
   urban centres in other parts of the world. Auckland thus suffers from
   associated problems such as chronic traffic congestion on the main
   routes, and vehicle-induced air pollution. Recent studies show that New
   Zealanders take less than 2% of all journeys by bus and only 1% of
   journeys by rail.

Road network

   The State Highway network connects the cities located in the Auckland
   urban area. The most frequently travelled being the Northern, Southern,
   Northwestern and Southwestern Motorways. The Western Ring Route is
   currently under construction. The Auckland Harbour Bridge is the main
   connection to North Shore City.

   The main arterial roads within Greater Auckland are Great North Road
   and Great South Road, the main connections in those directions before
   the construction of the State Highway network.

Other modes of travel

   Public transport use is still very light in terms of the modal share,
   and remains widely unpopular and expensive in spite of recent increases
   in ridership and funding.
     * Auckland has two main railway trunk lines, serving the general
       western and southern directions from the Britomart Transport Centre
       in downtown Auckland.

     * An integrated bus network has resulted in increased patronage and
       service, but service is still limited in comparison to other cities
       of the same size (and higher density). The services are mostly
       spoke-, as opposed to ring-routes, due to the location of Auckland
       within the narrow sections of the isthmus. Services rarely run late
       into the night.

     * Auckland CBD is connected to various outlying coastal suburbs and
       North Shore City via ferries. The same ferry terminal also services
       outlying islands for commuters and tourists.

   Auckland has various small regional airports as well as Auckland
   International Airport, the busiest of the country.

Attractions and landmarks

   360 degree panoramic view from Sky Tower, showing many landmarks in the
   CBD area
   Enlarge
   360 degree panoramic view from Sky Tower, showing many landmarks in the
   CBD area

   The following is a list of tourist attractions and landmarks in the
   Auckland Metropolitan Area:
     * Auckland Domain - one of the largest parks of the city, situated
       close to the CBD and having a good view of the bay and of Rangitoto
       island.

     * Auckland War Memorial Museum - a large multi-exhibition museum
       located in the Auckland Domain, also known for its impressive
       classicist style.

     * Aotea Square, and Queen Street - the hub of downtown Auckland,
       often the site of crafts markets, rallies or arts festivals.

     * Botany Town Centre, Howick - a complete shopping complex, one of
       the largest in Auckland includes a cinema, bowling alley, food
       court and many shops to visit.

     * Britomart Transport Centre - the downtown train and bus centre
       housed in a historical building.

     * Eden Park - the city's primary stadium and a frequent home for All
       Blacks rugby and Black Caps cricket matches.

     * Harbour Bridge - connecting Auckland and the North Shore is an
       iconic symbol of Auckland.

     * Karangahape Road - known as K' Road, a street in upper central
       Auckland, famous for its bars, clubs and smaller shops.

     * Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World - a well-known Auckland aquarium
       in the eastern Mission Bay suburb, built in a set of former sewage
       storage tanks, and showing fish like Sharks.

     * MOTAT - Aucklands Museum for Transport and Technology, with its
       main site at Western Springs.

     * Mount Eden - a volcanic cone with a grassy crater, it offers a nice
       view of Auckland and the surrounding area, being the highest point
       in Auckland and a famous tourist destination.

     * Mt Smart Stadium - a stadium used mainly for rugby league and
       soccer matches. Also used for concerts.

     * Mount Victoria, although slightly out-of-the-way for the casual
       tourist, offers a spectacular view of the city. A brisk walk from
       the Devonport Ferry terminal, the cone is steeped in history as is
       the nearby North Head.

     * One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) - a volcanic cone which dominates the
       skyline in the southern, inner suburbs. It no longer has a tree on
       the summit, instead being crowned by an obelisk.

     * Ponsonby Road - a road (and suburb) west of central Auckland known
       for arts, cafes and culture.

     * Rangitoto Island - guards the entrance to Waitemata Harbour, and
       forms a prominent feature on the eastern horizon.

     * Sky Tower - the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern
       Hemisphere, stands 328 m tall.

     * Sylvia Park - a shopping complex in Mount Wellington opened in June
       2006. Once completed it will become one of the largest malls in the
       southern hemisphere. It contains the largest Warehouse store in New
       Zealand.

     * Viaduct Basin - a marina in downtown Auckland, venue for the
       America's Cup regatta 2000 and 2003. It is now a thriving
       commercial centre and has many new upscale residential buildings.

     * Western Springs Stadium - a natural amphitheatre used mainly for
       speedway races, rock and pop concerts.

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