Auckland

Auckland
File:Auckland tower.jpg Auckland Sky Tower
Urban Area	Population	1,199,300
Urban Area	Extent	north to Kumeu & Waiwera, east to Bucklands Beach, south to Runciman; excludes Waitakere Ranges & Hauraki Gulf islands
Territorial Authority	Name	Auckland City
	Population	415,200
	Extent	Auckland Isthmus, Hauraki Gulf islands
	See also	Rodney District North Shore City Waitakere City Manukau City Papakura District Franklin District
Regional Council	Name	Auckland

Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand is the largest metropolitan area in the South Pacific Ocean. It is known in Māori as Tāmaki Makau Rau or Ākarana.

At 37 degrees south latitude, Auckland is bounded by the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east, low 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. Key geographical features are the Whangaparaoa Peninsula which juts into the Hauraki Gulf, the Waitemata Harbour, which opens to the Hauraki Gulf and the Manukau Harbour which opens to the Tasman Sea on the west coast. The central part of Auckland is located on a narrow isthmus between the two harbours.

Volcanoes

Auckland is built on the volcanoes of the Auckland Volcanic Field. The approximately 48 volcanoes take the form of cones, lakes, lagoons, islands and depressions. Some of the cones have been partly or completed 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 is Rangitoto Island which formed within the last 1000 years. Its size, its symmetry, its position guarding the entrance to the Waitemata Harbour and its visibility from many parts of the Auckland region make it Auckland's most iconic natural feature.

Climate

The city's climate is warm-temperate, with warm summers and slightly cooler but lengthy winters. January temperatures average 21-24 °C. (February and March are typically warmer than January, however), and July temperatures average 14-16 °C. High levels of rainfall occur almost year-round (over 1000mm per year), especially in winter.

People

The majority of inhabitants (roughly 60%) are of European—predominantly British—descent, but there are also substantial Maori and Pacific Island communities. In fact, Auckland is described as the largest Polynesian city in the world. Comparably-sized communities of people of East Asian origin also live in Auckland, due to New Zealand's world-leading level of immigration, which primarily flows 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.

Aucklanders and other New Zealanders have a mostly light-hearted 'love-hate' relationship. Stereotypically Aucklanders view parts of the country 'south of the Bombay Hills' as provincial and unsophisticated, while the rest of the country sees them as brash and arrogant. The term Jaffa is used as a term of abuse towards Aucklanders.

Cities and districts

The Auckland urban area lies within the Auckland Region territorial authority. It is spread over seven City or District territorial authorities. They are Rodney District and North Shore City in the north, Waitakere City in the west, Auckland City in the centre, and Manukau City, Papakura District and Franklin District in the south. Many of these Cities and Districts also include rural land.

The name "Auckland" also applies to wider areas, such as the Land District (used in property registration) and the 19th century provincial district.

Traffic

Auckland has long been plagued by traffic problems despite decades of motorway construction. Soon after the Auckland Harbour Bridge was first built, it was not able to cope with the amount of traffic, and four more lanes had to be added, two to each side.

In July 2003 the Britomart Transport Centre was opened. In March 2004 Auckland City Mayor John Banks published a definite proposal for the Eastern Transport Corridor. There are vociferous opponents to this $4b scheme but also people supporting it.

Most public transport is provided by bus services, with commuter trains being run down and offering a limited service. Plans for light rail, mooted over the years, are unlikely to be pursued further.

Landmark

Auckland's Sky Tower is the tallest free standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 328 metres.

Airports

Auckland International Airport, the country's largest airport, is located beside the Manukau Harbour, in the southern suburb of Mangere. There are also ongoing negotiations regarding the development of a second airport from Whenuapai, a disused military airbase in the north-west.

The Birth of Auckland

After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in early 1840 the new governor, William Hobson, was faced with the task of choosing a capital for the colony. At the time the effective capital was Kororareka, now called Old Russell, in the Bay of Islands. However, Kororareka was very remote from the rest of the country and had a notorious reputation for drunkenness and immorality.

The obvious choice even then was probably Port Nicholson. Centrally situated at the south of the North Island, close to the South Island, and growing fast, it had a lot to commend it. But it was a settlement built by and dominated by the New Zealand Company and the Wakefield brothers. Furthermore, it already had a bad reputation with the Maori for unscrupulous or even illegal occupation of land.

On the initial recommendation of the missionary Henry Williams, and supported by the Surveyor General, Felton Mathew, Hobson selected the south side of the Waitemata Harbour as his capital. The necessary land was soon purchased from the Ngati Whatua owners by the Chief Magistrate, Captain William Symonds, and the foundation ceremony took place at 1pm, 18 September 1840, probably on the higher ground at the top end of what is now Queen Street.

From the outset there was a steady flow of new arrivals from within New Zealand and from overseas. From early times the eastern side of the settlement was reserved for government officials while mechanics and artisans, the so-called unofficial settlers, were directed to the western side. This social division still persists in modern Auckland.

Loss of capital status

Eventually the capital did move to Port Nicholson, since renamed Wellington. The advantages of a central position became even more obvious as the South Island grew in prosperity with the discovery of gold in Otago and the development of sheepfarming and refrigeration.

in 1862 Parliament met for the first time in Wellington. In 1868 Government House moved there too.

Panorama

External links