Auckland after 3 days

[Maka]

Hi guys,

I have arrived to Auckland 2 days ago and here are some notes about my first impressions.

1. Immigration - ( I am on WHV) dead easy, very good looking officer - didn't ask anything like bank account or insurance, etc. He just wanted to see copy of the flight ticket - no problem and where I will stay - I have told him a name of backpackers place.

2. Central Auckland is unusually quiet, compared to European cities. There are some pubs and clubs in the inner city that are nice. Otherwise, compared to Prague, city is deserted - not bad as you can walk and don't bumb into people.

3. 90 % of people are foreigners, ready to give you advice on anything.

4. Ferry and bus passes are expensive (maybe not for you ???) and the prices went up as from end of October ( Northshore-CBD ferry & bus pass app. 160 NZD/month)

5. Northshore is very amazing, but a close look reveals that it is very "laid back" - laid back = no shops, no pubs, just houses, no people on the streets - good for those that want to lead family life not disturbed by anything from outside. Takapuna is the only place if you like some facilities around at a walking distance.

Hi my name is Joanne and I am moving to New Zealand in March. I am very new to Forums so please bare with me while I ask alot of trivial questions. I was a tad bit worried about your email about Auckland. Will I be bored?? I am 29 and so is my partner. We will be living near Auckalnd NZ Air force base to start of with until we decided where to live. Can you tell me what Auckland is like for goign out drinking and also the fashion (sounds silly) I love shoes and clothes? Thank you.

Hi Jo76,

I'll see what I can do to help answer your question.

I'm not sure where the NZ Air Force base is (crickey, I didn't even know we had one!! :icon_wink: ). But if my guess is correct, it's probably on the outskirts. That means there won't be a lot to do in the area.

Drinking - you'll be fine. Kiwis love their beer. There are 3 R's of NZ - Rugby, Racing, and beeR. There are plenty of pubs around (there are more than just in Takapuna on the North Shore).

[img:ac2f7dd794]http://www.movetonz.org/forum/images/smiles/Drunks.gif[/img:ac2f7dd794]

The viaduct area of downtown Auckland have several clubs/pubs, and parking isn't too bad.

I'm not sure where you are from, so can't guage how boring it will be in comparison. If your from a big city (NY City or London), it could be very slow in comparison. If your from a mid sized city (Orlando or Leeds) it will probably be pretty comparable, or better. Orlando has the theme parks, and no city can really compare with that aspect. And Leeds, well, I've heard it's a boring lil place about the same population as Auckland.

There's my unbiased view of Auckland. Now for my honest opinion - move to Wellington. Much more going on, not as big a city......but that's just me, I tend to think that the best parts of New Zealand aren't it's big city. :icon_cool: