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1 Bedroom Deluxe Suite
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Studio
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Auckland is actually made up of four cities – North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland and Manukau. The combined city is a melting pot of cultures, primarily European, South Pacific and Asian, with a strong indigenous Maori heritage. The result brings a vibrant mix of colour, culinary delights and shopping experiences to this the primary city of New Zealand. Sprawling along an isthmus between the Manukau and Waitemata harbours, Auckland city dwellers are never far from the sea, and so have developed a love of marine recreation. Consequently many families own boats of all shapes and sizes. The sight of all these craft out and about over a summer’s weekend has seen the city dubbed “the City of Sails”. The ocean blue contrasts with the vivid greens of the rainforests which cloak the surrounding hills. Many dormant volcanic cones dot the landscape, the most spectacular of which being the island of Rangitoto which dominates the harbour from all angles.
Auckland has been captivating to passing travellers for 800 years. New Zealand's indigenous people, the Maori, called this land "Tamaki Makau Rau", a maiden with 100 lovers. It was a place desired by many and fought over for its riches, including its forested hills, productive volcanic soils and harbours full of seafood. The first sailors to settle here were the Maori, and in later years migrants from the Pacific Islands have contributed to the Polynesian population. As a British colonial settlement Auckland came into existence in 1840 as the site chosen for his capital by the first governor, Lieutenant William Hobson. A 3,000 acre segment hinging on Mt.Eden (Maungawhau), the highest volcanic cone (643 feet) on the isthmus, was purchased from local Ngati Whatua Maori chiefs. What principally appealed were the splendid Waitemata and Manukau harbours and proximity to both fertile land and river access both north and south. For its first decade, Auckland's rationale was to provide a base for and service the entourage of an infant administration.
Within a year nearly 2,000 people were living in primitive wood and raupo dwellings, a number which had swollen to 3,500 by mid-century. A census conducted in 1841 counted 250 mechanics, 150 agricultural labourers, 100 shopkeepers and 100 domestic servants as vastly outnumbering the 125 recorded as `upper class.' While plans had already been laid to reclaim Commercial Bay, the original landing spot, and a `town plan' drawn up by Felton Mathew, the Surveyor-General, the principal obstacle confronting the settlers was in getting from point A to point B along tracks which were often not even metalled. And what became roughly the line of Queen Street (the main street), the Ligar Canal, doubled as an open sewer.
Tip: Avoid driving into the city of Auckland from 7am to 9am as the commuters cars clog the motorways. For the same reason it is wise to avoid leaving the city from 4pm to 6pm.
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