Auckland

Auckland, New Zealand, 31 May 2006

The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with over 1.3 million residents, 31 percent of the country's population.

Auckland currently ranks 5th in a survey of the quality of life of 218 major cities of the world (2008 data, rank unchanged since 2006)

Places, projects and networks

Wanted pages and external links

• Mount Eden Village People

Diary 2009

• March 28 2009, 8.30 pm Earth Hour - Auckland is a participating city

Topic links

The headings in this section provide links to some of the topics in the Ideas Bank. Click on the Ideas Bank link, or the category listing to see a full list of topics.

Wanted pages and external links

Cycling

• Information on Critical Mass bicycle rides in Auckland at Critical Mass Wikia.

• community-run bicycle workshop, see for example Tumeke Cycle Space in Auckland

Growing and gardening

• Fruit Trees for Auckland

Open spaces

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

While most volcanic cones in the Auckland Volcanic Field have been affected by quarrying, many of the remaining cones are now ensconced within parks, and retain a somewhat more natural character than the surrounding city. Prehistoric earthworks and historic fortifications feature in several of these parks, including Mount Eden, North Head and One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie).

Other parks around the city are in Western Springs, which has a large park bordering on the MOTAT museum and the Auckland Zoo. The Auckland Botanic Gardens are located further south in Manurewa.

Ferries provide transport to parks and nature reserves at Devonport, Waiheke Island, Rangitoto Island and Tiritiri Matangi. The Waitakere Ranges Regional Park to the west of Auckland offers beautiful and relatively unspoiled bush territory, as do the Hunua Ranges to the south.