Living in Auckland
Depending on where you come from you may find Auckland a huge bustling city! Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with over 1.5 million people living in the greater Auckland area. This represents about one third of the population of the whole country. Auckland has been ranked the best city in the Asia Pacific area and the 4th best city in the world to live in, by the 2011 Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey.
Auckland is a vibrant multicultural city beside the sea, sprawled between two harbours and two oceans – the Tasman and the Pacific. It offers the best of both worlds – all the buzz, entertainment, nightlife and cultural activities of a big city, as well as an outdoor lifestyle with numerous sporting and leisure activities.
Explore the beautiful beaches, take a ferry to one of the offshore sub-tropical islands, and visit the Auckland Museum. Make sure you attend one of the many local and international festivals, exhibitions and performances held frequently in Auckland. Find out more about Auckland by visiting www.aucklandnz.com.
Getting Around Auckland
Buses are cheap, frequent and convenient. There are bus routes from almost every suburb to the central city. Prices start at $1.90 for a single one-stage journey for an adult, and you can get multiple-pass concessions and student fares. Bus lanes mean that catching a bus is often a quicker option than driving, especially during peak traffic hours. At this point in time, there are no buses that drive past Ardmore Airport, but you may use it as a part of your journey. MAXX Auckland Regional Transport provides transport information on their website with full details of bus services, timetables, fares, and a journey planner. To find out more, visit http://www.maxx.co.nz/.
Trains are also a cheap and quick way to get to and from the city. To travel to Ardmore Flying School, the closest train station is Takinini. Trains stop at this station on the Papakura and Pukekohe train lines on a regular basis. For full details of train services, including train timetables, fares and a journey planner, visit http://www.maxx.co.nz/.
Cycling is a great way to get around and get fit at the same time. It’s also an economically and ecologically responsible option! Bicycles can be taken on ferries and trains, so you can combine cycling with other forms of public transport if you live a long way out from Ardmore Flying School. You can get cycling maps, a cyclist’s guide and cycling tips from the Auckland Transport website.