Aucland Auckland

Some about Aucland The Auckland metropolitan area in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with 1,377,200 residents, 31 percent of the country's population.Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world.In Māori Auckland's names are Tāmaki Makaurau, and the transliterated version of Auckland, Ākarana.

Nations of Aucland Auckland is home to many cultures. The majority of inhabitants claim European - predominantly British - descent, but substantial Māori, Pacific Islander and Asian communities exist as well. Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world and a higher proportion of people of Asian origin than the rest of New Zealand. Ethnic groups from all corners of the world have a presence in Auckland, making it by far the country's most cosmopolitan city. Auckland is home to many cultures. The majority of inhabitants claim European - predominantly British - descent, but substantial Māori, Pacific Islander and Asian communities exist as well. Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world and a higher proportion of people of Asian origin than the rest of New Zealand. Ethnic groups from all corners of the world have a presence in Auckland, making it by far the country's most cosmopolitan city. EuropeanBritishMāoriPacific IslanderAsian Polynesiancosmopolitan EuropeanBritishMāoriPacific IslanderAsian Polynesiancosmopolitan

Lifestyle Auckland's lifestyle is influenced by the fact that while it is 70% rural in land area, 90% of Aucklanders live in urban areas - though large parts of these areas have a more suburban character than many cities in Europe and Asia.

Geography and climate Auckland straddles the Auckland Volcanic Field, which has produced about 50 volcanoes. These take the form of cones, lakes, lagoons, islands and depressions, and several have produced extensive lava flows. Most of the cones have been partly or completely quarried away. The individual volcanoes are all considered extinct, although the volcanic field itself is merely dormant. Auckland has at least 14 large lava tube caves which run from the volcanoes down towards the sea.

Geography and climate Auckland has a warm-temperate climate, with warm, humid summers and mild, damp winters. Under Köppen's climate classification, the city has an oceanic climate. It is the warmest main centre of New Zealand and is also one of the sunniest, with an average of 2060 sunshine hours per annum. The average daily maximum temperature is 23.7 °C in February, and 14.5°C in July. The absolute maximum recorded temperature is 34.4 °C, while the absolute minimum is 6 °C. High levels of rainfall occur almost year-round with an average of 1240 mm per year spread over 137 'rain days'. Climatic conditions vary in different parts of the city owing to geography such as hills, land cover and distance from the sea, hence unofficial temperature records exist, such as a maximum of 34°C in West Auckland. Snowfall in Auckland is extremely rare; recorded instances include 27 July 1939 and 15 August 2011, although without any accumulation. The early morning calm on the isthmus during settled weather, before the sea breeze rises, was described as early as 1853: "In all seasons, the beauty of the day is in the early morning. At that time, generally, a solemn stillness holds, and a perfect calm prevails..." Many Aucklanders used this time of day to walk and run in parks. As car ownership rates are very high and emissions controls relatively weak, Auckland suffers from some air pollution, especially with regard to fine particles emissions. There are also occasional breaches of guideline levels of carbon monoxide. While maritime winds normally disperse the pollution relatively quickly it can sometimes become visible as smog, especially on calm winter days. Precipitation is relatively abundant all year round, but peaks marginally in winter.

Famous sights of Aucland

Aucland Civic Theatre The Auckland Civic Theatre is internationally significant as the largest surviving atmospheric cinema in Australasia (and also one of the only seven of its style remaining in the world) and as the first purpose-built cinema of this type in New Zealand. It is also known for its Indian-inspired foyer, which includes seated Buddhas, twisted columns and domed ceilings. The main auditorium was designed in a similar style, imitating a Moorish garden with turrets, minarets, spires and tiled roofs as well as several famous Abyssinian panther statues. It could hold 2,750 people at its opening, and even at its reduced current seating, is still the largest theatre in New Zealand. The Auckland Civic Theatre was the creation of Thomas O'Brien,who built a movie empire in Auckland's inner suburbs in the 1920s and brought the atmospheric cinema to New Zealand when he opened Dunedins Moorish-style Empire De Luxe Theatre in (It is now the Rialto multiplex housing several small cinemas inside the original one in Moray Place.) He persuaded a group of wealthy Auckland businessmen to build a massive atmospheric cinema in Queen Street and also managed to secure a $180,000 loan from the Bank of New Zealand. The cinema was built by Fletcher Construction.However, the BNZ loan and soaring construction costs caught the attention of Parliament, while the final price tag ballooned to over $200,000. The Civic opened amid great fanfare in December 1929, but the onset of the Great Depression contributed to disappointing attendances - as did O'Brien's stubborn insistence on showing British rather than the more popular American films, and he eventually became bankrupt. After several modifications during the following decades, the theatre was eventually restored to very near its original design in the late 1990s.Thomas O'BrienDunedinsEmpire De Luxe TheatreQueen StreetBank of New Zealand Fletcher ConstructionParliamentGreat DepressionBritishAmericanbankrupt

St Patrick's Cathedral On 4 May 1884, the foundation stone of a new (24.4m by 12.2m) nave was laid, and the old stone church became the transept, the altar, for which a recess was built in 1895, being on the east wall. The architect for this major addition was Edward Mahoney. Between 1884 and 1885, the nave was extended according to Edward's scheme. The nave had a tower, and the bells for this were brought from Rome. The organ was brought from Brompton Oratory, London for 600 pounds. The new addition was opened on 15 March 1885 by Archbishop Redwood, the Archbishop of Wellington. Edward Mahoney's son and architectural partner, Thomas Mahoney, was ultimately responsible, by 1907, for the final demolition of the 1848 church, the further extension of the nave (by 12.2 metres), the addition of a sanctuary, the construction of four sacristies and two side chapels, and the addition of three ample entrance porches (one constituting the Baptistry). The building was transformed from a modest structure into a large and impressive building befitting its status as the Catholic cathedral of Auckland. On 23 February 1908, the newly reconstructed building - the present St Patrick's Cathedral - was opened by Cardinal Moran, the Archbishop of Sydney.

Sky Tower The tower is part of the SKYCITY Auckland casino complex, having been originally built for Harrah's Entertainment.The tower attracts an average of 1,450 visitors per day (over 500,000 per year) for a variety of reasons.SKYCITY AucklandHarrah's Entertainment The upper portion of the tower contains two restaurants and a cafe, including a revolving restaurant which is located 190m (623.2 ft.) from the ground, turning 360 degrees once every hour.There is also a brasserie style buffet located one floor above the main observatory level. It has three observation decks at different heights, each providing 360 degree views of the city. The main observation level at 186m ( ft.) has 38mm (1.5") thick glass sections of flooring giving a view straight to the groun. The top observation deck labeled 'Skydeck' sits just below the main antenna at 220m (721.6 ft.) and gives views of up to 82 km (50.84 miles) in the distance. revolving restaurant The tower also features the 'SkyJump', a 192-metre ( ft.) jump from the observation deck, during which a jumper can reach up to 85 km/h (53 mph). The jump is guide-cable-controlled to prevent jumpers from colliding with the tower in case of wind gusts. Climbs into the antenna mast portion (300 m/980 ft heights) are also possible for tour groups,as is a walk around the exterior. The tower is also used for telecommunications and broadcasting with the Auckland Peering Exchange (APE) being located on Level 48.The aerial at the top of the tower hosts the largest FM combiner in the world which combines with 58 wireless microwave links located above the top restaurant to provide a number of services. These include television, wireless internet, RT, and weather measurement services. Auckland Peering ExchangeFMmicrowavetelevisionwireless internetRTweather measurement services The tower is Auckland's primary FM radio transmitter, and its second major terrestrial television transmitter (after Waiatarua in the Waitakere Ranges to the west). A total of twenty-three FM radio stations, two VHF analogue television channels, and three digital terrestrial television multiplexes broadcast from the tower.The analogue television channels will switch off in the early hours of Sunday 1 December 2013 as part of New Zealand's digital television transition.Waiataruadigital terrestrial televisiondigital television transition

Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World In 1983, Kelly Tarlton proposed building an aquarium in unused sewage tanks underground on the Auckland waterfront. Fish would be viewed through a long acrylic tunnel. The aquarium opened in 1985 after 10 months of construction. Tarlton developed a new method of building an acrylic tunnel by taking large sheets of clear acrylic, cutting them to size and heating them in an oven until they took the shape of the mould. Some of the sheets weighed over one tonne. Because of the refraction caused by light traveling through water, and the acrylic sheets used in the creation of the tunnel, the fish appear to be one third smaller than they are.refraction A 110-metre (360 ft) tunnel was created in sewage storage tanks that had been unused since the 1960s.he tanks are located below the suburb of Orakei, on Tamaki Drive and overlooking the Waitemata Harbour.OrakeiWaitemata Harbour Once the tunnels were in place and the tanks fill to test for leaks (none were found) a seascape of caves and reefs was created using concrete before the basins were filled in one section with a careful selection of more than 1,800 marine creatures. Another section was filled with sharks (including bronze whaler, sevengill shark, wobbegong, school shark) and stingrays. The sharks are only held for a short period of time before being released back into the area where they were caught. sharksbronze whalersevengill sharkwobbegongschool sharkstingrays In 1994 the facility was expanded to include a replica of the hut used by Captain Robert Falcon Scott on his tragic expedition to Antarctica, as well as a colony of Antarctic penguins in a climate controlled exhibit.Robert Falcon ScottAntarcticapenguins In December 2004 the aquarium opened Stingray Bay, which features a giant 350,000-litre (92,000 USgal) open topped tank that is 2.6 metres (8 ft 6.4 in) at its deepest point and constructed of crystal clear acrylic for optimum viewing.

Mount Victoria Mount Victoria (known to the Māori as Takarunga) is the highest volcano on Auckland's North Shore, rising to 87 m. Its age is currently unknown. Its lava flows now line much of Devonport's waterfront. An important pa once occupied its slopes, and some of the pa's earthworks can still be seen. A scoria mound known as Duders Hill, on Mount Victoria's southern slopes was mostly quarried away.AucklandNorth ShoreDevonportpa Duders Hill Named after Queen Victoria, the hill provides panoramic views of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour and the inner Hauraki Gulf. Over the years the peak and upper slopes have housed a signal station for shipping, artillery emplacements, farmland, and various concrete army bunkers, some from as early as the 1870s. One bunker now serves as the venue for the Devonport Folk Club.Waitemata Harbour Hauraki Gulf The slopes of Mount Victoria are also home to Devonport Primary School, a local tennis club, and a scenic lookout. The old Signalman's House is now home to the Michael King Writers Centre which provides writers-in-residence programmes, hosting for visiting writers, residential workshops for experienced writers, and a series of workshops for young poets and emerging writers. The writer-in-residence programmes are supported by Creative New Zealand and the University of Auckland.

Rangitoto Island Rangitoto was formed by a series of eruptions between 550 and 600 years ago. The eruptions occurred in two episodes, yrs apart, and are thought to have lasted for several years during the later shield forming episode The first episode erupted most of the volcanic ash that mantles Motutapu Island next door, and also produced the lower, northern, scoria cone. The second episode built most of Rangitoto erupting all the lava flows and main scoria cone at the apex.The 2.3 cubic kilometres of material that erupted from the volcano was about equal to the combined mass produced by all the previous eruptions in the Auckland Volcanic Field, which were spread over more than 250,000 years. The volcano is not expected to become active again, although future eruptions are likely within the volcanic field. Subsidence back down the throat during the cooling process has left a moat- like ring around the crater summit, which may be viewed from a path which goes right round the rim and up to the highest point. In some parts of the island, fields of lightweight, clinker-like black lava stones called scoria are still exposed, appearing very recent to a casual eye. About 200 metres from the top of the mountain on the eastern side visitors can walk through some of about seven known lava tubes tubes left behind after the passage of liquid lava. The more accessible of the caves are signposted. Lava tubes are formed when low-viscosity molten lava known as pahoehoe flows and cools on the outside due to contact with the ground and air, to form a hard crust allowing the still-liquid molten lava to continue to flow through inside. At Rangitoto the large tubes are cave-like. A torch is needed to explore the caves. The longest known cave is about 50m long.clinkerlava tubes pahoehoe

Biology of Rangitoto island There are virtually no streams on the island so plants rely on rainfall for moisture. It has the largest forest of pōhutukawa trees in the world, as well as many northern rātā trees. In total, more than 200 species of trees and flowers thrive on the island, including several species of orchid, as well as more than 40 types of fern. rainfallpōhutukawanorthern rātāorchidfern The island is considered especially significant because all stages from raw lava fields to scrub establishment and sparse forests are visible. As lava fields contain no soil of the typical kind, windblown matter and slow breaking-down processes of the native flora are still in the process of transforming the island into a more habitable area for most plants, which is one of the reasons why the local forests are relatively young and do not yet support a large bird population. However, the kākā, a New Zealand-endemic parrot, is thought to have lived on the island in pre-European times.lavascrubkākāparrot Goats were present on Rangitoto in large numbers in the mid 19th century, but were eradicated in the 1880s. Fallow deer were introduced to Motutapu in 1862 and spread to Rangitoto, but disappeared by the 1980s. The brush-tailed rock-wallaby was introduced to Motutapu in 1873, and was common on Rangitoto by 1912, and the brushtail possum was introduced in 1931 and again in Both were eradicated in a campaign from 1990 to 1996 using 1080 and cyanide poison and dogs. Stoats, rabbits, mice, rats, cats and hedgehogs remain a problem, but the Department of Conservation (DOC) aims to eradicate them in the next few years, beginning with the poisoning of black rats, brown rats and mice. As the area is a DOC-administered reserve (in partnership with the 'tangata whenua' Ngāi Tai and Ngāti Paoa), visitors may not take dogs or other animals onto the island.GoatsFallow deerbrush-tailed rock-wallabybrushtail possum1080cyanideStoatsrabbits miceratscatshedgehogs Department of Conservationblack ratsbrown ratstangata whenuaNgāi TaiNgāti Paoa

Vector Arena Vector Arena, as the largest indoor venue not only in Auckland but New Zealand is also used on occasion for sporting events. Netball is regularly played at the venue with the New Zealand Silver Ferns playing on several occasions while the ANZ Championship has also used the arena on two occasions since 2010.NetballNew Zealand Silver FernsANZ Championship Since 2008 Vector Arena has also been a regular host of the WWE's NZ tours with Raw, SmackDown and ECW all performing at the venue.WWERawSmackDownECW In 2011 some 10,000 fans saw an Ice Hockey international between Canada and the United States on a $4.2m temporary ice rink.Ice HockeyCanadaUnited States Vector arena will host its first National Basketball League game on 28 October 2011 when the defending champion (and Auckland based) New Zealand Breakers take on the Sydney Kings in Round 4 of the 2011–12 NBL season. The Arena is scheduled to host two more Breakers games during the season, against the Townsville Crocodiles in Round 8 (24 November) while the last game at the venue is again against the Kings in Round 17 (27 January, 2012).National Basketball LeagueNew Zealand Breakers Sydney Kings2011–12 NBL seasonTownsville Crocodiles The first NBL game at Vector Arena drew a New Zealand record crowd for a basketball game when 6,900 saw the NZ Breakers defeat the Sydney Kings basketball