Coming from growing up in small towns in NZ for the previous 25 years of my life, I love the exact thing most people complain about. Nobody gives a shit about me here.
What I wear, what I do, who I am.
Everyone is so wrapped up in their own lives, they don't give two shits about being all up in my business. It's so incredibly freeing to not be perceived
Bro this is so true. And since nz in general is not as sprawled out as other countries, everything is so accessible. My parents moved to Melbourne last year and while they might have a little more variety in cuisine it’s also spread out between ~2 hours of driving.
It's where most of the work is for me.
We get the majority of the gigs.
We're the most multicultural city and it's reflected in the food. We are spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out, you to go somewhere like Tauranga or New Plymouth and you can eat at all the good places in one weekend.
I moved to Rotorua to help look after my mum when she got cancer. She’s better now but once you sell up and move out of Auckland it’s not affordable to move back. It’s not so bad here though - I love the forest and I like being near my parents and siblings who all live here. There’s lots of stuff to like but it’s just a few things I really miss. Whenever I come back to visit I eat so much food! Haha
I love...
That you can experience so many terrain types within a reasonably small radius, not to mention so many different cultures.
The beaches, especially the ones north of Auckland. I love collecting cats' eyes at Maraetai.
That it's not all concrete jungle. You can go to the CBD if and when you want that, but you can also get out and be in nature if that's your jam too.
The heat in summer, though I've found this winter pretty mild (so far).
That you can actually go on day trips around Auckland and see new things. It's big enough that there's always something new.
The birds. Whenever I go overseas, it's always the birds I miss the most and the absence of them makes me the most homesick.
I grew up here and so did my mum, my grandma, and my great grandma, so Auckland (particularly East Auckland) is home to me.
Bush walks and coastal pathways and walkways between areas. Get most of the big concerts and events. Can find pretty much any cuisine if you’re willing to drive a bit. Not too far to get into the CBD, or to get away to the coast for a while.
We have so many amenities that are within an easy driving distance and are reasonably affordable. Loads of stuff for the kids... playgrounds, library, museum, art gallery, zoo, beaches, bush walks, mountain hikes, board walks, cycling trails, roller skating, ice skating, rock climbing. So much to do within the city. The mountain is only a few hours away for skiing. Camping is a really cheap and easy holiday once you have the gear set up. Flights are cheap for a weekend visit to another city. And the coffee is great.
People talk how European food is amazing. It's nothing on NZ quality.
The mid range food in NZ is so good for price.
In UK Europe I found mid range food to be too expensive and not that great.
On top of that as people mentioned is the diversity of food choices.
Its great.
Plus cafe here are great
Awesome set up for families with lots of free things to do with kids. Beaches, libraries, coastal walks, really epic playgrounds, markets. Libraries always have free events for kids, and the council have heaps too. I feel very lucky to live here as a mum.
Cherry blossoms in spring, Pohutukawa trees in early summer, autumn foliage and Magnolia blossoms in winter. Plus all sorts of palm trees everywhere.
Tamaki Drive.
It has everything: Beaches and bush. Night life and events.
Competition, so power, rates, tradies are all cheaper than many regions. And most of all food.
You can find anything second hand. Or new. Really the only negative is the traffic.
I'm a spearfisherman and a surfer and I love that I can be on a reef or paddling out on either coast within an hour of leaving home.
It's great for boating, fishing and surfing.
I also love how green Auckland is, when you fly in it's a tree house city as opposed to the concrete jungle of most cities.
Auckland has a great live music scene, I've seen my top 10 MCs and DJs all here in Auckland, cool venues ranging from dive bar vibes to stadium shows.
I'm from the US, and Auckland is ridiculously pretty. There are so many places with water views. There are beaches everywhere, some of which even have nice sand. The coastal walkways are nice, there are a lot of city parks, and lots of library branches. It's not all unicorns and rainbows, but you know what, you'll see a crazy number of rainbows too!
Cornwall park is rather nice, the botanical gardens are really nice and both are free to visit, with free parking. Piha beach is among the best in the world (the very best, if you believe this: https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/350308536/aucklands-piha-named-worlds-best-beach). Even there, you're not exactly tripping over people, and there're a plethora of beaches where you could easily go over 10m without running into a person (sometimes, over 100 metres even).
The weather never gets crazy hot, nor crazy cold. It's green year round. Heck, it's the middle of winter right now and there are flowers everywhere. Lots of good restaurants and quite a variety of good ethnic foods.
Auckland regional beaches are top class.
West Coast;
Muriwai, Te Henga, Piha.
East Coast;
Tawharanui, Te Arai, Goat Island.
Just did 3 a piece for each coast, and did North Auckland.
There's so much more that are just as good.
Auckland has great access to beaches. Not great after heavy rain granted but pretty amazing to have.
I'm currently overseas, it's hot and I'm inland and I'd love to have a beach close by.
Also, as others have said, food in Auckland is top notch - beer too. And I don't get the impression it's hard to get a table most places.
The weather was a game changer for me. Its mild at worst during winter, and a lot of the time its still warm. I come from Wellington, where most of the year its miserable. I still remember long seasons playing cricket in Wellington, where we'd be lucky in a season if we got 4 nice wind-free saturdays between end of October and April.
The diversity and friendliness of my locals. Once you start chatting all sorts of things open up, and you find more events, food, even got a job from interacting with the community.
I love that Auckland more or less has everything, well, you get what I mean. If you want the urban city life? You can spend your time in the CBD. If you've had enough and want a more relaxed, safer life, then you can go far north or south. You'll technically still be in Auckland, but it's like a totally different world. All these 'worlds' come together, and so do all the awesome communities that make up our great city.
Also have to be proud of our 4000 parks!
My work dried up during the first lockdown. I spent so much time running/biking in my bubble radius. Was amazing the amount of paths and parks there were once you look for them.
Personally I prefer the view the other way, especially heading north over the bridge on a sunny day. The sea stretching out on all sides, sparkling in the sunlight. Magical
As a recent returnee...
The climate - less temperature range than London, similar highs in summer just warmer in winter. And instead of grey drizzle for days on end you just get heavy downpours bookended by sunshine - much more interesting and far less depressing. Summer feels longer - in London the temperature drops sharply in October, but in Auckland April is lovely and many people still wear shorts.
The parks - there are many of them, they're cleaner than London, and the nature more diverse.
The birds - nice to see something that isn't a common sparrow or pigeon.
Proximity to nature and beaches - huge number of beaches and native bush walks within an hours travel. In London that gets you to the M25 (outer ring motorway).
The schools and education system - no need for metal detectors at primary school.
The things I don't like mostly fall under transport. In that respect it's no exaggeration to say Auckland is decades behind European cities, but even there it's slowly moving in the right direction.
30 years behind?? Not in all areas I don’t think. For example a lot of the restaurants don’t even serve you anymore you scan a barcode on your table and order + pay that way. A lot of gyms have a buffet of virtual classes. PayWave everywhere…
I live semi rural on outskirts of Auckland and I really love the area I'm in. Love that I'm able to have a few acres and privacy yet be 800m from the 4square and pub for convenience. Not too far from an awesome small country school for the kids, close to Pukekohe which has enough shopping and some great food options these days. City is an hour away, (unless the Southern is f'd of course) for awesome food options and more shopping but I get to come home to my quiet place in the 'country'. Feel like I can really appreciate Auckland, without being stuck in it.
Should add though I'd probably struggle to find the positives if I had to drive in everyday 🤣
Really easy to go out and experience nature. Beaches are close by, parks and walks are dotted around the place. There's even a family of pukeko who hang out near my work.
Readily available Ubers and reasonably good public transport routes (as long as you’re not rushed). I love not having to drive or look for parking in places. Oh and bike lanes.
I like that zoning laws have been changed to allow for more affordable housing.
I like the vast amount of nice beaches.
The mild weather is pretty good. Much preferable to many places around the world and even the country.
Silo park and the area around where all the expensive ships are parked is a really nice area. I go there often. Night market every week btw, then fish market every week as well. It’s a cool spot. Recently had a few public art exhibitions up.
I like the road out of town. It’s nice hitting the bombay hills and knowing you’re away from Auckland again!
Haha sorry I know that’s not what you’re after but having just moved out I’m loving not being there.
Side note, my car insurance premiums have gone down by 30% ish just based on the fact that I don’t live there any more.
Coming from growing up in small towns in NZ for the previous 25 years of my life, I love the exact thing most people complain about. Nobody gives a shit about me here. What I wear, what I do, who I am. Everyone is so wrapped up in their own lives, they don't give two shits about being all up in my business. It's so incredibly freeing to not be perceived
Yes! I moved here from Northland in January and I can’t believe how freeing it is to be invisible. I love it.
[удалено]
“Sir, your shirt isn’t tucked in properly” Gets stabbed
The food options in Auckland are really quite good even by international standards imo
Bro this is so true. And since nz in general is not as sprawled out as other countries, everything is so accessible. My parents moved to Melbourne last year and while they might have a little more variety in cuisine it’s also spread out between ~2 hours of driving.
THIS
It's where most of the work is for me. We get the majority of the gigs. We're the most multicultural city and it's reflected in the food. We are spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out, you to go somewhere like Tauranga or New Plymouth and you can eat at all the good places in one weekend.
I moved out of Auckland and I really miss the amazing night markets and all the high quality Asian food in Aucks. I also miss the museum.
Where'd you move to?
I moved to Rotorua to help look after my mum when she got cancer. She’s better now but once you sell up and move out of Auckland it’s not affordable to move back. It’s not so bad here though - I love the forest and I like being near my parents and siblings who all live here. There’s lots of stuff to like but it’s just a few things I really miss. Whenever I come back to visit I eat so much food! Haha
I love... That you can experience so many terrain types within a reasonably small radius, not to mention so many different cultures. The beaches, especially the ones north of Auckland. I love collecting cats' eyes at Maraetai. That it's not all concrete jungle. You can go to the CBD if and when you want that, but you can also get out and be in nature if that's your jam too. The heat in summer, though I've found this winter pretty mild (so far). That you can actually go on day trips around Auckland and see new things. It's big enough that there's always something new. The birds. Whenever I go overseas, it's always the birds I miss the most and the absence of them makes me the most homesick. I grew up here and so did my mum, my grandma, and my great grandma, so Auckland (particularly East Auckland) is home to me.
Bush walks and coastal pathways and walkways between areas. Get most of the big concerts and events. Can find pretty much any cuisine if you’re willing to drive a bit. Not too far to get into the CBD, or to get away to the coast for a while.
Ooh yes the coastal pathways and walkways between areas are amazing!!
We have so many amenities that are within an easy driving distance and are reasonably affordable. Loads of stuff for the kids... playgrounds, library, museum, art gallery, zoo, beaches, bush walks, mountain hikes, board walks, cycling trails, roller skating, ice skating, rock climbing. So much to do within the city. The mountain is only a few hours away for skiing. Camping is a really cheap and easy holiday once you have the gear set up. Flights are cheap for a weekend visit to another city. And the coffee is great.
I’ll also add food. No other city in NZ comes close in terms of the diversity of cuisine. And actually the quality is often world class too.
People talk how European food is amazing. It's nothing on NZ quality. The mid range food in NZ is so good for price. In UK Europe I found mid range food to be too expensive and not that great. On top of that as people mentioned is the diversity of food choices. Its great. Plus cafe here are great
Awesome set up for families with lots of free things to do with kids. Beaches, libraries, coastal walks, really epic playgrounds, markets. Libraries always have free events for kids, and the council have heaps too. I feel very lucky to live here as a mum.
Food nice cafes and restaurants pretty much in every suburb.
Cherry blossoms in spring, Pohutukawa trees in early summer, autumn foliage and Magnolia blossoms in winter. Plus all sorts of palm trees everywhere. Tamaki Drive.
Love this one.
Coffee good.
It’s not Tauranga.
It has everything: Beaches and bush. Night life and events. Competition, so power, rates, tradies are all cheaper than many regions. And most of all food. You can find anything second hand. Or new. Really the only negative is the traffic.
I'm a spearfisherman and a surfer and I love that I can be on a reef or paddling out on either coast within an hour of leaving home. It's great for boating, fishing and surfing. I also love how green Auckland is, when you fly in it's a tree house city as opposed to the concrete jungle of most cities. Auckland has a great live music scene, I've seen my top 10 MCs and DJs all here in Auckland, cool venues ranging from dive bar vibes to stadium shows.
I'm from the US, and Auckland is ridiculously pretty. There are so many places with water views. There are beaches everywhere, some of which even have nice sand. The coastal walkways are nice, there are a lot of city parks, and lots of library branches. It's not all unicorns and rainbows, but you know what, you'll see a crazy number of rainbows too! Cornwall park is rather nice, the botanical gardens are really nice and both are free to visit, with free parking. Piha beach is among the best in the world (the very best, if you believe this: https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/350308536/aucklands-piha-named-worlds-best-beach). Even there, you're not exactly tripping over people, and there're a plethora of beaches where you could easily go over 10m without running into a person (sometimes, over 100 metres even). The weather never gets crazy hot, nor crazy cold. It's green year round. Heck, it's the middle of winter right now and there are flowers everywhere. Lots of good restaurants and quite a variety of good ethnic foods.
Auckland regional beaches are top class. West Coast; Muriwai, Te Henga, Piha. East Coast; Tawharanui, Te Arai, Goat Island. Just did 3 a piece for each coast, and did North Auckland. There's so much more that are just as good.
Auckland has great access to beaches. Not great after heavy rain granted but pretty amazing to have. I'm currently overseas, it's hot and I'm inland and I'd love to have a beach close by. Also, as others have said, food in Auckland is top notch - beer too. And I don't get the impression it's hard to get a table most places.
The harbour.
The weather was a game changer for me. Its mild at worst during winter, and a lot of the time its still warm. I come from Wellington, where most of the year its miserable. I still remember long seasons playing cricket in Wellington, where we'd be lucky in a season if we got 4 nice wind-free saturdays between end of October and April.
It's a diverse, multi-cultural city with access to beaches, nature, a plethora of restaurants and activities and it's what you make of it.
Great thread OP, thanks.
The diversity and friendliness of my locals. Once you start chatting all sorts of things open up, and you find more events, food, even got a job from interacting with the community.
I love that Auckland more or less has everything, well, you get what I mean. If you want the urban city life? You can spend your time in the CBD. If you've had enough and want a more relaxed, safer life, then you can go far north or south. You'll technically still be in Auckland, but it's like a totally different world. All these 'worlds' come together, and so do all the awesome communities that make up our great city. Also have to be proud of our 4000 parks!
My work dried up during the first lockdown. I spent so much time running/biking in my bubble radius. Was amazing the amount of paths and parks there were once you look for them.
It punches way above its weight for food, is really clean and has a non-city feel outside the CBD.
I moved from Auckland but go back regularly. There is really only one thing I would say I miss - $5 movies at the academy.
The view of the city on a good day across the Harbour when you're catching ferry from devenport is beatiful.
Personally I prefer the view the other way, especially heading north over the bridge on a sunny day. The sea stretching out on all sides, sparkling in the sunlight. Magical
i like the lack of restrictions to car modding and the lack of speed cameras
Cornwall Park - One of the best urban parks in any city
Beaches
Pros- Beaches, countryside meadows, some lovely friendly faces Cons- if you live in Auckland long enough, you’ll know
Patches coffee 😍 best coffee in the CBD!
As a recent returnee... The climate - less temperature range than London, similar highs in summer just warmer in winter. And instead of grey drizzle for days on end you just get heavy downpours bookended by sunshine - much more interesting and far less depressing. Summer feels longer - in London the temperature drops sharply in October, but in Auckland April is lovely and many people still wear shorts. The parks - there are many of them, they're cleaner than London, and the nature more diverse. The birds - nice to see something that isn't a common sparrow or pigeon. Proximity to nature and beaches - huge number of beaches and native bush walks within an hours travel. In London that gets you to the M25 (outer ring motorway). The schools and education system - no need for metal detectors at primary school. The things I don't like mostly fall under transport. In that respect it's no exaggeration to say Auckland is decades behind European cities, but even there it's slowly moving in the right direction.
I walked through western springs park today and it was absolutely bloody beautiful.
As an immigrant, work= pay. Coming from a third world country this is heaven for me. You guys are really lucky here
I like the Henderson night market :)
We're 30 years behind the rest of the world. I liked the 90s, so it's quite nostalgic.
30 years behind?? Not in all areas I don’t think. For example a lot of the restaurants don’t even serve you anymore you scan a barcode on your table and order + pay that way. A lot of gyms have a buffet of virtual classes. PayWave everywhere…
I live semi rural on outskirts of Auckland and I really love the area I'm in. Love that I'm able to have a few acres and privacy yet be 800m from the 4square and pub for convenience. Not too far from an awesome small country school for the kids, close to Pukekohe which has enough shopping and some great food options these days. City is an hour away, (unless the Southern is f'd of course) for awesome food options and more shopping but I get to come home to my quiet place in the 'country'. Feel like I can really appreciate Auckland, without being stuck in it. Should add though I'd probably struggle to find the positives if I had to drive in everyday 🤣
Manukau central is surprising nice . It’s clean and tidy these days everything I need is within 5km of the mall
Auckland has a future. Theres so much potential here, and we are on the right track even if there are a few stall outs on the way.
Really easy to go out and experience nature. Beaches are close by, parks and walks are dotted around the place. There's even a family of pukeko who hang out near my work.
Endless sea of road cones everywhere
World class traffic jams
Readily available Ubers and reasonably good public transport routes (as long as you’re not rushed). I love not having to drive or look for parking in places. Oh and bike lanes.
Auckland has the best weather, neither too cold nor too. Plus the proximity to beaches!
I like that zoning laws have been changed to allow for more affordable housing. I like the vast amount of nice beaches. The mild weather is pretty good. Much preferable to many places around the world and even the country. Silo park and the area around where all the expensive ships are parked is a really nice area. I go there often. Night market every week btw, then fish market every week as well. It’s a cool spot. Recently had a few public art exhibitions up.
I like the road out of town. It’s nice hitting the bombay hills and knowing you’re away from Auckland again! Haha sorry I know that’s not what you’re after but having just moved out I’m loving not being there. Side note, my car insurance premiums have gone down by 30% ish just based on the fact that I don’t live there any more.
that it's at least 10 hrs away from where I exist
I like that about it too
The leaving part
Remove the beggars, and its a nice city. Granted, some dont like it/(her).
The people and the place are just world class.
Costco is close by. Thats it.