Auckland relocation tips from the hire truck specialists at u-save - helping you plan a smooth move.
Living In Auckland
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with a population of around 1.7 million people and is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Auckland is a popular immigration destination due to its status as one of the world’s best cities in terms of lifestyle. We have compiled some information about living in Auckland, so if you’re planning on relocating to New Zealand’s biggest city, we hope this information about Auckland will be useful.
Geography
Auckland stretches from the town of Wellsford in the north, to Pukekohe in the south, and is flanked by the Tasman Sea beyond the Waitakere Ranges to the west, and the Hauraki Gulf to the east. Auckland is built on a narrow peninsula between two harbours, the Waitemata to the east and the Manukau to the west.
Climate
Auckland has a temperate climate, and the weather is generally mild with warm summers (averaging over 24 degrees Celsius) and cooler winters (averaging 16 degrees Celsius). Summer occurs between December and February, and winter is between June and August. The city is one of the sunniest in New Zealand with an average of 2060 sunshine hours per year. High levels of rainfall occur almost year-round with an average of 1240mm per year.
Living Costs
Auckland is generally considered to be more expensive than anywhere else in New Zealand, however, the average wage tends to be higher in Auckland which can balance out the cost of living. The cost of renting a 3 Bedroom house in Auckland ranges from an average of $490 per week in Manukau to around $900 per week in Ponsonby/Remuera.
House sale prices vary considerably depending on the suburb but can be in the region of $750,000 – $2,000,000. Find out more about the cost of living in New Zealand here including a cost of living calculator.
Crime
According to Numbeo self reporting crime index, Auckland City has a crime rate of 46.39. In comparison, London has a crime rate of 53.31, New York has a crime rate of 48.21, Berlin has a crime rate of 42.34 & Sydney has a crime rate of 33.77.
Auckland Suburbs
There are over 200 suburbs in Auckland, and as with all cities, some are more desireable than others. The majority of Auckland’s suburbs are listed below by area.
Auckland City (Central)
Arch Hill, Avondale, Blockhouse Bay, Balmoral, Eden Terrace, Ellerslie, Epsom, Freemans Bay, Glendowie, Glen Innes, Grafton, Greenlane, Grey Lynn, Herne Bay, Hillsborough, Kingsland, Kohimarama, Lynfield, Meadowbank, Mission Bay, Morningside, Mount Albert, Mount Eden, Mount Roskill, Mount Wellington, Newmarket, Newton, New Windsor, Onehunga, One Tree Hill, Orakei, Oranga, Otahuhu, Owairaka, Panmure, Parnell, Penrose, Point England, Point Chevalier, Ponsonby, Remuera, Royal Oak, Saint Heliers, Saint Johns, Saint Mary’s Bay, Sandringham, Tamaki, Te Papapa, Three Kings, Waikowhai, Waterview, Westfield, Westmere
Manukau City (East & South)
Airport Oaks, Beachlands, Brookby, Bucklands Beach, Chapel Downs, Clendon, Clevedon, Clover Park, Cockle Bay, Dannemora, East Tamaki, Eastern Beach, Farm Cove, Flamboro Heights, Flat Bush, Goodwood Heights, Greenmeadows, Half Moon Bay, Heron Point, Highland Park, Hill Park, Howick, Kawakawa Bay, Mahia Park, Mangere, Mangere Bridge, Mangere East, Manukau, Manukau Heights, Manurewa, Maraetai, Meadowlands, Mellons Bay, Middlemore, Murphys Heights, North Park, Orere Point, Otara, Pakuranga, Papatoetoe, Porchester Park, Puhinui, Randwick Park, Redoubt Park, Richmond Park, Settlers Cove, Shelly Park, Silkwood Heights, Sommerville, The Gardens, Totara Heights, Tuscany Estate, Waimahia Landing, Wattle Cove, Wattle Downs, Weymouth, Whitford, Wiri
Waitakere City (West)
Glen Eden, Glendene, Green Bay, Henderson, Hobsonville, Kelston, Konini, Laingholm, Massey, New Lynn, Oratia, Ranui, Sunnyvale, Swanson, Te Atatu, Titirangi, Waiatarua, Waitakere, West Harbour, Whenuapai
North Shore City (North)
Albany, Bayswater, Beach Haven, Belmont, Birkdale, Birkenhead, Browns Bay, Campbells Bay, Castor Bay, Chatswood, Crown Hill, Cuthill, Devonport, Fairview, Forrest Hill, Glenfield, Glenvar, Greenhithe, Highbury, Hillcrest, Long Bay, Mairangi Bay, Marlborough, Meadowood, Milford, Murrays Bay, Northcote, Northcote Central, Northcote Point, North Harbour, Rosedale, Rothesay Bay, Oteha, Pinehill, Stanley Bay, Sunnynook, Takapuna, Torbay, Waiake, Wairau Valley, Westlake, Windsor Park, Unsworth Heights
Papakura District
Addison, Alfriston, Ardmore, Conifer Grove, Longford Park, Manurewa East, Pahurehure, Papakura Central, Papakura, Opaheke, Red Hill, Rosehill, Takanini
Working and Studying in Auckland
Auckland is the commercial hub of New Zealand, and over half of the country’s top 200 companies have their headquarters in the city. Tourism, property, manufacturing, telecommunications, finance, insurance and distribution are key industry sectors with a number of additional growth areas emerging, including biotechnology, IT and creative (video production, performance arts and recorded media).
Education
Auckland has an excellent education system with around 450 primary/intermediate and 85 secondary schools in the greater Auckland region. These include both government-funded (state) and independent private schools. There are also a range of private and funded day care centres and kindergartens for pre-school children (age 2 – 5).
State primary schools are co-educational while some high schools are single sex. Admission to state schools is usually by residential zoning, so it pays to check out your preferences for schools before buying a house in Auckland. View a list of Auckland schools for more details.
Study Options
Auckland is home to 3 national universities, AUT, Massey University (Albany campus) and the University of Auckland. The University of Auckland is considered New Zealand’s largest university with over 40,000 students. It is one of the only New Zealand University ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. There are also a number of other learning institutions including the NZ College of Chiropractic and the UNITEC Institute of Technology.
Auckland Transport Options
Auckland is New Zealand’s biggest city with around 1.7 million inhabitants, around 33.4% of New Zealand’s total population. u-save has two van rental branches in Auckland, so we have personal experience of getting from A to B in this busy city.
Cycling
Auckland is a very busy city with many cars and buses and congestion at peak times. Often this can make riding a bicycle dangerous, so care is recommended. The local council have invested money into making roads more cycle friendly through the creation of a network of cycle only paths and laneways.
Buses
The council has also invested heavily into efficient bus services to reduce congestion on Auckland’s roads and allow seamless travel in and around the city. The bus is a reliable method of getting around Auckland with competition among bus companies creating a very efficient service. The main company involved in facilitating the connections of all the buses allows day passes for unlimited travel by the day.
Taxis
Auckland City has around 40 different taxi companies serving the region. This many taxi companies results in a highly competitive environment, which benefits the consumer in driving down prices. The council has designated many taxi ranks in and around the CBD and has introduced night time taxi ranks to make it easier for people to get taxis at night.
Trains
Trains service the west and southeast of Auckland, with longer-distance options scarce. The Britomart station is the main service centre for connecting trains.
Ferries
Many Aucklanders live on Islands located throughout the Hauraki Gulf, including on Waiheke Island. There are good quality regular ferry links arriving at scheduled intervals in central Auckland daily.
Britomart
The Britomart centre is a central transport facility for connecting train, bus and ferry services in downtown Auckland. From Britomart you can find transport which will allow you to reach most of the towns and cities across the North Island.
Air Transport
The Auckland International Airport is located just 20 km from the city centre, roughly a 25 minute drive dependent on traffic volumes. This close proximity makes travelling by air convenient and easy for all visitors to Auckland. The airport is open from 24 hours a day, and contains various cafes, access to free WiFi and charging points for your devices.
Regular flights depart daily all over New Zealand including Christchurch, Nelson, Queenstown, Rotorua, Tauranga, Wellington, Palmerston North and Hamilton. The Auckland airport is New Zealand’s busiest.
Auckland Demographics
With two truck hire locations in Auckland, we have acquired plenty of knowledge about New Zealand’s biggest city. We hope this information about Auckland will be useful if you’re planning on relocating here.
Population
Auckland is a young, vibrant and multicultural city comprising of around 1.6 million people. The median age for people living in Auckland is 35.1 years compared with a New Zealand median age of 38 years.
Ethnicity
Around 59.3 percent of the Auckland population identify themselves as belonging to the European ethnic group, compared with New Zealand’s average of 74 percent. 10.7 percent of people in Auckland belong to the Maori ethnic group, compared with 14.9 percent for all of New Zealand. People identifying themselves as Asian comprise of around 23.1% while people from the Pacific Islands comprise of around 14.6% of the population
Unemployment
The unemployment rate in Auckland is 8.1 percent for people aged 15 years and over, compared with 7.1 percent for all of New Zealand.
Education
Auckland is above average for education with 83.2 percent of people aged 15 years and over having a formal qualification, compared with New Zealand’s average of 79 percent.
Vehicle Ownership
18.4 percent of households in the Auckland region have access to three or more motor vehicles, compared with 16.1 percent of all households in New Zealand. The most common means of transport in Auckland is by private motor vehicle.
Auckland Truck Hire
Are you about to relocate to Auckland? u-save has a range of hire trucks to cater for small apartment moves right up to large family homes so contact us for your truck & van hire
Book now or get a quote.
Pick up
Drop off
✓ no special licenses required
Relocating To Auckland
u-save offers affordable truck and van relocations from Christchurch & Queenstown to Auckland for as little as $89.00 per day. Just enter in your dates and locations into the search box to check availability, pricing, and to make an instant booking.
The team at u-save has been operating out of Auckland for many years and are locals themselves, this wealth of local knowledge has prompting them to put together this handy guide for those of you relocating to this vibrant North Island City.