ESSENTIAL INFORMATION IN AUCKLAND

HOW TO GET THERE AND AWAY

Almost 100% of travelers come to New Zealand via Auckland Airport: There are two terminals, domestic and international. To go from one to the other you can walk for 10 minutes or use a free bus, every 15 minutes from 5:00 a.m. to 10:30 pm. To go to the city:

The best deal is probably the Skybus: 24/7, costs NZ $ 16. It takes between 45 minutes and one hour. The last stop is the Britomart Transport Center:
- Every 10 minutes, 7 am to 7 pm on weekdays.
- From 7 pm to 12 am every 20 minutes.
- From 12 am every 30 minutes.
- Every 15 minutes 6 am to 7 pm on weekends.
Slower but cheaper, you can take bus 380 Airporter and change to Papatoetoe train station or bus 375. Public transport in Auckland is set by areas system. Airport and downtown are in two adjacents ones; the price per trip for two areas is 5 NZ $.
Taxis can be taken at arrivals gate number 8 in the international terminal. A trip to the center is around NZ $ 95.
Shared shuttles are taken in the same place as taxis. For one traveler prices vary depending on the company, around NZ $ 35, but each extra person in the same group (and therefore stopping at the same place) would be only 8 additional NZ $.
Of course, all car rental companies in the very whole world have offices at the airport, including rental caravans and motorhomes.

Most travelers not renting a vehicle will travel around New Zealand by bus or train. The Britomart Transport Center is the main transport hub in Auckland. It is next to the ferry terminal. To see how to get by land to other cities, see PRACTICAL INFORMATION IN NEW ZEALAND

GETTING AROUND

Staying in the center, ideally you should go walking. From Aotea Square, anywhere in downtown is less than 20 minutes walk. More distant points are Mount Eden (around an hour) and 30 minutes to Auckland Museum. Check the itinerary for one day.

Public transportation in the center is one of the things that most local complain about. There are only three bus lines, the Link Buses: Citylink in Queen Street area, Inner Link is the small circular line, and Outer Link the large circular one. The price varies between $ 1 and $ 2.5 depending on the distance. In this link is the official map.

AT Hop Card is a rechargeable pass that offers discounts between 20 and 50% compared to single tickets on buses, trains and ferries in the Auckland area, but it cost 10 NZ $, so you should be sure you are spending that money before buying one. The day pass costs 18 NZ $, it’s not valid for the Skybus.

ACCOMMODATION

I recommend staying nearby Queen Street. There are plenty of accommodation from megahostels to hotels of all kinds. I stayed at the YHA and the Fat Camel, they were good, but that was so long ago…

WHERE TO EAT

There are many restaurants in Queen Street; most are expensive, except for fast food chains, but there are also many supermarkets. At the southern end of the street begins a small Chinese sector where there are cheapy food courts, although is not a very glamorous area.

supermercado-chino — Chinese supermarket. Very cheap, but almost everything was in Chinese so I did not know what to choose, hence the three sad tuna cans. Between the basket and the boxes there is a dead botfly

patio-de-comidas — This 9 year old kid was the only one who spoke English at the food stand of his family, so he was running the business while their parents were cooking. So good was the food that I repeated when I was back in Auckland

WHERE TO DRINK AND PARTY

Again Queen Street area is the busiest, if not the only for nightlife. There are plenty of pubs and bars with live music. Last night we had a big party until Mario was stolen his wallet and there was no fun anymore. Keep an eye in the bars of pickpockets and do not leave belongings unattended.