The “City of Sails” — Auckland — is New Zealand’s biggest city. With twin harbours (and lots of boating!) Auckland is surrounded by water while the land is hilly and green. Voted fourth in the Worldwide Quality of Living Survey 2009, Auckland is a great place to live and a great place to travel to.

Auckland is very spread-out, the land area is almost equal to Los Angeles but there’s less than 1.5 million people there. Legally and administratively, it’s divided into four autonomous parts: Auckland City, North Shore, Waitakere, and Manukau.

The low population density means transport options are limited. Most Aucklanders drive everywhere, meaning roads become very congested at peak times. If you are visiting for a short time, you might get by on the busses and trains, but you need to hire a car to have any sort of freedom and to see some of Auckland’s best sights.

Auckland International Airport is likely to be your first point of entry into Auckland, New Zealand. There are several ways into the city, but none are cheap! If you are travelling by yourself, the Airbus is a good option, but a taxi will be cheaper and more convenient if there is more than one person. Some hotels provide complementary shuttle services, so check this before you fly.

If you use Auckland’s public transport, you’ll probably be catching the bus. You can buy tickets from the driver; prices vary depending on how many stages you’re travelling through. You can buy bus cards from various outlets, which you can prepay your journeys on. This normally works by buying 10 journeys or getting a monthly pass. Auckland’s train network has improved recently, and is undergoing constant improvements and upgrades at the moment, but destinations are still very limited.

Auckland hosts a number of free events through summer, with Christmas Parade, street lighting and the massive concert, Christmas in the Park held in late December. After that, Music in Parks kicks off with small community concerts being held around the city and Symphony under the Stars bringing classical talent to a large outdoor crowd. Cricket and watersports makes up most of the summer sporting schedule, but make sure you visit in 2011 for the Rugby World Cup, the second most-watched sporting event in the world.

Want more Auckland travel information? Download a free Auckland travel guide or check out the huge New Zealand summer feature in the free Indie Travel Podcast online travel magazine.

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