Planning a Trip

Special Events

The annual Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta (tel. 09/534-8186) attracts local and international entrants on the last Monday in January. Held in Windsor Reserve in late February, the Devonport Food & Wine Festival (tel. 09/446-0688 or 09/445-3011; www.devonportwinefestival.co.nz) offers nonstop entertainment, samples from 20 wineries, and food galore. Jazz, classical music, and opera play a part. The Auckland Festival (tel. 09/309-0117; www.aucklandfestival.co.nz), a premier arts and cultural event held in the last week of September, celebrates Auckland's distinct characteristics -- especially its Pacific style. The next festival will be staged in 2009. Air New Zealand Fashion Week, held in October, presents over 60 New Zealand designers to the world. International buyers and media arrive to check out fashion that is rapidly becoming a "must-see" on the global fashion map; visit www.nzfashionweek.com for details.

The fun Round the Bays Run (tel. 09/525-2166), held in late March, attracts runners from around the South Pacific, who participate in the 8km (5-mile) run around the central bays. It ends with a barbecue in one of the city's parks. The Royal Easter Show (tel. 09/638-9969; www.aucklandshowgrounds.co.nz), held at the Epsom Showgrounds, focuses on excellence in agriculture and animal husbandry, with fresh produce stalls and the biggest carnival in New Zealand. November brings New Zealand's premier garden and outdoor-living event, the Ellerslie Flower Show (tel. 09/309-7875; www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz), at the Auckland Regional Botanic Garden. It's the largest garden exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere.

Staying Safe

Personal safety is always a matter of common sense. Police cameras have been installed in several city areas to reduce crime, but it still pays to be vigilant. Much like public parks anywhere, the Auckland Domain is a place to avoid after dark. And it pays to take care at night in Albert Park and the Aotea Square area.

Maori Auckland

In Maori, Auckland is known as Tamaki-Makau-Rau -- "the city of 100 lovers." The name is appropriate, for the area was desired by all and conquered by many. More than 18 Maori tribes have had claims to Auckland at one time or another. The first Maori settlers arrived in Hauraki Gulf about 1,000 years ago; the earliest Maori settlement, a site at Motutapu Island dating to the 1100s, was apparently buried under volcanic dust from the Rangitoto eruption. Of the 48 volcanic cones dotting Auckland's landscape, almost all wear the distinctive horizontal terracing that denotes a Maori pa site. A pa is essentially a fort built in a high place to defend the Maori people.

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's New Zealand, 5th Edition Author: Adrienne Rewi Pub Date: March 10, 2008 Price: $22.99				Related Titles: Australia For Dummies, 1st Edition Frommer's Australia 2008 Frommer's Australia 2009