First month in Auckland

Published 27th Dec. 2017

My first month in Auckland was divided between the first essential purchases and administrative formalities and visiting the city and the region.

First steps

I spent the first few days looking for a bed and a means of transport and getting the various essential documents to work.

Equipment

An apartment: the economic capital, Auckland, has 1.4 million inhabitants among 4.2 in total in New-Zealand (2013, www.stats.govt.nz). Rents there are hight, so like many people I have chosen the option of collocation. Besides the financial aspect, this choice allowed me to meet local people and discover their daily life during rich exchanges.
A car: Public transport companies exist, but the main means of transportation in NZ is car. I quickly invested in a small city car to can go anywhere with.

Administrative

A bank account: the opening of a bank account is necessary to limit the costs of a French credit card and moreover because an employer would pay the salary to a bank account in New-Zealand.
An IRD number: (for Inland Revenue Department) is needed to work to collect the different taxes.

Discover the region

Once these duties done, I have been discovering the city, the inhabitants, the gastronomy, the beaches and nature parks, the museums, etc. The Auckland area is magnificent and extremely diversified.

The city

Auckland is a dynamic city, economically and culturally. I discovered the atmosphere in various neighborhoods: the dense and commercial CBD, the familial Devonport, the festive Ponsonby, the residential Parnell, the dynamic Takapuna, the historic One Tree Hill,... (www.aucklandnz.com).

The nature

Being on an island, the beaches are never far away. They are all as beautiful as each other. Wild as piha, karekare, waiwera, or more crowded as mission bay, narrow neck, long bay. Everyone finds its style. the water is always warm and crystal clear.
Nature parks are very frequent and demonstrate the importance of nature conservation in the country. The green is predominant either in the form of grasslands or dense and lush forests. This is the place I prefer for hiking with breathtaking landscapes.

The agriculture

Agriculture is here near everywhere, and especially livestock, with herds of sheep or cows everywhere where you look (here in the middle of the center of Auckland, in the park of One Tree Hill).
I visited the Warkworth wine-growing area, North of Auckland. It is one of the most northerly regions, with a fairly mild climate. There are Pinot Gris, Syrah and Cabernet which make wines with good structure (www.nzwine.com).

These first weeks are full of novelties and discoveries. The journey begins beautifully it will continue more seriously with a job. You will know about it soon.

See you soon!