The Labor Day holiday found me down under, in the lovely country of New Zealand. Highlights of the trip: I enjoyed the city of Auckland, drove south to snowboard on a volcano called Mt. Ruapehu, and visited friends. As usual, the locals were fantastic! I’d love to go back for an extended hollydays. And I also visited Oakland, a city with 1,5 million inhabitanst, laying not far of 48 volcanos(they are not active anymore!)
Modern city, as you can see. Maori name it Tamaki-makau-rau, the city of 1000 people! The Maori founded it in 1360, and the english in 1840. A multicultural, multiethnic and multilanguage city, a Tower of Babel. The majority is christian, but you can find also maori, chinese etc. The city contains a third of the full population of the New Zealand, and its most important harbor and finance centre.
There are more to say about the controversial relationships between Auckland, a modern city indeed, and the rest of the rural rustic New Zealand! Any of them is not corect represented through the other side.
Auckland is also a culture city, with three universities, a rival for the australian cities of Perth and Brisbane.
Visit Auckland, and tell me your impressions. Maybe it is better to tell me before you go, in order to guide you efficiently.
