History

 

AOTEAROA 'the land of the long white cloud' was unpopulated until seafaring Polynesians happened upon it from the tropics. New Zealand has come a long way since and is now a multi-cultural country with a melting pot of cultures from all over the world. Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is known as Tamaki Makau Rau, Land of 100 lovers. It earned this name because it was a place desired by all and conquered by many. Legend has it that the first human inhabitants of Auckland were the magical, fair-skinned Turehu poeple. While all Maori iwi (tribes) of the region claim descent from the Turehu, their tribal identities are generally linked to the ancestral waka that sailed to New Zealand from Hawaiiki, the legendary homeland of the Maori in the Pacific Ocean. Modern day Auckland stretches from the town of Wellsford in the north, to the rolling Bombay Hills in the south. It is surrounded by three harbours - the Waitemata, the Manukau and the Kaipara, New Zealand's largest. Administratively, it is divided into four cities (Auckland, Manukau, North Shore and Waitakere) and three districts (Franklin, Rodney and Papakura). The Quest on Mount sits right in Auckland Central City, the cosmopolitan hub overlooking the Waitemata. From the first Maori waka and colonial ships, Auckland has attracted migrants. By the 1890s, it had a cosmopolitan flavour, with dozens of languages heard in the bustling streets and new inhabitants from Europe, China and India. This theme continued throughout the 20th century, particularly in the 1950s when the population was boosted by the post war baby boom". Many European immigrants were attracted from countries such as Hungary, Holland and Yugoslavia; bringing Auckland more cosmopolitan tastes and its first proper restaurants. Many rural peple relocated to seek work in the "bright lights" of the city, and large numbers of Maori migrated to Auckland. Today, Auckland is the world's largest Polynesian city. Around 68% of its residents are of European descent, 11% are Maori, 14% are of Pacific Island descent and there is an Asian population of around 13%. In the city centre, Auckland's growing popularity as an international education destination has seen an explosion of ethnic restaurants and shops. Auckland, or the "Big Smoke" as it is sometimes known, is now home to about a third of the country's residents. Although a little off the beaten track from most of the world, there is something magical about New Zealand and it's people. It's cities offer a myriad of experiences and no matter where you go in Auckland for instance, there's something lovely to see - and something exciting to do ... white sand in the east and black sand in the west and forest, walks and parks to the north and south, and blue-green water all around dotted with enchanted islands that are so easy to escape to.