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The New Zealand cultural scene is vibrant and receives a lot more attention these days than it has in the past, principally because of the cinematic release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Auckland, as a cultural melting pot, has a particularly healthy and diverse cultural scene, although not everything that the city generates gets beyond national boundaries.

One of the centers of Auckland cultural life is The Edge, a conglomeration of buildings around the junctions of Queen Street, Wellesley Street West, Albert Street and Mayoral Drive. Auckland Town Hall, Queen Street (tel: (09) 309 2677; fax: (09) 309 2679; e-mail: info@the-edge.co.nz; website: www.the-edge.co.nz) is an impressively renovated building, with its Great Hall said to have some of the finest acoustics in the world. Behind the Town Hall, the Aotea Center, Queen Street (tel: (09) 309 2677, website and e-mail as above), has main and small stages, for drama, music, ballet and opera.

For a taste of the alternative culture with a bit more of a Polynesian influence, visitors should take a Saturday trip up the Karangahape (K) Road, or for that matter to any of the cultural or flea markets that spring up around the city on Saturday. K Road is awash with mainly Maori and Polynesian shops, butchers, fishmongers, grocers, craft shops, clothes shops, cafés and restaurants, all of which offer an intriguing insight into New Zealand’s bi-cultural society.

Tickets can be booked through Ticketek, at the Aotea Center, Queen Street (tel: (09) 307 5000; website: http://premier.ticketeck.co.nz). The Thursday and Saturday editions of the New Zealand Herald, the free monthly listings magazine What’s Happening, and the free newspaper Tourist Times, all provide listings and information on cultural performance and events in Auckland. Listings are also available online (website: www.aucklandnz.com).

Music: The Auckland Philharmonia (tel: (0508) 266 237 for bookings; e-mail: ap@aucklandphil.co.nz; website: www.akl-phil.co.nz) performs mainly at the Auckland Town Hall, Queen Street (tel: (09) 309 2677), which has classical music, opera and ballet regularly featured on the cultural menu. Although based in Wellington, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (tel: (04) 801 3890; e-mail: nz.info@nzso.co.nz; website: www.nzso.co.nz) also frequently performs in Auckland, usually at the Town Hall or the Aotea Center, Queen Street. Outdoor concerts are also held regularly in the Auckland Domain during summer.

Theater: The main venue, with various sized auditoriums, is the Aotea Center, Queen Street (Bookings as above). The beautifully restored Civic Theater, Queen Street and Wellesley Street West (tel: (09) 307 5058; e-mail: civictheater@xtra.co.nz; website: www.civictheater.co.nz), north of the Town Hall, is used for plays and musicals. More modern rock, dance, drama and cabaret performances take place at the Sky City Theater, corner of Federal Street and Victoria Street (tel: (09) 912 6000, see also Sky City). Local productions can be seen at the Dolphin Theater, Spring Street, Onehunga (tel: (09) 636 7322; website: www.dolphintheater.org.nz) and the Howick Little Theater Inc, Lloyd Elsmore Park, Howick (tel: (09) 534 1406; e-mail: info@hlt.org.nz; website: www.hlt.org.nz).

Dance: Numerous local dance groups include the Auckland Dance Company. There are regular visits from the Royal New Zealand Ballet Company, whose base is in Wellington. Most performances are given at the Aotea Center, Queen Street (tel: (09) 307 5060). Black Grace is an all-male dance troupe from the Pacific Islands, while the Pounamu Maori Performance Group give regular displays of Polynesian song and dance at the Auckland Museum, Auckland Domain (tel: (09) 306 7067).

Film: The city has numerous cinemas, with the best listings in the daily New Zealand Herald. Most of the mainstream cinemas are situated along Queen Street, at the junction with Wellesley Street, including the Mid-City Cinema Center, 239 Queen Street (tel: (09) 307 5075), and the St James Theater, 312 Queen Street (tel: (09) 377 7666). The main arthouse cinema is the Academy, situated beneath the city library, 64 Lorne Street (tel: (09) 373 2761). There is also a seven-story high IMAX screen at Force Entertainment Center, next to Aotea Square, Queen Street (tel: (09) 979 2400).

The homegrown films that have caused the biggest international sensation are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson - parts of which were filmed not far from Auckland. The city has achieved more serious-minded celluloid acclaim for itself through the 1994 film Once Were Warriors, made from Alan Duff’s harrowing novel about the struggle of a poor Maori family in south Auckland - but it’s worth remembering that a little research pays great dividends with the New Zealand film industry which was also being responsible for such gems as The Piano (1993), Heavenly Creatures (1994) and Whale Rider (2002), to name but a few.

Cultural Events: Opera in the Park, in February, is a family-orientated concert staged at Auckland Domain. The Pasifika Festival celebrates Polynesian culture and takes place in Western Springs, each March. There are numerous small food, wine and music festivals throughout the year, especially during summer. The year ends with Christmas in the Park, another family-orientated concert at the Auckland Domain, in December.

Literary Notes: New Zealand, rather than just Auckland, has several literary figures, many of whom are known internationally, such as Katherine Mansfield, most noted for her short stories. Janet Frame concerned herself largely with the emotional crises that she herself experienced, while Keri Hulme, of mixed Maori, English and Orkney descent, won the Booker Prize for The Bone People (1983). This was an experimental work drawing on Maori culture and the best selling book ever by any living New Zealand author. Maurice Gee, who worked in Auckland as a teacher and later a librarian, sets several of his novels in the city. Alan Duff, whose kitchen-sink dramas, such as Once Were Warriors (1990), examines the place of Maori in modern society.

Sport:

In New Zealand, it is popularly held that sport has taken the place of religion at the weekend. Frankly, Kiwi sports fans have a lot to be proud of on the fields of sporting endeavour. This small nation is, by comparison, very successful on an international scale – and at several sports, notably rugby, cricket and netball.

Rugby has enormous appeal in Auckland and throughout New Zealand. The Rugby League season is April to September and the local team is the Vodafone Warriors (website: www.warriors.co.nz), who play at the Ericsson Stadium, Maurice Road, Penrose (tel: (09) 526 0888). The New Zealand Rugby Football League (tel: (09) 524 4013; website: www.rugbyleague.co.nz) can provide further information. The Rugby Union season is also April to September and the national team, the All Blacks (website: www.allblacks.com), play either at Eden Park, Reimers Avenue, Kingsland (tel: (09) 849 5555), or the Ericsson Stadium, when they are in Auckland, although they also play in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. The New Zealand Rugby Football Union (tel: (04) 499 4995; website: www.nzrugby.co.nz) can provide further information.

Six cricket grounds reflect the city’s interest in this colonial game – the most famous is Eden Park, which has staged 225 first-class games since 1913.

Tickets to sporting events are available for purchase through Ticketek (tel: (09) 307 5000; website: http://premier.ticketeck.co.nz). The Visitor Information Center (tel: (09) 979 2333; website: www.aucklandnz.com) can provide details of all sporting events.

Equestrian Sports: There are several racecourses in Auckland, with night trotting each Friday and Saturday, at the Alexandra Park Raceway, in Epsom. Visitors should contact the Recorded Racing Information Service (tel: (09) 520 7507) for further details. Horseriding is also very popular in New Zealand and there are several stables within easy reach of the city. Most offer lessons, independent or guided rides, with horses for all levels of ability. Stables include Horse Riding Warkworth (tel: (09) 425 8517; e-mail: horseriding@xtra.co.nz; website: www.smallfarmer.org.nz), Ti Tree Hills Horse Treks (tel: (09) 426 7003; e-mail: rides@titreehills.co.nz; website: www.titreehills.co.nz), Pakiri Beach Horse Riding (tel: (09) 422 6275; e-mail: pakirihorse@xtra.co.nz; website: www.horseride-nz.co.nz) and Shepherds Point Horse Riding (tel: (09) 372 8104). Prices start at approximately NZ$35-50 per hour. Closer to the city center is the Muriwai Beach Riding Center, Muriwai (tel: (09) 411 7111; e-mail: wairimu1@ihug.co.nz; website: www.farmstayauckland.co.nz), which organizes treks on the beach and in the forest, providing excellent views of the local gannet colony and costing NZ$70 for two hours.

Fitness Centers: The Olympic Pool and Fitness Center, Broadway, Newmarket (tel: (09) 522 4414; e-mail: info@olympicpools.co.nz; website: www.olympicpools.co.nz), is open to the public and has excellent facilities, as well as two swimming pools, a spa and sauna. Visitors planning to use the gym will need to do an induction course, for insurance purposes. Admission casual entrance NZ$6.

Golf: There are several golf courses in and around Auckland, including the Chamberlain Park Public Golf Course, 46a Linwood Avenue, Western Springs (tel: (09) 815 4999), where 18 holes costs around NZ$35, and the Gulf Harbour Country Club, on the Hibiscus Coast (tel: (09) 424 0971; website: www.gulfharbor.nzgolf.net), where 18 holes costs about NZ$80-90, a set of hire clubs NZ$30 and shoes NZ$10. Visiting golfers can play guest rounds for a nominal fee at public courses and annual membership costs at other clubs are usually low by European standards.

Swimming: The best swimming is off the beaches that are easily reached from central Auckland, including several along Tamaki Drive and Cheltenham Beach in Northshore, on the east coast of the Devonport peninsula. There are also 10 major swimming pools in the city, the most notable being the Olympic Pool and Fitness Center, Broadway, Newmarket (tel: (09) 522 4414). This was built for the 1950 Empire Games and, in addition to the main 50m (164ft) pool, there is a smaller pool, fitness center, sauna and spa. The Visitor Information Center (tel: (09) 979 2333) provides a booklet listing the city’s pools and recreation centers.

Tennis: The country’s main international tennis venue is in Auckland – the ASB Tennis Center, 72 Stanley Street (tel: (09) 274 4577 or 373 3623; website: www.aucklandtennis.co.nz). There are five indoor and seven floodlit outdoor courts, with equipment hire and coaching facilities available. Court hire costs from NZ$30 per hour. More courts are available at the Vodafone Tennis Park, 69 Merton Road, Glen Innes (tel: (09) 528 9782), with six indoor and 17 outdoor courts, equipment hire and coaching available, but if you want to knock-up on a budget many public parks boast adequate courts for as little as NZ$10 an hour, though you’ll need your own gear.

Watersports: Needless to say, the city is a prime watersports destination. It is claimed that roughly one in six Aucklanders owns a boat, while one in three goes boating on a regular basis. The city’s world profile was increased even further by the America’s Cup – the finals were held in Auckland in February 2000, when New Zealand secured the cup and in the summer of 2003, when a predominantly kiwi team won it for Switzerland. The chance to crew on an America’s Cup yacht is available from Sail New Zealand (tel: (0800) 724 569, see Boat Tours for more details) who own two bona fide challengers NZ40 and NZ41 as well as Peter Blake’s Round-The-World Maxi Yacht. Two hours on an America’s cup racer will set you back NZ$125 but prices then rise steeply the longer you are on board and depending upon whether you choose the America’s Cup or Maxi Yacht.

Kayaking can be arranged through Outdoor Recreations and Challenges, in the Birkenhead Leisure Center, Mahara Avenue, Birkenhead (tel: (09) 418 4109), and through Fergs Kayaks, 12 Tamaki Drive (tel: (09) 529 2230; e-mail: ak@fergskayaks.co.nz; website: www.fergskayaks.co.nz). Hire is approximately NZ$15 per hour for a single, plastic sea kayak, or NZ$45 per day, with guided tours from NZ$65 for a four-hour trip. Windsurfing can be arranged at several of the beaches along Tamaki Drive, while jet skiing is available from Jet Ski Tours (tel: (09) 486 088).

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