Super Rugby Final: Auckland vs Hamilton go to battle

Auckland city is NZ’s largest city by a country mile. affectionately known as the City of the Sails, and it’s the landing place for many immigrants when they arrive in Aotearoa New Zealand. There’s something for everyone in this city of villages including Onehunga, Mt Eden, Mt Albert, Herne Bay, Remuera, St Heliers, Pt Chevalier, Epsom, Greenlane, Westmere and Parnell.

Auckland, which boasts 53 volcanic centres, has all the amenities you’d expect in a big, well established city. It has the world class Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland War Memorial Museum, a big busy CBD and the beautiful Auckland Harbour Bridge which carries you to sparkling coastal suburbs on the North Shore. Ferries leaving from the Auckland Ferry Building, whisk you off to blissful islands in the Gulf, among them, Waiheke and Aotea Great Barrier Island. The city’s international airport is a work in progress but at least you can jet off on direct flights all over the world. And Auckland is home to Auckland University and AUT, Unitec,among others. This city is a big hitter when it comes to education.

Average asking price: $1,057,000   

Number of homes for sale (Auckland City): 3,138 results

Average days on market: 59  

Median weekly rent: $690 

Speak to locals and they’ll proudly tell you that Kirikiriroa Hamilton, our fourth largest city, is going from strength to strength as a city and as an economy. It’s one of those 15 minute cities that big metro types can only dream about, with commutes to work often just five minutes. And the beating heart of the city is the unbelievably beautiful Waikato River, which has come to the rescue of Auckland’s population as a source of water many times. Hamilton has long been the food basket of Auckland and the country and the recently opened Ruakura Inland Port has given Hamiltonians new cause for celebration. The city also has a growing tech community, transforming the local economy to one which is far more diverse than just agriculture. Hamilton is benefiting from a number of new residential and commercial developments facing the river, and it’s getting a new Waikato Regional Theatre which will join other cultural institutions including the Waikato Museum and the ArtsPost gallery. The city is still growing, with a new semi-rural suburb, Peacocke, underway and it’s getting its own bridge to connect it to the town. Hamilton is the home of Waikato University and Wintec and has160 different ethnicities.