Wikitravel - Changes related to "Blenheim (New Zealand)" [en]

Auckland

2013-05-18T22:10:40Z

‎By plane: correct external link format, tdf

Auckland

2013-05-18T22:00:27Z

‎See: rm entries that are in the wrong article - they are in the correct article - Manukau

Auckland

2013-05-15T11:08:15Z

Start quick and dirty copyedit including correct external link format, sp., ip and MoS fixes

Auckland

2013-05-15T10:11:27Z

‎Stay safe: Rm stuff that applies to whole country, or is obvious or scaremongering

Wikitravel:How to edit a page

2013-05-15T06:15:55Z

‎Using the check boxes:

New Zealand

2013-05-14T12:51:10Z

removed commercial external link not previously proposed on this article's discussion page as an exception to policy and other MoS fixes

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ===By plane ===
 [[Image:Martyna Zambrzycka Millspaugh (9).JPG|thumb|Inside the airport in Auckland, New Zealand]]
-Auckland International Airport ({{IATA|AKL}}) [http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/], New Zealand's largest airport, is in the southern suburb of Mangere on the shores of the Manukau Harbour. There are frequent services to [[Australia]], and to other New Zealand destinations. There are also direct connections to many locations in the South Pacific, to the United States, Asia and to [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Santiago de Chile|Santiago]] in South America.
+[http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/ Auckland International Airport] ({{IATA|AKL}}), New Zealand's largest airport, is in the southern suburb of Mangere on the shores of the Manukau Harbour. There are frequent services to [[Australia]], and to other New Zealand destinations. There are also direct connections to many locations in the South Pacific, to the United States, Asia and to [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Santiago de Chile|Santiago]] in South America.
 ====To and from the airport====
@@ Line 31: / Line 31: @@
 [http://www.airbus.co.nz/ Airbus Express] is an efficient bus service that runs a 24 hour service from Auckland's Domestic & International Airport direct into Auckland City. The service which takes approx 40 min (traffic dependent)operates a convenient high frequency timetable:
-TIMETABLE: Weekdays: Every 10 min 07:00-19:00 / Weekends: Every 15 min (6am - 7pm) / Evenings: Every 20 minutes (7pm - midnight) / Late Night: Every 30 minutes (midnight to 6am)
+'''Timetable''' Weekdays: every 10 min 07:00-19:00, Weekends: every 15 min 06:00-19:00, Evenings: every 20 min 19:00-23:59, late night: every 30 min (00:01-06:00.
 The bus alternates between two routes into the City, one via Mt Eden Road and one via Dominion Road. Both routes terminate at Auckland's Downtown Terminal (next to Britomart) for convenient onward travel by Bus, Ferry or Train if needed.

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 * '''Kelly Tarlton's''', [http://www.kellytarltons.co.nz/home/page.aspx].  Located on Auckland’s scenic Tamaki Drive and the home of Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World. It's an aquarium which includes a trip through a transparent tunnel while the fish and sharks swim all around you, and tanks of rays with feeding-time talks. Bus routes 740-769.
 * '''MOTAT''' (Museum of Transport and Technology), Great North Rd, Western Springs, [http://www.motat.org.nz/].  Situated near the Zoo in Western Springs. $14, $7 Children & Senior citizens. Children under 5 free. It's an interactive museum with over 300,000 items. Look out for the WWII Avro Lancaster Bomber and the Solent Flying Boat in the Sir Keith Park Memorial Aviation Collection.
 ==Do==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{confused|[[Auckland Region]]}}
+[[File:Auckland skyline from a beach in Devonport.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The Auckland skyline at night from a beach in Devonport]]
-[[File:Auckland skyline from a beach in Devonport.jpg|thumb|300px|The Auckland skyline at night from a beach in Devonport]]
+[http://www.aucklandnz.com/ '''Auckland'''] is the largest metropolitan area in [[New Zealand]], with a population of over one million. It is in the northern half of the [[North Island]], on a narrow isthmus of land that joins the [[Northland]] peninsula to the rest of the North Island.
-−
-'''Auckland''' [http://www.aucklandnz.com/] is the largest metropolitan area in [[New Zealand]], with a population of over one million. It is in the northern half of the [[North Island]], on a narrow isthmus of land that joins the [[Northland]] peninsula to the rest of the North Island.
 This article only deals with Auckland City itself. In November 2010, four formerly separate cities were amalgamated. These four were Manukau in the south, Waitakere in the west, North Shore in the north and Auckland City itself, on and around the isthmus. These other cities, rural areas, small towns and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf can be found in the '''[[Auckland Region]]''' article.
@@ Line 10: / Line 8: @@
 Auckland is often known as the "''City of Sails''" for the large number of yachts that grace the Waitemata Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf. It could also be known as the "''City of Extinct Volcanoes''". Much of its natural character comes from the fact that it is built on the Auckland Volcanic Field which consists of about 48 volcanoes. All of the volcanoes are individually extinct but the volcanic field as a whole is not.
-[[Image:Masts.jpg|thumb|300px|Auckland boats]]
+[[Image:Masts.jpg|thumb|Auckland boats]]
-Auckland is the largest city in Polynesia. For some Polynesian island nations there are more expatriates living in Auckland than in their homeland. Auckland's rich Pacific cultural mix is celebrated at festivals [http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/events/pasifika/default.asp] and sporting matches.
+Auckland is the largest city in Polynesia. For some Polynesian island nations there are more expatriates living in Auckland than in their homeland. Auckland's rich Pacific cultural mix is celebrated at [http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/whatson/events/pasifika/default.asp festivals] and sporting matches.
 Auckland often rates well in international quality-of-life polls, consistently rating in the top five. Culturally, the city is an interesting mix. As Europeans only settled in New Zealand less than 200 years ago, an immigrant culture is prominent - many ex-pats from the [[British Isles]] and their immediate children populate the city. The city has also attracted a sizeable population of Asians and Pacific Islanders in recent years.
@@ Line 25: / Line 23: @@
 ===By plane ===
-[[Image:Martyna Zambrzycka Millspaugh (9).JPG|250px|thumb|Inside the airport in Auckland, New Zealand]]
+[[Image:Martyna Zambrzycka Millspaugh (9).JPG|thumb|Inside the airport in Auckland, New Zealand]]
 Auckland International Airport ({{IATA|AKL}}) [http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/], New Zealand's largest airport, is in the southern suburb of Mangere on the shores of the Manukau Harbour. There are frequent services to [[Australia]], and to other New Zealand destinations. There are also direct connections to many locations in the South Pacific, to the United States, Asia and to [[Buenos Aires]] and [[Santiago de Chile|Santiago]] in South America.
-==== Ground transportation to and from the airport ====
+====To and from the airport====
-−
 Transport from the airport to central Auckland and suburbs includes buses, shuttles and taxis.
-Airbus Express [http://www.airbus.co.nz/] is an efficient bus service that runs a 24 hour service from Auckland's Domestic & International Airport direct into Auckland City. The service which takes approx 40 minutes (traffic dependent)operates a convenient high frequency timetable:
+[http://www.airbus.co.nz/ Airbus Express] is an efficient bus service that runs a 24 hour service from Auckland's Domestic & International Airport direct into Auckland City. The service which takes approx 40 min (traffic dependent)operates a convenient high frequency timetable:
-TIMETABLE: Weekdays: Every 10 minutes (7am - 7pm) / Weekends: Every 15 minutes (6am - 7pm) / Evenings: Every 20 minutes (7pm - midnight) / Late Night: Every 30 minutes (midnight to 6am)
+TIMETABLE: Weekdays: Every 10 min 07:00-19:00 / Weekends: Every 15 min (6am - 7pm) / Evenings: Every 20 minutes (7pm - midnight) / Late Night: Every 30 minutes (midnight to 6am)
 The bus alternates between two routes into the City, one via Mt Eden Road and one via Dominion Road. Both routes terminate at Auckland's Downtown Terminal (next to Britomart) for convenient onward travel by Bus, Ferry or Train if needed.
@@ Line 54: / Line 51: @@
 Taxi fares may be $50-100 from the airport to a city location, about the same as it costs to hire a car per day.
-==== Terminal transfer ====
+====Terminal transfer====
-−
 There are separate domestic and international terminals. A free bus runs between the terminals every 20 min and takes a few minutes. The walk is around 800 m and takes about 10 min. It is indicated by signposts and a blue line to follow. The path is level, and you are permitted to take luggage trolleys between the terminals. The walk is uncovered and exposed to the weather.
-==== Airport facilities ====
+====Airport facilities====
-−
 The international terminal has ATMs on both sides of security. There is a typical food court in the departures area before security, a McDonalds and a coffee shop in the arrivals area, and some more cafe-style food after security. There is the usual collection of expensive shops and souvenirs on both sides of immigration.
 * If you are departing, you might want to avoid going to your gate until you are called: the gate lounges are dismal, and the waiting area upstairs is much more pleasant, with a nice view over the ranges and Manukau harbour.
@@ Line 68: / Line 63: @@
 Lockers are available in the terminal for $15 per day.
-===By bus ===
+===By bus===
-−
 The InterCity Sky City Coach Terminal (located at 102 Hobson St, behind Sky City Plaza) is the main hub for national carriers InterCity Coachlines [http://intercity.co.nz] and GreatSights New Zealand [http://greatsights.co.nz/]. Regional Northland operator Northliner [http://northliner.co.nz] also departs from this location. Facilities include an InterCity Coachlines ticketing office, free wifi, cafe and luggage lockers.
 ===By train ===
 The Overlander train runs from central Wellington to Britomart Transport Centre at the north end of Queen St in central Auckland. The 681 km (423 mi) journey takes about 12 h. The trip runs much of the length of the North Island with stopping-off opportunity at Tongariro National Park. In a single day you will pass every kind of scenery: coastline, volcanoes and mountains, green farm pastures and dense New Zealand bush from $119.
 ==Get around==
 There are a variety of ways to get around including bus, train, ferry, taxi, shuttle and hiring your own car. You can use the MAXX website [http://www.maxx.co.nz/] to find ways to get round Auckland using public transport. MAXX also has a text messaging service which can be used to find out the time of the next bus, ferry or train or to find the quickest way to get to your destination using public transport.

@@ Line 373: / Line 373: @@
 ==Stay safe==
-Auckland is generally a fairly safe place to visit.
+Auckland is generally a fairly safe place to visit. Be careful in these areas:
-Be vigilant as you would in any other cities in the world, and with a little bit of common sense you will be safe. Being part of a group is obviously safer than walking about alone, particularly for women. Try to stay in lit areas and avoid dark side streets. Consider carefully where you leave your car especially if you park it in daylight and will have to relocate it after nightfall. Theft from cars is a common problem in New Zealand, so don't leave valuables in your vehicle, or at least make sure that they are hidden from sight.
-The local emergency contact number is '''111''' for police, fire and ambulances.
+'''Karangahape Road (K Rd)''': A large number of pubs and clubs are located here, but care should be taken late at night.
-−
-You will generally find police to be quite trustworthy and helpful, and never try to bribe them, unlike in many other cities around the world.
-−
-Friday and Saturday nights can be dangerous on the road due to the high rate of drunk driving and "boy racer" culture. Excessive speed, poor vehicle maintenance and bad driving attitudes can result in fatal crashes and care should be exercised.
-−
-Be careful in these areas:
-−
-'''Karangahape Road (K Rd)''': A large number of pubs and clubs are located here, but care should be taken late at night as assaults and theft can occur.
 '''Queen Street''': During the day, this is a respectable shopping area, and after dark, there are usually still a large number of pedestrians and traffic until the early hours of the morning so the area it is relatively safe. On Friday and Saturday nights, there are typically many heavily intoxicated people wandering up and down the street. Some may seem intimidating, but they are usually more interested in getting to their next drinking destination than anything else. An increasing number of homeless people sleep around this area, but they are unlikely to bother you except a plea for loose change.

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 If you are [[Special:userlogin|logged in]] to a [[Wikitravel:How to create a user account|user account]] there will be a '''This is a minor edit''' checkbox for marking your changes as "minor". The idea with this is that people reviewing page history or recent changes can filter out unimportant changes. It's up to you to determine what makes your changes "minor" -- usually, spelling corrections, grammar, or formatting changes are "minor", and changes to the real information on a page are not.
-The '''Watch this article''' checkbox puts this article on your [[Wikitravel:Watchlist help|watchlist]]. Any changes to the article, or to the article's talk page, by you or anyone else will show up in your watchlist, so you can keep an eye on the article.
+The '''Watch this article''' checkbox puts this article on your ''[[Wikitravel:Watchlist help|Watchlist]]''. Any changes to the article, or to the article's talk page, by you or anyone else will show up in your Watchlist, so you can keep an eye on the article.
-The default setting -- whether these checkboxes are checked or not by default -- can be set in your [[Wikitravel:User preferences help|user preferences]].
+The default setting -- whether these checkboxes are checked or not by default -- can be set in your user ''[[Wikitravel:User preferences help|Preferences]]''.
 ==Starting new pages==
-If you are starting a new page from scratch, please make use of our '''[[Wikitravel:Article templates|templates]]''' which helps to organize the information on a page and give a consistent look. See [[Wikitravel:How to start a new page]] for more information.
+If you are starting a new page from scratch, please make use of our '''[[Wikitravel:Article templates|Article templates]]''' which help to organise the information on a page and give a consistent look. See [[Wikitravel:How to start a new page]] for more information.
 ==Restoring previous article versions==
-If an editor changes or removes content from an article the old versions of the article are still available from the article's history.  To view article history, click on the "history" tab for any article, then click on the date for the revision that you are interested in.  To revert the article to the specified revision, simply click on the "edit" tab while viewing the old version and then re-save the version.  Alternately, if you just want to revert a single edit click on the "undo" link from an article's history next to the edit that is being reverted.
+If an editor changes or removes content from an article the old versions of the article are still available from the article's history.  To view article history, click on the "'''View history'''" tab for any article, then click on the date for the revision that you are interested in. To revert the article to the specified revision, simply click on the "edit" tab while viewing the old version and then re-save the version.  Alternately, if you just want to revert a single edit click on the "undo" link from an article's history next to the edit that is being reverted.
 ==See also==

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 * '''Backpacker buses''': [http://www.kiwiexperience.com/ KiwiExperience Backpacker Bus], [http://www.straytravel.com/ Stray Travel Bus] and [http://www.magicbus.co.nz/ MagicBus] offer bus trips around New Zealand where you can get on and off as you please.
-* <listing name="Flying Kiwi Adventures " alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.flyingkiwi.com/" hours="" price="">New Zealand’s original adventure bus tour company offering "beyond the tourist trail" experiences. The company was listed in National Geographic's Best Adventure Travel Companies for 2009. Trips range from 3-27 days and cover both islands. The tours focus on enjoying the outdoor beauty and excitement of New Zealand with numerous hiking, cycling and activity options. There are also options to take extended breaks in your favourite places. Discounts are available for holders of YHA, VIP, ISIC and NOMADs cards.</listing>
+* <listing name="Flying Kiwi Adventures " alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.flyingkiwi.com/" hours="" price="">New Zealand’s original adventure bus tour company. Trips range from 3-27 days and cover both islands. The tours focus on enjoying the outdoor beauty and excitement of New Zealand with numerous hiking, cycling and activity options. There are also options to take extended breaks in your favourite places. Discounts are available for holders of YHA, VIP, ISIC and NOMADs cards.</listing>
 * <listing name="InterCity Coachlines" alt="" directions="" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="http://www.intercity.co.nz/" hours="" price="">New Zealand’s national coach company, with services connecting over 600 destinations nationwide. Operates InterCity Coachlines, Newmans Coach Lines and also operates a modern fleet of vessels and coaches to operate [http://www.greatsights.co.nz/ GreatSights New Zealand], [http://dolphincruises.co.nz Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands] and [http://www.awesomenz.com/ ''awesomeNZ'']. Tickets can be purchased from the InterCity ticket counters at bus stations or i-SITE information centres and a discount is given to students or youth-hostel membership card holders (eg: BBH, YHA, Nomads, ISIC). Fares start from just $1 (plus a booking fee) on all InterCity’s national services and they’ve even been known to give away FREE seats at various times of the year. A limited number of heavily discounted “Cheap-as-Seats” for travel that week are released via the company’s facebook and twitter feeds every Monday. On-line fares are often sold at a cheaper rate.</listing>
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 ** [http://www.travelpass.co.nz/ Travelpass] - A transport pass offered by InterCity Coachlines. Brings together an extensive range of “hop on and off” fixed itinerary passes, based on the most popular touring routes throughout New Zealand. National passes include the Interislander ferry as well as a scenic boat cruise in Milford Sound. Passes are valid for 12 months.
-** [http://www.flexipass.co.nz/ Flexi-Pass] - Utilising the combined national networks of InterCity, Newmans and GreatSights, Flexi-Pass is sold in blocks of time, just like a prepaid phone card, and enables the holder to travel anywhere on the company’s network. Passes start at 15 hrs, which is enough to travel from Auckland to Wellington in the North Island. Flexi-Pass hours can also be used to travel on the  Interislander ferry [http://www.interislander.co.nz/] and on Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands Dolphin Watching cruises and tours [http://www.dolphincruises.co.nz/] to Cape Brett and the famous "Hole in the Rock". Passes can also be on sold and are valid for 12 months.
+**[http://www.flexipass.co.nz/ Flexi-Pass] - Utilising the combined national networks of InterCity, Newmans and GreatSights, Flexi-Pass is sold in blocks of time, just like a prepaid phone card, and enables the holder to travel anywhere on the company’s network. Passes start at 15 hrs, which is enough to travel from Auckland to Wellington in the North Island. Flexi-Pass hours can also be used to travel on the  Interislander ferry [http://www.interislander.co.nz/] and on Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands Dolphin Watching cruises and tours [http://www.dolphincruises.co.nz/] to Cape Brett and the famous "Hole in the Rock". Passes can also be on sold and are valid for 12 months.
-:* [http://www.flexitrips.co.nz/ flexitrips] - A simple trips based transport pass offered by InterCity Coachlines which enables the holder to travel anywhere on the company’s network and includes selected tour options with [http://awesomenz.com awesomeNZ.com]. Passes start at 5 trips with greater savings the more trips you pre purchase. Like flexi-pass, flexitrips provides options on the [http://www.interislander.co.nz/ Interislander ferry] and on Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands Dolphin Watching cruises and tours to Cape Brett and the famous "Hole in the Rock". Passes can also be sold on and are valid for 12 months.
+:*[http://www.flexitrips.co.nz/ flexitrips] - A simple trips based transport pass offered by InterCity Coachlines which enables the holder to travel anywhere on the company’s network and includes selected tour options with [http://awesomenz.com awesomeNZ.com]. Passes start at 5 trips with greater savings the more trips you pre purchase. Like flexi-pass, flexitrips provides options on the [http://www.interislander.co.nz/ Interislander ferry] and on Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands Dolphin Watching cruises and tours to Cape Brett and the famous "Hole in the Rock". Passes can also be sold on and are valid for 12 months.
 * <listing name="Naked Bus" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" url="http://nakedbus.com/" hours="" price="" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">Naked Bus can be the cheapest option for travellers who plan ahead.<br />
 Some Nakedbus services code-share with other bus companies, including Atomic.</listing>
 :*[http://nakedbus.com/nz/passport/ Nakedbuspassport] - sold in bundles of trips. Also an unlimited trip pass available (valid for 12&nbsp;mo). This pass can ''not'' be used as a commuter pass but you can get on and off when you please and bookings are required. This pass also allows purchase of selected tourist activities at discounted prices. With this pass you travel on ''naked'' buses, so you are travelling with both travellers and locals.
-* '''Southern Link''' [http://southernlink.co.nz] offer a limited South Island network.
+*[http://southernlink.co.nz Southern Link] offer a limited South Island network.
-*'''West Coast Shuttle''' [http://westcoastshuttle.co.nz] Daily transport from Greymouth to Christchurch( via Arthur's Pass) return. They provide comfortable travel at affordable prices.
+*[http://westcoastshuttle.co.nz West Coast Shuttle] Daily transport from Greymouth to Christchurch( via Arthur's Pass) return. They provide comfortable travel at affordable prices.
 ===By campervan===
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 ====Purchase and sale====
-If you want to have a extended holiday in New Zealand, and you would prefer to have your own transport it may be cheaper to buy a car or van and resell it just before leaving. If you use this method travel across Cook Strait can be expensive.  If purchasing a car for $500 or less it may be cheaper to buy and sell a car in each island separately. In addition to the usual ways to look for a car (newspapers, accommodation noticeboards, car markets etc) New Zealand's biggest on-line auction website Trademe [http://www.trademe.co.nz/] and biggest free classifieds Trade and Exchange [http://www.te.co.nz/] have many listings. You can also try the backpackers car market [http://www.backpackerscarmarket.co.nz/] where there are usually people selling their cars off cheaply or a buyback deal from campervans new zealand [http://www.campervansnewzealand.co.nz/]. Car auctions can also be a suitable option if you are looking to buy a car. Turner's Auctions [http://www.turners.co.nz/] have regular auctions and are in larger cities. Look out for "Repo" auctions, where the cars being sold are as a result of repossession. Should any previous ownership problems have existed, these will have been resolved before auction commences.
+If you want to have a extended holiday in New Zealand, and you would prefer to have your own transport it may be cheaper to buy a car or van and resell it just before leaving. If you use this method travel across Cook Strait can be expensive.  If purchasing a car for $500 or less it may be cheaper to buy and sell a car in each island separately. In addition to the usual ways to look for a car (newspapers, accommodation noticeboards, car markets etc) New Zealand's biggest on-line auction website Trademe [http://www.trademe.co.nz/] and biggest free classifieds Trade and Exchange [http://www.te.co.nz/] have many listings. You can also try the backpackers car market [http://www.backpackerscarmarket.co.nz/] where there are usually people selling their cars off cheaply. Car auctions can also be a suitable option if you are looking to buy a car. Turner's Auctions [http://www.turners.co.nz/] have regular auctions and are in larger cities. Look out for "Repo" auctions, where the cars being sold are as a result of repossession. Should any previous ownership problems have existed, these will have been resolved before auction commences.
 The following things need to be checked in order to safely purchase a vehicle in New Zealand:
@@ Line 502: / Line 500: @@
 * '''chicks''' - girls.
-* '''Choice!''' - Well done, Good job.
+* '''Choice!''' - Cool, great.
 * '''Chur''' - Thanks or Choice. Sometimes used as Chur Chur, which can also mean Christchurch.