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Thread: Do you really need a car in Auckland?

  1. #1
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    Default Do you really need a car in Auckland?

    As part of our move, I would love to ditch the car idea and do more biking and public transportation.
    I looked up and saw plenty of bus routes etc..
    The company had mentionned something about having a rental car for 2 weeks so I think I could only assume you wouldnt be able to survive without one?

    Location for work would be East tamaki.

  2. #2
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    Yes, there are public transport routes - buses, trains and ferries https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/ - but they don't necessarily run from where you are to where you need to go! 'Auckland' covers a very large area, and there is a lot of it that lies beyond and between the 'spokes' of public transport lines. Even if you live right near a public transport route, these tend to run into the CBD, so, to go other places, which you may well wish to do for your leisure activities, chosen shopping when you get waywise, etc., it's much easier to have a car to enable you to go 'across'.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mariem84 View Post
    Do you really need a car in Auckland?
    Yes.

    Auckland is very spread-out. You could probably get to work by bike/ public transport, but you wouldn't be able to, for example, go and explore the west coast beaches like Piha, without a car. You could SURVIVE without a car, but you wouldn't be able to really enjoy what the Auckland area has to offer.

  4. #4
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    Maybe, you need a car!

    I didn't have a car for two and half years . But, I live in the city/cbd/Auckland central and our works are only a few blocks away..

    Auckland roads are very busy!

    And the public transport is not as good as we would like.... there are plenty of bus stops and train stations... but during the weekends the services are not to frequent, maybe 1 bus each hour!

    Going to the supermarket was a PROCESS! and going to the beach or visiting a new please was very difficult! what could take 15 minutes in your car, could take 1 hour by bus

    you can survive as we did for sometime... but at the end having a car allows you to see more and do more over the weekends!

    I would said... a car is not a necessity but it helps you!


  5. #5
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    Thank you so much I think this helps a lot.

  6. #6
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    Just reflecting what others mentioned...

    Places are far apart to each other, getting around by public transport is going to take longer than expected. If you live very close to work and only goes to a near by shop, then car may not be needed, but you will be limited with travel options for site seeing, etc.

    Shopping, buying things from supermarkets definitely need a car according to me. Weather is the main factor to consider. It changes rapidly.
    You cannot bike in cold winter or thunderstorm and rain.
    Having a car gives you freedom, and be stress free, and makes u independent.

    I once tried public transport from air port to Henderson which took me 3 + hours with bus and train, may be because its first .. not sure.
    In car that wouild be only 40 mins max.

  7. #7
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    Public transport is improving here. But improving isn't the same as good or great. When I lived in St Mary's Bay and worked in Grafton, the bus was great. Moving out to New Windsor and then it was 700m to the nearest bus stop or 1.4km to the nearest train station. After a couple of months I broke down and bought a car. But I'm old and fat

  8. #8
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    Another thought about getting around on bikes - what is reasonable for transporting you (rather than for the physical exercise/sport) would depend very much on where you would be doing your commute, or shopping trip. Some areas of Auckland have extremely steep gradients. Bear in mind that NZ is in effect a mountain range - imagine the Alps planted on the ocean floor, with only the very tops of the peaks sticking out into the air, so NZ's mountain tops aren't that high above sea level, but they share a lot of the shapes and nature of high Alpine peaks and pastures. Parts of Auckland have residential buildings along the side of streets let into the side of gorges, so that down on one side of the road, the house roofs are on a level with the roadway, and on the other, up a STEEP driveway, the front entrance is whole house height ABOVE the level of the roadway.

  9. #9
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    Nov 2017
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    Quote Originally Posted by farfaraway View Post
    You cannot bike in cold winter or thunderstorm and rain.
    Having a car gives you freedom, and be stress free, and makes u independent.
    To each their own, but last year I was using the bike in -6 weather and I frequently use it in the rain and even occasional snow for my commute. On the other hand, I find using the car for commuting to be supremely irritating, however, in NZ the traffic is much less than in much of Europe and as was mentioned, the distances often farther. But, I think it would be very reasonable for someone even of average fitness to make trips less than 15km with the bike. Get a comfortable bike with some tall gears if you have to do big climbs. I even do shopping runs--I've got four bags on the bike that can hold a combined total of 140L. Also e-bikes have become very popular in Germany which makes cycling longer distances and tougher grades attainable for many more people...I know they've made their way to NZ, but not sure what the prices are like. Last year I met a lovely 70 year old man who'd ridden from Cape Reinga to the Bluff on one. Maybe something to look into.

    In my limited experience so far, I have noticed, however, that Kiwi drivers aren't so patient with cyclists (though probably similar to German drivers--neither of which are anywhere near as polite as most UK drivers!) So you'll definitely need to be on your defensive when you're out there.

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