A little while ago I traveled up to Auckland on business and to so do some recon work for a future holiday for the family. Now being a New Zealander, I knew a fair bit about the biggest city in New Zealand. But felt that alot of overseas travelers could get confused with our quaint little city and not get to see it's great beauty. With this in mind and having the in-laws flying over, I decided to put together a little travelers guide to explain it layout, a bit of our culture and some great spots to visit.

First off, my mother-in-law was scheduled to arrive late and didn't want to inconvenience us by having to wait at the Auckland international Airport. What a lovely lady. So I did some investigation at spoke to a couple of my seasoned traveler friends. Their suggestions were condensed into the following.

1. Don't skint on accommodation and check out the "extras". Their arguments were sounds, as the cheaper the hotel, the cheaper the service. These lads had tried to save pennies at one time or another and found that using the cheaper hotels would constantly result in missed wake-up calls, noisy rooms, dirty bathrooms and overall poor service. Alot of people who choose to stay in an Auckland airport hotel, tend to do so because they have an early morning flight or a late arrival. So no one wants to be waiting an hour for the hotel shuttle at 3am in the morning (because they forgot about you) or miss an early morning flight because the wake-up call didn't come.
2. The second suggestion really struck a cord with the mother in law. "Watch the extras". She was planning on us picking her up early the next morning, so the free breakfast on offer by most the hotels wasn't needed. She found she could go without the meal and stay at a better hotel, for the $30 NZD difference.

Lastly I think the "Last Minute" accommodation providers offer a good deal if you're traveling within the next 30-60 days. Plus they tend to show a wide range of options in the area. So I'll thank the mother-in-law for that one.

It's also worth noting for the business travelers that booking a hotel close to the Auckland Airport is worth looking at. If you plan to be in and out in a day or two, you wont get caught late for your plan because of the afternoon Auckland traffic jams.

Now when you get to Auckland and you plan to stay a few days, it's worth looking at the 4 and 5 star hotels. I've found that the New Zealand market has excellent value for money when it comes to hotel accommodation. We don't have the large volume of travelers and there is a fair number of hotels around the city. So a 5 star room for under $200NZD is not unheard of. Again try the last minute sites or call the hotels direct for specials. Unless there is a game of Rugby in town, then there is generally plenty of availability.

Some Useful Links

www.aucklandairport.co.nz
This site lists alot of material for travelers into and out of Auckland. Useful information like flight arrival and departure times, transport options, taxes and surcharges.

www.airbus.co.nz
Auckland international to Domestic transfer information. Plus cost and timetable for their Auckland airport to Auckland city transfer service.

www.shortrates.co.nz
Their page www.shortrates.com/hotels/new-zealand-north-island-auckland-airport-hotels.aspx has alot of info on transfer, taxes and the hotels and motels in the area.