| North Shore, New Zealand |
Article Index for North Shore |
Website Links For North Shore |
Information AboutNorth Shore, New Zealand |
|
North Shore City (usually informally just the '''North Shore''', or sometimes '''The Shore''' or '''North Harbour''') in New Zealand is one of several officially recognized cities in the Auckland metropolitan area, and the fourth largest City by area in the country. Although the Auckland conurbation is usually thought of as being a single ''city'' by its citizens, North Shore residents are the least likely to accept this. North Shore is bounded by the Waitemata Harbour to the south and the Rangitoto Channel of the Hauraki Gulf to the east. The Auckland Harbour Bridge connects it to Auckland City on the south side of the Waitemata Harbour. Devonport is home to the main base of the Royal New Zealand Navy and Albany is home to Massey University 's Auckland campus.
The East Coast Bays boasts some of the most expensive real estate in New Zealand. Running North from Takapuna Beach to Milford, the stretch of coast is often referred to as "the million dollar mile" and many properties there have sold for several million dollars (NZ$) particularly because of the fine beaches, popular schools and shopping centres. Commuting within the North Shore itself can be done relatively easily, but those who commute to Auckland City and need to cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge face severe traffic congestion. The alternative route through western suburbs is also prone to nose-to-tail traffic at peak times. As with the greater Auckland area, there has been much discussion regarding the problem at both national and local government levels, but very little concrete action. Public transport has been upgraded in an attempt to counter this. New designated bus lanes along the Northern Motorway are being constructed; as were new park and ride facilities in Albany and Constellation Drive which were completed in late 2005. The North Shore City Council intends to increase the number of these facilities with Westlake, Sunnynook and Akoranga park and rides by 2008 . Critics however expect these to make little difference to congestion levels. The last five years have seen tremendous growth in the Albany area. This once quiet rural suburb has become the commercial centre of the North Shore. A number of retailers have built "super stores" in the area, anticipating ongoing commercial growth and expansion. The area has also experienced the construction of intense cheaper housing, and thousands of acres of farmland has been turned into mini-suburbs comprising hundreds of houses all of a similar design. As such, the Albany area has attracted hundreds of millions of investment dollars. Residential development on the North Shore continues to rapidly Sprawl northwards. The township of Orewa and the Whangaparaoa Peninsula , 25 kilometres north of Takapuna, was once something of a holiday resort. It is now linked by the Northern Motorway and will eventually be swallowed up in the North Shore's northward expansion. NOTABLE NORTH SHORE RESIDENTS AND EX-RESIDENTS:
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|