I

t is a refrain heard, doubtlessly, numerous times when reflecting on New Zealand and what it has to offer — an acquaintance tells of how New Zealand is “one of the best kept secrets in the world.” This person is a native of Auckland and so should know what he is talking about. Potentially, though, that expression ‘a native of Auckland’ could be controversial but in this case it is less so.

The acquaintance is of British colonial descent and so, it might be argued, he is not a true native of Auckland. The area that has become modern-day Auckland was first settled, so we are told by the historians of the area, by the Maori people in the 14th century. Auckland is, though, a city that evidently appreciates, respects and so too honors those Maori founders.

Throughout the city place names reflect Maori origins and significant cultural centers highlight and to some considerable extent offer up an archival and remarkable record of the earliest people to settle in this area. Take, for example, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki — this significantly houses Maori art within its collections.

Perhaps the most outstanding part of the gallery may, though, be the Partridge Collection which was donated to the gallery in 1915. An Auckland businessman named Henry Partridge made a gift of the collection of paintings by Gottfried Lindauer. They are stunning portraits of Maori people. The images are almost a photographic record of traditional tribal costumes and tattoos and piercing that evidently had and have deep meaning to Maoris.

The Gallery is though a product of New Zealand’s European colonial establishment; it was built in 1888. Colonial spread to, and development through, Auckland began in the 1830s.

At that time the area’s population could have been counted in the thousands; today Auckland has a population approaching one and a half million, which is over a quarter of New Zealand’s entire population.

This means that it is a city of significance but it is not a megacity on the scale of Jakarta and others. This though makes it a more livable city. There is the downtown area which is growing up with the all too familiar steel and glass skyscrapers but Auckland does spread.

This is a product of Aucklanders generally preferring low-rise housing to high-rise accommodations.

The citizens here too show a preference towards the active and outdoor life. Harbor fronts are packed with boats of all sorts of sizes and shapes. Auckland residents are it seems keen sailors with over 120,000 vessels being registered and as a consequence the city has earned the nickname ‘City of Sails’. On a clear, blue sky day bustling harbor fronts are indeed a sight to see.

Similarly a sight to be seen around the city is its rugby grounds and pitches. Auckland residents are, then, big players and fans of rugby and this has only been added to by the recent 2011 Rugby World Cup. The fact that the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Team won the final at Auckland’s Eden Stadium in October can only have added to the fanaticism for rugby across the city.

Leisure activities are then, evidently, high up on the agenda of the citizens of Auckland. Though it is the major city in New Zealand Auckland does not have the negative feel of a hustling and bustling metropolis that could prove overly stressful for its populace. It is consistently voted high up on listings of cities that achieve high living standards for its residents.

As such, in the past few decades Auckland has seen noticeable growth in immigration from Asia and other Non-European nations. People are attracted to the opportunities that this modest yet growing city offers and the stability it enjoys in political and economic terms. And so it seems “the best kept secret” tagline may not be so accurate anymore.

If you plan to go to Auckland, Malaysia Airlines is ready to take you there. The airlines flies from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland six times a week. Malaysia Airlines flies between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta 40 times a week, Denpasar 21 times a week, Medan 12 times a week and Surabaya seven times a week.

To facilitate ease of travel for passengers, Malaysia Airlines provides a 24 our reservation service center. The service center contact number is 021-5229690.

For further information go to www.malaysiaairlines.com, or you contact your travel agent.