Welcome to Auckland! Below is information that you may need during the semester including details on what to do when you are sick, how to get around and other important information while abroad.
IMPORTANT: Please ensure that you keep the TEAN contact info on you at all times in case of emergency.
ANZ, BNZ, Westpac, ASB and Kiwibank are the major banks in New Zealand. We advise talking to your U.S. bank and checking whether they have any relationship with any of the NZ banks mentioned above. A few past students have advised that Westpac is compatible with their bank back home and so they didn’t get charged the usual fees associated with international banking and withdrawals. You could also look at using a travel card or opening a New Zealand bank account. The universities tend to have a local bank on campus, so it’s easy to meet with a branch assistant and open an account there.
For most health services you are covered by the Student Safe insurance policy. When accessing health services outside of the university campus, you will need to pay upfront for the cost of an appointment and fill out a claim to get your money back later. Make sure you keep all receipts for the insurance claim process. Check with a service team member on where to get these forms and familiarise yourself with what your Student Safe insurance covers.
Health and Counselling
Phone: (09) 921 9992
Email: locumhcw@aut.ac.nz
International Student Support
Phone: (09) 921 9779 or 0800 288 864
Health and Counselling
Phone: (09) 923 7681
Email: uhsinfo@auckland.ac.nz
International Student Information Centre
Phone: (09) 373 7513
Email: int-questions@auckland.ac.nz
Whitecross Ascot
90 Greenlane Road East
Phone: 09 520 9555
Hours: Open 24 hours. You don’t need to make an appointment before you go.
Whitecross Ponsonby
202 Ponsonby Road
Phone: 09 376 5555
Hours: 7:30am – 8 pm
New Zealand pharmacies stock vitamins, make up and over-the-counter prescription medicines. New Zealand tends to have less variety in pharmaceutical brands than the U.S., so it’s worth giving them a call first if there’s something in particular you’re looking for. For example, Benadryl does not refer to allergy medicine in New Zealand. If you have any questions, the pharmacy staff are very helpful and can walk you through the options on offer.
UoA Campus Pharmacy
University Of Auckland – Student Commons Building Level 1/9 Symonds St
Open 8am – 6pm Monday – Thursday
Open 8am – 5.30pm Friday
Closed Saturday and Sunday
Unichem Pharmacy
280 Queen St
Open 8am – 7pm Monday – Friday
10am – 5pm Saturday
11am – 5pm Sunday
Life Pharmacy
101 Queen St
Open 8am – 7pm Monday – Sunday
Radius Pharmacy
7 Queen St
Open 8am – 6pm Monday – Friday
10am – 6pm Saturday
10am – 5pm Sunday
Quay Street Pharmacy
76 Quay Street
Open 9am – 9pm Monday – Sunday
If you’re not certain if you need professional medical attention, then use the free national advice service Heatlhline. It’s free to call and the trained nurses will advise you on what treatment is in your best interest. You can call Healthline on 0800 611 116, 24/7.
The Auckland Transport ‘AT HOP’ card is the best way to use bus, ferry or train services in Auckland. It operates a hop on, hop off system, which means you need to remember to tap off when you finish your journey! HOP cards can be purchased at both AUT and the University of Auckland, as well as the Britomart Central Station. Students qualify for a discounted concession, which can be arranged through the transport offices on presentation of your student ID card. The cost is $10 for the card and then you top it up with credit. You should register your Hop Card in case it gets lost so that AT can replace it as well as the credit.
AT (Auckland Transport) collectively oversees almost all public transport in Auckland. There are a range of bus lines operating in Auckland but some of the most useful ones are the Outer, Inner and City Link buses. These are color coded as orange, green and red respectively. They all go in loops of different sizes around Auckland and can usually take you anywhere you’ll want to go in central Auckland.
AT online offers a journey planner for public transport systems in Central and Greater Auckland. Check out AT online to get your adventure rolling.
The journey planner is an awesome tool for navigating timetables, bus routes and calculating fares. You just type in where you need to go and when you want to be there; the planner does the hard work for you.
You can reach many parts of Auckland via train, including the very popular Mt Eden summit and All Blacks games at Eden Park. The trains are electric, clean and nice to ride. There is extensive work going on in the CBD to add an underground link to the existing line.
Auckland is a coastal city with thousands of residents taking ferries to the CBD for work each day. There are ferries to the North Shore village of Devonport, as well as to some of Auckland’s most famous islands, including Rangitoto, Tiri Matangi and Waiheke Island. When travelling to these islands, it’s important to look at the ferry timetables to ensure you don’t miss the last ferry of the day if you planning to return to Auckland!
NakedBus and Intercity are the main public transport companies that travel around the country. For touring bus options, check out Stray Travel and Kiwi Experience. These companies offer a ‘get on, get off’ service that extensively travels both islands and are a great way to meet other young travellers.
Air New Zealand is the national airline and has a good reputation for customer service and quality. For this reason it’s the more expensive airline option.
For last minute Air NZ deals, GRAB-A-SEAT is your cheapest resource when it comes to booking flights online. Sign up for the e-mail notifications as great deals get posted everyday and they often sell out fast! When booking online, tickets are sold as one-way, so this gives you plenty of flexibility to choose fares with the cheapest price and fit your schedule.
If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, check out Jetstar. Be aware that Jetstar is a little less reliable when it comes to going through with flights, and they are known for last minute cancellations. If you’re on a budget, and your plans are flexible, they are still a good choice however.
An iSite, or Information Centre, is a great resource for travellers and are found in pretty much every town/city in NZ. Staff can help with locating and booking activities in the local area. They have dedicated staff on site to help you organize your activities and are an excellent opportunity to gain local insight in an unfamiliar place.
Instead of carrying around your passport as legal identification in NZ, we suggest you apply for an 18+ Kiwi Access Card. The university will also suggest this during their orientation and will have forms available for distribution. Your U.S. driver’s licence is not accepted in NZ as a legal ID. The 18+ card application forms can be downloaded from here and we encourage you to do this early, as the processing time is about two weeks.
Before applying you’ll need to prepare the following:
Colour City at 280 Queen Street can process passport photos. They’re open Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5.30am and Saturday 10am – 4pm
New World
Generally New World is more expensive than other stores but offers greater variety and has better quality stock. The closest New World Metro is located on lower Queen Street but isn’t as convenient as other supermarket chains for students staying at AUT or UoA accommodation.
Countdown
Similar to New World but with the bonus of online shopping and door-to-door delivery (typically $12AUD). Save this option for bigger shops or split the extra charge with your flatmates! The Metro Countdown on Victoria Street is the most convenient for students staying at AUT’s WSA housing complex and is about a 10-minute walk. If you’re a UoA student staying at Carlaw Park accommodation, the Countdown located on Quay Street (pronounced ‘key’) is closest at around a 20-minute walk. Most students use a backpack to carry their grocery items back to the university apartments.
Pak ‘n Save
No frills and the cheapest of the supermarkets, this franchise is ideal for larger shopping trips. That said, the closest is in the suburb of Mt Albert, so you’ll have to catch a ride with your mates or get on a bus. The buses traveling along New North Road (Go West, Metrolink) numbers 221, 222 and 210 will take you there and it is roughly a 40-minute bus ride from the CBD. For AUT students staying at WSA, there is a van which can take students to Pak ‘n Save on weekends.
Tai Ping Trading Company
This is an Asian supermarket on Beach Road about a 10-minute walk from UoA student accommodation at Carlaw Park. It’s the cheapest supermarket you will find but may not offer all foodstuffs you’re looking for.
Four Square and Dairies
These are corner or convenience stores and you’ll find them scattered across the city. They only stock the necessities and you’ll also find the cost of food there more expensive, but they’re great for last minute milk, eggs and bread.
Farmer’s markets are the cheapest and freshest way to stock up on vegetables. Better yet, as you’re supporting local farming initiatives, you are putting money back in the community and reducing your carbon footprint by cutting down on food miles.
The City Farmer’s Market
Saturday from 8am – 12:30pm
Held every Saturday rain or shine on Gore Street, this market offers a bounty of local and seasonal produce from the Auckland region. You’ll find fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, herbs and meat. You’ll also run into artisan breads, cheeses, pastries and much more.
Parnell Farmer’s Market
Saturday 8am – 12pm
This market is held at 545 Parnell Road and is similar to the City Market. Here you can bump into friends, have a coffee and stock up on fruit, vegetables, meat, flowers, delectable bakery items and deli produce every weekend!
La Cigale French Market
Saturday 8am – 1:30pm and Sunday 9am – 1:30pm
Voted Auckland’s Best Food Market by Metro Magazine for the last eight years, La Cigale is inspired by the wonderful food markets found in France. It’s located at 69 St Georges Bay Road and you’ll find an amazing selection of top quality products from both New Zealand and overseas artisan producers and growers. You can buy fresh organic produce in abundance, breads and pastries hot from the oven, French cheeses, export-quality meats, fish, smoked Akaroa salmon, healthy salads, flowers and orchids, Italian pasta, salamis and sausages, award-winning Italian style cheeses, extra virgin olive oils, manuka honey, pâtés and terrines, jams and chutneys, and loads more. And, as in any French Market, the aromas of roasting chickens in the rotisserie and paella cooking will waft through the air.
When you are looking for items like homewares, bedding and other miscellaneous items. All three are chains so you’re likely to see them scattered across the country.
The Warehouse
The Warehouse is New Zealand’s equivalent to Target or Walmart but has less variety. The closest to the CBD is at 21 Elliott Street.
Briscoes
Briscoes is similar to The Warehouse but caters more extensively to homeware. It’s slightly better quality and therefore a little more expensive. The closest to the CBD is located at 36 Taylors Road, Sandringham, which is a 20-minute bus ride from the CBD.
Kmart
You may be familiar with this one! In New Zealand Kmart has better range than The Warehouse and is just as cheap if not cheaper. Many students have found themselves on what can only be described as a ‘Kmart binge’ as it’s easy to buy far more than you really need every time you go there. The closest is at St Lukes Westfield Mall and takes around a 20-minute bus ride to get there from the CBD.
TEAN New Zealand students live in university managed housing in either a hall of residence, apartment or flat. Each housing type normally has a senior uni student living there as a residential assistant or Kiwi-host to provide a support and liaison function.
As you are living in a shared accommodation, it is important to be mindful of your behavior and impact on others in terms of noise and social gatherings, and to be respectful of shared household rules and responsibility for kitchen and bathroom cleanliness.
A housing bond is paid to the university (this is the $350 you already paid to TEAN). You can request the refund from TEAN at the end of the semester. It will be returned if your room and common living areas are left in a clean and tidy condition with no reported damages.
University of Auckland
Accommodations Solutions
Kate Edger Student Commons Building
Level 3, Room 393, 2 Alfred Street
Phone: (09) 373 7599 ext. 87691 or 0800 864 467
AUT University
Wellesley Student Apartments
8 Mount Street
Phone: (09) 921 9478 or 0800 288 972 (Duty Staff at WSA)
Email: residential.services@aut.ac.nz
Emergency Services: If you’re in an accident or need urgent medical attention, call 111
You will be asked to choose from our ambulance, fire or police services. The person on the other line will walk you through what you need to ask for if you’re not sure.
TEAN’s Regional Resident Assistants are available to help if anything goes amiss. If you need advice or you simply want to talk, feel feel to give them a ring!
Shivani Rajan: Auckland : 022 390 6356
Josh Horrell : Auckland : 027 529 3232
Rachel Fenton : NZ Director, based in Auckland : 021 031 4248
Dianne Fountaine-Cody : Palmy : 021 063 6921
On Lee Lau : Dunedin : 021 353 998
Geoff Ockwell: Dunedin: 020 414 89279
Allison Ferris: Christchurch : 022 045 2151
Ashley Stewart: Wellington : 027 768 7815
Sites like EventFinda, Stuff Events and Events Auckland are awesome for keeping up with what’s going on in the city. Also tune in for TEAN’s monthly newsletter, ‘What’s on’, for a sampler of events from each region.
For the latest on trendy cafes and restaurants, art and entertainment and cultural guides, Concrete Playground is good to keep an eye on.
Auckland has great venues across the city for weekly live music. It hosts both national and international performances, the biggest of which are held at Vector Arena, Studio, Galatos, The Tuning Fork and The Powerstation. For smaller local vibes check out the list below:
The Wine Cellar
183 Karangahape (K’) Road, CBD
Whammy Bar
183 Karangahape (K’) Road, CBD
Father Ted’s Original Irish Pub
1 Wellesley Street W, CBD
Neck of the Woods
155 Karangahape (K’) Road, CBD
Cassette Nine
9 Vulcan Lane, CBD
The Occidental Belgium Beer Cafe
6 Vulcan Lane, CBD
Ding Dong Lounge
26 Wyndham Street, CBD
Portland Public House
463 New North Road, Kingsland
Kiwi’s love movies and you’re spoilt for choice in Auckland.
Academy Cinemas
Auckland Public Library, Lorne Street, CBD
HOYTS Berkeley Mission Bay
85 Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay
Capitol Cinema
610 Dominion Road, Balmoral
EVENT / IMAX Cinema
291-297 Queen St
Victoria Theatre & Cinema Devonport
48 Victoria Road, Devonport
Also, for those willing to venture a little out of Auckland, the Matakana Cinema an hour and a half north of the city are worth a visit.
Auckland is cultural hub and host to highly acclaimed international and homegrown performances. For your theatre fix check out the locations below.
The Civic
Queen & Wellesley Street, CBD
Q Theatre
305 Queen Street, CBD
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre
50 Mayoral Drive, CBD
ASB Waterfront Theatre
138 Halsey Street, Wynyard Quarter
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