Accomodation in Auckland

In Auckland there are lots of backpacker hostels. For the price they charge you also can get private accommodation if you are lucky, but Auckland is overcrowded, at least at summertime from November to March.

Well, we found a double room for 78 Nz-Dollars a night in a backpacker hostel. We booked it because the place was very central. When we entered the hostel we asked ourselves immediately why hostels must be like this: old, rotten, very used, no new paintings, simply ugly.

 Some plants or curtains that are not torn would make the hostel nicer. The plastic sofas in the entrance hall were all ripped open. The staff tried to keep the hostel clean and I think also the guests did their best leaving the place tidy after using (the kitchen, for example).

Why is it not possible to create a nice cosy place for students with low budget? The students try to safe their money by eating only bread and marmalade and cannot afford staying in one of the expensive hotels here in Auckland.
The backpacker hotel also charges fees for internet, 1 Nz-Dollar an hour, although Auckland offers on some places free internet access for 1 MB a day ( public library for example). We think this is a main reason because the library is haunted by students, tourists and people of all age.
To stay longer in Auckland means you need to hire an apartment or to share it with students. Also something expensive. There are links like

Trade me and easyroom are two of the most popular where you can find flats to share with other students, mostly with extra costs of electricity, water and internet access. If you do not want to pay the high prices in the center, you must pay a bus ticket, monthly ticket 200 Nz-Dollars for zone A and B ( new prices starting on February 28th). These two zones include airport and nearly all districts, bus and train.

Nightmarket in Auckland

This post talks about Nightmarkets in Auckland city, especially the one in Pakuranga, we visited it on February 6th.

Pakuranga is located in southeast Auckland close to Chinatown, the place is full of Asians.

Nightmarkets you find at shopping centers, here you can find more details: http://aucklandnightmarkets.co.nz/ 

In Pakuranga mainly asian food is served, but you also can find artists ( dancers, see picture) or musicians, manicure, masseurs and a lot of stuff you might need to feel happy in your life :)

One of the food we tried was grilled spicy squid on a stick. It actually looked better than it tasted, maybe overcooked and too hard, we also tried fried fish and Chinese mushrooms. the food was not exciting but we loved the experience of being at a nightmarket in the middle of mixed Auckland population.

shopping and eating in Auckland

The great plus of Auckland: you get international kitchen. The prices vary, but Auckland is generally not cheap.

Asian kitchen you find everywhere, especially sushi. Asian kitchen mainly is served in chinese, corean, indian, malaysian, japanese restaurants or small to smallest shops.

You also find hamburgers everywhere, fast food chains as Mac Donalds, Burgerking, Wendy´s, Kentucky fried chicken, Subway´s...

Bakery, pizza and kebap shops are run by people all over the world. You might get a pizza that does not taste as a pizza because the cook is an indian :) 

Botany shopping center

Everywhere you find shopping centers, some look like parks as you can see at the picture (Botany). The area is well organized, you have a lot of parking space, banks to sit and rest, protected walkways. Well kept public toilets and a clean area, no rubbish on the floor, is another big plus.
Nevertheless the shopping areas are planned for customers with their own car. To cross the street to go from one supermarket to the other is not always safe for pedestrians or there are few possibilities to reach your goal without a car.
There are nearly no possibilities to park a bike.
But at least: you can reach most of the big shopping centers by public transport.

Botany shopping center

The shopping centers do not really distinguish from one another. You find the same types of shops in every shopping center. So there is no really need going to a special one.
The prices for all kinds of goods vary from shop to the other and there are special offers for all type of goods. Sometimes you get better prices outside the big shopping centers as grocery in asian supermarkets.

Studieren in Auckland

Studieren in Neuseeland / Auckland

On February 22nd 2016 a Chinese student, 16 years old, jumped out of the window to kill himself. Everybody was shocked and a lot of police entered the school to find out what had happened.
We do not know what really was the reason for the young one to feel that bad that he decided to dy.
We only found out, that New Zealand advertise for foreign students, promising them the possibility to work 20 hours a week with their work visa, that means to finance their studies here. What about students who believe that ( as we have done, too), and come with their last money, hoping to make a living here as long as they study? Well, you have to show a certain amount of money before you enter. But the prices here are very high, especially for South Americans. We saw many students living in the cheapest hostels only on bread with marmalade. 

What happens if somebody tells you he ran out of money? He does not know where to stay and what to eat? Would you believe him? Would you give him money? Or would you just say: times will change, believe in you ... and things like that. Well, I think I would. I might not believe him. How to find out his real needs?

Auckland

Wer möchte nicht gerne Englisch in einem englischsprachigen Land lernen und sich locker das Studium nebenbei verdienen? 

Neuseeland wirbt damit, dass ein Student, der sich in einer der unzähligen Sprachschulen einschreibt, nebenbei 20 Stunden legal arbeiten und somit sein Studium finanzieren kann. Klingt vielversprechend, nur ist das scheinbar ein Werbetrick.

Man kann Arbeit finden, wenn man ein Paket im Heimatland kauft, das die Gebühren für die Sprachschule beinhaltet, meist auch eine Unterkunft und eine Arbeit (Fenster putzen,...). Der Nachteil ist nur, dass diese Pakete wirklich teuer sind. Arbeitssuche in Auckland ist tricky, weil

• man ein Bankkonto eröffnen muss, um eine IRD- Nummer zu erhalten, mit der man arbeiten kann. Die meisten Arbeitgeber fragen zuerst nach dieser Nummer und nicht nach Befähigung.
• Auckland von arbeitswilligen Studenten überrannt ist
• viele der angebotenen Arbeiten ganztags sind und daher nicht mit dem Studium vereinbar
• oder halbtags, aber man muss immer zur Verfügung stehen, weil Schichtarbeit, was ebenfalls mit einem Studium nicht machbar ist.
• Arbeiten wie Erdbeeren pflücken und Schaf scheren zu weit von der Stadt entfernt sind und daher nicht neben dem Studium machbar sind
• viele Arbeitgeber eine Mindestzeit von einigen Monaten oder einem Jahr vorgeben, wenn man sich bewerben will.

Als Tourist hätte man zwar Zeit, aber ohne Arbeitsgenehmigung gibt es auch keine Arbeit. Nur Spezialisten (Computerfachmann, ..) haben die Chance, einen Arbeitgeber zu finden, der bereit ist, ihn anzustellen, denn mit dieser Genehmigung kann man von einem Touristenvisum auf ein Arbeitsvisum wechseln.

Viele Schulen verwenden nicht zeitgemäßes Arbeitsmaterial und sind dazu angehalten, dass die Schüler regelmäßig zum Unterricht kommen. Wenn nicht, droht Visaentzug.

Manche Schulen gehen so weit, dass sie den Studenten als fehlend melden, wenn er 5 Minuten zu spät zum Unterricht kommt.

Unterkünfte für Studenten sind sehr teuer und werden wöchentlich abgerechnet, man muss mindestens mit 200 Neuseeland Dollar pro Woche in einer Wohngemeinschaft rechnen. 

Essen ist relativ teuer, aber man kann sich von Sushi ernähren, das es fast an jeder Straßenecke gibt.

Öffentlicher Transport ist teuer, auch mit Studentenermäßigung, die erst dann in Kraft tritt, wenn man mindestens 20 Wochen in Neuseeland einen Studienplatz bezahlt hat. Wenn man wirklich beweglich sein will, muss man ein Auto kaufen oder mieten, denn der öffentliche Transport steckt wahrlich noch in den Kinderschuhen.

Auckland

Unterhaltungsprogramm ist gut, gleich am Flughafen und auch in der Innenstadt gibt es viele Broschüren mit Stadtplan gratis, die für verschiedene Events, Shops und Restaurants werben. Für aktuelles Programm siehe Link:

http://www.eventfinda.co.nz/

und ein besonderes Plus: gepflegte WC - Anlagen gratis zu benützen ( sollte sich auch in anderen Ländern durchsetzen :)

WC-Anlage in Papatoetoe