Positive aspects of Auckland life are its mild climate, plentiful employment and educational opportunities, as well as numerous leisure facilities. Meanwhile, traffic problems, the lack of good public transport, and increasing housing costs have been cited by many Aucklanders as among the strongest negative factors of living there, together with crime.

Nonetheless, Auckland currently ranks 4th equal in a survey of the quality of life of 215 major cities of the world (2009 data). In 2006, Auckland placed 23rd on the UBS list of the world's richest cities.

Leisure

Auckland is popularly known as the "City of Sails" because the harbour is often dotted with hundreds of yachts and has more per capita than any other city in the world, with around 135,000 yachts and launches. Around 60,500 of the country's 149,900 registered yachtsmen come from the Auckland Region. Viaduct Basin also hosted two America's Cup challenges (2000 Cup and 2003 Cup), and its cafes, restaurants, and clubs add to Auckland's vibrant nightlife.

With the sheltered Waitemata Harbour at its doorstep, Auckland sees many nautical events, and there are also a large number of sailing clubs in Auckland, as well as Westhaven Marina, the largest of the Southern Hemisphere.

High Street, Queen Street, Ponsonby Road, and Karangahape Road are very popular with urban socialites. Newmarket and Parnell are up-market shopping areas, while Otara's and Avondale's fleamarkets offer a colourful alternative shopping experience. Newer shopping malls tend to be outside city centres, with Sylvia Park (Sylvia Park, Auckland City), Botany Town Centre (Howick, Manukau City) and Westfield Albany (Albany, North Shore City) being the three largest.

The Auckland Town Hall and Aotea Centre host conferences and cultural events such as theatre, kapa haka, and opera. Auckland also boasts a full-time professional symphonic ensemble in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Many national treasures are displayed at the Auckland Art Gallery, such as the work of Colin McCahon, while many other significant cultural artefacts reside at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, the National Maritime Museum, or the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT). Exotic creatures can be observed at the Auckland Zoo and Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World. Movies and rock concerts (notably, the "Big Day Out") are also well patronised.

The Waitemata Harbour has popular swimming beaches at Mission Bay, Devonport, Takapuna, and the west coast has popular surf spots such as Piha and Muriwai. Many Auckland beaches are patrolled by surf lifesaving clubs, which are part of Surf Life Saving Northern Region.

Parks and nature

Auckland Domain is one of the largest parks in the city, close to the Auckland CBD and having a good view of the Hauraki Gulf and Rangitoto Island. Smaller parks close to the city centre are Albert Park, Myers Park, Western Park and Victoria Park.

While most volcanic cones in the Auckland Volcanic Field have been affected by quarrying, many of the remaining cones are now within parks, and retain a more natural character than the surrounding city. Prehistoric earthworks and historic fortifications are in several of these parks, including Mount Eden, North Head and One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie).

Other parks around the city are in Western Springs, which has a large park bordering the MOTAT museum and the Auckland Zoo. The Auckland Botanic Gardens are further south, in Manurewa.

Ferries provide transport to parks and nature reserves at Devonport, Waiheke Island, Rangitoto Island and Tiritiri Matangi. The Waitakere Ranges Regional Park to the west of Auckland offers beautiful and relatively unspoiled bush territory, as do the Hunua Ranges to the south.

Sport

Locations
The most popular sports in Auckland are rugby union and cricket. Auckland has a considerable number of rugby union and cricket grounds, and venues for motorsports, tennis, badminton, netball, swimming, soccer, rugby league, and many other sports.

• Eden Park is the city's primary stadium and a frequent home for international rugby union and cricket matches, in addition to Super 14 matches where the Blues play their homes games.

• North Harbour Stadium is mainly used for Rugby Union and Soccer matches, but is also used for concerts.
• Mt Smart Stadium is used mainly for rugby league matches and is home to the New Zealand Warriors of the NRL, and is also used for concerts, hosting the Auckland stop of the Big Day Out music festival every January.
• ASB Tennis Centre is Auckland's primary tennis centre, hosting international tournaments for men (Heineken Open) and women (ASB Classic) in January each year.
• Vector Arena is a new multi-purpose indoor arena. It is primarily used for concerts and Netball matches.

• Trusts Stadium is where the 2007 Netball World Championships were held and is the home of the Northern Mystics of the ANZ Championship.

Main teams

• The Blues franchise is one of the most successful teams in Super Rugby history, having won three championships in the competition's history. They most recently won the title in 2003.
• Previously the Auckland Warriors, the New Zealand Warriors represent New Zealand in Australia's NRL competition. They play their home games at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland. Their most successful year came in 2002 when they finished Minor Premiers and qualified for the Grand Final.
• Auckland's first class cricket team, the Auckland Aces play the majority of their home matches at Eden Park's outer oval, where they have experienced mixed success in recent seasons.
• The Northern Mystics compete in the ANZ Championship and play their home games at Trusts Stadium.
• Auckland is home to three Air New Zealand Cup rugby teams: Auckland, North Harbour and Counties Manukau.

Major events
Popular annual sporting events include:

• The Auckland Harbour Crossing Swim swim from North Shore City to the Viaduct Basin, Auckland CBD, is a yearly summer event, covering 2.8 km (often with some considerable counter-currents) and attended by over a thousand mostly amateur competitors. It is New Zealand's largest ocean swim.
• The 'Round the Bays' fun-run, starting in the city and going 8.4 kilometres (5.2 miles) along the waterfront to the suburb of St Heliers. It attracts many tens of thousands of people and has been an annual March event since 1972.
• The Auckland Marathon (and half-marathon), an annual marathon which draws thousands of competitors.

Auckland hosted the 1950 British Empire Games and the 14th Commonwealth Games in 1990, and will host a number of matches (including the semi-final and the final) of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.