Rebecca Barry: Cup visitors may get a culture shock

Feel like a drive? Mission Tugetu Bay is an idyllic 30-minute crawl to the other side of Auckland in rush hour. Photo / Richard Robinson

Welcome to the Lowly Planet Guide to the Rugby World Cup 2011. We advise travellers book their flights to Auckland with someone they fancy, as New Zealand's airline is attempting to boost the country's population with the introduction of "cuddle class".

Those who opt to do their cruising on a ship, note this will allow a peek into apartment windows of Auckland's glitterati on arrival.

Be sure to check out the world-famous-in-New Zealand temporary structure at the Auckland waterfront that stands proudly where archaeological wonders of the ancient city skyline once stood up to six months ago.

Known historically as the Cargo Sheds, these big tins were treasured by the locals for the fact that they were old enough and ugly enough to have been officially termed "heritage".

In late 2010 they were bulldozed to make way for an iconic temporary structure especially for the World Cup, a koru-shaped bouncy castle inflated by hot air from local councillors.

It is here you can browse Auckland's many souvenir shops while experiencing the exotic sounds of New Zealand's equivalent to the vuvuzela: the Kiwi accent.

Auckland comes alive at night as it is usually dead during the day. Tu Meke Lager, the national drink, will be served to those staring at one of 2419 big screens at the city's glamorous Party Central, the location of which has been kept a secret in order to keep numbers at a manageable level as it is expected to pull them like flies to rot.

Party Central was not only the name of your first school social in 1993, it is a hub where you can rub shoulders with every man and his sheep in a location that New Zealanders have yet to inject with character.

Prime Minister John Key says a mass public opening ceremony to the World Cup will provide a "magnet for fans who can't be at games", however he did not specify how those carrying metal objects into the grounds would be prosecuted.

If you'd prefer a slice of local culture, try the establishments that have actually been hosting celebrations for some time, starting at the Via Duck, where revellers are forced to bob and weave in order to manouevre themselves around the 50,000 visitors who have descended upon it. Or take a leap off the Spy Tower, the best place to understand the Kiwi people by staring at them through high-powered telescopes.

Feel like a drive? Mission Tugetu Bay is an idyllic 30-minute crawl to the other side of Auckland in rush hour.

Auckland is well known for its public transport system - in fact, it is one of the city's main attractions, particularly for locals waiting for the Link bus on their way to work. And the city's dominant precinct, Queen St, is royally entertaining for fans of spreadeagled buskers and quirky Kiwi shops such as Supre, Billabong and Starbucks.

The trains are convenient, too, because you don't have to go underground to get to them. You will, however, have to go overground, which is tricky as the place is often crawling with construction cones.

These are not the only cones you're likely to encounter on your trip Downunder. The Auckland University Rugby Football Club often use tribal body paint as an effective lure to auction off charity goods. A recent fundraising luncheon featuring females with painted breasts was was done "tastefully", according to a former All Black, when challenged over whether this was appropriate.

No such outcry has erupted, however, over racy support for the rugby union's cousins, specifically the rugby league team known as the Warriors.

Rather than their cheerleaders suggesting fans "give them a 'W', the team's long-haired mascots can be found on the sidelines of any major league game, rain or shine, apparently suggesting fans give them something else, some pants perhaps, while dancing in little more than the gear you'd find yourself in had you sleepwalked into an S&M party.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of rental options for your stay in Auckland, provided you sell an organ before your departure or rent a house a pleasant three hours' drive from the rugby grounds.