KEY POINTS:
Aucklanders are the only city-dwellers who rate watching TV as a top leisure activity.
A quarter of the people living in the City of Sails spend their spare time sitting in front of the box, making it the third favourite pastime, according to the Quality of Life project.
And they can't complain there's nothing else to do. Three-quarters of Aucklanders say there is a good arts and culture scene and nine out of 10 boast of easy access to a park.
People living in 10 cities picked sports and physical activity as their most frequent pastime.
In sports-mad Christchurch, 53 per cent said it was their top way of whiling away the hours.
Kelvyn Eglinton, the director of sport strategy for the region, said it did not mean Aucklanders were lazy and neither should they be embarrassed by their South Island counterparts.
"We are the second most active nation in the world behind Finland but the challenge for Auckland is creating a city where it's easy to get to sporting activities, amid the rapid growth."
There was plenty of provision for it, but the dense apartment dwelling meant travelling around to activities was more difficult, Mr Eglinton said.
The survey asked residents to pick their three top leisure activities.
Overall, sports was the most popular, with a third of people picking it. Socialising and eating out came second with 28 per cent and reading third with 24 per cent.
Only those in Auckland and Waitakere said they enjoyed socialising with friends in cafes and bars as the top activity. In both cities, sports came second.
Nationally, 73 per cent of people said they were satisfied with their leisure time.
Despite their tendency to stare at a screen, Aucklanders were just below average with 71 per cent either "very satisfied" or "satisfied".
