Auckland's universities are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new buildings, transforming not only their campuses but the shape of the city they serve.

Queen Street turned into a Golden mile today for athletes to test out their best times and the best outfits for the race.

Ali McIntosh is surrounded by beautiful objects at home and at work.

As they did on the afternoon of March 17, tens of thousands of Aucklanders take to Facebook and Twitter to express their amazement that their seemingly quake-free city has had a rumble.

In the months ahead Aucklanders can sample the city's vibrant cultures, writes Alexia Santamaria.

A developer has paid $2.41 million for a five-bedroom family home in Epsom, with plans to knock it down and build two new townhouses.

Police are baffled by the discovery of a box of expensive-looking silver cutlery and kitchenware found hidden in the bushes at an Auckland cemetery.

In a bid to cut down unnecessary hospital admissions, five Auckland organisations have set up a temporary 'safe house' for out-of-control revellers.

Aucklanders are now able to go online and discover how their own home and neighbourhoods are affected by the new masterplan, writes Brian Rudman.

As a giant tunnelling machine is packed into 20 shipping containers in China, ready to build Auckland's $1.4 billion Waterview link, a major upgrade is starting on the adjacent Northwestern Motorway.

Auckland councillors will today vote on whether to pursue the Government's offer to hand over waterfront venue The Cloud and its share in Queens Wharf.

The Auckland Council says it will not tolerate people eeling in public parks after an eel trap was recently found at Western Springs.

Echoing demands from Prime Minister John Key that Auckland Council free up farmland for housing development, Dr Smith is vowing "to break through the stranglehold that the existing Metropolitan Urban Limit has on land supplies".

Developers could receive ratepayer subsidies to build $1 million-plus apartments at a swanky housing development at Wynyard Quarter on the Auckland waterfront.

Just go see this. French pyrotechnical wizards Groupe F offer a superlative, splendiferous, explosive extravaganza. Artistic director Christophe Berthonneau and his team, and Red Leap Theatre, are to be congratulated.

Auckland's Southern Motorway has reopened all four southbound lanes after a serious crash this afternoon, but gridlocked traffic will still take some time to clear.

Walking tours - especially those guided by a remote, apparently all-seeing, all-knowing central HQ - are full of tantalising possibilities: where will I be going? How will I know how to get there?

A block of state housing land for sale in Sandringham is ripe for a townhouse development that could net a developer $28 million, a property expert has predicted.