History
Auckland was considered very desirable due to its rich and fertile land as far back as 1350 when Maori settled in the region and built villages on the peaks of dormant volcanoes. Europeans settled here in 1840 and Auckland was officially declared New Zealand's capital in 1841, but this status was short-lived and political power was transferred to Wellington 24 years later.
The Māori population in the area was estimated at about 20,000 people before the arrival of Europeans. After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840, the new Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson, chose the area as his new capital, and named it after George Eden, Earl of Auckland. However Port Nicholson (later to be known as Wellington) was seen as a better choice for an administrative capital because of its proximity to the South Island, which was being settled much more rapidly, and that city became the capital in 1865. Roads were being built towards the south into the Waikato, which enabled Pākehā (European New Zealanders) influence to spread from Auckland. Its population grew fairly rapidly, from 1,500 in 1841 to 12,423 by 1864. Trams and railway lines shaped Auckland's rapid expansion in the early first half of the 20th century, and soon afterward the dominance of the motor vehicle emerged. This allowed further massive expansion that resulted in the growth of associated urban areas such as the North Shore (especially after the construction of the Auckland Harbour Bridge), and Manukau City in the south.
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