Living in Auckland

I've been warned on how it is living in Auckland: the horrendous traffic, outrageous housing prices, water is not free, rude people on and off the road---that it's a rat race.  After living for nearly 9 blissful years in Hamilton, I had to relocate to the biggest city in Aotearoa New Zealand because of work commitments.  And it has been such an eye-opener, well just a little bit.  Having spent most of my adult life in Metro Manila, Philippines (population 12-million plus), this big city doesn't seem daunting.  The traffic is quite heavy but manageable.  And I've began to discover small and simple things to do while in traffic.