11 Nov 2010

Auckland rated as city that should be a captial

10:25 am on 11 November 2010

The Lonely Planet travel guide has named Auckland in a list of 10 top cities that should be their country's capitals.

The guidebook's website says a capital should be a country's show-stopper city and names Auckland alongside New York, Rio and Sydney.

Lonely Planet says New Zealanders are jealous of Auckland's weather, fancy restaurants and cool bars, although it also recently named Wellington as one of the world's hottest cities.

Auckland mayor Len Brown says Aucklanders have no grudge about not being the capital and Wellington is the appropriate place.

Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown says tourists think Auckland is big and beautiful, but not that it should be the capital, and people in the South Island definitely would disagree.