<P> The Auckland urban area ( as defined by Statistics New Zealand ) ranges to Waiwera in the north , Kumeu in the northwest , and Runciman in the south . Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf of the Pacific Ocean to the east , the low Hunua Ranges to the south - east , the Manukau Harbour to the south - west , and the Waitakere Ranges and smaller ranges to the west and north - west . The surrounding hills are covered in rainforest and the landscape is dotted with dozens of dormant volcanic cones . The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitematā Harbour on the Pacific Ocean . Auckland is one of the few cities in the world to have a harbour on each of two separate major bodies of water . </P>
what are the two harbours on either side of auckland
the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea the Waitematā Harbour on the Pacific Ocean