I have spent more than 1,000 hours playing Cities Skylines, which is a fairly challenging game about city planning. The best city I’ve made so far is called Waiheke, an island paradise inspired by places like Hong Kong and Singapore. Waiheke’s public transit covers the majority of the island, and traffic flows smoothly everywhere. Tourists flock to the island’s wide beaches, numerous nature reserves, and renowned urban parks. If I could live anywhere it’d be here.
The heart of downtown Waiheke is a large urban park known as “The Hub”.
Waiheke Island has a secondary urban center in an isolated valley called Back Bowl.
The main island from the southeast. Anderson International Airport is barely visible on the right. The Hub and Waiheke Beach are near center frame.
Waiheke Institute of Techology sits on a high hilltop above The Hub.
Many professors live in Point Winnians, a cozy commuter town on the north shore.
Waiheke’s uptown district sits on Sunset Hill to the north of The Hub. Sunset Hill has the island’s highest population density, and many apartments feature panoramic views of both coasts as well as the city center.
A panoramic view of the island from the northeast. Back Bowl is in the foreground. The Hub is at upper left, and the secluded Armok Valley stretches across the frame from left to right behind the island’s main dividing ridgeline.