Thanks for all the advices. Lease seems to be the best and most economical options. Looks like we won't need to apply for a local license as my US/CDN driver's license permit me to drive in NZ for up to 12 months.

Having lived in downtown Auckland for half a year, public transportation "can" do a lot depending on where you need to go. If all your activity will be in the downtown regions, you're fine. If not, can be an issue. One thing I would warn you about is Internet access. Long term, you'll need to setup something with company like Xtra. However, normally your bandwidth is limited and can cost you a pretty penny.

Actually we'll be having very little to no activities in the downtown area. We have picked out a temporary housing in the Howick/Mellons Bay suburb and our office will be located in nearby Pakuranga. We chose these areas in the Manukau region because of its friendly & quiet pace and If I'm not mistaken, it is out of the gridlock zone of commuting traffic between downtown Auckland and the Southern suburbs. So being in this eastern suburb, we have no choice but to drive to get around.

Howick still has bad traffic due to the lack of crossings of Tamaki River and the sprawl of new suburbs around Botany Downs.

I agree, traffic in Howick/Pakuranga/Botany Downs can be quite heavy, and getting there across Tamaki River can be heavily trafficked. You will manage, but don't expect the travel to be a breeze 24/7.

I believe the two main crossings west over Tamaki River is either Lagoon Dr or Pakuranga Hwy. But shouldn't the bulk of the commuting take place from Ti Rakau Dr which eventually ends at Pakuranga Rd and traffic would turn left to continue across the river while the stretch of Pakuranga Rd originating from Howick would remain relatively light before hitting Ti Rakau Dr?

Well I've been here for just a little over 1.5 months and I am pleased that business is running smoothly and well beyond expectations. So good that I have decided to make Auckland as one of my permanent homes in order to concentrate on this highly valuable market position. ^ Initially the relocation plans was only for temporary.

Thus after applying for extension of our working permits, we received the acknowledgement three weeks ago that our permits have indeed been extended for three years for us to further develop our business. Of course it has not been easy and we had to dedicate tons of effort, time, and hard work to be succesfull and with another relocation issue to deal with recently, the migration of our NA office from YVR & LAX to one big office in Toronto where I will also be relocating to the Great White North City by the Lake and also with the need to travel in great distances between city to city at the same time, I have been seemingly in no position to relax anytime soon.

Nonetheless the hard work, dedication, and effort is well spent and worth the energy usage as I now welcome Auckland and Toronto into my lives along with Hong Kong.

Splitting time between the three places (tentative timeline):

Toronto - Northern Hemisphere Fall, Northern Hemisphere Winter, Northern Hemisphere Spring
Auckland - Southern Hemisphere Winter & Possibly carry on into Southern Hemisphere Spring
Hong Kong - Multiple visits year round including visits while based in YYZ & AKL.

How will I now fare with having very little exposure to summer during the course of each year?

Congrats rejuvenated on your successes. You seem to be glutton for punishment weatherwise picking the worst times to be in both Toronto and Auckland.

I am definately going to enjoy those 7C low / 16C high Auckland winters this coming May, June, July. Really I'm not joking. Not after what I am going through right now in Toronto with -30C windchill forecasted for tonight and a potential -45C this Thursday. It has been plain brutal since arriving 2+ weeks ago. At least AKL winters are still green and undepressing. Even central Otago doesn't deal with -30C windchill in southern hemisphere winter.

As I've heard said, isn't the only difference between an Auckland winter and an Auckland summer being that in summer the rain is warm?

I haven't lived in Auckland during the summer months. And won't be anytime soon as fall and winters are going to be my routine settlement periods. But Auckland is not prone to those heat wave spells experienced in Sydney or Melbourne. Generaly speaking summer there is extremely mild.