A great place to host events for different numbers of people. Whether your group is large or small…read moreGreylynn community centre will hook you up! The first time I went to the community centre was for a youth talent show. The room was perfect as it accommodated the number of attendees. The kitchen was always clean and located inside the hall we where using. This made it easier at snack time as it was just a matter of taking items from the kitchen to the table we had set up buffet style outside the kitchen. The rooms are also built in a way that makes it flexible to arrange the room the way that suits you and your event. Although there is parking on site, it is limited. Luckily there are plenty of off street parking spaces.

This is a very well utilised community centre with clean spacious facilities if any local…read moreorganisation or group wanted to hire a space for a regular night of the week or temporary meetings, functions, etc. The staff have always been very friendly and helpful when I have been involved with hiring the facilities for regular set periods of time. The payments have generally been smooth and communication professional. It always seems quite busy, whatever the season, with various groups occupying the many rooms available, so if you want to set up a meditation or yoga course you might want to double check that karate or zumba are not also taking place that same night right next door! They also hold a farmers market at the centre on Sunday mornings that is worth supporting.

This cafe is run by not-for-profit community organisation 'Lifewise' who predominantly cater for…read morethe homeless; to ensure low-cost decent wholesome (cooked) meals for $4. They welcome passers-by (foot traffic) and the local community to visit the cafe for affordable, healthy cuisine. There is also counter food available: quiche, salads, bagels, sandwiches and sweet fare. If the cafe is crowded at lunchtime, you can always pop out to the courtyard at the back for some sunshine, surrounded by sustainable vegetable, herb and flowers (potted) gardens. There is artwork on surrounding walls that is changed monthly. Apparently the space is also used for yoga classes and soon performance art! Great welcoming, non-judgemental cafe that supports the local community.

Love that this business is about helping their community. They come alongside their homeless…read morepopulation and remind them that they are not marginalized and integrate them with the rest of the community with this cafe. $4 meals unless you get a fancier sandwich, pastry, salad. Really lovely place.

Rainbow Youth has been advocating for young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer…read moreyouth for decades - ensuring that those who wish to come out, are having trouble with coming out, or would just like to find some likeminded people have a place to go. Friday nights at Rainbow Youth are the best time - school is over for the week and people will pile in to have a good time and be themselves. I interviewed the kids of Rainbow Youth about the issues that were facing them once - I ended up coming away feeling good about how LGBT children are faring. While their stories weren't all sunshine and rainbows, it was easy to see that having spaces like Rainbow Youth around makes life all that more bearable, while helping to create stronger, happier queer kids.

From the owner: LGBTIQ Queer & Gender Diverse Young People…read moreSupport Peer-support Groups Referral

Five stars? The Peace Place really deserves much more. It is also a difficult subject to to…read morecategorize, but it deserves a mention to get their name out there. It is a place of sanctuary in the centre of the city, to pray, meditate, research or find like minded people. I attended there through the Auckland Spiritual Discussions Group, they use the space to meet on the 27th of each month, in the evenings, having different speakers give talks and/or lead practices. The peace place is utilized by several different groups of different religious views,but all supportive of the same values. Pax Christi, an international peace movement being one of them. The venue has a large range of interesting books, a library that you can borrow from, on many esoteric subjects and/or about the peace movements, advocates past and present, religious orders, etc. I have not been able to add the opening hours as it really does depend on several factors, however I can tell you that Monday's at 5:30pm they offer a space for meditation and occasionally lunchtimes too; and on Sat's they celebrate the Eurachrist, you don't have to be catholic to attend. Have a look at their website and/or contact them directly if you want to know more.

This is a great charity! My husband works in community services and forwarded an email to me about…read morethis charity late last year hosting a sale of new and pre-loved clothing in Mt Eden. He is such a sweetie, he handed me a wad of cash and said go for it (it was a treat after quite a stressful year). So I sure did!!! I had lots of girly fun, along with many other women going nuts trying on loads of clothing in a communal changeroom and seizing further bargains and discounts (like $1 shoes or handbags) being called out across the room for set periods of time (like 5 minutes!). It was great, and ALL the proceeds went to the charity, which relies heavily on fundraisers such as this to help support women getting back into the workforce. That day they raised $6000. They do not have a set place to visit, you would need to contact them through email or phone if you are interested in finding out more about them, know of a woman/are that woman that could really do with some help, or, if you have something you could donate then they have several charity drop off points that can be found on their website. The website will also let you know about upcoming fundraisers like I went along too.

NZAF's location is perfectly situated in the west side of the CBD, just a minutes walk west of…read moreVictoria Park. Good parking is generally available. I found the staff uber friendly, competent and immediately put me at ease. For as many years as I have been regularly tested, there is always that little devil of angst on my shoulder whispering, "What if....?" The staff were so congenial. They got me right in, asked all the right questions and had the tests complete before I knew it. Thanks NZAF for a job well done! Brilliant!

Awesome people and support! I didn't feel nervous at all! The environment and vibes are super nice…read more:)

Tumeke Cycle Space is a community-collaborative bicycle workshop…read more (http://www.tumekecyclespace.org.nz/) nestled at the end of Edinburgh St number 27, which is just off Karangahape Road. It can be a little sketchy here in the evenings for some people as it's a popular spot for working ladies however it's perfectly fine putting all things aside. 'Tumeke Cycle Space is a non-profit, community-run, DIWO (do it with others) bicycle workshop in Auckland. It's a place where people can fix, build, and learn about bikes in a safe and inclusive environment. We provide tools, knowledge, and training, with a focus on teaching people how to fix their own bikes. In this way we aim to empower people, encourage skill sharing, and promote cycling, an affordable, social form of transport that encourages a healthy lifestyle and environment' Just quickly, the workshop here is part of a larger collaborative space called Tangleball which is a maker/hacker space. 'We provide a place for creative people to collaborate on building their ideas and aim to nurture both technical and artistic ideas. The best way to get in contact with us is by coming to the space on a Tuesday evening, from 8pm' http://www.tangleball.org.nz/

Awesome helpful guys all willing to train teach fix and have fun. Tangle ball mixes it up a little…read more Oil that chain now!

Even though the Stardome is now named after a benefactor (can't be helped I guess), it is still as…read morecool as it ever was. The staff don't mind if you just wander in and have a look around and the foyer alone has enough to amuse the kiddies for at least half an hour, probably longer. During the school holidays they run all kinds of fun stuff and if you haven't been before, it's unlike anything else you can do around the town. You absolutely have to be organised and book in advance and maybe the movie is a bit dated, but it's fascinating and presented in a way that makes astronomy accessible to everyone - even 3 year olds. There's an arty crafty session where the kids get to make their own (artistically questionable) souvenir but the highlight is that the film is shown Cinema 180 style on the ceiling. A bit hard on the neck but SO worth it. You can hire the Stardome for functions but when I looked into booking it for an event, I ran in to the problem of how to keep kids from playing unsupervised in the lobby so that's something to consider. I'm ashamed to say I have never been here in the evening and actually looked through that giant telescope at the night sky. I intend to do it every Winter but late nights out in Winter just don't seem to happen. This is the year.

We were thinking about what show we should pick and have chosen "The winter sky". It was just…read moreamazing, to see what stats and planets we can see with our naked eye from Auckland. At least in good weather. After the show we went outside to see the Saturn through telescopes. Not the Zeiss one, but smaller. I saw the Saturn through the telescope for the first time and it was the biggest happy moment I have had in years! You can actually see the planet and the rings! Super cool! We haven't had a chance to use the Zeiss telescope because of the weather, but we are definitely going to do this next time.