This ferry is changing the lives of so many Westies and North Shoreites. In a hop, skip, and a jump…read moreyou can miss all the traffic and be in town. It leaves from the Hobsonville Point wharf and stops at Beachhaven, Birkenhead and finishes at downtown Auckland. You can take in all the beauty of the Auckland Harbour and you'll get a prime view of the Harbour Bridge as the ferry actually travels underneath it. The price is a little steep but I just count is as being part of helping my mental health haha. Starting and ending the day out on the water does wonders for your stress levels. There's nothing like salty wind blowing in your hair to make you remember what life is all about. And this ferry helps you remember it daily. And if you use your hop card you can get a cheaper fare, which helps a lot.

Damian was a fantastic tour guide…read more He gave us historical and cultural data all about New Zealand. He told fun stories and anecdotes about life here. For example, we had no idea about all of the free bush cabins! We took the Hobbiton & Glowworm Cave Tour. We never felt rushed, just enough time to see everything. After rewatching all of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies, it was very special to see the movie sets in real life. Such amazing detail. Be sure to ask for Damian as your tour guide!

During our trip to Auckland, high on our list of things to see was Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves. As…read morenone of us can drive, we can't just "rent a car" (as many people suggest) and drive out to Hobbiton or Waitomo Caves, so we had to find a tour company to take us. My sister researched tour companies and settled on Bush and Beach, as they offered a smaller tour group, as opposed to a large coach with 50 people. (In addition to my sister, husband, and I, there were two other people with us, a mother and son from New York, who were lovely people.) For $395NZ per person (the current price is now $450), the price included admission to Hobbiton (the tour and lunch combo) and Waitomo Caves. While $395 is not cheap, considering it included admission to the attractions (which is now $158 and $75, respectively -- it was probably cheaper last year), transportation (we spent several hours driving), and the driver's time (a full day -- we were picked up from our hotel at 6:45am and returned around 12 hours later), the price was very reasonable. It was a great day, but what made it such a memorable experience was Damian, our driver. Damian is honestly the highlight of my trip to Auckland. He was just so AMAZING. He was friendly and personable, and you could tell he really liked his job and meeting people. On our drive he told us interesting tidbits about the area and history of New Zealand and made the drive very interesting. He was so engaging. If that wasn't enough, he bought all of us "hokey pokey" ice cream, which is apparently a famous flavour of ice cream in New Zealand, and on our way to Waitomo Caves from Hobbiton, he took us to see Waipapa Dam and the surrounding area as we had some extra time. Seeing Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves is a great experience in itself, but Damian pushed it over the top. [Yelp collections: NZ/Fiji 2023; New Zealand 2023]

Sometimes I feel like growing up in central Auckland was a bit like growing up in a bubble. I never…read morereally had any reason to explore out west or the north shore, and so it's only been in the last few years that I have discovered places like the West Harbour Marina. I honestly didn't know it was possible to catch a ferry from West Harbour to Auckland CBD. Not only is it indeed a regular occurrence, it is actually the preferred mode of travel for many West Harbour locals as getting in to town during rush hour traffic on the motorway can take an hour or so. Though the trip in to town must be quite picturesque on a nice day, it is pretty pricey. At $12 for an adult one way trip, it's definitely more expensive than it'd be to drive - but I guess not having to pay for parking or sit in traffic makes it worth it! As well as hosting this ferry service, the view of the West Harbour Marina is actually pretty nice. Lots of boats are moored there, and with the Auckland skyline and the Harbour Bridge in the background, the Marina is a nice place to sit in the afternoon and have some quiet time.

If I could give a zero I would. My car was towed from a kiwipark facility which I am a monthly…read morecustomer of. I reported my car stolen and subsequently was told by kiwipark it was accidently towed and they did not give the approval for that, when I got to the premises it just turned into a really horrible experience, no compassion at all for the stressful day I had including a threat of if i want my car i need to stop being rude, I was not rude i just showed my phone when i was asked why i hadnt forwarded kiwiparks email to them for the no charge (i did not have my glasses i was struggling to see so it took longer). Just terrible.

Found out when picking up my towed vehicle that NZ law doesn't require any posting of tow warning…read moreon private property. Be aware tourists!

It's located in an industrial area. It used to be the main train station, but hasn't been for…read moreawhile. Looks like you could walk from the CBD, but you might have to wind around a bit. There's parking, but not long-term, just for drop-off. There's a lack of signage for Great Journeys NZ, which is basically the only company that uses this facility anymore. You come to a container unit first. Is this check-in? No, you drop your luggage off here because it's right next to the baggage car. You walk down a ways to the red brick building to check in and get your boarding pass. The cafe and toilets are also there, along with some seating. Then you walk back to the train. There's a little seating outside, too.