The Horse and Trap Tavern is such a great pub, I'm so glad that my friend introduced me to it. It's…read morelocated in a bizarre place off the main road (Mt Eden Rd), and easily missed if you don't look out for the sign. Nice ambience inside, which can get heavily crowded during a big sports event; you need to get in very early or you'll never get a seat. If you do manage to get a seat, definitely order some food from here. The pizzas are especially delicious, and they have different specials throughout the week; for example on Saturdays you can get a beer or wine and a pizza for $20. The bar stocks all the different varieties of Monteith's beers, which is awesome for a Monteith's lover like me. This is a good friendly place.

Quiz night on Tuesdays is the perfect excuse to try out the Horse and Trap. Rigsy is a hoot on the…read moremike. And the bar food is well above average. Pizzas, burgers and salads mingle with steaks and pies on the menu and sit even better upon the tongue. Nothing original, but it's all done well. Just what one hopes for at a local. All that's left to achieve is that elusive 1st place...

Highwic is the Gothic colonial villa of a prominent colonial stock trader. The home was occupied by…read morethe family until the 1970s and the bought by Auckland city council and renovated as a museum. The rooms are decorated in a period style with some family belongings original to the house. When I arrived it was a quiet summer afternoon so the docent had the time to explain all about the family and life of the house. You could really imagine living here with the bustle of children (21 in total), balls in the living room and tennis on the lawn. That being said, knowing that a wealthy family in Auckland only had this kind of a home reminds you of how precious everything was in New Zealand at the time, so far from Britain. I toured the home and then strolled the gardens. I'd recommend a picnic lunch and a visit if historical houses are your thing. If in doubt come, it's a beautiful piece of history.

Highwic House is a wonderful illustration of what enrichment heritage buildings can bring to a…read morecommunity. Smack bang in the middle of the busy Newmarket shopping precinct, it seems a rather incongruous place to find such a place, but it has stood the test of time in this location, its been there since 1862! Up a steep driveway and surrounded by a lovely manicured lawn and trees, its hard to believe that you are still in one of Auckland's most bustling areas. The day I was there, I was there solely for a visit to the 'museum', the inside of the house itself has been preserved as would have been back in the day, which provides a interesting insight into this specific time period. I loved all the old antiques and things. My friend who came with me actually commented that she had been before as her cousin had his wedding/ reception at Highwic and she thought it was an amazing venue for that sort of thing. That it is.

Loved visiting this beautiful Wintergarden in Auckland Domain…read more Wintergardens are conservatories or glasshouses that were built to enjoy flowers in the winter. They were very popular stating in the early 1900s. The Auckland Domain Wintergarden was built a century ago. It has two glasshouses that contain the most beautiful flowers, a sunken Fernery and a courtyard with a pond and sculptures. Loved the glasshouse filled with so many colorful flowers. Giant hibiscus. Sunflowers. Gladiolas. Foxgloves. Begonias. The Fernery is so interesting. Loved walking into the sunken quarry and looking at all of the native ferns. The wooden statues which represent bird native to New Zealand were a nice touch. The Wintergarden is free. Located in the Auckland Domain, it is a nice place to stop and enjoy the flowers and history.

One of the highlights of my trip to Auckland was visiting the Wintergardens. It was an especially…read morecold and gray day when I set out to explore Auckland Domain, so by the time I got here I was thankful to be heading inside. The gardens are two main greenhouses: one very warm, the other more temperate. In between the two is a fountain and pool, outdoor plants, and at the back is the entry to the fernery (a word I didn't know existed but now I want one for myself). The building on the right of the entrance is the warm one, which keeps the doors closed. Inside are many warmer weather plans including orchids, lotus, ferns, and tropical flowers. The building on the left is more temperate and has flowers galore; so many colors it's hard to know what to see first. The fernery is an amazing place - dark, damp, and quiet; you can either walk around the ring path at the top or go down the stairs to the bottom to look up. There are statues of various New Zealand birds around to show you what their silhouettes would look like if you came across them in the wild. You can't be aware how varied ferns are until coming here. This is an amazing free activity to do on your visit to Auckland, plus lots more nearby. You can easily spend a day in Auckland Domain. There were a few groups of retired people and school groups as well, worthwhile for any age.

I'm not one given to hyperboles, but yowww, what a space. It feels like an Art Director's version…read moreof Heaven - natural light, floor-to-ceiling windows, stark white urrthang, an old leather couch that God naps in each afternoon, and an artfully curated assortment of taxidermied animals... like a zebra jumping through a wall. True story. Was here for an event last night and was blown away by the studio, and I'm not a man who's easily impressed - oh my gosh look over there it's a dog with a puffy tail, whee! (That was a Simpsons quote, I swear I'm not crazy). It's a pretty versatile studio, they do photographic and video shoots here, product and event launches, and sometimes, parties and events. It's right on the K road too, so you're surrounded by op shops, dumpling dens and strip clubs - basically everything that makes western culture awesome and interesting.

I would not have come across this quaint studio if I had not been invited to a Yelp event. This is…read morethe ideal space for hosting events, the floor has multiple rooms, lots of windows, white walls and light laminate floors. And of course the Zebra. This a great space!

Over the weekend, two friends and I were invited to dine at Bodrum Market in Westfield Newmarket's…read morenew rooftop dining precinct. It was a fantastic lunch, thanks to the lovely food, cocktails, ambience and service. Bodrum Market is run by one of my favourite hospitality companies - Nazar Group. Founded by Alex Isik and Nigar Ivgen, they own restaurants all over Auckland, including Feriza's, Miss Istanbul, Ottoman Mezze Lounge, NOA Chargrill + Burger, Devon on the Wharf, Mozaik Caffe, Deco Eatery, Casablanca and Bodrum Kitchen. All of their restaurants bring a slice of the Mediterranean to the table - featuring Turkish, Greek, Moroccan and Middle Eastern dishes... so we were really excited to check it out! Walking in, we absolutely loved the interior of Bodrum Market, which is inspired by Istanbul's Grand Bazaar and the streets of Bodrum City. While I have not yet been to Istanbul (it is on the list!), I immediately felt transported to an exotic city! We were seated in one of their booths, which overlooks the dining area and bar. If you dine at Bodrum Market, you must order a cocktail! We tried three which were all refreshing and delicious. My top picks are the Bombay Masala Talkies - Gin infused with masala tea, butterfly pea flower syrup, lemon juice and Mediterranean tonic water; the Sultan Treat with Russian vodka, rose petal water, fresh pomegranate, lime juice and pomegranate molasses; and the Aam Pana Cooler with Tequila, orange liqueur, raw mango puree, roasted cumin powder, lemon juice and lemonade. (Seriously, typing this now makes my mouth water!!!) And now for the most important part, the food! Bodrum Market is offering diners an authentic experience by serving four different cuisines - Indian, Italian, Turkish and Latin American Asado, just like the traditional food markets of the Mediterranean. Their aim is to showcase unique flavours from each of their teams' homelands. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak through their kitchen and admired their Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, Asado Grill and Doner Kebab machine. There are many options on the menu to suit a range of palates, and I recommend sharing if possible so you can try a few dishes. We trusted the team to bring us a few of their favourites from each of the four cuisines to try, including Olives and Feta with almonds and dates, Chicken Lollipops with chili sauce, Grilled Octopus with new potatoes, paprika butter, garlic aioli and parsley, Beef Short Ribs with Chimichurri sauce and Prosciutto Pizza with fresh rocket, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan. We loved that everything was super fresh, flavourful and tasty, plus every dish was full of colour. Our favourites were the Beef Short Rib - lathered in a beautiful Chimichurri sauce and the meat was melting off the bone! The Chicken Lollipops were also a highlight, and we surprisingly enjoyed the Grilled Octopus... must admit those tentacles freaked us out a bit! For dessert, we tried their Loukoumades - light and fluffy Greek honey puffs, drizzled in chocolate sauce and served with pink fairy floss, ice cream and pistachios. You will definitely want to save room for this dessert! For a further sweet treat, head outside to the entrance of Bodrum Market to admire the displays of Baklava, Chocolate Baklava and Turkish Delight - definitely recommend buying a few pieces for the ride home. Thank you Bodrum Market for a FAB dining experience - we cannot wait to come back! x

The Parnell Community Centre runs an excellent community activity programme at very reasonable…read moreprices. They run a great programme that encompasses creative arts and designs, languages, culinary courses, exercise and healthy body courses, photography, technology and sustainability courses. The community centre is located conveniently, just a short walk from Broadway, a short walk from Newmarket train station and it's on the Inner Link bus route. A great option if you're centrally based (living or for work) and also really great for people on a tight budget who would like to try something different. And they also offer discounts for people with a community services card.

I have been to Parnell numerous times for weddings, hens parties, church services and parties. it…read moreis a perfect place for one to host their event at. They are several rooms on offer such as the Jubilee Room which my friend used as the venue for her wedding reception. This room has a kitchen facility which is perfect for self catering. There is the Parnell room which is much small which we used for my friends Hen's party. Another room which isn't too big or small and can be separated into two spaces is the Hobson room which we have used for church services, The Parnell community center is absolutely perfect, has lots of parking on the site and on the street, The prices for the rooms are extremely affordable and range from around $40 and hour or less. Apart from venue hire, Parnell also has a childcare centre and hosts small classes that range from salsa to cooking lessons.

White Studios is a very decent studio…read more I'm from Los Angeles and I have to say... White Studios is almost on par with some of the best LA studios (like Smashbox Studios or Siren Studios). I've participated in a few photoshoots here and I have to say, it was easily the most comfortable studio in Auckland. Some things that really impressed me were: 1.) Built in Heating/Air conditioning in individual studios. 2.) "Lounge" type area with many complimentary tea and coffee options. 3.) Private dressing/make-up rooms There -are- two reasons that I removed a star: 1.) Showers are very visible to the people in the parking lot. 2.) The studio cat came in and peed in the photographer's camera bag. Obviously, cats are going to be cats... but it is something that could have been avoided. Over all, I'm impressed with White Studios. I hope I can shoot there again before I head back to Los Angeles!

When they say the studios are white, they mean a WHITE, blank studio for you to work with and build…read moreon. This venue is great for photography or small-scale filming, and you can hire out an array of handy gadgets. All reasonably priced, they have all your lighting, sound and picture needs. I hired a massive generator from these guys for a small fee of $75 - they put it in the car for me and even offered to take it in the van if need be. They are a great bunch, and have loads of affordable options. They even send you a personally signed Christmas card at the end of the year if you are on their books.

I came here for my friends' wedding reception. First impressions are that this is a cute old church…read morethat would be rather traditional inside. It is really traditional on the outside but inside they have a new hall that has been full renovated to look really tidy. It was a great place for a reception and of course meant that it didn't cost the couple the earth. It also really suited their down to earth values and meant that they could actually invite more people to the reception. Which was great because there was a real buzz with the amount of people there. They just got caterers in and the night went off without a hitch. The hall isn't too big and isn't too small either. There was even enough room for an awesome dance floor to happen. I'd fully recommend this to you if you're looking for a venue that means you can go on that awesome honeymoon you've been dreaming of.