This is a neat place to go to for an after-work drink…read more The Oakroom has recently had a facelift and has a cosy feel. Rohini and Corey are great hosts and the small team of staff are always friendly, chatty and sincere. There's a gastropub style menu; food and drinks are good value. It's also a good spot for a private function with good catering options.

My friend held her 21st party here last night and when I arrived I instantly wanted to have mine…read morehere. It's a lovely looking bar I think it must be quite new because all the furniture looked that way. Not the place itself though, it was really classy but rustic with mood lighting and lots of seats which I love, too many places don't offer enough seating and everyone just has to stand around. Their outside deck area was where we spent most of our night, they had outdoor tables and stools as well as a more comfy option...the outdoor sofa. They had two tv screens which she used to display pictures all evening. The bartender was pleasant and friendly and everyone looked like they had the best night.

The Floating Pavillion is an event space which literally floats just off the Hobson West Marina in…read morethe Viaduct - you walk along the waterfront towards Te Wero Island/the Wynyard Crossing and the pavillion is the floating grey building on the left. It's aimed at the business launch/wedding/ball crowd, so it's well kitted out to deal with a crowd of around 300. There's two levels so space for sit down dinners on the ground floor, as well as a large dance floor up top. For our inaugural UoA Architecture/Planning ball we hired out the Floating Pavillion, and can report the night went off without a hitch - food wasn't amazing, but the space was perfectly sized and well kitted out for the occasion.

This place right here it the place to have all your events, from your wedding to your engagement…read moreparty, a meeting or even a birthday party. Everything you need is there, all you have to do is call the business, arrange a tour then let them know exactly what you want. After that you can either send them pictures of your ideas or just leave it to them and their creativity. It is a great place for any events as it is located on the waterfront, guaranteeing great views and amazing pictures to upload on to instagram hash tagging aboutthatlife!

"Ivy Cottage and the Enchanted Garden" is exactly that!…read more This is certainly a remote, isolated location for townies, however local for Northshore folk. Never spent anytime in Greenhithe, it's a 30 min drive from Central city, traffic dependant. On arrival, you need to park on the road outside, past the venue due to yellow lines. When entering, you are lead down a fairy path to a small cottage to meet and greet everyone (including the fairies), before the festivities begin. The children have the option of changing into a fairy costume or pirates outfit, if desired. The fairies then take the children around the enchanted forest, looking at all the magical places. The birthday celebrations take place inside the cottage, that is heavily themed as a grotto or fairies den: beautifully captivating. The storytelling continues with biscuit decorating session in the fairy craft room and the children are given a small drawstring bag of fairy dust to take home. This is the only fairy garden in Auckland, definitely a special place to celebrate birthdays and other noteworthy events! Cute!!

Lovely gardens and a oasis of calm and serenity in Auckland. We had gone in October and managed to…read moresee some cherry blossoms as well

Great botanical garden with so many things to see as well as a few other parks joined together. So…read moremany different sections. We couldn't believe this was free and you could easily spend a few hours here. There is also a cafe and art gallery near the entrance. Our favorite section was the rock garden

Cute, cute, cute. This hall is the epitome of the shabby chic wedding trend that's hitting millions…read moreof Pinterest pages. I went to a wedding here and it was the best venue I've ever seen a wedding it. It's not too big and not too small which is great because there's nothing worse than an over or under-crowded wedding! The inside is painted white with awesome wooden floors that make it have a really relaxed vibe. There's a big stage at the front for the bridal party to stand on and the whole hall is fully stocked with spotlights and flashing party lights so if you wanted to you could carry the reception on at the same venue. Puhoi is a really cute village only half an hour from the CBD and would be a great way to get people out of the city and exploring a different part of Auckland. Be sure to check out the Puhoi Pub while you're out there too!

Wish this place was still around - Tauranga nightlife is so terrible. The service was good - bring…read moreit back!

Oh god, shoot me. I mean, if you're drunk and want to party, you don't have any other option,…read moreespecially if your partying goes until 2am/3am. But if you are mildly not drunk and enjoy hearing an entire song, skip Bahama Hut and just go home, I swear you'd probably have more fun. There's a cover charge here of $5 on Saturdays, which I plainly do not understand. Am I paying $5 because you expect me not to order a drink? Hell no, I need 10 drinks to enjoy myself here ffs. There are some good things about Bahama Hut. If you're used to partying in Turkey or Serbia, it may suit your tastes. It's crowded, hot, and sweaty, so you'll definitely feel like you're back in Eastern Europe. But what I can't understand, and the main problem with every place in Tauranga, is that the DJ is appalling. I mean, worst DJ ever. I mean, one of the worst DJs I've ever repeatedly gone back to. He plays about 30 seconds of every song, mashed up with whatever he's got lined up next. That would be fine if he played the best parts of those songs maybe, or if they created a new song somehow. But it's just musical ADHD. I literally cannot stand it. Just when I'm about to get into something it changes again. Barf barf barf. Whatever, I'm 29 years old. Maybe I'm just too old for this shit.

This is by far the most beautiful home my husband and I have ever stayed at. We are so glad we…read moredecided to stay at de Preaux Lodge instead of a normal hotel in Matamata. The luxury B&B and Farmstay experience was unique and definitely made our honeymoon in New Zealand much more memorable. In the morning, we drove from Auckland to our Hobbiton tour at 1:30 pm. From Hobbiton, we drove about 10 minutes to check in at de Preaux Lodge. After parking in front of their home, Joy greeted us at the door and helped us get settled in. Their home looks like something photoshopped from an interior decorating magazine. Our first thought was, "This is a farm? OMG." The home was decorated with beautiful furniture and our room was very clean with a comfy bed. We were impressed their home has solar panels and motion lights which was especially nice when we walked through the halls at night to the bathroom. Joy and Ian are very kind hosts who were so friendly and welcoming. I appreciate their flexibility and how they customized our farm stay to our schedule. For example, they made breakfast and gave farm tours at different times since one family wanted to leave early and we wanted to sleep in. The farm tour was so much fun. Ian gave us a ride on his tractor while feeding the cows and let us watch him while he gave a sick cow a shot of medicine. My favorite part was giving Daisy, their friendly sheep, a treat and taking a selfie with her. We learned so much from Ian during our farm tour about sustainability and being able to live off the grid. After seeing Joy's garden, we definitely want to grow our own vegetables once we get back home. If you're planning a trip to Hobbiton or Matamata, I definitely recommend staying at de Preaux Lodge. You won't regret it.

One of the best creative spaces in town with over 20 different business working out of one floor in…read morethe heart of the CBD. Matt Knight to helps run the loft is the man to contact if you are looking at getting into a shared office.

If you are a small business, or a team of one and you're looking for somewhere to work, even for a…read moreshort time, check out Loft503. Had a meeting there the other day and it's a cool place! This is a great shared work space in the restored Archilles House, next to Sals Pizza - so you get an awesome work space plus great lunch options! The deal is that you can rent a desk for a set length of time, giving you and your startup business the opportunity to have office space without the risk and outlay of renting your own whole office. Includes handy and flash facilities like kitchen and meeting rooms. Plus you get to work in an environment with other like minded people!

An outstanding function spot, this beautiful establishment, sits at the end of Queen Street in…read moreNorthcote point. The views are so stunning and as the sun sets it becomes a dream come true. The huge chandelier lights up the room, and as the floor is built in tiers, you look out on our beautiful city, and your heart beats away to a happy tune. I was excited to attend a recent charity event called TASTE that had Peter Gordon as a guest speaker. The guest list was down at around two hundred plus guests, and the staff and surroundings catered for us all to perfection. The main bar situated at the entrance was large enough to hold the guests happily, along with a few extra bars dotted around the different floors. The food served for this event was simply buffet champagne ham, and some artisan breads, which I thought was very tasty. The lavish decor, makes The Wharf a fabulous location for weddings, birthdays and big corporate events. The bathrooms located down the spiral stairs under the main area, are gorgeous. I was very pleased with the staff working at the Wharf, very warm and bubbly. I hope to be back for another event soon, as my night was really enjoyable.

Fantastic little winery featuring feijoa liquor and many delicious liquors to choose from! The…read moreowner, Danny, is very knowledgeable and makes it worth visiting the winery even if you don't drink! He had us try a dozen different liquors and several wines while regaling us with the amusing history of the feijoa. My favorites were the limoncello and the ginger liquor. Highly recommend a stop here if you are visiting the Coromandel area.

Best tasting I've ever experienced! Danny let us try all the different fruit liquors from the farm…read moreand told us the history behind the region, all in a very funny and entertaining way. He even ran down the hill to grab us some feijoas to try. It's clear the proprietors care deeply about both their customers and their business. Plus the view was SPECTACULAR. We bought a bunch of bottles to take home and will definitely return next time we're in the area. HIGHLY recommend!