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.

Good food , lovely company, the service was shockingly bad …read more Won't be going again -ever.

In general, we really enjoyed our meal at the stables in early June…read more Initial service was slow, we were shown to our table but no one came to us for the next 10 minutes. However once our orders got taken, everything went smoothly after that. We probably over-ordered the amount of food for a family of five. The portions for the mains are very generous, so entrees may not be needed. We ordered four sharing plates as entrees and probably only needed two. The real star of the dinner though was a side dish - the Sticky Kumara was absolutely delicious - we will definitely be ordering that again when we next go back! Other Entrees ordered included falafel, meatballs and calamari. Main dishes ordered included the fish of the day, beef burger, beer battered fish and chips, and a Caesar salad. The food was fine (good hearty tasty fare, not exciting but done well), and the portions were very generous so value for money was very good. We really like our night out at The Stables and we will be sure to return....

Went here over a holiday weekend for a nice lunch with a view out towards the water. Ambiance was…read morereally lovely with both indoor seating with lots of natural light as well as outdoor seating with picnic tables and umbrellas. Menu was good, covering most food allergens. However, it took forever to get food. We arrived with kids already hungry, and we definitely reached hangery - from when we placed our order until when we got our food was over an hour and 15 minutes!

Been here a few times very sporadically…read more Awesome place. Live music and fairly decent price alcohol, and good food. Really relaxed vibe, and New Years the place goes off. Definitely recommend!!! And Devilskin here on the 21st of January... Yayahhh!!

I love the Corban's Art centre. Has consistently great exhibitions which showcase local and…read morenational artists, workshops in which you can chat to local artists and a fantastic gift shop which is always my first stop if I want to buy a gift with an Aotearoa flavour. Also runs community art workshops and has a lovely coffee shop. Love it!

I have just discovered my favourite art gallery in Auckland!!! Yay!!!!…read more I had heard about this place in the past, even considered applying for a job in their shop at one stage, but because I don't go out to Henderson all that much it just had never happened, so earlier this week I made a lunch date with my husband at the Corban Arts Estate Cafe (also a winner on my list of Auckland's finest haunts, please refer to separate review to find out why...). After our yummy lunch he headed back to work and I went of gallery viewing... The gallery has three separate rooms but all under the same roof, as you enter the front building. The gallery space is not ample, but laid out professionally and aesthetically. There was three shows exhibiting whilst I was visiting, my personal favourite was by the artist Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi, a name that may be challenging to pronounce but worth remember, this artist is a very skilled craftsman. His work revolved around La Lava, "the Tongan art of lashing or binding". He demonstrated his art through several mediums, from weaving intricate and time consuming wool pieces displayed on the wall, to building large and small geometric designs with timber. They created wonderful patterns for eye and mind to appreciate. I also liked the lightings relationship with the art, creating shadows of the designs playfully across the wall. Plus, the framing was matched beautifully, unique double edges that brought the work forward bringing extra life to the forms. Last, but not least was a really great shop were the artists (in residence) sold their mix of talents - from pottery, paintings, upcycled crafts, jewellery, cards and much more. And at affordable prices! If you haven't been to Corbans before then it is time to go; if you have been there before then go again.

It's brilliant having such a wicked music venue right here on the door step. Since it opened a few…read moreyears ago there have been some top quality acts at Matakana Country Park; Highlife, America + Pat Benatar, Six60, Shihad....among many. I went to Shapeshifter and Kora and had a brilliant night. The venue itself is easily accessed; plenty of room for parking and has a good drop off zone. Security was efficient (although we did encounter one 'job smith') and it didn't take us long to get through the gates. The stage was inside a marquee and was a good size; it created a pretty intimate setting for an outdoor concert. I can't even complain about the Portaloos - I don't think we lined up for over 5mins, which is pretty good in concert terms. My only grumble would be the drink prices (but I guess you get that everywhere) we expected this though and stocked up before we came.

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!

Kokako Lodge is a really fantastic facility. Tidy bunk-style cabins, a large dining hall, spacious…read moreablutions and all in a serene forest setting just by Hunua Falls. It is often booked by organisations running camps which utilise their ropes course and real-rock abseil wall (to be run by trained staff only). There is also an amazing glow worm walk. Really really cool. As a venue they offer plenty of options including catering, cleaning services (because who wants to clean up afterwards, anyway?) and assistance designing your programme or event. Cool! Nothing like making your job easier, right? Would be awesome for a wedding. The staff I have dealt with are friendly and approachable, and happy to answer any questions you have about the place or the surrounding area. If you're here and have the opportunity, Hunua is one of the few places left in New Zealand with a kokako population so you should try and head up into the bush to see if you can hear their dawn call. Words cannot describe this amazingly beautiful sound.

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!!