The casino at the bottom of the Sky tower…read more It was a pretty good size casino too! It had a good selection of games and restaurants too. I came just in time for high speed Bingo. They had a daily Bingo game at 9am with good prizes and some money for charity. I definitely recommend this casino. I didn't feel too bad losing here!

This is a review for the Poker room only…read more I showed up to play in the afternoon, but it's not open until 5 :( You have to walk up stairs to get to the room. I got there about 5:30 and there was 1 table and a waitlist. They opened a second table within 15 minutes, but there didn't seem to be organization over the list. They seated some people who just walked up before people who were on the list, but we were all seated. No free drinks, but there's a bar in the room. It's a somewhat small room. They were running 1/3 turbo.

I chose this hotel based on the price, the location, and the availability (room-wise). We were a…read morecouple on our first trip to NZ. We planned our stay from March 26th to April 9th (14 nights). The "Premium" King Room was available without an increase to our original package. We also looked at the restaurants, shopping, things to see and do, transportation, and walkability within the hotel and its surrounding area. Our flight arrived early in the morning (5 am), so our room wasn't available when we got to the hotel, but they checked us in, offered to store our luggage, and took our cell number just in case it was ready earlier than scheduled. We knew there were restaurants in the hotel, so we walked around to get some breakfast. We also stopped by a couple of gift shops on the way to and from breakfast. After a while, we went back to the hotel lobby, and we were informed that our room was ready (early) and that they already had a porter deliver our luggage inside our room. The lobby, elevator, halls, and rooms were all clean. In fact, we constantly saw workers cleaning during our entire stay. They were always checking in on us as we passed by, asking if we needed anything. We asked for toilet paper and new towels twice, and had them change the bedding and vacuum once during our stay. We were in Rotorua for five days, but still had this room in our name as a home base because we were coming back. The room was large, again, with a king-sized bed, a small "L" shaped couch, a nightstand on one side of the bed, a desk, a credenza under the TV, a fixed luggage rack, a coffee/tea station, several drawers, shelves, and a closet. The bathroom had plenty of room to move, ample counter space, and a shower that could fit two. We couldn't ask for anything more. Well, maybe one. A microwave. But we understand. They have several restaurants attached to this hotel. They would rather have you spend the money eating out than in the room. There's a gambling casino in the hotel, too. It includes both machines and tables. We have casinos all over the place where we live, so it wasn't a selling point for us, but it was a nice pastime and something to do when we wanted to vape/smoke and didn't want to stand outside the hotel. There are several smoking balconies with machines to keep you occupied. You do have to sign up for membership here, but you can do that on their website before you even arrive. They regulate gambling and have guidelines in place to (hopefully) avoid gambling addictions. Anyhow, we had two concierges that brighten every day that we saw them, Dicky, and TaoBao (sorry if that's misspelled). We met Dicky first. He talked to us like family, giving us tips on what to do, where to go, where to eat, and what not to. He always had a huge smile on his face, greeted us with hugs, and got genuinely excited to see us. We felt the same. TaoBao was also very friendly towards us, gave us great tips, and booked a private tour for us with an unexpected discount. We were down the hall from the elevator, so the noise level was very minimal. We would occasionally hear a door or soft chatter, but other than that, the only other noise was from housekeeping, and they weren't noisy at all. Overall, we were pleased with our stay and everything (except a microwave) that they had to offer. Oh! I almost forgot, to our surprise, this hotel is also the bus hub. If you take the bus from the airport to the City Center, this is where you will be dropped off. As well as if you want to go back to the airport. There are lockers (some large) available at the Bus Office here, too. If you're just visiting on a day trip, these are so handy! They also have the InterCity Bus (website is helpful), where you can go to other, long-distance areas of NZ. We took the bus to Rotorua. It took about five hours with a rest stop mid-point. In front of the hotel by the Tower, there's a Hop-on, Hop-off Bus that will take you to several tourist stops. This was really nice to have. There's an auto-tour guide that tells you about the area along the way and announces what stop is coming up and what there is to do there. *Pro-tip 1: Get the two-day pass. Take a photo of your receipt. If you want to purchase it again over the next week, they will give you a discount. *Pro-tip 2: If you go to the Hop-on, Hop-off Bus website, you can get the map and stop locations marked directly onto Google Maps. It was very helpful when it came to finding where to get back on the bus!

We flew in to Auckland from San Francisco and landed at 6 am. Our room wasn't ready, obviously, but…read morethe staff took our luggage for safe keeping while we explored the city. They had our room ready early which we greatly appreciated after our long flight! We loved how centrally located the hotel was and our room was very clean and comfortable! We will definitely be staying here again when we visit!

Going to the horse races in the summer is such a lovely affair. Its a reason to get all dolled up…read morefor a day of wining, dining and gambling. Tickets vary in price depending on what area you choose to reside to. In all areas there will be some form of food stall, betting stand and a place to buy drinks. After a day of betting (and let's hope you've been successful), Cuvee opens to the public at the beginning of the last race. Here they have a DJ or some form of musical entertainment playing for everyone to mix and mingle before heading off home or into town. Some race days they have a public area that is suitable to bring children to see the horses; otherwise it's not an event to bring children to. Keep an eye out on the Ellerslie website to see when the next race day is, it's a fabulous day you wouldn't want to miss out on.

A day at the races is great fun, especially if it's one of the more prestigious race meetings…read more Check out what's coming up on their web page. Boxing Day's Fashion in the Field is one of the most popular. Some meetings are free, otherwise expect to pay $10-$20 entry depending of the day. There are also hospitality options available which get you into private stands or marquees. An enjoyable day out can be had with or without the hospitality option. I like to watch the horses in the parade area before they jockey up and head out to the track, try to keep my bets at an affordable limit and bury my sorrows in bubbly if I don't have any luck!

Used to be my regular for years when I lived in NZ. Solid privately owned pub with a garden bar and…read moregood food. Many staff have been there for years. Well worth a visit

My Grandad would say "you don't find many pubs like this in Auckland anymore" and he's probably…read moreright. The Northcote Tavern was built waaay back in 1884 and bar the addition of a wing in 1936, it remains in all it's original glory. Family shields and memorabilia of the motherland line the walls and in the hallways you will find pictures of the tavern from way back when. As other Yelpers have mentioned, the Tavern has several different rooms, but to be honest, they are all quite pub-ey so if that doesn't float your boat I suggest you go elsewhere. (mind you, there is a huge backyard full of picnic tables so if it's sunny out you folk don't even need to venture inside). For those of us who do like pubs, this one is a pearler. There are a gazillion TVs in every room, the beer on tap is well priced and the menu is full of all the pub classics - fish and chips, burgers, wedges and the like. I took my Dad here on Sunday to celebrate Father's Day with a few brews and a good ol' pub feed - he loved it, even if Otago did lose the shield...

This is what all TABs should be…read more The Mt Wellington TAB is spread out, with an array of seating rarely seen in TAB outlets. TABs are usually confined to small buildings whereas there has plenty of space for the odds to be displayed across numerous walls and TABs. Comfort is the number one trait of this outlet, perfect for viewing for patrons. Betting is split into different sections, one area for sports and another for racing, great for novice gamblers which helps to avoid initial confusion if new to the TAB systems. The only downside of this outlet would have to be the parking, which is strictly limited, with tow-away warnings if you are to park in another business's car-park.