I came to the Bluestone Room the first time as my friend was having her 21st here. It was such an…read moreawesome little bar. It is located down a little side street off Queens Street called Durham Lane. I would have never have known this place existed! Here they quite happily hired out the venue for a private event. They had said that a few nights prior to the 21st they had a drag queen show, obviously this is quite a versatile bar that will happily play host for a number of events. The bar supplied the food for this event and man was it good! Not good for you, but very yummy! There were deep fried samosas, meatball, fried chicken nibbles, and my favourite prawn twisters. The prawn twisters were fantastic! The bar had a moderate range of spirits available (but that was on display, they may have had more elsewhere). They also had the Monteith's beer range on tap. This is a cool bar that I would like to come back to. They have a restaurant section however I never made it to that area. If you like to be adventurous and try out new places then I would recommend checking out this place as it's not in a mainstream kind of location.

This pub was a great find and close to our hotel. We went 2 nights because the food was just…read morestellar. First night I had the chicken remoulade which was just delicious and beautifully prepared. The second night we both had the nightly special, steak with mushroom sauce, chips and salad. Delicious and very reasonably priced. If we were staying longer we'd definitely go again. Good job mates!!

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!

Great place to start the night on the Viaduct, had a few drinks before heading out to other places…read more Nice view as well.

Great lunch burger and beer special. Location was perfect to enjoy a delicious burger, fries, and…read morebeer.

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.

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.

If you are ever invited to an event, a wedding or a corporate function at Mantells make sure you…read moreseize that invitation and enjoy one of the best function venues in Auckland. You are welcomed through the heavy, blue-black curtains into a pristine entrance and immaculate white bar. Polished floors and huge geometric spaces dominate the rest of the venue, each sectioned off as needed for your event. We made good use of the outdoor courtyard that backs onto Auckland Harbour (with it's own bar) and the wide divans beneath the marquee. Mantells is made to dazzle your guest, the sharp edges of the venue smoothed by the genuine staff service and warmed in the glow of gas fireplaces.

I went to this venue last night for an industry event and spent the whole night trying to come up…read morewith an excuse to hire it out myself; this place is amazing. From what I've heard it's usually a wedding venue, which kind of lets you know it's pretty swanky. Nestled in between the boat yards in Westhaven, Mantells on the Water is yet another reason to visit the awesomely awesome Wynyard Quarter. Looking out over Waitemata Harbour with the sun setting behind the Harbour Bridge and a drink in hand is not a bad way to spend an evening. There is a real sense of relaxed kiwi vibes combined with super stylish decor. Wooden floors, high ceilings and industrial lighting give off a New York loft feel, combine that with the large outdoor area and you've got a close to perfect venue! Yummy drinks, knowledgeable staff and reeallllyyyy tasty snacks - that's my kinda night!

I got high tea during their Christmas season, so the menu had some holiday touches with the food…read more I'll give a review of each dish below for any foodies. Atmosphere and service was good, very attentive and a good view. I also received some Manuka honey as an additional gift. Food review French earl grey tea: Very fragrant, light, and smooth with such a nice aroma. I highly recommend. Cured kingfish in puri: It was alright, not a lot of flavor but I could taste the coconut. Puri was not crisp but slightly chewy and the kingfish had a mild flavor. Prawn toast: One of the best savoury dishes, both buttery and savoury with a delicious touch of sour with the lime pearls that wasn't too overwhelming. Parmesan shortbread: A little dry, the ricotta did not balance the dryness of the toast enough but the pickled onions cut through the grease well. Wagyu sausage roll: Not a hit, the roll was dry and oily. The black garlic purée was nice but I did not like the flavor of the roll as a whole, I tasted a sour undercurrent that was not a good fit. Hoisin smoked chicken sandwich: Nothing spectacular, I could not taste much hoisin flavor and there's was a little too much sesame that it got everywhere as you ate. Christmas ham brioche roll: I was not that wowed, the roll was mediocre and no flavors stood out. The bread reminded me of something I could get at any Asian bakery. Scone: The scone itself was good but the whipped honey butter was too heavy with the dense scone, would have preferred clotted cream or more whip so that it was lighter. Christmas tree: The wafer was too sweet and made the whole dessert overly sweet since the mousse itself was already on the sweet side. Orange almond cupcake: it was alright, not dry and a refreshing fruit flavor. Too much cream though the bee was cute. Mango mousse: Beautiful presentation, mousse was light and I liked the sesame wafer. Cheesecake: My favourite as I liked the shape and the jelly was an interesting addition. Ice cream bon bon: very fun with the smoke Champagne: they offer a non-alcoholic version, which I opted for. Very delicious and bubbly.

Super nautical theme (in a good way) overlooking the water from the Hilton. We had the fish…read moresliders with fries and they were excellent. The staff was also very friendly and accommodating.

Carrington's is a really cool bar located in the heart of the Auckland Unitec campus. Though…read moreoriginally created for student use, Carrington's has flourished over the years and is now open to the general public too. With a full bar and pretty good range of food available, Carrington's is a great place to sit in the afternoon with friends and have a few drinks and something to eat. The chips are deliciously salty and crisp - I definitely recommend getting a bowl to share. The bar itself is pretty big, with a decent sized dance floor and plenty of seating inside, as well as a separate room which houses pool tables, and a newly renovated outdoor area. This set up of Carrington's makes it the perfect venue for 21st parties and the like; there's enough room to sit, gossip, dance, you can smoke outside, there's two bars (one in the new outdoor area), and the pool tables add a little bit of friendly competition to the party. Plus, it's hilarious watching your friends play when they're drunk! Tip: If you're a student at Unitec there are often deals on the food and drinks, so be sure to ask!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here on March 8th 2014 and had an absolutely amazing…read moreexperience! The special events team were extremely polished in their service, presence and delivery, we loved every minute of our day with these guys! The venue is well organised to host events such as weddings or big parties and we found the food to be of outstanding quality and very reasonably priced. I recommend Carrington's Pumphouse to anyone considering having a special event 100%!!!

Fantastic happy hour for Bonvoy members (which is free to join). I was able to score $10 glass of…read morewine and $10 bar bites! We had the pork belly sliders and the chicken bites. Both were delicious and great for the price. After HH, I stayed for a Margherita pizza and more wine. The pizza was thin crust and tasted fresh. Only thing that was interesting to me was the inability to order the same HH wines after HH. The selection switches out. Service was really great and friendly. It started off rather quiet for HH but began to fill as time went on. Plenty of seating options and trendy decor.

VISIT: end of February 2020…read more This was a pleasant surprise as we ate here probably every day of the 3 that we were in town. I typically shy away from restaurants that are in the hotel because they tend to be pricey. We felt, for Americans, that this was decently priced and that each time we ate here, we got a different meal FOOD WE TRIED: - Chicken and vegetable dumplings - Prawn and chive Gyoza - Arancini - 55 day aged beef brisket sliders - Seafood Risotto - Spaghetti with mussels, snapper and prawns The sliders, gyoza and spaghetti with seafood was VERY good. I wouldn't order the dumplings again, but I always forget that chicken dumplings just aren't the same as pork and/or shrimp. The Arancini was a bit disappointing in flavor, maybe just a touch more salt would have been helpful and same thing with the flavor of the Risotto. The seafood was cooked perfectly, but the sauce on it just wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked, for a risotto. Service was always great with the staff always helpful with recommendations. We were very happy to have access to this restaurant during our stay the Four Points