I had a photoshoot here a few weeks ago where I was taking photographs and filming for a boutique…read moreand I was so impressed with what we received. For a small fee we hired out a basic studio packed which included some lights, soft boxes and cables. The owner of the studio set them all up for us so that relieved our stress right from the get go. It's a lovely space, really modern and light complete with kitchen, dining room and toilet so it's really easy to spend the entire day there. When we were finished the owner came back to take everything down and we had a good chat to her, she was so friendly and told us lots about the space which also doubles as an event room for launches etc. When the new season clothing comes in we will be back here again to shoot the lookbook, I can't wait! Note they don't have normal opening hours as they open subject to bookings.

We came here for a presentation of the Opera "La Cenerentola" and a pre-show talk as well this…read moremonth. I found the Center to be very clean and modern in style. The staff were friendly enough and everything there seemed to be well organized. The seats in the auditorium were comfortable enough to sit for a while and the acoustics were fine. My biggest problem was with direction. It happened to be raining and we had to walk around the entire building to find the entrance. There weren't many signs displayed and I found the ones that were posted not to be helpful. The floor-plan is very open and so our talk was overshadowed and a bit interrupted by a musical event happening on another floor. The event itself was fine, however I was tempted to use an emergency exit as we had front row seats and it seemed to take much longer than usual for people to exit the auditorium. Now that I have a better idea of the layout, I would be willing to attend another event here.

Since this place got renovated within the last year, it's pretty snazzy. All the seating redone,…read moreceiling and side panels redone. Can't say if I've noticed much of the acoustic difference. But this place is pretty nice to have an event (show, talk, theatre, performance). I love the foyer area upstairs. There's a cafe and just outside on the steps you can chill and people-watch in the Aotea Square which is alive most times of the year.

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!

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

Film Auckland is where you get permission to film in public places, as well as a network of who to…read moreask for help when creating an advert, promo, short or feature film. There's a lot of red tape involved with shooting film on a professional level around Auckland City, but these guys are trying their best to make it easier and easier as time goes on. As a local film-maker, I find Film Auckland extremely thorough, knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with most of the time. It's sometimes a pain to fill out many forms and pay extra for what seems like it-should-really-be-free spot, but at least they make bureaucracy a little bit better by giving you personal attention.

We walked into the bistro ready to have a terrific dinner experience based on their website photos…read moreand the warm, inviting appearance as we walked up. The ambiance was nice and felt like a cozy ski lodge. However, the hostess wasn't exactly warm or charming. She seemed to have a bit of a control issue. When we moved one of the 2 chairs at the 4-top to another side of the table, she expressed her displeasure and stated that we had to make sure that we gave the table next to us enough space, but there was definitely enough room for a small pony to walk through. The server was pretentious. The vibe we got was that he was busy with something else and could barely be bothered to share the specials and take our order. Because we weren't getting a great vibe, we decided just to order overpriced drinks instead of drinks and overpriced food. Do NOT order the old fashioned unless you like them super sweet. My husband is a fan of old fashioneds and had never had a ridiculously sugary drink as this before. The espresso martini was okay. Definitely not worth $26 though. This place is definitely overrated.

One of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever experienced was eating dinner at Mudbrick. The view is…read moredivine, and the garden feels so quaint and picturesque that I was completely wowed. It's nice coming here for the ambience alone! They have two or three course dining options and I went with the two course plus a bread order which ended up being the perfect amount of food. The dishes were surprisingly innovative for being a winery restaurant, and I really appreciated the pairings they suggested with each dish. I especially liked their Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot options. It's definitely pricey, but I am glad I got to try dinner here. Only catch is that it's quite difficult to get a car back home - we had dinner at 7:30 pm and it was a bit harrowing getting a taxi. The hotel will help call for you but our driver double booked himself for extra business so we stood outside almost half an hour in the dark. Regardless, the restaurant itself was great and worth the trip.

I stayed at this hotel for two nights in February 2019. I loved how it was centrally locates and…read morevery close to the Skytower. I was in room 1214 and I think it was one of the best rooms in the hotel because it was on the highest level with a balcony and the view of the Skytower was completely unobstructed. It was also very close to many restaurants. We had a king sized bed with a pillow top mattress aka heaven. I slept solidly each night. The room came with standard amenities ... 2 robes, ironing board, washing/drying machine in the bathroom, TV. We chose to valet for $45/night for simplicity. There is no self-park. Really my only complaints were regarding the bathroom. It was just set up so inefficiently and awkwardly. The toilet paper is nearly behind you, instead of just bedside you. There is hardly any bathroom countertop area when they had plenty of room to build it out. There's only one very small towel rack that was actually pointing downward, so the towel always ended up on the floor. Yuck! The shower was pleasant, with great water pressure and a removable shower head. The other negative is no fan and noise here easily travels to the bedroom. Other amenities include an indoor pool, outdoor tennis court (with turf needing repairs), and large scale outdoor chess. I have no sense of direction so I found the hotel layout itself confusing. The hotel had 2 lobbies, two front desks. The hotels are connected by a link over the street.

We stayed here for three nights in a suite overlooking the water. We had a bedroom, large bathroom…read morewith washer and dryer, living room, fully equipped kitchen, dining room, and patio. The hotel was gorgeous with hardwood floors, indoor lap pool, two gyms, and a spa, as well as an indoor water feature. Beautiful decor, outstanding staff. The Concierge was extremely helpful and the hotel was ideally located within walking distance of all the Auckland landmarks.

This is a beautiful venue for an important celebration maybe a 60th or 70th birthday, which is both…read moreof the events I attended at stunning Sorrento in the Park. The location is right in the middle of Cornwall park, overlooking stunning fields and gardens of elegance. As a guest at Sorrento, you are treated like royalty. First mingle in the large cocktail room with included bar for canapés and champagne before you are seated in the main dining room, overlooking stunning gardens for the main meal and entertainment. I really enjoyed the catered buffet meal, glazed ham on the bone, scotch fillet, and succulent lamb accompanied by an assortment of the freshest hot and cold salads in season, plus an array of hot delights such as grilled salmon, and oriental stir fry. The service and attention to detail is what makes Sorrento in the Park, an unforgettable experience. A gorgeous venue I agree for a wedding (they are a popular venue for weddings) as the care and attention that the staff and managers take with a celebration is to perfection.

Indoor chapel with glass overlooking pasture with actual sheep roaming around? YES…read more I attended a beautiful wedding at this venue and it was just perfect and catering was enjoyable too. The indoor chapel though a tad bit smaller looks out into the open to green green grass. The whole place is very elegant and there is plenty to see and enjoy in the park itself. I would love to host a party or celebration of some sort here.