Excellent museum one can reach by bus from the centre of Auckland. Wood paneled trams to ride over…read moreto the aviation section with many vintage aircraft including some of the majestic flying boats. Funny to see the Dakota and Dragon Rapide that I've flown on in previous years in the UK on pleasure flights. Some vintage Air New Zealand bags and model aircraft to buy in this hangar. Silly rules about not being able to smoke on site. Richard and I had a quiet fag and made sure we put our butts in the bin anyway. Friendly staff on board the tram. Some interactive exhibits to do with noise and image in one of the sheds. Also some information on migrants to New Zealand in the 20th century especially the Poms. Retro buses adorn the main area and there is a cafe. Ridiculous one cannot smoke on the cafe balcony. There are some lovely restored old houses and a kirk (church) in one section with lovely green lawn to walk on. I enjoyed this museum and was interested to learn that Air New Zealand used to be called National Airways corporation until 1978.

This museum had a good amount of stuff to keep a car loving two year old busy and a nice smaller…read morebaby play area for our nine month old to crawl around that was soft/pretty safe. The outdoor playground kept us busy for a good while. Not a huge place for kids to explore but good for a quiet morning. There's also a real tram/train that you can take with your ticket (the wait was too long for us so you might want to look ahead at the times).

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.

On a rainy day in Auckland, I decided to take advantage of the weather and see a movie -…read moreOppenheimer. The biggest cinema for mainstream movies is Event Cinemas, part of a large commercial complex right in the heart of CBD. Talking with people, this area still hasn't fully recovered since the pandemic, which speaks to why the complex feels relatively empty and quiet. I even had difficulty finding the main entrance as most of the door area that used to have restaurants and bars are empty and looked closed. Entering off the street and going down, only to go up massive escalators inside, I finally found what I was looking for. The theatres are on multiple floors depending on the style of screen (traditional, IMAX, etc.). The ticket lobby and main concession stand is on the third level. Tickets can be purchased off touch screens in the lobby, where you choose your desired seat. Most theatres have recliners or even full day beds, prices depend on time and type of seat. After purchasing my ticket, I went up another level where usually a ticket taker would be, but the table was empty and remained so. I found it odd there was no one checking - I guess trust (or cameras) were ensuring you are a paying customer. There are bars and concession stands in other areas but all were closed on my visit; maybe only peak time they're open. The screen itself was great quality; seats comfortable, prices reasonable for modern movies, and everything was clean. I was happy taking a break from the city for a few hours and would see a movie here again.

5 stars for the dramatic architecture 2 stars for the…read moreservice/bathrooms. The building is quite simply amazing. This would have to be the most dramatic movie theater I have ever seen. I came here to see Star Wars the Force Awakens and was more impressed by the sci-fi bridges and architecture in the theater than i was with the planet killer bridges and architecture in the Star Wars movie. Event Cinemas never seem to have enough staff and the bathrooms always seem to be a disaster, there is never enough toilets, they are dirty and often in some state of disrepair.

Unequivocally my FAVOURITE venue in Auckland! There is something quite magical about this place…read more From the beautifully themed entrance lobby to the star covered ceiling in the theatre itself the Civic never fails to impress. Their line up of musicals, orchestral performances, theatre and Opera are the best of the best too! Close to public transport and parking close by it is an easy place to get to as well which is a convenient bonus

I have a special bond with the Civic, when I was a kid my grandmother worked there and I would…read moreoften get to go into the Civic and the Wintergarden theatres and run through the back halls and rooms, this was during the days of the St James theatre when no-one had even heard of a multiplex. I've been up to the top and seen the stars, I've played with the glowing eyed lions. In part I think the bond I have with the Civic is a little more intense but no less symbolic then the one the rest of Auckland has with it. The Civic is possibly more iconic than the Auckland Town Hall and it seems to sit astride the heart of the Auckland CBD. Inside the Civic, the entrance hall remains mostly unchanged with the exception of the candy bar that used to sell Tangy Fruits, with a glass of wine or beer being the order of the day. Yes folks the Civic ascended from its cinema roots and matured to be an actual Theatre. In all its changes, its not lost its Grandiose 1940's charm and while the seats are still packed in there, you can sit in the Civic and know you're part of Auckland's long history with the Arts. Wellington is still considered the cultural capital of New Zealand, but its got competition here.

Sylvia Park Hoyts is one of my fav movie places to meet people from all over town, because it's so…read moreconvenient to get to, either via train, bus or car as it's right next to the Southern Motorway. (and you don't need to grapple with city traffic) The staff here are always incredible, the cinemas are clean and comfy, and they have special prices if you go in the morning or on Tuesday. (think it's about $11) Their La Premiere seats are awesome too if you have a special occasion to splurge out on. I was here last Sunday when our mini earthquake hit, and the building is so strong, I honestly thought it was just the surround sound system making the seats move. haha If you want to watch a movie in a safe, clean and welcoming environment, go here!

Hoyts Sylvia Park has been my regular movie theatre for over five years now. By far the most…read moresuperior theatre in the South/East Auckland areas, its smack bang in the middle of Auckland AND the largest shopping centre in the country, making it easy to get to whereever you are in the city. While people may see this as an negative, I love that this cinema gets busy. I'm the sort of person that would rather see a movie in a full theatre that with a few people, so Sylvia always does the trick. The seats in the theatres are comfortable, there's enough leg room for a basketball player and the arm rests are movable if you're into that sort of thing. I find its always worth it to pay a little extra for the Xtreme Screen because those regular sized screen just don't cut it anymore (maybe Chris Rock was right about women not being able to back in lifestyle...). The La Premiere seats at Sylvia are great too and while its on the pricey side its a great and very comfy way to make that date or girls night out a little more special (...okay, he was right). Sylvia Park also hosts a lot of the midnight screenings for some films and those usually go off without a hitch. Do yourself a favour and book your tickets online or purchase them early from the cinema to avoid the inevitable long queue that will await you!

It's a maze to get there but once you do I think it is one of the best theatres in Auckland. Just…read morethe right size, just the right incline between rows, a HUUUUGE stage and comfy seats. The only downfall is that they only have pre-packaged popcorn - not such an issue if you are going to a play but if you are going to a movie, such a disappointment! Also their water comes out of those pre-mix soda stream taps and tastes rank.

I have been to a couple of shows here lately and they were great! One was Hairspray so that was…read morebound to be a winner and the other was a film fest movie which was a goodie too. Can be difficult to find in the Skytower if you don't know where you are going but once you find it you will be greatest by friendly staff and an array of snacks and drinks to choose from. Seats are super comfy so I almost fall asleep! Check out what's coming up here as they have a great array of events held at this venue at reasonable prices so keep your eyes peeled

I dunno about the Showgrounds. Everyone knows where they are, everyone's been there for something…read moreand we all continue to do so fairly regularly - I was just there this week for the Importer's Clearance Sale. Trouble is, it's really not too flash. They always sting you for parking (cash only of course) for any event and said parking is a really trashy makeshift carpark full of potholes and the bare minimum of space per car. Then there's a bit of a walk past the old admin buildings and into a great big characterless foyer with great big cavernous rooms. I know it's meant to be a blank canvas so maybe I'm just whingeing but I always feel like it could be so much better. So many events are held here - The Food Show, The Parent and Child Show and many many smaller trade shows along with everyone's favourite The Royal Easter Show. But when I was here recently for Chinese New Year we were all sitting on the concrete eating our lunch. I know it's probably up to individual event organisers but more seating in the food areas would be great and more shade for summer events would be equally appreciated. And hey, maybe even an allround spruce up and cheaper parking? Just saying.

Billed as New Zealand's premier events and exhibition centre, ASB show grounds really lives up to…read moreits rather stately title. It caters to everything from private cocktail parties, corporate functions to large scale concerts and performances, trade shows, even weddings! It is the team here that really make each individual event personalized and a success. This weekend I went to Nz's largest stock clearance sale that happens here every couple of months, which is basically a huge makeup sale with things at ridonkulously low prices ( what's not to love). This event always attracts hordes of scary girls, that relish fights over blusher/bronzer etc so it's good that there is lots of space available to make a run for it if necessary. Things were neatly set out, and were easy to access. There is even ample parking, which is always a problem in Auckland.

Botany town centre is one of my favourite mall to be I love the atmosphere, layout I like how it's…read moreoutdoor indoor stores, like how got everything in one place, love the restaurants the cinemas library close to da people who loves n da area, nice friendly people it's clean and tidy love how they hav events and performance, activities for sckool holidays nice place to meet and catch up with friends and meet up with hot chicks nice place to be for sckool holidays nice place to hav dinner relax on a Friday afternoon and hav a cup of tea/coffee on a nice Saturday mornings there's some stores I want to hav there is footlocker and Wendy's Sundaes. And maybe a fun course for all ages for level 2-3 So keep it up botany your doing a good job keeping botany a nice tidy place for family/friends and to chill and relax.

It's been a while since my last visit. It seems that a major renovation is going on at the moment…read more I must admit the I was on the cinema side only, did not visit the warehouse side of this visit. Will have to come back in the New Year and see how the revamp went, it used to be one of my favourite places to shop !!!