Quiz night on Tuesdays is the perfect excuse to try out the Horse and Trap. Rigsy is a hoot on the…read moremike. And the bar food is well above average. Pizzas, burgers and salads mingle with steaks and pies on the menu and sit even better upon the tongue. Nothing original, but it's all done well. Just what one hopes for at a local. All that's left to achieve is that elusive 1st place...

The Horse & Trap's tagline is that they are a "stable of social relaxing". When we visited on a…read morebusy Friday evening, this was certainly the case. It was pretty packed, with after-work suits, girls pre-loading for town, and an intriguing mix of middle-aged suburbanites. The 100 year old building that the bar is housed in has a lovely feel to it; spread across 3 floors with plenty of private function rooms and outdoor areas, this venue can hold a crowd. As a Monteith's bar, your tap selection also includes their range of ciders which makes for a refreshing summer tipple. We were planning to just grab a drink or two, but looked over the menu & decided to stay. 1 of the 2 man-sized appetites I was dining with had a hankering for a burger, and the Horse & Trap Burger was calling his name. Served with pepper relish, battered onion rings & fries for $20, this was a man-sized burger. It even had the Kiwi touch with large slices of beetroot adorning the filling. The pattie appeared to be homemade, which is a big thumbs up for a busy pub kitchen. The chips were well cooked & seasoned, onion rings crispy & the relish was tasty. The only minor complaint was that the burger had been zealously seasoned - a touch too much cumin & coriander overpowered the other flavours. Otherwise the burger craving was well sated, and the request for extra aioli was happily met. Our other dishes included the Pulled Pork Quesadilla with black beans, cheese, guacamole & salsa ($18). Again this was heartily-sized for a quesadilla. The filling was tasty, but the guacamole was more like pureed avocado as you can see from the photo. It was a little too smooth & runny to qualify as guacamole. The last dish of the 3 was the Open Steak Sandwich with caramelised onion, gravy & fries ($19). Often times you'll get served a rubbery minute steak or flaccid schnitzel in a steak sandwich, so I was pleasantly surprised to have a decent cut of steak, cooked medium-rare. The gravy & onions complemented it very well; all-in-all, pretty damn good pub grub. It's not the cheapest night out at the pub, but the food shouldn't disappoint. Maybe that's why the mostly middle-aged clientele are proud to call this their local.

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%!!!

Decided to escape the summer heat in Hawaii for a beautiful winter wonderland in Auckland. We were…read moreonly visiting for a few days. Decided to stay at Grand Millennium because of the price and location. Everything was very easy to walk to and convenient. The staff here was very friendly. I loved how comfortable the bed was. My all-time favorite thing about this hotel was the bathroom. Because it was so cold outside, it felt amazing to come back and soak in a nice hot bath. I did have an issue at the end when checking out. The billing they provided me was incorrect. But after contacting the hotel the bill was corrected.

Getting off the Holland America cruise ship in Auckland I was sooo sick, not sea sick, multiple…read moreupper respiratory infection sick. I hailed a cab which wisked me and my luggage to this lovely location with the nicest front desk staff who worked diligently to get me to a room as quickly as possible. Let me add here I was at the hotel at 9:30 AM and the room availability was 3:00 PM. Yes, I actually planned to check in and leave my luggage to tour the city....best made plans, I didn't plan on getting ill. It did take a couple of hours but I ate a great breakfast, drank several cups of coffee, a liter of sparkling water and tried my best to remain in an upright position in the lounge. The concierge tracked me down and escorted me to my lovely room before noon. I was pleasantly surprised by the furnishings and quality of the hotel, don't get me wrong I don't do cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but I assumed the first available room wouldn't be the one I reserved. Great king bed, soft pillows, huge TV that I never used, desk, bar, refrigerator, hot water pot....bathroom with a huge soaker tub, separate shower, double sink...I was impressed. Then I started reading the room service menu....oh yeah I was thinking I could camp here and never leave. Since everything converted to NZD from USD the prices were cheap by Hawaii standards. The restaurants and room service were top shelf. The staff from concierge to bellman were fantastic. The check-in staff were awesome. This hotel is five star all the way.

This stay was a reminder that you don't need over-the-top luxury to get everything right…read more The location is spot-on, just off Queen Street, close enough to walk everywhere but far enough to escape the constant buzz. Sky Tower, great food, shopping, and transport are all within easy reach. The room was immaculate, modern, and incredibly comfortable. The bed deserves special mention, excellent sleep every night. The room was impressively quiet given the central location. Everything felt thoughtfully designed and well maintained. Service really stood out. Staff were consistently friendly, professional, and genuinely helpful, from check-in to checkout. It felt welcoming rather than transactional, which makes a big difference. This hotel excels at the fundamentals: comfort, cleanliness, location, and service. No gimmicks, just a well-run operation that delivers exactly what travelers want. A flawless city stay. Comfortable, calm, and perfectly located. I wouldn't hesitate to stay and again and would confidently recommend it to anyone!

I generally stay at Marriotts when I travel due to the points and status, but generally even the…read morebad ones are a decent place to stay at. I try to find a Marriott that is closer to where I am going (i.e. to a client or convention) or walking distance from things to do (shops, restaurants or general activities.. when I'm on vacation and can do that.. mainly cause I don't want to drive when on vacation). Well this Marriott did not disappoint. Not only was the room great (they did upgrade me due to status, but in the US when they say that you don't really notice a difference). The room was amazing at a high floor as requested on my profile. Couldn't exactly view the skytower from our room (it was at a corner where you had to stick your head to the window to just about see it :)), nevertheless the view was still great. It offers two exits (you can use the second exit/entrance as an entrance after you have your room keycard) great location to walk to the stores, but just away from the stores so it feels a bit more private. 5 to 20 minutes max walking from most places (12-15 minutes to sky tower), employees were very helpful when asked something, a fridge, safe, iron and coffee maker in the room and some parking for those looking for that (I would check with hotel though as it seems limited so you would have to make sure they have spots available when you are going). I would recommend this place and stay there again.

We loved our stay here. The location was perfect to walking to great restaurants and catching…read moreferries to other amazing places. Our room had a huge patio overlooking the harbor. The bed and pillows were very comfy. Cleaning service visited daily. Our room was clean and had ample space for our luggage. The shower was super hot. We loved the staff. I'm not sure I have the name right, but it might be Yoso, he was the main desk person - he was amazing. So welcoming. He gave great tips on local places. When we forgot our key, he quickly got us access to our room. Fantastic service. We ate breakfast each day in the Fish restaurant. Excellent food and service. Great stay.

I selected this property primarily for its convenient location in th e Central Business District…read more We requested a room on the highest floor to ensure a quiet environment without any noise from above. Although the room 834 provided only a partial harbor view, we preferred this side over the harbor view to avoid facing the cruise ship directly. The check-in process was smooth and efficient. We arrived before 3 pm and the front desk staff kindly accommodated our request for an early check-in. Our room was modern, clean, and comfortable, though slightly compact. A friend traveling with us got #830, which was marginally larger than ours. It's interesting as I'm a Hilton gold member while my friend isn't but ended up getting a complimentary upgrade. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom featuring both a rainfall shower and a spacious bathtub. We had breakfast at FISH restaurant on Level 1. The dining area offered beautiful harbor views, and the buffet selection was impressive especially fresh fruit (including golden kiwis), smoked salmon, pastrami, and an excellent variety of bread and pastries. Overall, our stay was relaxing and enjoyable, aside from some rooftop noise around 5 am on the first night. When we reserved the room, the Hilton website said the pool would be closed for maintenance until 31 Oct. However it was still closed when we arrived first week of Nov. The pool almost like an infinity one, is one of the reasons I chose this hotel. It's unfortunate that we didn't get to enjoy it.

We traveled from Los Angeles to Auckland, Australia.... To begin our 16 day adventure.... New…read moreZealand has plenty of rules.. we did our visa's online a few weeks before we traveled... and our declaration 24 hrs before arrival .... Customs was pretty easy for us... we also have our Global Entry card so that helps....

We were VERY pleased with our experience at this Novotel!…read more LOCATION: This is everything. In fact, this is why we chose this hotel: it's right next to the Auckland airport, which makes it a great option for early flights. It's literally less than a 3 minute walk from the hotel entrance to the airport entrance. And the best part? You don't hear the planes at all - but you get the awesome views of the planes taking off from many rooms! ENTRY: The main floor is gorgeous, well-maintained, and elevated. There is a cafe on the first floor, and the front desk service was polite and efficient. ROOM: The room was sooooo nice. If we weren't on a speed race to see all of Auckland in a day, we would have slept in and been lazy in here. The bed was great, the room features were luxurious, the SHOWER was magical, and the layout was great for unpacking. TRANSPORT: If you're heading into the city, the shuttle (costs money but cheaper than a taxi) leaves from the airport right across the street. Very handy!

I had a nice stay here, for a business visit to Auckland. Rooms are well laid out, good shower,…read morenice linen and comfortable furnishings. Wi-fi is reliable and the housekeeping is well done. The breakfast offers a good range with fresh and varied items. Service at the restaurant is responsive and friendly. Dinner at the restaurant is pricey though and the quality is patchy, so I would question the value from that point of view. However, the wine list is good and the restaurant service is very nice. Overall I would be happy to come back here, probably just have dinner elsewhere if I was staying a few days. Thank you.

The Hopetoun Alpha is a pretty special venue: just off K Rd, it's a former church that is now a…read morededicated event space. It's been pretty sympathetically renovated from its church-y days, but still has all the best elements of its original architecture: the soaring ceiling, the wood fixtures and the like. If you're looking for a venue, this is a good one, although you should check out their rates on their website as it's understandably a bit more than just hiring the local church hall. Every now and again it's used for gigs, and it's a great place to see bands play; the acoustics are pretty good.