Due to being new, Sylvia Park Train Station is clean and caters to a wide range of people. It has…read morestairs and an elevator to take you across to the platform, and they are usually prompt at signalling the lateness of a train. It's really handy being next to the Shopping Centre, but I find it annoying that there are no Park & Ride facilities. Most people I know would need to park and take the train, so naturally we park on nearby streets. Then they started painting yellow lines over the nearby streets, so it became impossible to use the train. Surely there's a solution somewhere? Aside from that, it's a good train station and you never feel uneasy due to the Security Guards of Sylvia Park keeping an eye on the place. They also have a useful board in the mall to tell you when the next train is coming.

Although we arrived at the international terminal from the US, we flew out of the domestic terminal…read moreto Queenstown on Jetstar a few days later. We took an Uber from Hilton Auckland to the domestic terminal. It was clean and organized but it was hard to find a water fountain. There were a few food options to grab a bite. Security was incredibly efficient. Compared to the US, the process was smooth and the staff were friendly and welcoming. The signage was clear, and getting through security took less than five minutes. In the US, we're used to arriving at least two hours early for domestic flights, but in New Zealand we were told to be there one hour beforehand and even that felt generous given how quick everything was.

The Domestic side of the Auckland Airport is smaller because it's just basically Air New Zealand…read moreand Jetstar. Everywhere was clean, organized, and spacious. Check in was easy and efficient with self service machines. Airport staff were friendly, and works fast. Gates were spread out with a decent amount of seats. Not too many options for shopping and food, but you don't need to be spending a lot of time here anyway since checking in is so quick. This terminal has self service luggage lockers you can use while the international terminal does not. Will definitely be returning to this terminal on my next New Zealand adventure!

Travel days can be hectic and stressful…read more.. Since this was our first time arriving in Sydney, Australia, and departing from New Zealand, we arranged our pre- and post-cruise air and land transportation through Oceania Cruises. We were more than impressed with the itineraries that they scheduled for our foursome. Our New Zealand driver picked us up from our hotel, Sudima Auckland City, at precisely at 5;30 PM, allowing us an uninterrupted 30-minute drive or 24 miles to Auckland Airport (AKL). Along the way, our driver informed us that Auckland Airport (international) is this nation's busiest and largest airport, yet it has only two terminals. One terminal handles international airline connections through Air New Zealand, Qantas, Emirates, and Cathay Pacific, among others, while the other handles domestic airlines such as Virgin Australia and Airwork. He also advised us on navigating the three levels of the International Terminal, since we were unfamiliar with the airport's layout, which helped to make our departure less stressful. From the Air New Zealand drop-off point, we proceeded to the ground-floor check-in kiosks since we needed bag tags for our checked luggage, even though we had checked in for our flight on the app 24 hours in advance. Check-in was very easy, and a friendly agent was available at the kiosks to assist everyone if needed. After attaching our tags, we took our bags over to the agents to weigh and associate them with our flight tickets. We then passed through to the first-floor retail shops, highly efficient immigration and security, and duty-free vendors before reaching the second floor, where the departure gates were located. We also were impressed by the comfortable modern and Māori-inspired designed décor. While negotiating the crowds and making our way to our departure gate, we had allowed for a 3-hour cushion so we calm down and grab something light to eat pre-flight. We couldn't think of purchasing more souvenirs since we had spent the past 20 days in Australia and New Zealand and everything was packed in either our checked-in or carry-on luggage. So, our appetites were diverted to several food vendors, which, amazingly, offered tasty food and beverage options along with quick, friendly service. Before we knew it, time seemed to fly by and we were ready to board our flight home. We boarded stress-free to our selected seats and promptly fell asleep on a smooth and quiet flight thanks to Air New Zealand.

The airport is nice and clean. I did notice that there are far less restrooms available than in…read moreother airports. Also when you arrive you will be checked again and again by customs. Quite strict about bringing any food, animal, plant or soil matter into the country. I get that, but after you get asked the same question at the 3rd or 4th checkpoint it starts to get a bit redundant.

It's located in a very convenient location to a bunch of shopping and the viaduct. No one was by…read morethe hotel door to help us with luggage and when we checked in, the staff members seemed distracted while checking us in. The room is clean and bright. The gym is quite small and had one broken treadmill that didn't have a sign so I'm not sure if staff are aware of it. Our rooms didn't include breakfast, but we were excited to try it. We ended up disappointed because the hostess gave us two menus and told us to sit anywhere. There's prices for a la carte and buffet and we opted for the buffet and just went up to get food. A staff member stopped us and asked if we were doing the buffet and then told us she'd bring us the bill so we could sign our room. It felt like maybe a staff member should have brought us to our seat and asked us what we wanted to prevent being stopped at the food counter and having guest and staff play a guessing game. The breakfast selection is mediocre. Another table was sat and the staff member who stopped us was quick to go to their table and explain the menu choices to them so I'm not sure if it's a lack of consistency or if they need more staff during the breakfast shift because it seemed like it was just her and the hostess working. Staff was also slow to clear tables.

Location and views alone are 5-stars. Booked my trip back in December. To gain more airline points,…read moreI booked the hotel through the airline portal. After reviewing the map of the Auckland central business district (CBD) and where the Sky Tower was, I knew I wanted to stay by the harbor, with a view and reasonably priced. That's when I came across M Social Viaduct Harbor. From Google Maps and looking at YouTube videos, the hotel was in the midst of it all. My first encounter with them was a few weeks earlier when I learned that M Socials last check-in time was midnight. Unfortunately, because my flight was schedule to land at 9:45 pm, having to get through customs and waiting for Uber, we'd be cutting it close. So I emailed M Social and they assured me that we could check-in after midnight, no rush since they knew how long customs could take. What a relief. When we got there, a little after 11 pm, I was told our room was upgraded to the 12th floor which is the highest floor. I was told "The harbor view is great up there." And it is!!! All the rooms face the harbor and all rooms have a view!!! The higher you are the better the view. And when we got to our room, we had a signed card from the employees along with Easter candy because I didn't realize it was Easter weekend when I booked our flights. The room was clean with modern and youthful aesthetic. And the price? I can't believe it is one of the least expensive hotels along the harbor. It was between $129 - $189/night. Of course, Weekends are higher price. And, laundry is free. We just had to pay for laundry detergent. No dryer sheets in Auckland, though. People in NZ said I had an American accent. But they're the ones with accents... lol. Auckland is also a melting pot. The front staff were mainly Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese. So they had their native accent along with the English accent. But everyone was so kind to us. And they have a restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night socializing. Although we only had apps and drinks, the food was really good and non-alcoholic drinks were refreshing. As much as I want to gatekeep M Social, I also want to praise the staff members and hope everyone can enjoy your time staying at this wonderful establishment.

Great location near good restaurants and Queen street shops. A short 15 minute walk to the harbour…read moreand nightlife. Efficient staff and garage parking are convenient. They do a great job of greeting past guests. Clean rooms and comfy bed, though on the soft side 24 hour gym is well equiped for cardio and weight training, along with a sauna. Breakfast buffet is a highlight with omelette bar and barista coffees included.

We left the airport and went straight to the hotel... They were so accommodating... no waiting …read more.. checked us right in... the staff member gave us suggestions and directions to see various places in Auckland... Room was great... the hotel is very busy but cool...

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.

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!

Let's be honest, no one's going to Tiri just for the Visitor Centre, but since you're going anyway…read moreyou may as well check it out. Of course the island itself is amazing for its open sanctuary status, its birdlife and its history. And along with DOC it is supported by the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi and they operate the visitor centre and shop. The shop has an awesome collection of souvenirs, including jewellery, clothes, books, housewares, games and greeting cards, among many other things. The best part is that the majority of the items in the store are also New Zealand made, which goes to show that the Supporters support not only the conservation of this island but locally made products by New Zealand designers. The profits from the store go back into the island so it's a fantastic way to give back as well as taking home some awesome presents for others or for yourself. The visitor centre has heaps of information boards and displays about the wildlife and history of the island. Also plenty of tables and chairs both inside and out to relax on after exploring.