My nieces went to this activity adventure park for a birthday party and could not stop raving about…read morethe fun they had. For the insatiable appetite of tweens and youngsters it is great to know there is another thrills and spills attraction that's safe and monitored. Lots of activities to choose from including: A free climbing wall which is a huge inflatable bouncy castle with giant climbing wall that puts dexterity skills to the test. For the ultimate bouncy castle they have Jump n Slide which is for all of the budding acrobats, here you can propel yourself to do crazy flips. Take it all a step further with the jousting bridge. Crazy Ladder tested their perseverance skills, those who did make it to the top got a great jump down. The series of trapeze satisfied the monkey in the kids, let's face it they can never get enough jungle gym time. Pizzas were delivered to the party area in the venue, smiles a mile wide the result of a great day out.

A team and I hosted Miss Africa Auckland 2012 at Alexandra Park and everything went smoothly thanks…read moreto the Jacquie who was the event coordinator at Alexandra Park. Jacquie answered all our questions, assisted us in drawing a stage after the one we had originally requested was too big for the room. She managed to set up the hall using diagrams and worked closely with the lightning and stage crew to make sure that everything was working from the sound system to the lights. Jacquie went out of her way to ensure that everything we asked was there and because it was christmas, we even had fairy lights around the room and a christmas tree at the front.

I recently attended a 2 day conference at Alexandra Park. I attend a few conference through work…read moreand have to say the food and staff at Alexandra Park were better than most four/five star hotels. To end the conference we had dinner and enjoyed a race night. It was my first time going to Alexandra park and will definitely go back and recommend to friends.

So to be fair my stomach kind of drops when I walk in here. And you're unlikely to see me up the…read morewall unless I'm in a particularly belligerent frame of mind. It's pretty scary. Kids however don't seem to have issues with height; perhaps because indoor rock climbing has become a part of school holiday programmes and most of them have had the opportunity to do it at some point. Mine love it. I don't like watching them up there so to be fair it's not often me that brings them here. Love it or fear it, this is a great place to come and face a mental challenge while getting a different kind of workout. Just go with a buddy - they will responsible for your life. Just kidding. While being part of a pair is helpful it's not necessary as of course Clip'N'Climb has trained safety professionals. One thing to note though is that climbing happens in sessions; on the hour every hour.

Get your sweat on because an hour at Clip N'Climb is an excellent workout. And even better, you're…read morehaving so much you don't even realise it's quite a fair bit of exercise. This indoor climbing is great for wet days but having said that, it's fun regardless of the weather. They have 34 walls of various themes as well as the extra Leap of Faith or Vertical Drop Slide. You go through a brief safety and harness/ auto belays guide at the beginning then let loose onto all the options to climb. The auto belays mean you don't have to have a partner on the floor and that you could come alone and still be able to climb up and get back down no problems. It takes some time getting used to just letting go once you're at the top to drop down but it makes things a lot easier. Love the colorful walls and unconventional climbing holds that sometimes makes for extra challenges. Personal faves though definitely not the most easiest- the ice pick climb, loose rope netting military style and tall wobbly green pole height climb. Highly recommend. Such a great activity for all ages.

The beach is a short walk from the parking lot. The black sand gets hot in summer so it is a…read moredifficult walk. Good place in Auckland for kids

I like Bethells Beach! It is a very cool place, it takes a bit of a drive to get to, especially if…read moreyou are coming from across town, but it is well worth it. It is great how they have the mobile cafe on the beach next to all the sand dunes, just what you feel like after you have been in the water. Plus it has such a chilled out vibe, all types go there, families, couples, old, young, all are welcome! I hold it on the list of "to do's" for all overseas guests, if you can, make time to spare for this hotspot. It is a popular beach too, so don't expect to have yourself a little hideaway, despite the driving distance from town. It also has a good reputation that stretches across the Tasman - I had heard about Bethells in Australia before I even moved here. It also goes by its original name "Te Henga'.

Glendowie Tennis Club is great for all levels of tennis players, from beginners to the next Rafa…read moreNadal. Located next to Churchill Park, Glendowie Tennis Club provides a peaceful environment to develop your skills, helping to ease that tension after those tough umpire calls. The Club provides various nights catering to different skills and age groups, with Junior tennis on Friday evenings, Midweek Ladies and Veterans during the week and Mens Over Thirtys, on Thursday nights. The buoyant social aspect of the club helps to create a welcoming atmosphere and tight-knit community in the club with the bar and big screen proving to be very enjoyable additional elements.

Come here for the bowling - not for the customer service or the food…read more Overpriced bar food that targets the children/family market - not alot else to expect from a bowling alley really. But you'd think they would try to offer something on their menu that didn't come from a frozen box. The bowling lanes are fine - they block every now and then and the gutters play up- but they work and are reasonably priced. They have a jukebox that plays the videos above the lanes - which is great if you like Ariana Grande dancing across your tenpins while you're trying to land a strike. The carpet glows in the dark which makes for easy fun with the kids if you're waiting. Which brings me to the main problem. The wait. We showed up on an easy going Thursday night around 7pm to be told a lane wouldn't be ready until 10pm for our group. Understandably we needed 2 lanes, but even when we dropped the numbers for one lane- we were advised "we should have booked ahead". Moral of the story - don't do drop bys here, they're 'popular' and probably wont be able to accommodate your spontaneity. We went across the road to Paradice Ice Skating instead.

Xtreme Entertainment has the best bowling lanes in almost all of Auckland. Not too narrow lanes,…read morethe score screens are easy to read, there's a great range of bowling balls to choose from, the seating is roomy and the music is generally good (not a small feat for a bowling place!). On Thursdays they do half price bowling, an awesome date night option or something fun to do after work with mates. There's an arcade aswell with a few staples such as Tekken and Time Crisis and a number of pool tables. The bar also does good deals on drinks and a Happy Hour- they even bring them to your bowling lane! They also have a selection of snacks you can order for the kids or to accompany that drinks of yours. I can't wait for this place to re-open looking bigger and even better. A great place for all ages!

When I was looking at tennis clubs near Mt Eden this was one of the most affordable that I found…read more They have five astro-court tennis courts, with lights which are in good condition. I did go along to the social tennis on Tuesday night and found it fun. I enjoyed the doubles tennis and everyone was friendly. I lucked out because it was the first Tuesday of the month it was a barbecue night after the tennis - even desserts had been brought along to share! From what I could gather it was a very social tennis club with various events on throughout the year besides playing tennis, such as hosting a quiz night etc. For one reason or another I have not actually become a member. But Winstone Park Tennis will more than likely be the one, if and when I do decide to join a tennis club.

I discovered this park one day when out walking. It is tucked away at the end of a no exit street…read more The playground has been recently updated and I think it is a pretty great park. Find a spot at a BBQ table or hang out on the grass, or if you want to get active run up and down the hill at the back of the park.. If you have children I'm sure they would love the new playground. How much fun do those two, bright greeen enclosed slides look?! (I'm yet to actually try them out). When I was at this park last, one family had iPhone in hand and were geocaching. So there might be something really awesome to find... or it might just be a box, who knows?!