If you're a student at Auckland Uni and you enjoy hitting the gym, then I would recommend checking…read moreout and signing up to the Auckland Uni gym! It's cheap as chips! Only $295 for a 12 month membership (upfront payment for enrolled UoA students), that works out to be roughly $5.70 a week!! Bargain! This gym is fully equipped with machines and free weights, a climbing wall, cardio machines, a stretching room, classes and a female only section. Just recently they have also renovated the bathrooms and showers, so youre able to get fresh and clean before hitting class. They have great locker facilities, however make sure you bring your own lock. However the downside is, after leg day you have four flights of stairs to walk up to get out of the building...... Feel the BURN!! If you're a Uni student wanting to go casually it costs $15. If you're a non-Uni student it costs $20 to go casually. Being a Uni student who likes to stay fit this is a great investment. Although forking out $295 is a lot of money for most Uni students, it will be a cheap investment long term.

The gym which is responsible for the Greek God like body you see before you, well I guess I have…read morekind of let myself go, but let me tell you, back in the day I was looking ripped. Also the cheapest gym around, ends up costing you about $60 per month, and half that if you are a student. Patrons range from casual gym goers to super serious gym buffs, and they have an impressive range of machinery and free weights to comfortably cater to the diverse crowd. It can be a little crowded at times, especially the month leading up to summer, everyone trying to drop those winter pounds. It is a student gym, no plush extras like a sauna, but for $60 a month it's a great deal.

When I was growing up - this was the place to be in the summer! The outside pools rocked with the…read moreslides and deep diving pool. Now I'm a bit older ... I have to admit I've dropped into the free Aquacise classes and laughed my head off with the local mamas. I haven't tried the gym but it looks good and I like the strap line they use "no egos just real people"

Some Monday's I need to take the children that I nanny to their tennis lesson which is held at…read moreRemuera Rackets. It's in a good central location which is both near their home and their school so it is super handy. They have a large carpark but it is almost always full and they have crammed quite a lot of parks into the area so they are quite tight, I have always managed to get a park however. The place is massive, it has a shop that sells tennis clothing and equipment, huge outdoor courts as well as small indoor ones that people were using to practice by themselves and a small gym where they give training. The kids lesson is 1 hr 30 mins long so I have quite a long time to wait but even though they are different ages their lesson is at the same time which is really convenient. Sometimes I wait and watch them as there is outdoor seating provided but if it is a bit cold I drive down to Newmarket which is less that 5 mins away and I can shop for and hour...perfect!

Howick Historical Village is in the park, it is pretty fun to walk about and go see it on a"live…read moreday" you can join a school class from the late 1800's. $15 Adult entry - $8 kids under 5's are free

Well, I have no clue who Lloyd Elsmore is, but he makes a pretty cool park. Covering a significant…read moreexpanse of East Auckland, it has a swimming pool, skate ramps, fields, sports clubs and the Howick Historical Village on site. Walking my dog here, I spied cyclists on the skate ramps, kids laughing on the playground, cars driving to and from sports matches and new games being set up for kids after school. They have plenty of sports days here - I know, because I can hear the announcer from my house a few kms away! It's also a good place to host an event, as I remember coming here a few years ago for a South African Festival. If you're looking for a day of fun, I reckon Lloyd Elsmore will fill your Saturday quite nicely.

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.

Thank goodness for Dr Nadine (Nisreen) Faris. My 5 year old daughter needed urgent attention on a…read morebaby tooth that was about to go absessed (much to my horror! Where did we go wrong?!). At our referral from the also-extremely-good Stonefields Children's community dental centre, it was expected that the tooth would need to be extracted :( HOWEVER, thanks to the wonderful dentist Dr Faris at Glen Innes Dental Centre, and her dental assistant, who enabled my girl to be really relaxed and calm (we listened to my daughter's fave children's stories on my phone during the process). Because she was so calm with no tears or fears, it meant that Dr Faris could SAVE the tooth, and perform a root canal and give my daughter a crown. (She did this because she felt it was too early to pull that tooth out, and it would cause problems with the other teeth closing the gap before the next adult tooth came up.) Thank you so much Dr Faris! We highly recommend her as a great dentist for children. My daughter has made them a big card saying "You are the best dentists in the world"!