Watching NZ play Australia in World Cup cricket. Couldn't get tickets to the game so had lunch at…read moreMamak and now am at Vulture's Lane. Seems to be the place to be. Massive selection of beers and nachos are $5.00 today. Had a pint of Garage Project and now thinking about a pint of 8WiredSemiconductor!

A charming little lane off Queen Street with lots of good bars and other shops of interest. It's…read morethe little lanes like this that make the CBD interesting and offer welcoming relief from the blandness of Queen Street. There's a few good bars, namely The Belgian Beer Cafe; O Carrolls Irish bar and the best of all: Queensferry Hotel. The first time I came here in 2007 (on holiday) I recall browsing in a cool record store and buying a Bob Dylan album. That store is gone now but it indelibly marked Vulcan Lane as one of the cooler places in the CBD. The Vulcan cafe is a good spot to watch the people go by and another useful addition to the lane is Wishbone Deli. In case you haven't read my review, it's got a great selection of pastas and risottos which are great if you are on the go. A bit of cult place to Aucklanders, there's a lively vibe here and there is always something going on.

Fantastic park and walkway that I got to introduce to friends who had never heard of it or been…read morebefore! So glad they know of it now, especially the one who has a dog whose allowed on this track. Just next to Castor Bay, Kennedy is home to gun emplacements as well as tunnels from the Second World War. The tunnels are only open second Sunday of every month between 11am and 2pm for guided walks by volunteers from the Kennedy Park WWII Trust. There is also ample green grass and shade from trees next to the wooden coastal walkway. There is a sturdy wooden staircase leading to Back Beach where several people were doing up and down stair-runs and other fit-stuff. Good on them. Unfortunately we came at high tide so couldn't make it full all the way around the cliffs but definitely coming back at low tide to do more walk exploring and go for a swim! Having said that though, we instead did the coastal walk, noticed the spiderweb-centred playground that looked like fun as well. A proper dedicated car park space you can turn into after the main sign. Such a great park space- must see.

JF Kennedy Park is one of those fantastic spots that has somehow managed to remain relatively…read moreunknown - well, unknown enough at least to ensure it's not overcrowded or anything. You get there a little turnoff into a carpark off Beach Road which reveals a wide expanse of park complete with a quality playground. At first you don't quite realise how high up you are, but then you notice the water of the Hauraki Gulf on the horizon out to the east, walk to the edge of the park, and see that you're actually on a high clifftop. You can follow a wooden staircase all the way down the cliff-face, revealing a beautiful beach mercifully free of direct car access which makes gives it a nice secluded feel. It is a favourite of the fitness/dog walking crowd, but most of the time this beach is pretty well empty so it's a great place to come for a swim, enjoy some Vitamin D, and marvel at the golden rock of the cliff. My favourite time to come is just before sunset - it's especially peaceful around this time, and in summer the water's still lovely and warm.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!…read more Discovered this park the other day with my one year old son. I can't believe the amount of times I have driven by and not stopped for a closer look!! Duck feeding - yes Picnic friendly - yes Fully equipped modern playground - yes Sherwood reserve is expansive and connects to Freyburg Park off Anzac Road. If you are keen on a family picnic and/or outing to the playground with the kids but don't want to deal with tlhe crowds that Browns Bay has, this is a MUST VISIT!!

Gorgeous reserve. I use the walkway that runs through it from time to time and I love the scenery…read moreand the huge fresh grassy patches. The pathway that winds down and around is perfect for a bit of bike riding or skating down. Just don't do what I did and jump off your board on a downward slope... I had to watch in horror as my skateboard took a dive into the stream! There's a block of shops at the top of the reserve with a dairy and there's also a playground up top. Great spot for a slow Sunday stroll.

A little slice of heaven in the bays. My friends and I used to come here when we were younger. We'd…read moretake walks along the cliff tops and end up at Churchill Reserve where we'd have a picnic and take a dip. The little beach here is a bit rocky and shelly so it's not the best place for kids. I like it because it's really sheltered and often quite deserted. Recently there's been some issues with rocks falling off the cliff faces and landing on the beach. There are warning signs all over the bays saying, "beware of falling rocks". Don't walk past these without thinking because it can actually be really dangerous. If you're going to park up on the beach at Churchill reserve make sure you aren't nestled right under the cliff where rocks can fall and bonk you on the head! Don't let this put you off though because as long as you're careful this is a wonderful spot to enjoy. Up on the grassy reserve there are benches, which look out onto a spectacular view of the ocean. I usually stop here to enjoy the scenery when I'm out on a run. (That's what I tell myself but really I'm just tired and need a rest).

For us, the monthly visit to the night market is really just entertainment for the kids and a very…read morecheap dinner. I love any Asian/Indian/ethno food so can always find something to keep the wolf from the door. There is a wide range of cuisines: Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Philipino, Hungarian, Hong Kong, Pacific Island, and more plus a plethora of post prandial sweets. The food quality at some stalls might be a bit iffy - I suppose at $6 they won't be using the best ingredients, but I have never been sick!!. Sometimes I wonder about the hygiene too but fingers crossed... A lot of the food is in bain maries pre-cooked but the last two meals I've had have been cooked on the spot. It always amazes me that there is a huge queue for churros, which must be the most over-rated snack ever - flavourless dough sticks covered in a sauce of choice. Having said that though I wish I owned that business because the queues reach out the door and they are making a killing!! As at the time of writing this, the Pakuranga market is getting overcrowded. We went last night, arriving at 6pm opening time and it was already extremely busy. We were glad to be in and out within 30 minutes because it was becoming uncomfortably congested. If the crowds continue to grow, the market will need to expand its area. If I was designing the space I would move the "dining" tables to an area away from the throng of hungry punters trying to buy food. And in my perfect world pushchairs would be BANNED from all pedestrian areas!! Why, oh why, do people bring push chairs into crowded pedestrian areas? Dumb. I recommend the night market for a bit of frivolous fun on an evening when you have nothing else on and want to take the kids out for some low key entertainment and dinner. The "shopping" is best avoided unless you want fruit and veges. However, if on the other hand, you have an urge to offload your cash on $2 Shop junk, costume jewellery, flannelette onesies, carvings, mobile phone covers and accessories, a (fully-clothed) back/neck massage, ear candles, cheap and nasty nail polish and nail art, a dubious fortune telling, or second-hand bric-a-brac then this will be your Shangri-la!

Awesome place to have a super unhealthy Friday night dinner. The cuisine there is just so varied u…read morecan have anything u cud think of.. Obviously cheap food.. As for the shopping.. There are a few vege stores and a lot of cheap low quality stuff, items that may entertain children..

This golden sand beach is wonderful as it's just behind the strip of many great little cafes and…read moreshops as well as one of the beaches along East Coast bays with the concrete walkway. It's connected to Murrays one way and Campbell's the other way and makes for a nice treat, especially with a buddy or a 4-legged companion. It's best at low tide but it was also a shrieking-good surprise with the waves coming in at high tide as well. The grass is elevated behind a stone wall from the beach with swings above the sand. The Mairangi Bay Surf Life saving Club sits just to one corner with patrols during the weekends. We came and saw littles running one weekend morning doing their water safety training. There were also heaps of people in the water and as well as boat taken out. Definitely a great one for summer

I have very fond memories of going here with my grandparents. Good place to take children. I don't…read morethink old bypass my local beach to drive there but like to pop in when I'm going past.

Since when did craft fairs become sooo cool? I'm pretty sure that back in the day craft fairs were…read morejust full of knitted jumpers and painted eggshells. Well, that is certainly not the case these days. At Crafternoon Tea specifically, you'll find cool terrariums and succulents, beautiful prints of pencil drawn animals (look at the photos), modern jewellery and these adorable woolen hot waterbotttle covers (ok, so that's sounds a little nanna-ish but trust me, they're cool). The fair runs one Saturday a month from 10am - 2pm in the old church at the top of Bond St. Head along first thing and then stop in at one of the many cafes nearby to refuel. Perfect Saturday morning activity!

Crafternoon Tea is such a good market to visit. It's held in Kingsland in the Trinity Methodist…read moreChurch Hall in Kingsland, a great hub for lots of creative and crafty people. It's usually packed with loads of stalls and people milling about them. There's everything from soap, to clothes, cupcakes, jewelry and more. And the best thing about it is that anyone can have a stall for around $30. However, they stress that it needs to be handmade or retro and nothing imported can be sold. I think this is such a good idea to keep the market, well, a market. It's so great to see local people using local resources to create awesome Kiwi products. They also have lots of tutorials on their website that show you how to make some of your very own handmade delights.

If you like coffee, you have to come here and sample the traditionally brewed Ethiopian coffee. I'm…read morepretty sure it's the best coffee in the world. The process of making the coffee is interesting to watch in itself, but the taste is heavenly. A tiny cup of incredibly thick, strong, aromatic coffee with teaspoon after teaspoon of sugar stirred in. I don't even like sugar in my coffee usually, but Ethiopian coffee is a revelation. There's other stuff at the festival too! I've been a number of times and always had a great time. With it's focus on the art and food traditions of refugee communities, it's an opportunity to share in some culture that you might not be so familiar with. Ever-popular are the drumming demonstrations and the dancing on the main stage, but there are also heaps of stalls to browse, food to taste, and the Annual Cultural Football Tournament. If you've been before, note the change of venue; the festival won't be held at Potter's Park this year (2013), but at the War Memorial Park instead, on Sunday the 7th of April.

Khartoum Place is a square situated between Kitchener and Lorne St in the heart of Auckland city…read more It is right beside the Auckland Art Gallery and is just as worth a visit as the gallery is. The Place is characterized by a multi-level waterfall and paintings of the Women's Suffrage Movement - a part of history very important within New Zealand, as we were the first country to give women the right to vote. This pedestrianed square therefore acts as a memorial to women's suffrage. Not only is a Place the quickest way to cut through from the university to Queen St, it is also a lovely place to meet friends for lunch or coffee. A downside however is that it doesn't get much sun so it can be quite nippy there in the late afternoon. I recommend taking a jumper and grabbing a hot drink from the Esquires cafe located directly opposite the Place.

Nestled between Lorne Street and Kitchener Street beneath the Art Gallery and Albert Park beyond,…read moreKhartoum Place is perhaps my favourite public square in Auckland. The surrounding buildings give the square a feeling of being a semi-enclosed outdoor room, while the two large plane trees set in the middle of the square always keep it feeling cool and secluded. It's somehow serene in a way that belies its central city location, and ever so slightly grungy with the arty types (and homeless) that often occupy the space. The stairs that take you up to the Art Gallery are a tiled artwork/water feature commemorating the Womens' suffrage movement, so there's even a bit of history built in. In short, this little square has character in spades - great place to just sit and people watch.

Rangitoto was definitely a highlight of our visit to Auckland. We had a free day and wanted to get…read moresome exploring in, so we took the 10:30 ferry ride on over which was quick and beautiful. The range in microclimate hiking to the summit was fascinating. There were times where it was unbearably hot and then others when it was cool and wet. So interesting! The views, unsurprisingly, were magnificent.

We booked this tour through Fullers/360 Discovery Tours. They made it very simple to find the…read morecorrect dock, pick up our ferry tickets, and hop on board to the island. It was a fun little cruise to Rangitoto and then a very well organized tour and hike once there. We boarded an open-sided cart pulled by a truck/tractor, and it drove us all over the island - with our guide pointing out neat sights along the way, including volcanic fields, old dwellings where the WWII soldiers used to bunk, and some flora and fauna that we passed: birds and pōhutukawa trees (of which Rangitoto is the largest forest in the world). We stopped at the foot of the summit, and those who wanted to venture to the top hopped onto the boardwalk that runs alongside the mountain. It was an easy climb along the flat winding boardwalk, but the views do get a little daunting for those afraid of heights. There is a stop along the way called the crater summit track. Here you can walk around the edge/ring of this very large and very deep volcanic crater. There were lots of beautiful trees and scenic views to stop and see/snap photos of along the way. You can see Motutapu Island from the summit, where it connects to Rangitoto. Our guide said that some people hike from Rangitoto to Motutapu along the causeway connection, but we did not have time for that on this tour. Once we snagged our photos at the top of the summit, we headed back down and then boarded the vehicle again to meander back around the island to the dock and start our journey home. Overall, I would say this island (as part of a tour or a self guided hike with your own ferry pass) is a great way to spend a day. Hiking, beautiful views, and the sights of New Zealand that you don't get from just staying in Auckland!