If you are a new mum or new father, or caretaker you have to come to the Parenting Place Greenlane…read more This place is a place where you can come to and meet other parents, have a coffee while your little one is playing in the safe play area, or breastfeed without feeling embarrassed. Its somewhere you can meet other mothers for a chat or just some time out from home. They have a cafe which does nice coffees and food onsite and there is an area especially for coffee group meet ups. They have seminars you can attend on all sorts of topics, such as Brain development, they also offer workshops such as learning languages, teaching babies 4-18 months to sleep through the night - doesn't every parent need advice on that one, have a look at the Event Finder for more information. They sell books here and you can sign up to newsletter/info to get deals on the books and receive general information and a wealth of free advice regarding parenting. Highly recommended

Well, I'm not a parent, but I came here for a conference that was being run out of The McCann Room,…read moreone of their venues. It was great to have a cafe on site, so I could order a takeaway coffee before heading inside. There are so many couches available to chill out on while waiting for things to happen. The room was small, but ideal for the conference of about 30 people. Their projection and sound equipment was good, and their seats pretty comfy. There was water available nearby all the time, as well as pens. It was great, clean, new and very professional for conferences. The parking was a bit confusing, because it's sharing the area with other business. Aside from that, I would recommend it for your next meeting.

Even though the Stardome is now named after a benefactor (can't be helped I guess), it is still as…read morecool as it ever was. The staff don't mind if you just wander in and have a look around and the foyer alone has enough to amuse the kiddies for at least half an hour, probably longer. During the school holidays they run all kinds of fun stuff and if you haven't been before, it's unlike anything else you can do around the town. You absolutely have to be organised and book in advance and maybe the movie is a bit dated, but it's fascinating and presented in a way that makes astronomy accessible to everyone - even 3 year olds. There's an arty crafty session where the kids get to make their own (artistically questionable) souvenir but the highlight is that the film is shown Cinema 180 style on the ceiling. A bit hard on the neck but SO worth it. You can hire the Stardome for functions but when I looked into booking it for an event, I ran in to the problem of how to keep kids from playing unsupervised in the lobby so that's something to consider. I'm ashamed to say I have never been here in the evening and actually looked through that giant telescope at the night sky. I intend to do it every Winter but late nights out in Winter just don't seem to happen. This is the year.

We were thinking about what show we should pick and have chosen "The winter sky". It was just…read moreamazing, to see what stats and planets we can see with our naked eye from Auckland. At least in good weather. After the show we went outside to see the Saturn through telescopes. Not the Zeiss one, but smaller. I saw the Saturn through the telescope for the first time and it was the biggest happy moment I have had in years! You can actually see the planet and the rings! Super cool! We haven't had a chance to use the Zeiss telescope because of the weather, but we are definitely going to do this next time.

The Manurewa Aquatic Centre has been around for several years now and was a much-needed upgrade for…read morethe area. It's located at Mountfort Park and it's hard to miss off the main road. It's a great facility and, living a two minute walk from here, I know that this place is popular all-year round. The aquatic centre boasts five pools, one of them being Manukau's first deep water pool, perfect for water polo and all other deep water sports I'd never dare to try (I'm definitely not a swimmer). Entry to the pools are free, but there's a great range of paid extras you can go for like the spa and sauna. The pools close relatively early but for a small fee you can stay later, which is ideal if you like swimming in peace, because this place gets busy. I've only visited the aquatic centre a handful of times, despite living so close. I prefer the pools in the winter when it's not so packed. You get some serious swimmers here so beware of accidently floating into someone's lane! I learnt that one the hard way. I've taken some younger cousins here on a couple of afternoon and I didn't swim, but the spectator seats here are great and you get a view of all the pools so there's no blind spot to worry about. There's a cafe on-site aswell if the hunger strikes, but I usually bring my own food when I come here or practice patience until I'm home. I really like the changing room facilities here; they're modern, spacious and well-looked after considering how much foot traffic comes through. The Manurewa Aquatic Centre is great for families with their range of swimming pools, and give adults the extra option of chilling out in the spa and sauna for some alone time. The Community Gyms fitness centre is here aswell, so the aquatic is great for that post-workout swim or sauna! A great addition to the Manurewa community and its as popular as ever.

I can not believe I had not been to the leisure centre sooner. Honestly its got alot going on in…read morethere. There is a Les Mills Gym, a large swimming pool, a spa pool, some saunas, and even a dive pool with diving boards. I had a visit during the week, before lunch time, so the toddlers pool was booked out with a swim group, so we were offered the fun section of the big pool we just had to share it with some swimmers, which was not a problem at all. The water was a lot cooler than the toddlers pool would have been but my little guy is obsessed with water so that was not a problem. There were a few lifeguards on duty, who were looking after us all, and although a large amount of little seven year old's did show up for weekly sports class, we seemed to all just co exist in the space happily. I am yet to enquire about the gym on site which I think would be so convenient for mums with little children as they have a creche that is connected to the whole complex, talk about convenience. Car park space outside is close to the leisure centre and is also all free to park in if you are using the facilities. The changing rooms, are big enough to have a quick change and the showers were clean, although I think jandals should always be essential in public showers, just a tip. I will be back for sure, as I love the fact that I get to relax and enjoy a swim with my child and we both benefit from it.

Went to use the pools today...Haven't been to this place for about 10 years. I guess that's why its…read more$6.70 for a swim and no longer $2.50. Anyway, its exactly how I remember it. Nothing has changed much. There are slides, diving boards, steam rooms, saunas, pools with lanes and a kiddie pool. I love how you no longer have to pay to use the lockers.... You just need to bring your own lock and key. They probably change this because things use to get stolen all the times. So make sure you bring a lock! Another thing that has changed is that It seems like this place has become the ultimate hang out for old asian people during the working week. I am quite shy with walking around naked in the change rooms, but the old asian ladies are not, just a warning!

The University of Auckland is a public research university & the largest, most comprehensive &…read morehighest-ranked university in New Zealand. It was established in 1883 & today about 40,000 students are enrolled on 5 Auckland campuses. The City Campus, in the Auckland CBD, has the bulk of the students & faculty . There are 8 faculties, including a law school & 3 associated research institutes. I was impressed to see a full Māori Marea on campus. I understand there are over 3,000 or almost 8% Of the student body is aboriginal. They have a study abroad for program & American students are in attendance & seem happy here.

This Uni does have amazing facilities, whether you like echoey old buildings, or shiny new ones. It…read morehas a lot of food places, clubs, support groups and events throughout the year. If you head to the quad on a Thursday, there's always a cheap market if you're looking for something a little different. Well, the education and facilities may be great, but the admin is PURE CONCENTRATED HELL! Okay, there I said it. Whether it's sending you to the back of beyond for a lecture about Asian Cinema to some obscure place in the Science Building, not telling you that they changed what papers you have to do for your degree in the middle of your degree, or sending you to multiple different offices just so someone can finally say 'no, sorry, we can't help you with that'. Bureacratic red tape nightmare! Make sure you check and double check your papers every year and don't give up if you need something. Also, never, ever listen to what SSO tells you. It's all crap. Go talk to a human being, preferably your faculty HOD. Don't get me wrong though: I absolutely loved going to Auckland. I recommend you sign up at the AUSA, just so you get the free diary (with map inside). It helped me with 4 years of Uni! :)

Impressive museum. Well worth the visit and a nice cafe with outdoor seating. Friendly staff and…read moregood exhibits. I especially liked the videos of some of the service personnel talking about why they were in the Navy.

I'm a ship nerd. I can think of two sources of this affliction - becoming interested in ocean…read moreliners through the film 'Titanic', and the fact that the old man's worked at the navy for my whole lifetime. My ship nerd-ery means that when somewhere like the Navy Museum I'm happy like a pig in shit. In the last couple of years, the museum moved from the base to a nice new architecturally designed building down under North Head. It's a great place to put it in light of the heritage of North Head, and it's also done wonders for the museum's profile. The museum itself is absolutely fascinating - you wouldn't think so necessarily, but it is. Our navy has a rich history, and the place is choc full of stories, art and artifacts that document it - weapons, ship artifacts, ship plans, medals and uniforms, equipment and some wonderful paintings being the highlights. Well worth a visit.

This is such a cool store, one of the go to options for when I have to buy gifts because everything…read morethere is unique. Even though it is New Zealand designed and made, there is not too much kiwiana, that makes for good gifts for tourists or people you know who are overseas but much of the store is just products created by amazingly talented people of whom Texan Art Schools bring collectively into their store. You'll find textiles, glass, ceramics, jewelry and prints here as well as what I think must be feijoa candles because the store smells of feijoas. A while back I purchased some amazing glass vases and a dish for myself and had wanted to go back and get another colour of one of the vases. It was gone. So lesson here is that you need to just buy it at the time. Stock is often limited.

I'm a fan of the seafood cookschool. Today was threefold, a tour of the fish market and auction…read morearea, a demonstration of both courses from Stephen and Colin, then through to the kitchen stations where you make it yourself. Heaps of fun, new skills learned, and a pretty fine lunch along with a complimentary glass of wine beforehand. Look out for the half price specials from time to time I suggest you have a good read of the menu as some of the classes are more technical than others. I've also done the duck delicious class. And gift vouchers make ideal presents for foodie friends.

My 2nd time at the Auckland Seafood School and this time a tour was included of the fish market…read morewith some smoked Salmon tastings and a glimpse of Josh Emett and the Prime Minister. A look in the Big Picture Wine room and a brief stint in the Auction freezer was interesting. Chefs Stephen and Colin who looked after us were fantastic, very friendly jovial guys. Their class was informative and easy to follow with a glass of wine in hand included. Then it was our turn in the classroom where we tried our hand at Smashed pea Tortellini, seafood broth and created two great fish dishes. These were definitely something you could recreate at home. Then you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour at a shared dining. This was a Special Winter rate and excellent value for money. I think even worth paying the full $85 price tag. I will absolutely go back again for a further class. You really must go along and attend.