Pick-up was a nightmare. There was only one person working the desk, so it took a full HOUR for me…read moreto pick up my car, as there were 4 groups of people in front of me. Not only was she checking people in, but she was also going outside to vacuum/clean the cars and take photos of them. It really put me behind in my activities for the day. After I got the car, things were easy-breezy! Practically a brand new Hyundi Accent, very clean on the inside, and worked just fine. The engine was essentially that of a lawn mower, but that's to be expected in a rental car. Drop-off was easy as well - we ended up returning to the lot after hours and dropping the key off in the box. Got a receipt in my email the next morning. Would use this company again, but will give myself extra time for pick-up.

I rent a lot of cars but this was easiest rental. The staff were efficient and accommodating. No…read morefunny business. They even added a driver over the phone for free and let us drop off the car at the airport.

I have spent a lot of time in this travel agency booking my one year OE to Canada. I found being at…read moreUni and studying it was so conveniently placed as in between classes I would get advise on places to go and see, arrange flights, accommodation, travel insurance, and much more. I really enjoyed coming here as the staff were roughly the same age as me and had traveled all over the world. It was so nice getting an opinion from someone who is like minded and understands the needs and wants of a 20 year old. STA is the perfect travel agency to go through if you're a student wanting to travel. They are very accommodating and help point you in the right direction of the best deals you can get. If you're a Uni student wanting to travel I would recommend coming here even just to have a look to see what's on offer. They have heaps of travel guides you can look through for inspiration or even just curiosity. There is something here for everyone.

I came here while I was doing some planning for an OE. I did not end up using them for my flights…read morebut I did buy some travel insurance through them which was the cheapest option that I had researched. After the lady I was talking to found out that I was going to London she told me about her experience living there and what she did for work - she had a live in position at a hotel in the North. She gave me some details about what recruitment company she used, which I did not end up using but appreciated all the same. Good service, and depending on what day of the week it is, good deals on flights.

Great place to stay before a flight! They do drop offs and pick ups at the airport. The room was…read morespacious and comfortable. It isn't near anything really, but they have an on-site bar. I would definitely stay there again.

If you are coming to New Zealand for 2 - 3 months and need a place to stay please give the Airport…read moreGarden Inn a call. They do long term accommodation and it's at a great rate. $290 per week is the start off rate that gives you 1 bedroom double and it go's up from there. If you get in please enjoy your stay.

This is an amazing place to stay at a very reasonable price. It is near downtown Auckland and close…read moreto a shopping mall area. It was also near many different food options and on Boxing Day some were still open. The hotel was very clean for the most part except the table in the room. It was like an office table that had dust and a few larger crumbs or something. The beds were super comfortable and the bedding was great. The bathroom was very large and even had towel warmers!!! How amazing is that I've never seen that and I've stayed in quite a few resorts all over the world. The room service was free because I notified them of the moths in the room. There was one on the bed and found two more that night. I'm not sure where they come from. As you can see in the picture, the refrigerator is tiny and so was the area to make coffee or tea. If it wasn't for the very few negatives I would have given 5 stars. It is a true gem with amazing prices! Staff was helpful and nice.

We attended a wedding over the weekend and the venue was really nice; especially with the backdrop…read moreof the Panmure Basin providing a panoramic view. The service was professional and friendly, and the afternoon went along without any hitches. There was also security patrolling the internal and external environs as well. It was a surprisingly awesome experience.

What a lovely little hotel. We stayed one night and had a lovely stay. Our room was large and…read morecomfortable. The small kitchen was a nice bonus. The bed was very comfortable, and the shower was great! A short walk to a Woolworths and some restaurants. We're glad we booked it again on our way back to Auckland.

What a charming little motel! I didn't think "charming" and "motel" would go together in the same…read moresentence, but it does. We were recently in NZ on holiday, and we had a long drive up to the Bay of Islands, so we decided to break it up with an overnight stay just north of Auckland. The first place we reserved told us they didn't allow children (??), so we (with our toddler) had to scramble to find another place. I found the Beachcomber's website, advertising it as a boutique motel, and thought it was worth a try. We were able to book a room for that very night. Orewa is not too far north of Auckland, but there's a nice wide strip of beach and a small walkable commercial area. I'm sure it's a lovely beach getaway in the summer, but even winter was fine. This motel is a short walk from the centre and directly across from the beach park. Every room has its own personality. They seemed to be different sizes and layouts. Ours, Room 12 on the top floor, had a living/dining/kitchen area, and a bedroom in the back with ensuite. Our suite was red/white/black and the bedroom was very instagrammable. Black and white damask wallpaper, black chandelier, white tables. The living area up front had lots of seating options, funky wiry barrel-shaped tables, and a modern four-seat dining table. Room for our child's cot, too. Sliding glass doors (which we kept closed) would be lovely thrown open in summer, with the net curtain drawn to keep insects out. Probably necessary in summer - there is no central heating or air-conditioning, so we had to use a space heater from the closet (and there was a fan, for summer). A small door opened to a back outdoor walkway. The kitchen had a mini refrigerator, a microwave, sink, cooktop, kettle, glasses, utensils, plates. Large bathroom behind a barn-style door, and a generous-sized shower with a rainfall shower head. They have such a boutique vibe going on, they have surprisingly uninspired toiletries. Just dispensers hanging on the wall of the shower for shampoo and body wash, which is unfortunate, because it seems just a bit low-end for this kind of establishment. No guest elevator, at least none that I saw. Parking area is a little awkward because it's small - we parked on the end and reversed in, but if you had to park further in, getting out could be a little challenging, especially for large vehicles. Free wi-fi. Super cute! Probably my favorite accommodations the whole trip.

Decent price and very clean. Super friendly. Close to the airport and we were able to book it with…read more2 queen beds.

This hotel is super convenient since it is right outside Auckland Airport, especially if you have a…read moresuper early flight. The hotel is unique because it makes it seem like the hotel "Naumi" is a person ("Naumi says... -message-"). The hotel was super generous with complimentary snacks and beverages (Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, L&P, Meadow Fresh milk, Cadbury Chocolate Fish, and variety of tea and coffee). The beds are huge size, but you are bound to get the bathroom floor wet after a shower because there is no bathroom door or curtain, just a glass divider that only comes half way. But I loved the ceiling shower head. The design of the hotel is terrible to navigate. We took the elevator since we all had luggages and ended up making a huge circle in order to find our hotel room, so imagine walking endlessly while wearing a backpack, dragging a luggage, and holding miscellaneous bads. There was a quicker way to get there, but we had to take the stairs. When we were checking out, we decided to just use the stairs. Luckily, there was a really nice staff member who carried my mom's luggage for her (what a gentleman). Breakfast was included, which was okay (just your typical continental breakfast). You can also order eggs to your liking. The congee was really watery and tasteless, so I put a lot of salt. They have this cute donut display where the donuts are hung on rods. But I didn't eat one because I didn't want to mess up the layout. I would have given this place 3-stars, but their service deserved an extra star.

A Terrible Experience We arrived at the Christchurch…read morelocation to be given a 10-year year-old hybrid, apparently just delivered Japan, with all the instructions - the screen and various written instructions on the car - only in Japanese. There was no way to change the screen to English or French (our second language). Of course, no one can safely drive a car when you cannot understand neither the safety instructions nor the way to operate the navigation system nor even the simplest things, like how to set the clock or change the brightness level on the dashboard, which was set at dim. The contract states that renters are fully responsible if car instructions are not followed for overheating or oil loss etc. But we could not understand the instructions on the dash, so no way to know what any warning light might mean. The contract (Clause 9b) states that the contract is null and void if a vehicle is unroadworthy. It was. Any vehicle is of you can't read the instructions. We wanted out. The local manager in Christchurch was excellent and put us in touch with headquarters, who argued for 20 minutes that the car was roadworthy and to trust them that the screen instructions were irrelevant, and not part of the contract. That was ridiculous: all parts of a vehicle are part of the vehicle, screen and safety instructions included. On Google a similar car was selling for less than $6,000. Yup it passed roadworthy inspection ...we were told. No proof was offered, and of course the Japanese language navigation screen had Japan and not New Zealand. The manager refused to include a separate English language GPS system. Finally, after much argument, the contract was cancelled. Three hours lost. We did appreciate the goodwill of the local manager: she was understanding and delightful but caught between us and a very unpleasant manager on the phone from HQ. Advice: read the fine print and stand up to the bully tactics. Yes, James Blond is a few dollars cheaper but buyer beware, "Gold Economy" may well get you a secondhand car with no place to charge your phone and with all instructions in a foreign language. The car smelled of cheap perfume, no doubt to cover up that a previous owner was a smoker. We have just rented from Budget, a brand-new SUV with top-notch safety features and excellent insurance coverage and only nominally more expensive. Off we go to hike.

This family run business, headed by John, is a first class operation, and I appreciate how they…read moreconduct their business. Important criteria for me are: price, business ethics and product offering. I researched all the car rental companies for price, as I needed a car for four months. I obviously ended up here, and was glad I did. I rented an "older" car, a 2005 model, at the "winter" rate of $17/day. Though the rental period would encompass the summer, as I was taking possession before the "summer" rate went into effect, John honored the "winter" rate for my entire rental. Since I was renting the car for such a long period, and not having a private vehicle insurance policy, I had to evaluate the company insurance costs. Though his insurance rates are competitive with everyone else in the industry, John advised me not to take out the insurance, or to only take out the basic insurance and add windscreen protection. Considering the four month rental, insurance costs would have driven up the cost substantially, so I declined all coverage (I'm a safe defensive driver). Regrettably, in the last 10 days of the 4 month rental, I received a severe chip in the windscreen, courtesy of a passing truck, which turned into a big crack, necessitating the replacement of the windscreen. Though the national windscreen replacement company quoted me $450, and John initially quoted me $390, when I brought the car in, he had it re-quoted and it was only $320. Obviously, John could have maintained the price at $390, and I never would have known. But, his ethics prevailed. The car was mechanically perfect, and dealing with him, and his staff during the entire rental period was painless, efficient, and friendly. I would rent from James Blond again, and heartily recommend them!

This YHA is just off Queen St, providing easy walking access to the core of Auckland. There are a…read morefew YHA-operated paid parking spots available but they have to be booked in advance. The double private ensuite room I stayed in was quite clean, and interestingly, during my stay some of the furniture was actually replaced with new ones as part of a hostel-wide makeover. Note that the room didn't have its own hair dryer, the nearest was in a shared bathroom. This differs from YHA Lake Tekapo which has a hair dryer in the ensuite rooms.

I believe this Hostel was recently renovated. We checked in after a very long fight with two small…read morechildren from Hawaii. Front staff was friendly and accommodating to a family with two small boys, let's just say they don't get too many boys under 18. They Quickly helped us find a parking spot in their small lot out front for $15 New Zealand. ($30 deposit) They even searched high and low and called other hostels to find us the one crib for our two year old they had. She brought it up that night and helped my husband set it up. The crowd is a typical hostel crowd with lots of 18 to 26-year-olds from all over the world. Also, a couple what seem like retirees from Spain and Britain. The crowd is quieter & more well behaved than what I'm used to in hostels. Of course the last time I stayed in a hostel it was probably 1998 in Amsterdam. They have a beautiful commercial type kitchen. There is laundry on site & a game room in the basement. The room is very small, basically our bed, but it was perfect for our family for one night after a long fight. The price was right! (~$50 US) The bathrooms and showers are actually private. I loved the stainless steel shower stall, HOT water & Strong pressure. The breakfast situation wasn't great as nothing is open till late 9ish on Sundays & my kids were starving & up at 0600. We loved dinner in the Stables. We would stay again.