This is a neat place to go to for an after-work drink…read more The Oakroom has recently had a facelift and has a cosy feel. Rohini and Corey are great hosts and the small team of staff are always friendly, chatty and sincere. There's a gastropub style menu; food and drinks are good value. It's also a good spot for a private function with good catering options.

My friend held her 21st party here last night and when I arrived I instantly wanted to have mine…read morehere. It's a lovely looking bar I think it must be quite new because all the furniture looked that way. Not the place itself though, it was really classy but rustic with mood lighting and lots of seats which I love, too many places don't offer enough seating and everyone just has to stand around. Their outside deck area was where we spent most of our night, they had outdoor tables and stools as well as a more comfy option...the outdoor sofa. They had two tv screens which she used to display pictures all evening. The bartender was pleasant and friendly and everyone looked like they had the best night.

Ferndale House is another historic homestead in Mt Albert albeit on a smaller scale than the grand…read moreAlberton. It is set within a lovely little park and although it's on New North Road, it's a calm and peaceful place. The rooms are hired out by Auckland City Council and although it's well used regularly by many different groups, it still has a heavy sense of history and maintains its olde worlde character. I came here over a series of weeks for an acting course and even the stacks of chairs are plush and classical. Not to freak anyone out but from the moment I walked in I could feel the ghosts here and the slightly faded grandeur adds to the feeling of being in another time. There's an ancient smell of wood and previous generations, and the little servants' attic of the kitchen is like a secret hideout. I really loved spending time here and I'm sure any spirits present are friendly as there's a relaxing serene aura about the place.

I love the Corban's Art centre. Has consistently great exhibitions which showcase local and…read morenational artists, workshops in which you can chat to local artists and a fantastic gift shop which is always my first stop if I want to buy a gift with an Aotearoa flavour. Also runs community art workshops and has a lovely coffee shop. Love it!

I have just discovered my favourite art gallery in Auckland!!! Yay!!!!…read more I had heard about this place in the past, even considered applying for a job in their shop at one stage, but because I don't go out to Henderson all that much it just had never happened, so earlier this week I made a lunch date with my husband at the Corban Arts Estate Cafe (also a winner on my list of Auckland's finest haunts, please refer to separate review to find out why...). After our yummy lunch he headed back to work and I went of gallery viewing... The gallery has three separate rooms but all under the same roof, as you enter the front building. The gallery space is not ample, but laid out professionally and aesthetically. There was three shows exhibiting whilst I was visiting, my personal favourite was by the artist Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi, a name that may be challenging to pronounce but worth remember, this artist is a very skilled craftsman. His work revolved around La Lava, "the Tongan art of lashing or binding". He demonstrated his art through several mediums, from weaving intricate and time consuming wool pieces displayed on the wall, to building large and small geometric designs with timber. They created wonderful patterns for eye and mind to appreciate. I also liked the lightings relationship with the art, creating shadows of the designs playfully across the wall. Plus, the framing was matched beautifully, unique double edges that brought the work forward bringing extra life to the forms. Last, but not least was a really great shop were the artists (in residence) sold their mix of talents - from pottery, paintings, upcycled crafts, jewellery, cards and much more. And at affordable prices! If you haven't been to Corbans before then it is time to go; if you have been there before then go again.

The Floating Pavillion is an event space which literally floats just off the Hobson West Marina in…read morethe Viaduct - you walk along the waterfront towards Te Wero Island/the Wynyard Crossing and the pavillion is the floating grey building on the left. It's aimed at the business launch/wedding/ball crowd, so it's well kitted out to deal with a crowd of around 300. There's two levels so space for sit down dinners on the ground floor, as well as a large dance floor up top. For our inaugural UoA Architecture/Planning ball we hired out the Floating Pavillion, and can report the night went off without a hitch - food wasn't amazing, but the space was perfectly sized and well kitted out for the occasion.

This place right here it the place to have all your events, from your wedding to your engagement…read moreparty, a meeting or even a birthday party. Everything you need is there, all you have to do is call the business, arrange a tour then let them know exactly what you want. After that you can either send them pictures of your ideas or just leave it to them and their creativity. It is a great place for any events as it is located on the waterfront, guaranteeing great views and amazing pictures to upload on to instagram hash tagging aboutthatlife!

Carrington's is a really cool bar located in the heart of the Auckland Unitec campus. Though…read moreoriginally created for student use, Carrington's has flourished over the years and is now open to the general public too. With a full bar and pretty good range of food available, Carrington's is a great place to sit in the afternoon with friends and have a few drinks and something to eat. The chips are deliciously salty and crisp - I definitely recommend getting a bowl to share. The bar itself is pretty big, with a decent sized dance floor and plenty of seating inside, as well as a separate room which houses pool tables, and a newly renovated outdoor area. This set up of Carrington's makes it the perfect venue for 21st parties and the like; there's enough room to sit, gossip, dance, you can smoke outside, there's two bars (one in the new outdoor area), and the pool tables add a little bit of friendly competition to the party. Plus, it's hilarious watching your friends play when they're drunk! Tip: If you're a student at Unitec there are often deals on the food and drinks, so be sure to ask!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here on March 8th 2014 and had an absolutely amazing…read moreexperience! The special events team were extremely polished in their service, presence and delivery, we loved every minute of our day with these guys! The venue is well organised to host events such as weddings or big parties and we found the food to be of outstanding quality and very reasonably priced. I recommend Carrington's Pumphouse to anyone considering having a special event 100%!!!

"Ivy Cottage and the Enchanted Garden" is exactly that!…read more This is certainly a remote, isolated location for townies, however local for Northshore folk. Never spent anytime in Greenhithe, it's a 30 min drive from Central city, traffic dependant. On arrival, you need to park on the road outside, past the venue due to yellow lines. When entering, you are lead down a fairy path to a small cottage to meet and greet everyone (including the fairies), before the festivities begin. The children have the option of changing into a fairy costume or pirates outfit, if desired. The fairies then take the children around the enchanted forest, looking at all the magical places. The birthday celebrations take place inside the cottage, that is heavily themed as a grotto or fairies den: beautifully captivating. The storytelling continues with biscuit decorating session in the fairy craft room and the children are given a small drawstring bag of fairy dust to take home. This is the only fairy garden in Auckland, definitely a special place to celebrate birthdays and other noteworthy events! Cute!!

Alberton was definitely in the running when I was choosing a wedding venue as it is just so…read morebeautiful. It's one of those places that is constantly used for fashion, film and even music video shoots because its historic character is so well preserved. It is grand, old and beautiful but there are some rules and regulations that apply to keeping it that way so keep that in mind if you are thinking of using it for an event. The great thing is that it's open to the public so all you have to do is wander on in and explore all its nooks and crannies at your leisure. You will have to pay for the pleasure but that's as it should be in order to keep preserve places like this for future generations. The grounds are stunning as well and a visit here can take you back in time for some romantic day-dreaming. Great for kids too - history is so much more interesting when it's tangible.

Auckland's got a bad track record of hanging on to our historic buildings. Noteworthy architecture?…read moreImportant cultural heritage? Nah, let's tear it down and put up a featureless grey box full of leaky apartments. Sigh. At least we've got it right here though. Alberton House is from the mid 1800s, and it's a pretty neat place. It's a good venue for events (I was here for a wedding), but even without that it's cool just to have a wander around looking at the building itself, with its rabbit-warren servants' quarters and wooden everything. Also if you go upstairs (I say stairs, it's more like a ladder built for elves), they've got a few rooms set up with period furniture, and some of the creepiest dolls I've seen in a long time. This place is worth a visit, especially if the weather is good.

An outstanding function spot, this beautiful establishment, sits at the end of Queen Street in…read moreNorthcote point. The views are so stunning and as the sun sets it becomes a dream come true. The huge chandelier lights up the room, and as the floor is built in tiers, you look out on our beautiful city, and your heart beats away to a happy tune. I was excited to attend a recent charity event called TASTE that had Peter Gordon as a guest speaker. The guest list was down at around two hundred plus guests, and the staff and surroundings catered for us all to perfection. The main bar situated at the entrance was large enough to hold the guests happily, along with a few extra bars dotted around the different floors. The food served for this event was simply buffet champagne ham, and some artisan breads, which I thought was very tasty. The lavish decor, makes The Wharf a fabulous location for weddings, birthdays and big corporate events. The bathrooms located down the spiral stairs under the main area, are gorgeous. I was very pleased with the staff working at the Wharf, very warm and bubbly. I hope to be back for another event soon, as my night was really enjoyable.

One of the best creative spaces in town with over 20 different business working out of one floor in…read morethe heart of the CBD. Matt Knight to helps run the loft is the man to contact if you are looking at getting into a shared office.

If you are a small business, or a team of one and you're looking for somewhere to work, even for a…read moreshort time, check out Loft503. Had a meeting there the other day and it's a cool place! This is a great shared work space in the restored Archilles House, next to Sals Pizza - so you get an awesome work space plus great lunch options! The deal is that you can rent a desk for a set length of time, giving you and your startup business the opportunity to have office space without the risk and outlay of renting your own whole office. Includes handy and flash facilities like kitchen and meeting rooms. Plus you get to work in an environment with other like minded people!