Great event venue for wedding!…read more I like the outdoor area with spacious greens and lounge area! There's furnishings that makes this place quite pleasant to wander around a bit. Their empanadas were delicious and champagne was bubbly nice! I had a wonderful time here and service was accommodating.

the venue is stunning. it is very beautiful and enticing. lots of open spaces for any activity you…read morewant to do on your wedding day. the crew is awesome, excellent service from the staff. all smiles and always ready to help. we love the crew. however, the one star goes to robin's attitude towards the couple and guests. let me be specific: 1. the bridal room - the bridal room is located literally next to robin's home. during the bridal prep on one of the weddings i attended at gracehill, robin entered the bridal room without knocking and started complaining why people are noisy and if he can get some privacy because he lives next door (next "wall" actually). we respect that every kiwi is entitled to their privacy, however, robin if you like privacy then you should not rent out that tiny room as a bridal room. people will book a bridal room to get ready not sleep. people will be coming in and out, there will be laughter, lots of talking and celebration, it's a wedding after all. also, robin, please knock, don't just barge in the bridal room. we know it's your property but we rented the room, we also need our privacy, especially the people inside the bridal room are mostly women in their bridal robs. 2. ruining the mood - my friend had their first dance by the lake, while the guests light sky lanterns. it was such a happy feeling for everyone, the music was playing, the couple is dancing and sky lanterns flying but robin had to ruin the good vibe. he walk towards the middle of the crowd, start talking to the MC and asking why everyone is not up in the main reception area seated and ready to eat as the mains will be served soon. robin, you have a point, however we would appreciate it if you didn't barge in the middle of the crowd and acting like you control the event. you could have pulled the MC on the side and talked to him privately or better yet, waited for the first dance to finish, talked to the MC privately and voice out your concern. you have no right, i will repeat that, you have no right to ruin any couple's wedding day just because the mains are ready to be served. we went back up to the main reception area after the couple's first dance by the lake and after the sky lanterns activity. the guests, instead of talking about how wonderful it was to see the couple do their first dance and how magical it was to fly sky lanterns, the talk of the night until the end of the wedding programme was how rude robin was. robin single handedly made everyone feel uneasy and unwelcome. some guests even felt scared going to the counter to ask a glass of water or orange juice as they might end up talking with robin. luckily, the staff were all great, they actually help alleviate the tension by wearing a constant smile. overall, the venue by itself is beautiful and majestic. the staff are absolutely delightful and accomodating.

"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!!

My stay there wasn't recently so things may have changed if the management/governing body is now…read moredifferent. Also, the name Aio Wira doesn't appear to mean anything, if they're claiming it's a Maori word, it appears they've made it up. I was prompted to post this as I saw their name somewhere and then remembered how poorly they treated hygiene, which is very relevant now that we have Covid. When I stayed there for a weekend, the cook had the flu in a MAJOR way and I witnessed her constantly sniffing while preparing the food, wiping her nose on the back of her hand and actually sneezing on the food. Yet, they did have other staff around that could have cooked/prepared the meal instead. I decided to not eat there and I got my dinners from the caravan cafe at Bethells Beach instead. While down there chatting to friendly locals, they laughed their heads off when I told there where I was staying and said, no wonder you're down here. They'd not heard good things about the place and had the impression the food wasn't great and it was not exactly the most fun place to go to. They were right. I didn't find the manager or staff friendly and most of the other guests were very serious and not that nice either. I was annoyed as I was looking for a relaxing weekend away as I had a stressful job. I asked them what was the latest time I could arrive on the Friday night as I had a long way to drive and was settling my pets in with the house sitter and they weren't used to me going away. The manager just would not give me the latest time I could arrive and was lackadaisical and kept saying "any time". So I arrive at 9pm and she gets really pissed off! It was all downhill from there, she appeared to hate me after that and I was there for 3 days. Next time I think I'll just rent a bach and not try a retreat again, a massive waste of money, not friendly or particularly social at all, couldn't eat the sneezed on food, wishy washy place and management altogether. I had far more fun laughing with the locals down at the caravan cafe at the beach! If you're not going to be nice to your PAYING guests and you create a strange atmosphere at your retreat, instead of a pleasant, at least somewhat friendly and happy environment, then I'm afraid you can expect reviews like this.

This place is AWESOME! Di, the caretaker is very friendly, knowledgeable and helped create a…read morewonderful retreat setting for our lil' gang visiting Aio Wira recently. The meals provided were all made onsite from organic (where possible) and fresh ingredients, they also were very creative and delicious! (all vegetarian, and since we had a vegan amongst us also accommodating). The large fireplace in the main room provided us with warmth and ambience. There is also a sauna and spa you can use, at no extra cost. Each room came supplied with torch and heaters (byo sheets, pillow case and towel). The grounds and walking tracks were well maintained and enjoyed by all. The gardens and grounds overall were an ideal setting for a retreat. The Centre can sleep up to 20 people, more if you want to bring your own tents, camping gear, etc. We were informed that this place has been around for approx 40 years and is run/owned by a trust, it is obviously well known as bookings need to be made well in advance; we looked at re-booking and they had two weekend spots left free for the year - and it is May. Great place to hire, I look forward to our next visit already:)

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.

Stopped by for afternoon tea. The estate had quite the view of the rolling tropical hills and of…read moreAuckland at a distance. Tea and food was very nice- our bellies were full by the end. The hotel portion seems to be high end and even has a helipad for guests. Parking was free and the drive was about 30 min from downtown. If you need a bit of an escape, this would be a good option.

As the Maid of Honour, I organised high tea for my sister-in-law this past weekend. I changed the…read morebooking a number of times during the process (why are groups of ladies so difficult to organise??) but the staff at Waitakere Estate were always lovely and obliging. The location is lovely with breath-taking views and at $32 per person, their high tea is the best value in Auckland AND even available during winter! The food was great, I had my own vegetarian stand with lovely sandwiches (that focaccia though) and sweet treats. Their tea menu could be a bit more varied and intensive, but everything else was great. The girls and I had a wonderful time and even wandered through the lawn after our meal for some epic photos. I'd definitely return again!

The church I attend recently started using Hub West as a venue for our Sunday services. The venue…read moreis absolutely beautiful as it incorporates Maori art in side the building and on the outside. The venue is not only perfect for church services but for other events such as weddings, birthday parties and anniversaries. The price for hiring the venue is also very affordable and there is plenty of parking on the side of the building and in front of it. The service from the staff is amazing and they are there every Sunday morning to ensure that everything is running smoothly and to open the doors for us where the chairs are located. They are more than happy to reply to any queries and are excellent communicators.

I went here for a wedding and stayed overnight and it was an excellent facility for both. Great…read moreoutdoor area (it was too wet to go on the grass but there's enough of a concreted area if your wedding is small) and plenty of indoor space. The only downside was that with the space available the food had to be served downstairs and then taken upstairs to eat but that's not a big deal since there are multiple thoroughfares so you can have a continuous loop of people getting food without all walking into one another and spilling food all over your fancy wedding get-up. The upstairs space transforms nicely into a dancefloor, and we had some musicians playing for a traditional ceidlidh dance which was really cool and there was heaps of room for it. There are plenty of toilets, both downstairs and alongside the shared occupancy rooms. And there are loads of rooms so plenty of space to spread out if it's a small function but also enough space for everyone to fit if you have a bigger do. Great site in a beautiful bush setting.

This place walks a thin line between school camp and exclusive getaway. It manages the balance well…read more- as a kid I wouldn't have felt intimidated by the poshness, but as an adult at a wedding I didn't feel like I was at a school camp pretending to be a wedding. The main building isn't huge, which probably limits how many people you could have at an event here. This is only if you're limited to the inside though. We went during winter so our outdoor experience of the place was limited to the bit of concrete out the front of the main building, but there's a large amount of grass and the whole thing's surrounded by bush, so I'd guess that in nicer, drier weather it would be pretty good to have a wander around and explore. You could also have a lot more of your event outside if the weather wasn't a factor. Overall this was a nice place and I enjoyed my experience of it. The staff were friendly and unobtrusive, happy to let us get on with the wedding.