I attended a fairy tale wedding reception here at McHughs, and I still remember it with awe. The…read morefood was good and the location perfect for romantic photos. The actual interior of McHughs isn't the grandest on its own, but that's probably because it's really a blank canvas waiting to be decorated the way you want it. The staff were attentive, and very generously donated free cameras to each table, so we could take random pictures. The wedding couple could develop the ones they wanted later on. A very nice touch!

Great location crap food. Beef and gravy consisted of frozen cheap meat patties in a gravy. Shrimp…read moresalad had flavorless shrimp - more water than shrimp. Biscuits for cheese were stale. Overall for $30 per person, I could have got much more in Devonport. Sad outcome.

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!

Shed 10 seems to be the go-to venue for public events these days. It's huuuuuge and is in prime…read morelocation right on the waterfront. I actually find the downstairs space too big - even when it's packed the high roof means there's little to no atmosphere. Upstairs, however is a different story. It's smaller with wooden floors and great views. It's easily my favourite of the two spaces and the one i'd recommend if you weren't over capacity. I have no idea what upstairs costs to hire but word on the street is downstairs is around $6k - just something to keep in mind!

I had a photoshoot here a few weeks ago where I was taking photographs and filming for a boutique…read moreand I was so impressed with what we received. For a small fee we hired out a basic studio packed which included some lights, soft boxes and cables. The owner of the studio set them all up for us so that relieved our stress right from the get go. It's a lovely space, really modern and light complete with kitchen, dining room and toilet so it's really easy to spend the entire day there. When we were finished the owner came back to take everything down and we had a good chat to her, she was so friendly and told us lots about the space which also doubles as an event room for launches etc. When the new season clothing comes in we will be back here again to shoot the lookbook, I can't wait! Note they don't have normal opening hours as they open subject to bookings.

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!

If you are ever invited to an event, a wedding or a corporate function at Mantells make sure you…read moreseize that invitation and enjoy one of the best function venues in Auckland. You are welcomed through the heavy, blue-black curtains into a pristine entrance and immaculate white bar. Polished floors and huge geometric spaces dominate the rest of the venue, each sectioned off as needed for your event. We made good use of the outdoor courtyard that backs onto Auckland Harbour (with it's own bar) and the wide divans beneath the marquee. Mantells is made to dazzle your guest, the sharp edges of the venue smoothed by the genuine staff service and warmed in the glow of gas fireplaces.

I went to this venue last night for an industry event and spent the whole night trying to come up…read morewith an excuse to hire it out myself; this place is amazing. From what I've heard it's usually a wedding venue, which kind of lets you know it's pretty swanky. Nestled in between the boat yards in Westhaven, Mantells on the Water is yet another reason to visit the awesomely awesome Wynyard Quarter. Looking out over Waitemata Harbour with the sun setting behind the Harbour Bridge and a drink in hand is not a bad way to spend an evening. There is a real sense of relaxed kiwi vibes combined with super stylish decor. Wooden floors, high ceilings and industrial lighting give off a New York loft feel, combine that with the large outdoor area and you've got a close to perfect venue! Yummy drinks, knowledgeable staff and reeallllyyyy tasty snacks - that's my kinda night!

In my book not much beats a good ol' fashioned pub and the overflow onto the street of suit & ties…read morewhen we went to The Bluestone Room, would suggest the 9-5ers in town agree. The Bluestone Room is tucked down on Durham Lane (not to be confused with Durham St) and is housed in an old historical building. Look down once you're inside the door and you'll see Auckland's very first well! The Bluestone Room's got all the usual pub-ey drinks and food - Monteiths on tap, mainstream wine and the usual pub grub on the menu. The after-work atmosphere is lively but we came to The Bluestone Room for one reason and one reason only - Quiz Night. We booked a table and I'd definitely recommend you do to. Quiz night here is popular. As for the quiz itself, I'm told it's the same one they do in every pub - the 'Believe It Or Not' quiz. Personally, I thought it was pretty tricky. My two tips are to have a range of ages and different nationalities. People take quiz night here preeeetty seriously but I kind of like that - nothing like a bit of healthy competition. How did we fare? Well, not great but we didn't lose. I'll be back next with my Mum!

This pub was a great find and close to our hotel. We went 2 nights because the food was just…read morestellar. First night I had the chicken remoulade which was just delicious and beautifully prepared. The second night we both had the nightly special, steak with mushroom sauce, chips and salad. Delicious and very reasonably priced. If we were staying longer we'd definitely go again. Good job mates!!

Had our Christmas party here - very unorganised which is probably why they said our event organiser…read morewas super efficient and organised, i guess they arnt used to it. One of their own staff broke their projector screen and charged us $500 as apparantly we were seen being 'rough' with the screen and broke it which is a complete and utter fabrication as we didnt touch the screen and if we were seen to be doing this their 'employee' who actually did break the screen should have intervened. Also had to keep extra staff on for our 'rowdy' party which is a load of rubbish. I thought it was a pretty tame christmas party and left sober. Go elsewhere!