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 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.

Te Pai Courts used to be a shit hole. It was just the outdoor courts with hardly any parking and an…read moreold ugly as building filled with cranky middle aged women upset at the world because they aren't championship netball players. These days, those women are still there, but instead Te Pai looks great with a new centre that is modern, spacious,a full parking lot, and plays host to a bunch of courts and also some tennis courts that are on the other side of the parking lot. Come any Saturday morning and you'll have tons of school kids playing early morning netball, anywhere from eight in the morning. They host social netball here too if you ever want to get a team together, but it's pretty expensive. On Saturdays they've got drinks and hot food for sale, and it's always great to see young Kiwi kids out there playing sport, getting fit and having fun.

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%!!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

Beautiful ambiance and friendly service, but disappointing value two years ago. Three small pieces…read moreof chicken surrounded by breads for well over $40, with extra charge for tzatziki; flavors tasted not okay but lacked authenticity. Great looks and ambience, but expect pricey breads over meats.

We booked for two and both our meals were below average. I had the prawns, they were nice but came…read moreon a whole bed of mesculin salad, no dressing, just that. No other veges and the excuse was chef is away? I mean hello, we are paying full price for a half meal. The lamb my husband had was salty. The waitress was nice but the overall place was reaklly ordinary.