My hubby and I would like to stay either in a small hotel or B&B near downtown Auckland. Since we do not know the "suburbs" ie neighborhoods could you direct us to suburbs that are within walking distance or a short bus ride of the central part of Auckland and the main sites? We are considering Parnell or Ponosby sp? When I say walking I mean 3k or less and bus within ten minute ride of Central is ok. Thanks

I'm not an Aucklander, but stayed in Ponsonby at the beginning of my 3-month trip and at the end. It was much better than being downtown. I felt I could breathe better in Ponsonby...

It's a lovely neighborhood, and you can either take the loop bus to downtown Auckland or you can walk it which takes about 20 minutes (all downhill). There are nice shops and cafes/restaurants/bars on Ponsonby, and a park, too.

I stayed in a hostel (Verandah's) which was fabulous but it doesn't sound from your post that's what you're looking for...

I am an Aucklander. If you give me a price range I can certainly give you some pointers.

Parnell and Ponsonby are both within 3kms of the sights, Devonport is another option as you can catch the ferry into the city, which is lovely. Equally Waiheke has a ferry running on the hour, although if you are partying very late it's not an option.

Ponsonby and Parnell have a choice of B&Bs and serviced apartments. They both have a very good range of restaurants within walking distance, though Ponsonby has the edge there. Parnell is more 'central' - a close walk to the Museum, CBD, Newmarket and even Kelly Tarltons if you're game for the hike.

Devonport is quieter, but has a very good selection of B&Bs.

Cheers

Bradford

I'm an Aucklander too and I agree that either Parnell or Devonport would be your best options.Ponsonby would be my third choice. Public transport is not a strong point in Auckland so the more you can walk the better. Have fun!

Bradford, I am thinking of spending $NZ- between 150-200.Thanks, Zin

I stay with my cousin's family in Auckland but if I had to pick a place to stay, I would try Devonport, near where the ferry docks. A nice, quiet little community.

I'm an Aucklander and I would recommend Parnell as first choice and Devonport also. The loop bus will take you round to the usual tourist stops, museum, downtown, art gallery etc. and to Newmarket where the shopping is much better than the inner city. Not too many of us locals shop in the downtown area any more, we have many shopping malls in the suburbs so apart from a casual walk around the America's boat harbour you will probably not be in the downtown area too much. The ferry to Devonport leaves from the downtown area but again the loop bus is a few minutes walk from the ferry building. For Parnell I would recommend the Kingsgate hotel and for Devonport the Esplanade hotel or a bed and breakfast. I see the Esplanade is quite a bit more than the Kingsgate, I know both of these places and both are nice. I was born in Devonport so spend a lot of time there and it is a lovely spot.
Both areas are preferable to staying downtown which is not the nicest or safest to be in at night, the other areas have a great selection of restaurants and shops close by where you can mingle with the real locals.
Have nice time.

Hi Zinfanatic

First place to start is www.wotif.co.nz for accommodation specials.

The Quest is two doors off the main street of Parnell, they are serviced apartments. This week they are advertising a high of NZ$280 and a low (Sun only) of $130, with most of the week around $160. The Quest is ideally situated at the top of a hill that takes you into the City (Auckland is very bumpy). Once you're back at the hotel there are no more hills to climb to speak of. Within a few seconds walk you have 2-3 nice breakfast cafes, two Japanese, two Italian, one Himalayan, one French and two Indian restaurants. That's within the 'few seconds' radius, Parnell has many more restaurants to choose from. I would call the Quest a modern and functional apartment, I have not stayed there but it is only 3-4 yrs old.

Further up the road, but on the main road still, is the Parnell Inn. It's a very old motel that has been refurbished slightly, the prices reflect this at around NZ$70 a night. I can't tell you much about this property except it is well-located.

Walk east from the Quest, and up another hill and you'll find the Kingsgate. It's currently advertising a rate of $105. This would be my pick of the Parnell hotels, if you don't mind the extra hill. I stayed there a few years ago now (probably ten) and I thought it was a nice, old motor inn with pleasant, relaxing rooms. Since I was there it has been taken over by one of the major mid-priced hotel chains so it will be clean although I suspect not a lot of new paint in the meantime. The Kingsgate faces the city's rose gardens, which are very lovely and have views over the Waitemata Harbour. It's a nice place to sit at the end of the day or ealy in the morning.

Parnell is one of Auckland's oldest, and wealthiest suburbs. A quick walk from the Kingsgate is the Rosehip Cafe, which is slightly pricey but very sunny in the mornings - the BMW and Audi set live here. Keep walking about half a mile and you wind your way round to the top of Parnell Rd again. This is all Anglican Church land and you'll find the Cathedral, the Bishop's house and the very beautfiful St Mary's Church here. Start walking south towards Newmarket, a fashionable shopping district and you'll find Kinder House, an old stone building owned by one of Auckland's easly photographers, and the Auckland Museum. You can walk from the Museum, down a bush walk and pop out not far from the Quest. You're back at the foot of Parnell Road again, and completed the circle to the Quest hotel.

An old little hotel that has just been done up into a boutique hotel is the Chalet Chevron in Brighton Road, a short walk from the Cathedral. www.chaletchevron.com

I didn't include this because I thought it was too expensive, but just looking at their website they're advertising a rack rate of $155. It's a very unassuming house probably built between 1940-1950, but it looks like they've done a splendid job with it. From the Chevron you could walk to a new Piano Bar, to the Chocolate Boutique where my daughter works (open til 10pm everynight for chocolate cake, chocolates and chocolate drinks), a Russian restaurant, a Mexican, starbucks, Thai, Asian, Japanese and two breakfast cafes.

Ok, so I've done the sell-job on Parnell.

If you're younger, say 20-35, then Parnell might be a little slow for you. Ponsonby is the better choice.

Once again, there's a Quest hotel in Ponsonby. Ponsonby Rd is quite a long road, with little pockets of activity and then stretches of not a lot. The Quest is at the South end of the street and it has a couple of nice cafes (Santos is a favourite, run by a brazilian surfer Marcello, and Season next door, which has one of the best 'foodie' breakfasts in Auckland). Within another minute's walk is the very famous SPQR, a gay bar and restaurant which is very friendly to us non-gays.

Further down the road, there's another set of bars in a cluster, then Prego, the straight man's SPQR (pizzas and wine and noise), and Dizengoff and Bambina, two of the other great breakfast cafes. Across the road from then is Amitees another boutique inn currently advertising a rate of $135 a night. I don't know much about this place, but it looks very comfortable and it's only about three years old. You'll find it on wotif.co.nz

Ponsonby Rd during the day has some great clothes shops, two great bookstores and, well plenty of places to stop for coffee.

The walk into town is a little further than Parnell, but not a lot further, and it takes you alongside a nice park, (Victoria Park).

There is of course the Link Bus, which is a circuit from the bottom of the CBD to Ponsonby, along Karangahape Rd, back to the top of town, through Grafton to Newmarket, and then along Parnell back to the bottom of the CBD again. $1.50 for a round trip.

I mentioned Devonport but I think the inns there are more expensive. Try devonport.co.nz as there are quite a few to choose from.

In summary, Parnell is a nice mixture of tourist centre and wealthy historic suburb. It's an easy walk to the Museum or the City and waterfront. It's reasonably central; mostly centred within a half mile stretch of shopping.

Ponsonby has more of the nightlife, it's for a younger crowd. The food is way better, but only for isolated restaurants which are the best Auckland has, and you can visit them anyway. Ponsonby is not as well concentrated, you have to walk or drive a little but to go where you want to go.

Devonport is sleepy but it's right by the sea, and you get a greater feel of the harbour, looking back to the city. Once you're in Devomnport you need to take the ferry back to the CBD, the drive is about half an hour over the harbour bridge.

Choosing to stay in town is less of an option with the money you have budgetted, and I suspect not that worthwhile. The new Westin Hotel has a $280 a night offer right now (it opened a month ago) and what promises to be a very good restaurant on the water. The Hilton is also right on the water and are doing deals as low as $160 I believe. They might be a nice treat for one night on the way in or out.

Regards

Bradford

Hello again

I've been doing some more thinking about this as I am not sure that some of the lower end recommendations are that wonderful. Cheap and cheerful - but memorable? I thought I'd fish around the top end. Of course I am a local so I don't stay at these places, I have a bed of my own to go to.

Braemar on Parliament Street is something I found a few minutes ago on a web search.

http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealan...iament-street/

Parliament Street is opposite the Courthouse and the University and a few doors down from Hyatt. It's part of town that time forgot, lots of Victorian apartment blocks and oak trees.

The B&B is obviously small, but beautifully restored and it looks comfortable. Advertised rates are $205 a night. I am sure you could do a deal.

You would be in the centre of town here, the Art Gallery is a few minutes from here, through the park, and one of our top restaurants The Grove, would be a 5-10 minute walk, as would the Viaduct where the Hilton and Westin are situated. The Chancery shopping centre and High Street are even closer, this is where you buy NZ's top labels like Kate Sylvester, Zambesi and Karen Walker. Also my favourite menswear shop Strangely Normal is here, Michael and Claire made Anthony Hopkins suit in 'The World's Fastest Indian'.

The early posting about the city being unsafe is a little unfair. Like any city, there are streets you start walking down and then decide not to enter. That's just being sensible. At night-time, of course the freaks come out, that's what the night-time is there for. But if you're a grown up and you have your head about you, you can walk down Queen St at 3 in the morning no problem. Parliament Street would be charming and safe, but you need to do a little more walking than Parnell or Ponsonby.

On the Devonport side, yes, The Esplanade would be nice, but look at www.heritageinns.co.nz for the Peace & Plenty Inn ($165 a night). Also check out www.selections.co.nz and www.friars.co.nz

Devonport isn't my 'hood but if you email Philip at [email protected] he will steer you. Philip used to run the best B&B in Devonport.

Lastly there is Mollies in Herne Bay (Ponsonby). http://www.mollies.co.nz/

This is very expensive (from $495 a night) but everyone raves about it. Again, if you stayed a couple of night somewhere cheaper you might treat yourself to Mollies at the end.

Regards

Bradford

Thanks, Bradford for all your advice. You spent lots of time compilng all that info. I am leaning toward the Parnell suburb. $495 is way too pricey-looks great though!

Ok, then seeing Parnell is my home let me tell you a little more about it.

Firstly, while Ponsonby is more 'foodie', Parnell has some great restaurants. I will only mention the favourites; the ones I go to all of the time.

Top of the list is St Tropez, a French restaurant which I think is the best French in the city. Not fussy, although Jean Christophe is very serious about his food. The price fix is usually the way to go, an entree, a steak with pomme frites or simple pasta dish for $25. But the Confit of Duck is to die for, with a side of white beans. Unbelievable!

Another favourite is Non Solo Pizza, down an alleyway before the Sanderson Gallery. It's a slightly theatrical restaurant, with huge velvet curtains. But recently it's been taken over by an Italian girl who has been doing a beetroot spaghetti which I love. I wouldn't have been so glowing had it not been for this wonderful dish. www.nonsolopizza.co.nz

There are two good Indian restaurants side-by-side, Oh Calcutta and Shahi. Shahi has the better food, but Oh Calcutta has the better atmosphere.

Three good Japanese; Nori which is very delicate food, Gion which is new and got top Japanese restaurant in our local city magazine, Metro, and Moto which is a a cheap and cheerful, under Starbucks.

Starbucks is in the Parnell Village, a labryrinth of old Victorian villas turned into a shopping precinct in the late 70's. At the back of this is the Java Room, which is a very pleasant restaurant that serves a mix of Thai, Malaysian and Burmese dishes.

The two most expensive restaurants, which my restaurant-reviewing, cookbook-writing friend would kill me for not mentioning, are Antoines and Cibo. Antoines is old school, blue blazer territory, but Tony himself likes to mix it up by offering his original menu for the 1980's alongside his new one. His wine cellar, they say, is his retirement fund.

Cibo is on the ground floor of the old Nestle building, a concrete deco factory that houses design companies, both graphic and interior. On a warm night you sit outside and the flames of the gas lamps play against a large tropical pool. Inside more velvet curtains (very big here) and a room with very high ceilings. www.cibo.co.nz/

Both of these restaurants cater for people who do not pay the bills themselves, but if you want a memorable meal then I would certainly choose either of them. At Antoines you have to ring the doorbell to be let in. For that reason alone, I think it's more fun. You need to book.

Pricewise I am talking around $60 per head (with wine) for most of them, and about double that for Antoines. Not out of this world.

For breakfast you have less choice, with Rosehip which I mentioned earlier, and possibly Mink or Verve on the main street. Mink is next to the Quest, Verve is closer to the Chevron. Verve is best on a sunny day, as it has a verandah you can sit on.

Night-time in Parnell is a bit strange. It has classically been a hang out for wealthy men looking for blonde girlfriends. The Piano Bar used to be one such place, I suggest it still is, but not perhaps a bad place to steal one drink, if the music sounded good. The Bog is an Irish pub, with typically simple irish fare playing two or three nights a week, and a fire roaring all winter long. If it were me I would choose a good restaurant from the list above and sit there until I was tired. Or go to SPQR and beyond for some noise and acts of flamboyance.

Top shops are Richard...son, a neat little design store and Cognoscenti, an antique shop that specialises in desirable things like Leica cameras and pinball machines. The kind of things you desperately want when you see them, but have nowhere to put them when you get them home.

At the top of Parnell Rd, Ferner Galleries often has some very sexy and very expensive NZ art.

Further afield, Gala (in Mt Eden) for breakfast, Bouchon (Kingsland) for breakfast crepes and galettes, Season (Ponsonby) for the famous Baghdad Eggs, and Ken's Yakitori (in Krd) for octopus balls.

Top attractions: the Museum, the Civic Theatre, an ice-cream at the Mission Bay fountain, a walk to the top of Rangitoto, Bethells Beach.

Top day/night trips: Raglan (raglan.net.nz), The Heritage Hotel du Vin (heritagehotels.co.nz/), Hokianga Harbour. (millenium.co.nz - Hokianga)

Regards

Bradford

Thanks Bradford, I am a real foodie- as I was in the business!

Hi Bradford, what a great review of Auckland.

Adding to the restaurant list, if you are visiting the Auckland Domain, I enjoyed a lunch at the Wintergarden Pavillion (approximate name).