I remember the first time I ever got a blank face for booking a staycation. “You’re paying money to stay in a hotel, but you’re still in Auckland! Why don’t you just stay at home?” I think they thought I was suffering a head knock. Granted that unenlightened yarn was 15-years ago, but oh how…
Tag: Auckland
The Pacifica: What it’s like staying in NZ’s tallest residential building
Location: Apartment 3401, level 34 of the 57-storey Pacifica Tower, 12 Commerce Street, Auckland CBD. On the doorstep of the fashionable Britomart neighbourhood with its restaurants, bars and boutique stores. Just how tall is the Pacifica? At 178.7m, it is the tallest residential building in New Zealand and the third tallest structure behind the 180.1m…
See inside the rock star-worthy Chairman Suite of NZ’s largest hotel, the Cordis
Location: On the corner of Karangahape Rd and Symonds Street on the fringe of the Auckland CBD, overlooking the historic Symonds Street Cemetery and the forested slopes of Grafton Gully. What’s new at the Cordis? An entire 17-storey tower, that’s what! The just opened, 244 room Pinnacle Tower now sees the Cordis with a whopping…
You Can Now Stay At The “Tuscany Of The South Pacific” – Mudbrick On Waiheke Island
Mudbrick was one of those places that as soon as I’d heard they’d added accommodation, I knew I had to stay there. This is, of course, liberal interpretation of what “had to” means, but if you know Mudbrick, then you know that the only conceivable thing better than a day-trip visiting this “Tuscany of the…
The Outrageous Views & Suites Of Auckland’s New Park Hyatt
Location: Some of the best real estate in all of Auckland, right on the water at Wynyard Quarter on the site of the former Team New Zealand base, overlooking the ever-grown-up skyline of New Zealand’s largest city. How many rooms? 195 guest rooms across seven-storeys, including six spectacular suites. How spectacular are those suites? Well,…
Why The Hotel Britomart Is Auckland’s Most New York Hotel
I never thought an Auckland balcony could remind me of the time I stayed on the 22nd floor of a hotel overlooking Madison Square Garden in New York, but then again, I never counted on The Hotel Britomart. New Zealand’s first ‘5 Green Star’ certified hotel is simultaneously the most Manhattan-recalling property in Auckland, as…
The Luxury Eco-Staycation You Never Knew You Could Have – Auckland’s Warblers Retreat
When you think of the word “staycation”, chances are you’re picturing a night or two in a nice CBD hotel in the city in which you live. But when thoughts turn to treating yourself to some kind of retreat – the sort of place where you can be immersed in nature, hear the birds, go…
Piha’s Jaw-Dropping Mercer Bay Loop Track With Riley Roxy In The Backpack
How is it you can be pushing 40, consider yourself outdoorsy, have lived in the same city roughly three-quarters of your life, and still find jaw-dropping walks you haven’t even heard of, let alone done? Well firstly, I’m grateful that’s the case given seemingly all I want to do these days is discover new walks…
Katy Perry Live Review: Her “Bonkers” Auckland Concert, August 2018 – NZ Herald
With all the excitement of Pink’s just finished, record-breaking run of seven sold out New Zealand concerts (six in Auckland and one in Dunedin), it’s easy to forget that another female superstar of the same generation was also in town at almost the exact same time. If we wind the clock back about three years, it…
Why We Chose The Hotel Grand Windsor For Our Wedding Night & Photos – My Concrete Playground Review
I’ve always been drawn to historic hotels, even if their glory days are behind them. Whether it’s a crumbling palace in India or a slightly faded ski lodge in the States, old hotels have so many stories to tell. But what about a historic building that originally wasn’t a hotel? Not only that, but when it…
Remember The Tired Old Copthorne In Downtown Auckland? It’s Now The Very Funky, Staycation-Worthy M Social
For years I’d walk past the Copthorne Hotel on the waterfront in downtown Auckland and think, “they either need to knock that down or spend millions doing it up”. It was a stunning location and for too long a tired, drab hotel in what seemed an unimaginative piece of 1970s architecture. Then one day I…
Waiheke Island Lonely Planet’s 5th Best Destination In The World – My Top 20 Waiheke Photos
Waiheke Island. Lonely Planet has followed Conde Naste Traveler’s lead in gushing over Auckland’s Waiheke Island. With only last week Conde Naste rating Waiheke the fourth best island in the world to visit, Lonely Planet has just listed the island as the fifth best destination – island or otherwise – in the world. Describing Waiheke…