| This is just a
sample of the Vistor's Guide To Auckland. Get the free download now.
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This is very much
a work in progress, but it has progressed to the
point where I feel it will give the readers,
bless their little cotton socks, considerable
value for the time spent browsing.
Most of the material was composed in late
2003 and has not yet been revised, but little
will have changed. It's just that I want my Travel
Guide to be the last word in accuracy and until I
have have had time to call all these telephone
numbers and check that they are a:
still in business and b:
accurate as to detail, I don't guarantee the
information. It is still. believe me, a hell of a
lot more up-to-date than the guff you get in most
"guide" books. |
The
best way to deal with Auckland - 'cos it's a damn big
place - is locality by locality. And
then add in some of the special effects - like markets,
speciality stores, etc.
There are only a limited number of
localities you'd probably want to stay in:
Near the
airport.
Let's deal with this first because it's the
easiest. You'd only want to locate out here if you were
arriving late or departing early.
The problem is, it's basically a life-free zone.
There is little in the way of restaurants or
entertainment. You'd need a car for sure and even then
you're 15km or so from the city. But let's make the best
of it:
Accommodation:
Motor
Camps
Manukau Top 10 Holiday
Park, 902
Great South Rd, Manukau City, Ph 09-266-8016. Fax
09-268-4209. Res freephone 0800-422-6737. Email infro@manukautop10.co.nz While not strictly in the
airport zone, this is the closest camp to the airport.
Qualmark 4-star rated.
Bed-n-breakfast
Airport Bed & Breakfast. 1
Westney Rd, Cnr Kirkbride Rd, Mangere. Email:
airportbnb@paradise.net.nz. Telephone: (09) 275-0533.
Mountain View Bed &
Breakfast. 85A
Wallace Road, Mangere Bridge. Email: mtviewbb@xtra.co.nz Telephone: (09) 636 6535. Fax:
(09) 636 6126.
Homestays.
Host: Carol & Brian, 146
Coronation Road, Mangere Bridge. Telephone: (09) 636 6346. Fax:
(09) 636 6345
Host: May Pepperell, 288
Kirkbride Road, Mangere. Telephone: (09) 275 6777. Fax:
(09) 275 6728
Host: Gill Whitehead, 1 Banbury
Place, Mangere Bridge. Email: gill.w@xtra.co.nz. Telephone: (09) 634 3413. Fax:
(09) 622 3238
Motels/motor
inns
Airport Garden Inn, 10 Tidal Rd, Mangere. Email:
gardeninn@clear.net.nz. Phone: (09)275-0195 Bit
out of the way, hence a more attractive rate. Free
airport transfer. Tariff: $90-$145 Reservations
Freephone: 0800 805 305.
Hotels
Hotel Grand Chancellor, Cnr
Kirkbridge and Ascot Roads, Mangere. Email:
reservations@granda.co.nz. Phone: (09)
275-7029. Reservations freephone:
0800-275-337. Tarrif $89-135.
Centra Auckland Airport. Cnr Kirkbride & Ascot Roads,
Mangere. Phone: 09 275 1059 Reservations
Freephone: 0800 801 111 Email: execsec@akl-airport.centra.co.nz
Restaurants
Near the airport itself, there aren't many except
those attached to hotels and motor inns and I'm not
enamoured of such places except as a last resort or
because I'm so knackered I can't be bothered going out.
But at the Airport Oaks shopping centre
- a small group of shops at 149 Kirkbride Rd, right next
to the Hotel Grand Chancellor - are a couple of average,
but cheapish, choices:
The Bar & Baa. Ph 275-5955. A
bar/restaurant with the usual sort of meat/chicken/fish
mains priced between $16 and $20.
Indian Express. Ph 275-5004.
Standard range of Indian tucker. Mains from $10 to $16 -
but as with any Indian meal you need to buy at least two,
which is OK if there are two or more of you. They also do
takeaways.
Further away, at Mangere Bridge shopping area, you'll
find:
Pars Kebab. 28B Coronation Rd. PH
622-3244. Apart from the standard kebab options at $5.30
to $8.50 they do sushi at around $6. Eat in or takeaway.
Onehunga.
Best option in the area, however, if you have wheels,
is to nip back over Mangere Bridge into the suburb of
Onehunga. Here's your options.
Cheap as pos: There are a couple of
chinese takeaways about half way up Onehunga Mall. Mains
around $6-8 but for $16.90 you get enough food for about
three reasonable appetites.
Ultra Deli and Cafe, 275 Onehunga
Mall. 636-0630. Everything from a quick snack to a
full-on meal all done stylishly and modestly priced.
Highly recommended.
Claret, 127 Onehunga Mall, 622-2988.
Bit more up-market, superb food.
Pubs:
The Landing, 4 Onehunga Harbour Rd,
636-4264. The best of the local watering holes. Very
recenly converted to a seafood restaurant and I haven't
had a chance to check it out yet but prior to that it was
good value for strauight forward pub grub.
Things
To Do:
Historic
Buildings
Jellicoe Park. Cnr Quadrant Rd and
Grey St. Onehunga was settled at much the same time as
the then village of Auckland on the other side of the
isthmus. The difference is that in Auckland most of the
beautiful old buildings from the colonial era have been
bowled over. That process was much delayed in Onehunga,
thank god. At Jellicoe Park, you can see three
beautifully restored examples of early architecture -
Lashley House, an early church house; a defence
blockhouse dating from the 1960s when it was feared that
rebellious Maori from Waikato would attack the place; and
Journey's End a replica of a "Fencible Cottage' -
the houses built for the soldiers depatched from Britain
to defend the fledgling township.
Shopping:
Near
the airport:
Auckland
International Airport - when you arrive you'll have to walk through
a major shopping centre just to get out of the place. Buy
there before you come through customs and pick up the tax
savings.
Supermarket: Foodtown at Auckland
Airport or Selwyn St, Onehunga.
General goods: The Warehouse, also
at Auckland Airport.
Villa Maria
Wines, 5
Kirkbride Rd, Mangere. Ph 255-0660. If you're staying out
this way, here's your chance to get to taste the art one
of the country's most succesful and innovative winemakers.
Buy at the cellar door at less than bottle-shop prices.
Onehunga:
Dressmart. Arthur St. One of the
city's major shop-options, Factory discount shops
featuring a lot of the big international brand-name gear.
If your ego is sufficiently mature that you don't need
the emotional crutch of your tailor's name of the outside
of your clothes, there are lots of even cheaper shops.
Hard
To Find (But Worth The Effort) Bookstore, 171 The Mall. 634-4340. No kidding
- that's its name. Claims the largest collection of
second hand books. And it's just what you imagine a
second hand bookshop to be - piles of books, that musty
smell, a bit chaotic. But filled with bargains on
everything from cheap trashy novels to rare and
significant volumes. Has sister shops in Devonport and
Karangahape Rd.
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