Damian W.'s
Favourite restaurants
- 144BasaltHowick, Mellons & Cockle BayLoved the Goat themed wildfoods entry.
- 214Nineteen Eighty OneManukauBeer from milk bottles, 80s memorabilia everywhere plus great gastro pub food what more could you ask for? How about 80s spacies games!
- 347Wildfire ChurrascariaAuckland CentralMeat, meat and more meat. What more could you ask for?
- 45Iguana Street Bar & RestaurantHamilton CentralDefinitely worth a visit at any time of the year, but they always do a good job of the Wild Food Challenge and have one of the biggest dining rooms in the central city.
Damian W.'s
Great parks in Auckland
- 13Barry Curtis ParkFlat BushWonderful open space and an seared winning playground. Great place to tire out kids when the weather is good.
- 230Wynyard QuarterAuckland CentralA great park and playground right on a working port and a short walk to the fish market - it doesn't get much more Auckland than this.
- 310Totara ParkThe GardensWonderful bush walks, a great playground in bush surrounds and a pool to boot.
- 417Ambury Regional ParkMangere BridgeA full working farm in the middle of suburban Auckland that you can wander through and interact with the animals.
- 559Auckland DomainGraftonA wonderful open park with spectacular views of the harbour. The winter gardens are a great place to wander around after burning off some energy in the wide open spaces.
Damian W.'s
Outdoor outings down south
- 152Auckland Botanic GardensManurewa, WiriWonderful walkways a great café as well as ducks to feed - what more could you ask for except a sunny day?
- 210Totara ParkThe GardensWonderful bush walks, a great playground in bush surrounds and a pool to boot.
- 317Ambury Regional ParkMangere BridgeA full working farm in the middle of suburban Auckland that you can wander through and interact with the animals.
- 494Butterfly CreekAuckland AirportMore than just butterflies, a farm, train and playground to go with the main attraction of the butterflies.
- 53Barry Curtis ParkFlat BushWonderful open space and an seared winning playground. Great place to tire out kids when the weather is good.
Damian W.'s
Auckland Irish Bars
- 10The Muddy Farmer Irish PubAuckland CentralJust like walking into a pub off Grafton Street in Dublin, almost makes you forget that you aren't in the old country.
- 27The Claddagh Irish PubNewmarketHidden away down off the main drag but that just adds to the atmosphere of this long standing Irish bar.
- 311Father Ted's Irish BarAuckland CentralI first visited this place when it was called Murphy's (showing my age), but it has lost none of its atmosphere over the years and is always lively place to while away some hours.
- 412O'Hagans Irish Bar WaterfrontViaduct HarbourThe smell of the sea and the proximity to the harbour makes the beer taste slightly more authentic.
- 510Danny DoolansViaduct HarbourAnother great waterside Irish bar with good music and beer, what a great match :)
Damian W.'s
Quick eating out south
- 19Mitre 10 Mega TakaniniTakaniniYes is it a DIY warehouse but it also houses a great little café that is pretty close to its claim of having the best coffee in Takanini.
- 22BB's Cafe TakaniniTakaniniA nice little play area and a really good kid's menu make it a good quick lunch or brunch option.
- 33Dominos Pizza - PapakuraPapakuraGood pizza from a big chain.
- 44Masala Restaurant - PapakuraPapakuraSurprisingly the kids that we were in loved the Bollywood movies on the screens and who doesn't love a good curry.
- 51Momoyama Sushi Manukau CityManukau CityMy little girl loves the chicken and carrot sushi as well as the udon noodle soup that is my personal favourite.
Damian W.'s
Hamilton Night Out
- 13House on HoodHamilton CentralA wonderful selection of beer in a great central location, probably the best outdoor drinking venue in central Hamilton just because you can sit on a keg.
- 26Speights Alehouse HamiltonHamilton CentralEven though it is a bit out of the central city this is a spacious bar with good food and a good range of Speights beers, which makes it a good place to start out a night out.
- 311The Helm Bar & KitchenWhitioraEven though it is located unusually in the carpark of a supermarket it is a great little bar with good food, service and a relaxed atmosphere.
- 45Iguana Street Bar & RestaurantHamilton CentralDefinitely worth a visit at any time of the year, but they always do a good job of the Wild Food Challenge and have one of the biggest dining rooms in the central city.
- 53CBD Corner PubHamilton CentralThe kiwiana theme is a not overdone here and worth dropping in just for the kumara fries.