This is the Code For Something Guide To Auckland, New Zealand. This is an evolving work in progress – the best eateries, places to buy frocks, coolest gig venues and where I nurse a drink while catching up with my lovelies.
So, set forth and travel like you’re a local! Or investigate your local with the fresh eyes of a traveller. No matter how you explore it, Auckland City is a rad lively place once you scratch the surface.
CONCH RECORDS 115A Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby Funk, soul, jazz, hip hop… Conch has all the mean beats. Oh and good coffee too!
MADE 30-32 Customs St, Britomart This is where the cool kids pick up armfuls of Cheap Monday denim and buy their Kathryn Wilson shoes. Expect all the dinky Euro labels you love from the Internet to show up here.
MID CITY ARCADE 239 Queen St, CBD Can’t make it to Tokyo this year? Visit Mid City and the nearby gaming parlour for all the latest Nippon fashion, Dance-Dance-Revolution and sticker booths you need to satisfy your cravings!
KAREN WALKER 15 O’Connell St, CBD K.W. is perhaps New Zealand’s most internationally lauded fashion designer. Get thee here for quirky frocks and charming accessories. Fancy an owl cocktail ring?
REAL GROOVY 438 Queen St, CBD An emporium of music, DVDs, games, books and clothes. Real Groovy has an excellent selection of second-hand records and CDs – it’s well worth spending a few hours here just browsing…
TANGO Little High St (access off Durham Lane and High St), CBD An inner city vintage store with lots of stock to choose from. For more AKL vintage destinations, read my detailed guide to Auckland’s best VINTAGE SHOPPING.
UNITY BOOKS 19 High St, CBD By far the best book store in town. Personalised, intelligent service; from physics to graffiti the well-versed staff can advise you.
WORLD DELUXE 57 High Street, CBD Luxuriously eccentric New Zealand design – really fun pieces and colours. I bought my velvet bow tie from World. They have a few retail stores around town (Man, Beauty) – see the World website for other locations.
MEZZE 9 Durham St East, CBD Mezze is the place I take my loved ones for coffee and lemon tart dates. Snuggle on the couches and share a few tapas. ‘You must try the sangria, darling’.
PONSONBY FOOD COURT 106 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby (upstairs) What do you feel like? The food court has the best and cheapest Thai, Mayan, Japanese, Indian and Malaysian food in town. It’s also famous for cheap drinks, like $4 freshly squeezed orange juices. Vegetarian friendly.
RAW POWER Floor 1, 10 Vulcan Lane, CBD Raw Power Café is amazing – healthy salads, juices and fantastic falafel sandwiches. Loads of vegan* and vegetarian goodness.
*N.B. Vegans, I recommend you check out Moira’s blog – An Auckland Vegan. Full of great recommendations and hot tips on where the yummy stuff is at.
RENKON 10 Durham St East, CBD // 2/175 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby Cheap Japanese eats, in convenient locations (there is also one in Parnell). The Katsu dishes are excellent. 
SANTOS 130 Quay Street, Britomart Santos is my local coffee house. They’re super friendly and the coffee is always beaut’. I like to settle in here – observing the portside action across the road and read stacks of magazines.
SHEINKEN, 3 Lorne Street, CBD A central city cafe with a really cool space – stark and white. Have lunch here and people watch.
TANUKI’S CAVE 319B Queen St, CBD (down the stairs) Tanuki’s, or more fondly – The Cave, is my favourite place in Auckland. Why? Because of the yummy yakitori skewers, cheap beer and a buzzing atmosphere. Despite the fact you will smell like a delicious piece of deep fried cheese when you emerge from the cave, I promise you it will be worth it. Vegetarian options ahoy.
INK/COHERENT 262 & 268 Karangahape Rd, Newton Ink and Coherent are your favourite set of non identical twins. Sitting right next to each other they can be separated or opened up to share a garden area. Regular nights like Chicago Disco set Ink & Coherent off. When you’re tired of dancing like a madman, take a breather at the top of the stairs – outside the front doors is always a good place to watch the exquisitely interesting creatures of the night go pass.
CASSETTE 9 9 Vulcan Lane, CBD Cassette goes off most nights of the week, thanks to a dazzling array of club nights. Fuelled by cocktails in teapots and fun indie electro/disco (recent acts include Le Castle Vania, Horsemeat Disco), it’s a decent place to spend an entire night dancing.
THE KINGS ARMS TAVERN 59 France St, Newton The King’s Arms is wonderfully intimate; the ultimate place to see your favourite alt band live. One of my Kings Arms memories involves smoking cigarettes with the guys from Battles and discussing Alaskan crab fishing. Also noteworthy is the King’s Arms’ giant beer garden – perfect for beverage in the sun.
RAKINO’S 1st Floor, 35 High Street, CBD Urban funk and in a space you wish was your living room. Rakino’s is a great bar to have a few cocktails, and then dance the night away (they will also do you a killer brekkie the next morning). I love the balcony; from there you’ll find the best view of Auckland.
SUITE 2 Hobson St, CBD Enjoy late night adventures? Suite is always open and the drinks are grand. Or pop around the corner to teeny tiny Mo’s (corner Wolfe & Federal) – it’s open till at least 3. 
THE WINTER GARDENS Auckland Domain If you’re going to the museum (which is pretty awesome now days), you should also take the time to visit these beautiful gardens. They have a hot house and a temperate house, both filled with crazy flora.
FRENCH FARMERS MARKET 69 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell Here you’ll find fresh produce and other gourmet treats. I’m a sucker for the in-house bakery – the almond croissants have my heart.
HOME BAY BEACH Access from Wallace St, Herne Bay Firstly, pick a gorgeous evening. Then buy some fish and chips from up the road (Jervois) and walk out to the end of the wharf with a few beers in your pocket. Sit, eat, enjoy the view and marvel at what a beautiful place the world is. Sigh!
This love letter could go on but that’s it for now. It will be updated soon however. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need advice, please ask! I am more than happy to share my AKL knowledge. Arohanui.
will go down a treat when you are plotting an excursion to the fair city – full of cool tidbits and local nous that will see you hitting the ground running. When you make your own discoveries you can note them down in the back of the book. Multi-function for the win! I have recently bought one in anticipation of taking on 
