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You'd really 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. To get anywhere or do anything 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:
Public
Transport
To/From
the airport
There are several
ways of getting from the airport to the city - shuttle,
coach or scheduled public transport.
Outside the terminal building you'll find a line of
shuttle coaches waiting. They are 10 seater mini-buses
and they'll take you door-to-door. Typical
airport-to-city cost is $22 for one person or $13.50 per
person for two. Operators include Supershutttle (ph 0800-748-885).
If you are staying at a downtown hotel or hostel, the
airporter coaches are a slightly slower
but slightly cheaper option. They follow a set route,
though many of the city hotels and hostels are on it.
Cost is $15. They leave from outside the terminal
doors.
There is a public scheduled coach service that goes
through the airport. If you walk out of the international
terminal and follow the main approach road around to your
right you'll come to a bus stop. The Stagecoach Number
364 or Number 374 services leave from there. Either will
take you to Mangere Town Centre from where you can catch
a bus through Onehunga to the city. Cost is about $5 for
the two trips. It's a slow coach service, believe me, but
you do get an interesting view of working-class Auckland
suburbs. Get details from the Stagecoach
website.
Off-airport
transport.
Once you are
outside the airport zone the public transport sytem
improves markedly. From the city take buses to
"Mangere" - they run every 10 to 15 minutes
from a stop near the corner of Victoria and Queen Sts.
Get details from the Stagecoach website. The manager of your accommodation
will also be able to give you details.
Jenny Davis from Mountain View Bed n Breakfast gave
me the following transport info: From Mangere Bridge
there is an excellent bus service to/from the city which
runs roughly half hourly on buses 304 and 305. One
commences at Mangere Town Centre, the other at Otahuhu
and guests can purchase either a group pass at NZ$16.00 a
day for 4 people or a Day Pass at NZ$8.00 a day per
person which enables them to also take a free trip to
Devonport and back. Travel time approx. 50mins from
Mangere Bridge and used in conjunction with the Link bus
(also covered by the pass) gets people most people where
they want to go.
(I have to say she
was also a bit put out by my description of the airport
area as a life-free zone and reminded me of the walks on
Mangere Mountain and the Stonefields - see "Things
To Do")
Accommodation:
Motor
Camps
Manukau
Top 10 Holiday Park, 902 Great South Rd, Manukau City, Ph
09-266-0000. Fax 09-268-0000. Res freephone
0800-422-0000. Email info@top10.co.nz While not strictly in the
airport zone, this is the closest camp to the airport.
Qualmark 4-star rated.
Ambury
Farm Park,
Mangere. Experience the feeling of camping in the
countryside, while still in town. Visit their camping pages or contact the Auckland
Regional Council on (09) 366 2000 or email info@govt.nz for bookings and information.Directions
on getting there: From SH 20 take the Mangere
Bridge off-ramp onto Rimu Road. Drive through the
Mangere Bridge town centre to Wallace Road and turn right
at Muir Avenue. Alternatively, turn right at the
Mangere Bridge town centre roundabout and travel along
Kiwi Esplanade enjoying the harbour views on the
way. Ambury Regional Park is signposted from here.
Backpacker
Hostel
Kiwi
International Airport Hostel 150 McKenzie Rd,
Mangere. Email: airport@xtra.co.nz Ph: 09 256 0000. Hostel
attached to a motor inn - thus it has a bar and
restaurant more or less on the premises.
Bed-n-breakfast
Airport
Bed & Breakfast. 1 Westney Rd, Cnr
Kirkbride Rd, Mangere. Email: enquiries@tbnb.co.nz.z. Ph
(09) 275 0000.
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, 1 Boyd Ave,
Mangere Bridge. Telephone: (09) 636 000. Fax: (09)
636 0000
Host: May Pepperell, 288 Kirkbride
Road, Mangere. Telephone: (09) 275 0000. Fax: (09)
275 0000
Host: Gill Whitehead, 1 Banbury Place,
Mangere Bridge. Email: gil@xtra.co.nz. Telephone: (09) 634 0000. Fax:
(09) 622 0000
Motels/motor
inns
A word of caution: Some accommodation directories
which list properties under the title "Auckland
Airport" have listings for places that are a long
way from the airport itself. Double check the distance
before you book. The listings below are within 6km of the
airport terminal building.
Airport
Garden Inn,
10 Tidal Rd, Mangere. Email: office@inn.co..nz. Phone: (09)275-0000. Bit
out of the way, hence a more attractive rate. Free
airport transfer. Tariff: $90-$145 Reservations
Freephone: 0800 805 0000.
BK's
Pioneer Motor Lodge, 205 Kirkbride Road. Email:
info@pioneer.com Phone: 09 275
0000 Fax: 09 275 0000. Reservations
Freephone: 0800 222 000. Brand new motor inn
and, considering that, very reasonable at $99 a night
tw/dble.
Airport Lodge Motel, 296 Kirkbride Road. Phone:
09 256 000 Fax: 09 256 0000. Reservations
Freephone: 0800 256 0000. Well
run middle of the scale motel.
Pacific Inn, 210 Kirkbride Road. Email:
info@inn.co.nz Ph 09 275 0000 Fax:
09 275 0000.. Reservations Freephone:
0800 504 000 Older motor inn but the price reflects that.
Rooms usually around $69 a night.
Manor Inn, 250 Kirkbride Road. Email:
airport@xtra.co.nz Phone: 09 275
0000 Fax: 09 275 0000 Reservations
Freephone: 0800 54 0000.
Hotels
Hotel
Grand Chancellor, Cnr Kirkbride and Ascot
Roads, Mangere. Email: reservations@nda.co.nz. Phone: (09)
275-0000. Reservations freephone:
0800-275-000. Tarrif $109-135, but check
their website for details.
Centra
Auckland Airport. Cnr Kirkbride & Ascot Roads, Mangere. Phone:
09 275 0000 Reservations Freephone: 0800 801 000 Email:
exec@aklrt.centra.co.nz Their website is useless - it
doesn't give rates but I'm told room rates are $100-130.
Jet Park Airport Hotel and Conference Centre. 63
Westney Rd, Ph 09 275 0000 Reservations
Freephone: 0800 538 0006 Email: reservations@jetpark.co.nz Rates start at
$140 a night but go to their website and you might score
it as cheap as $108 a night.
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 usual kebab options at
$5.30 to $8.50 they do sushi at around $6. Eat in or
take-away.
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 in a $16.90 Combination Special you get
enough food for about three reasonable appetites.
Arthur St Bar and Grill, Cnr Arthur
St and 5 Onehunga Mall. Ph 634 9017. Pub grub - heavy on
the red meat and fries, but very reasonably priced so
good for a cheap nosh up.
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.
Email trekkie@xtra.co.nz Bit more up-market, superb food.
Pubs/bars:
The Landing, 4 Onehunga Harbour Rd,
636-4264. The best of the local watering holes. Very
recently 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 straight forward pub grub.
Blackies Bar and Brasserie, 306
Onehunga Mall. 634 3306. Hole-in-wall style bar, but
stylishly done. Food is good, with huge portions. $14-22
for mains.
Things
To Do:
To blow out the cobwebs after a long flight, or as
one last look at the country before you head for home
there are a couple of attractive outdoor options quite
close to the airport.
Take a walk up Mangere Mountain. The
entrance is off Coronation Rd, Mangere Bridge, not far
from the shopping area. It's an ancient Maori
fortification, one of the largest in the region - you'll
see the terraced earthworks and food pits typical of a
major pa (fortified village). During the main
period of settlement from the 17th century
onwards, various iwi (tribes) built hundreds of whare
(houses) on the terraces. Enormous kumara (potato) pits
carved into the crater edge are still obvious features
today.
Ambury
Farm Park,
on the shores of the Manuklau Harbnour, is worth a visit
if you'd like to experience a working farm, with its
variety of cattle and sheep breeds, and a changing
assortment of goats, chickens, kune kune pigs and a horse
or two! There's also camping and campervan parking on
site. For directions on getting there, see Accommodation/Motor
Camps above.
Right on the airport itself are a number of
attractions - if you are stuck with one those awful
stopovers where there's too much time to just sit around
the airport and not enough time to go anywhere
off-airport, these provide an entertaining diversion. If
you have kids, I would recommend a stroll down to the
mini-golf, or (when the butterfly enclosure is completed
in mid-August) to Butterfly Creek. They are about 10
minutes easy stroll from any of the terminals.
Golf
Driving Range
JK's
Driving Range. Nixon Road off George
Bolt Memorial Drive. Ph 09 275 6080. Email
jkf@xtra.co.nz. Facilities: 20 all weather bays,
professional coaches, golf clubs available. Hours: 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. Cost: 50 balls for NZ$5, 100
balls for NZ$9
Mini-golf
Adventure
Mini Golf,
Off Tom Pearce Drive on the airport itself. Ph
09 275 7531.Email treasure.island@xtra.co.nz Facilities: Treasure Island
Adventure Golf has two full 18-hole mini golf courses,
one of which is suitable for pushing strollers and
wheelchairs. The pirate theme is part of the
entertainment. Each 42 par course takes approx 45 minutes
to play.
Golf
Course
Aviation Country Club. Off Tom Pearce
Drive. Ph 09 275 6265 and for tee times
09 275 4601..Email aviation@golf.co.nz Facilities: international standard 18 hole
golf course, Pro Shop, clubs and trundlers for hire..
Tourist
Attraction
Butterfly
Creek.
Tom Pearce Drive. Ph 09 275 8880 Fax:
09 275 1110.c.sanders@butterflycreek.co.nz Curly's
outdoor playground, Red Admiral Express steam train and
Petting Zoo. Papillon bar & café, toilets and room
hire for up to 150 people. Hours: open 7am - 6pm 7 days;
bar is open until 8pm Sat - Tue, and 10pm Wed - Fri. They
will shortly - mid-August - have a tropical butterfly
house with literally hundreds of butterflies flying
inside. I can recommend the cafe.
Gymnasium
Flying Fit Health Club. Off Tom Pearce Drive. Ph
09 275 5747. Email flyfit@ihug.co.nz Full range of gym equipment, trained
instructors, two sunbeds, two squash courts, step and
aerobic classes, 25 metre outdoor swimming pool.
Historic
Buildings
Jellicoe Park. Cnr Quadrant Rd and
Grey St, Onehunga. 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
successful and innovative winemakers. Buy at the
cellar door at less than bottle-shop prices.
Onehunga:
Dress
Smart.
Arthur and Galway Sts.Ph 09 622
2400. One of the
city's major shop-options, Factory discount shops
featuring a lot of the big international brand-name gear
at substantial discounts. 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,
Wellesley St (city) and Karangahape Rd.
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