We go to Kelly Tarlton's at least once a year on camp - and that means we get to sleep over, right in the tunnel under the aquarium where you can see the sharks swimming above you all night. This is an amazing place. They have huge 300kg Stingrays, a giant squid (dead of course) and so many other attractions. It also changes every year. The first year I saw mantis shrimp which are a great find!

I love coming here for parties or relaxation times with the kids. They are always happy to spend a few hours climbing the enormous fig trees or going on adventures down by the massive redwoods. We spent some fun times feeding leaves to cows too! There are toilet facilities nearby and a fancy restaurant if you'd like some delicious tea and scones.

This is a great venue for parties. We spent a whole day here, tiring out kids. There's trampolines of course but also tarzan ropes and climbing areas.

This is a very good high energy kids party place! The staff are great, safety is well monitored. You'll probably want to bring some adults to help belay kids up the wall - or to climb themselves. You don't need ropes to go "bouldering", which is climbing under an overhang. If you fall off you just end up on mats, something I did plenty.

This is my favourite beach, we often come here for walks with the kids or do a bit of body surfing. The waves are wild so I stay quite shallow with young kids and we always have a good time. The perfectly calm swimming pool beaches on the east coast are better for really young kids. Another attraction here is the Gannet colony, quite a sight. We sometimes grab some food in Kumeu and park at the beach to eat and watch the sunset.

The Bakehouse Cafe has a wide variety of baked goods and sandwiches. They also have great coffee. It's a lovely clean venue.

We love coming here for a special treat on the way home. During strawberry season you can spend some happy hours picking your own or just buy a bunch. You can have strawberry ice-cream or smoothies or (my favourite) massive strawberries dipped in chocolate. So nice in summer!

You get the real country experience at Blossoms - you can sit out on the sunny deck and watch the quiet operations of the farm that grew the delicious food you're eating. I love coming here for a birthday breakfast - blueberry bacon waffles, mmmmmm! What a treat.

We love going to Art Stop as a family for a huge breakfast or tasty lunch. This is our daughter's favourite place for a cup of hot chocolate. The staff are willing to accommodate our requests and can give us information we need on the food (for working out sugar content). There's a fun second hand book store attached and a bit of an art gallery behind.

I frequently pop in here on my way to work for a quick warm-up, good coffee, nice muffins and a quick read of the paper while I wait. I recommend them!

We really enjoyed The Wine Box, it has a warm and friendly atmosphere and the food is excellent. We'll definitely be back.

Main meals for around $30, the quality of the food is outstanding. We had an amazing evening here, the atmosphere is cosy, lighting is warm and noise level is fine for a good conversation. The place is a little out of sight, I wish more people knew about it.

Oooh yummy smoky grilled burgers! I finally decided to try Burger Fuel and these are the best burgers I've ever had. And I only had the Hamburginis. I know where I'm getting my next burgers!

We has a great mini date here after a movie - really really good little bites of food! Our waiter dealt admirably with a complete overload of patrons. The atmosphere was warm and happy, the only thing I didn't like was the rather high noise level.

This place is cozy and comfortable and the music is not so loud that it prevents talking.

A very interesting shop to browse in. You are almost certain to find a gift for any kind of person here. The shop owner will beautifully gift wrap your gift for you. Everything from baby clothes to kiwiana to gifts for difficult dads can be found here.

There's a large selection of books, furniture, clothes, household goods and toys here. The stock is always changing so it's worth stopping by on your way through Helensville. We got an old dishwasher for $70 here that we used for years.

Craft lover's paradise! A huge selection of beautiful arts and crafts can be found here - because hundreds of people rent space here for their products. We can always find something new and interesting. Definitely worth a look.

They have great deals on a wide range of "pre-loved" clothing! I've gotten really good quality Levi jeans for $2. They often have sales of everything in the shop going for $2. Check it out!

I love going to this place for the curiosity factor. The owner seems to never consider any item to be obsolete, so you can browse through history from brand new modern computers and accessories right back to Windows 3.1 games - seriously! I've bought a universal laptop power supply here that's worked very well and some really good Logitech earbuds. But it's entertaining just browsing around.

It's hard to "love" a dentist but Victor at Huapai Dental has to be the most polite and friendly dental technician I have met. They give you sweet drinks if you need them, patiently answer all your questions and carefully explain everything they need to do. The practice is quiet and comfortable too. I highly recommend them.

There are some great, caring doctors here who charge very reasonable rates.

Blood tests are no fun but if you have to have them, the people here are compassionate and good at their work. I remained well distracted by the conversation!

The staff are polite and helpful, they listened well and were very patient while I had a hard time choosing and adjusting specs. They gave me a nice discount too!

The staff are very helpful from the moment you walk in. They make you feel very welcome. The assessment was thorough and informative. They have a good holistic approach to making people well.

Basic food at a good price. This place is good for a lunch time pie or sandwich. 

Not the cheapest but when I want the best coffee or cafe food, I come here. This place is always buzzing.

I almost always choose this place for lunch and their coffee is good too. My favourite is their corn beef vogel sandwich for only $4.

This is my favourite lunch spot around Newton - though we can't go every day because it costs too much. We try to make it at least every second week though! The quality is awesome. It's never quiet at Betsia!

I'm planning on coming here more often, we had a great company lunch here. The thin base pizza was reasonably priced and super tasty!