The French Café is one of Auckland oldest, much loved and much awarded dining establishments. Serving up stellar modern French cuisine, the restaurant offers a nine-course chef’s tasting, a six course tasting that includes a vegetarian option, and an a la carte menu that has been carefully designed to be enjoyed in four courses.

Merlot on O’Connell Street in the CBD serves up a great hearty red - naturally - but also has one of the best lunch menus in the area when you are in the mood for something warm and hearty. My pick is the lunch special menu, which gives you around six yummy options, all priced at $20.00. The Mini Ploughman’s lunch with chicken terrine, cheese and pickles comes highly recommended, with the next best option being the Scotch fillet with warm roasted vegetable salad. Delicious.

We love visiting La Boulange on Jervois Road and Lorne Street for filled baguettes, fresh pastries, great coffee and French style, but our favourite branch of the super cute cafe is in The Department Store in Takapuna. Definitely one of the North Shore’s best options on the cafe front, it is airy and relaxed as well as tantalisingly close to many a retail attraction like Nature Baby, Karen Walker and Black Box boutique. Dangerous and very, very good.

La Cantine du Torchon on Ponsonby Road is great for the inner Francophiles out there, with authentic cuisine and great wine served at rather good prices and with atmosphere to boot. Dinner options include hearty Cassoulet and Boeuf Bourgignon, whilst for lunch they serve the perfect galette and warming onion soup with lashings of cheese. Bon appetit indeed.

Winehot in Sandringham is the very definition of a quality local bar: the wine list is exceptional and well priced, the French-style snack list is delicious and creative and it is always filled to the brim with people from the surrounding neighbourhood who love it and keep coming back for more. I’d go there just for the cheese and terrine alone!

The Poi Room is a pretty glorious place to visit, packed with contemporary New Zealand art and design from the well known to the recently discovered. It is a hot spot for gifts for friends overseas, and usually has something that perfectly fits the brief no matter what your budget or size constraints. The retail staff are super helpful as well, which makes the whole experience that much sweeter.

I’m famous for more often than not gifting books on all manner of special occasions, and one of the places I always hit first is Dear Reader in West Lynn shops. They have an amazing selection of publications for book lovers of all ages and tastes and never fail to gift wrap with panache, and the fact that they are most next to Monterey Cafe means you can pick up a cup to go after a visit. Love this place.

One of the first places I go when I am gift shopping and at a total loss is The Garden Party on Ponsonby Road. They stock super cool locally designed products that fit a variety of budget constraints as well as some pretty quirky goodies from overseas too. It is also a top spot for taking tourists for a little Kiwiana - they definitely won’t leave empty handed.

Heading into an Auckland winter means serious prep for ways to fill up rainy days, and one of the best and brightest is a visit to the still sparkling, recently renovated Auckland Art Gallery. They always have something new to look at and ponder thoughtfully, and when the tummy starts to rumble they offer some great food and coffee options. Best of all, the gallery is open seven days a week, so whenever the heavens open it’s ready and waiting for you.

Pauanesia has been on the High Street strip for as long as I can remember, serving up eclectic Kiwi and Polynesian-themed gift ideas that are most definitely a cut above your average souvenir shop. I always send visitors there to pick up a little something to take home as the edit is always fun and the staff lovely to deal with.

Nothing makes a true fossicker more happy than a store full of unique, quirky and very cool vintage finds, and Flotsam & Jetsam on Ponsonby Road is jam packed with all that and more. Owner Cam has an exceptional eye, and his edit is impeccable - you seriously cannot leave this place empty handed, no matter how hard you try. He also has a small selection of beautiful hard cover books for sale that make for inspired gifting.

Always worthy of a visit, the Superette store on Ponsonby Road has the perfect edit right now of men’s and women’s winter clothes. Its racks are jam packed with high end street and casual labels like Bassike, Vanishing Elephant and Nudie jeans, as well as top notch sneakers and the Beau Coops shoe collection. If you’re on the other side of town their Newmarket store is also a great place to browse - and spend.

One of the most unique and seriously impressive furniture and homewares stores I have walked into of late is the beautiful Bob & Friends opposite Western Park on Ponsonby Road. They specialise in contemporary British designers like Matthew Hilton and Gareth Neal, and every room in their showroom looks like one I would like to have in my house. They also have great gift ideas like throws and even Damien Hirst paper weights - definitely a must buy.

The Poi Room is a pretty glorious place to visit, packed with contemporary New Zealand art and design from the well known to the recently discovered. It is a hot spot for gifts for friends overseas, and usually has something that perfectly fits the brief no matter what your budget or size constraints. The retail staff are super helpful as well, which makes the whole experience that much sweeter.

The Trade Aid stores dotted around Auckland city always have a huge selection of reasonably priced gifting ideas, and the initiative behind them makes those gifts even more special. Their support of developing nations has been a big part of their business for years and I love shopping there all the more for it. Their kids’ sections are always particularly good too, with lots of cool little treats for parties that definitely don’t cost the earth.

Kokako offers up some of the best brunch options in town, all vegetarian, some vegan and many gluten free. Meat lovers will barely know the difference though as the flavours are so fresh and tasty, and they even do kid sized portions if you’ve got small people on board. My fave is the organic hash (above) with the porridge coming a close second.

For those days when Eggs Bene is just a little too much, the iconic Bistro Bambina on Ponsonby Road is my go to spot for some of the healthiest ways to kick off the day. Their bruschetta is always fresh and tasty and the breakfast salad a low carb feast for the taste buds. Great coffee is just an added extra!

A true artisan bagel is a joy to eat, and the best in Auckland are most definitely to be had at Best Ugly Bagels in the CityWorks Depot complex. You can get a classic with cream cheese or something fancier like Coronation Chicken and Rocket, and in my opinion they are best enjoyed in house and fresh from the oven. A must visit if ever there was one.

I am a bit of a potato cake/hash brown connoisseur, and an always on the hunt for new versions on my weekend brunch travels. One I cannot go past is the offering at Jafa Cafe in Grey Lynn, which sees two perfect cakes served with a poached egg, hollandaise and cress in the side. Options include servings of bacon and salmon, but I go for homemade baked beans for a hearty vegetarian style. Oh, and the coffee is great too!

I love a cafe that thinks outside the square when it comes to brunch and lunch options, and Ponsonby Central’s Foxtrot Parlour does just that. They don’t get much better than pulled pork Banh Mi and amazing Empire Eggs, washed down with some of the sharpest coffee in town.

In our family visits to Auckland Zoo are a big deal and happen on a very regular basis. It is definitely one of our happy places on a sunny winter’s afternoon, when you are highly likely to see more than a few animals soaking up the warm rays along with the visitors. Check their website for animal encounter times when you can pop in and see your favourite friends up close and personal, you might even get to feed them if you’re lucky!

You can visit the Stardome Observatory day or night, rain or shine to experience the wraparound sky and special effects of a planetarium. Each clear evening you may also see planets, double stars, glowing gas nebulae, or lunar craters through their amazing telescopes. 

Auckland War Memorial Museum is my top pick for kids on a rainy day, with loads of parking, a cafe with decent coffee and endless exhibitions to explore. Weird & Wonderful is a favourite in our family, with new oddities to discover on every visit. And for most of us - it’s free!

MOTAT is one of my favourite places to take kids, and the fact that their trams take you around the periphery of the Zoo and Western Springs Lakeside makes it even better. A sunny day can be spent without needing to jump in the car, and the buzz of a tram ride never seems to grow old.

Manukau City's public art gallery, Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, is a huge space that includes multiple shows and a great café. It plays host to changing exhibitions, classes, school holiday programmes and more.

D & M Hair Design on the border of Ponsonby and Herne Bay has a team of amazing stylists and colourists to choose from, as well as the best magazine selection in town! If you’re like me and never have to time to enjoy a mag or two over coffee then this is your spot - and the service always comes with a big smile.

I am a regular at both the Newmarket and CityWorks Depot branches of Dry & Tea, and not just visiting to get my hair done. They are absolutely passionate about beautiful teas too, and stock the most amazing range from T2 that includes my favourites: Liquorice Legs and Gorgeous Geisha. They even have tea-related gifts you can buy and take home, like Limoges cup and saucer sets at $199 a pop! Now THAT is every day luxury.

Right on High Street you’ll find Toni & Guy Hair Dressing, home to some talented stylists including Technical Director Cinnamon Scholes. Cinnamon is a New Zealand ambassador for Wella and known for the magic she weaves with colour, especially the new Illumina service.

I had no idea that beauty spot Lucy & The Powder Room was open Sundays until I was offered an appointment there recently, and now I’ll never look back! Takapuna parking was plentiful and free, whilst the Powder Room itself was sun filled and serene and there was ample time for a little shopping both before and after. The best Sunday I have treated myself to in a long time, and suggest you do the same!

Hamilton Brooks has opened a "dry bar" within his Nuffield St, Newmarket hair salon as a quick option for women wanting an expert’s touch without breaking the bank. In 15 minutes and for $25 you can get an individually tailored look, be it straightened or curled. If you select a wash, blowdry and style it will cost $40 for 45 minutes