Guide12 hours Auckland

If you’re in the same camp as the majority of the population, then there’s no starting the morning without some caffeine in the system, and if you’re that way inclined you may as well spend your dollars at a café/social enterprise that give all of their profits back to the community.

Crave is here to help. Their efforts to connect the neighbourhood is having a great impact on the area, hosting community events such as cooking classes, ethical markets, street parties, and you can sip your delicious Supreme coffee, (or range of alternative plant lattes) and know your money is being counted as a vote.

Fancy a little French in your early morning routine? Petit Bocal is open from 7am, seven days a week, serving Supreme Coffee, fresh pastries and delicious smoothies making it a very easy place to get your Parisian hit. You’d be silly to go past the filled crepes, but we have to admit the breakfast bruschetta sure does look good as well. Vibrant and lively, Petit Bocal makes for a stunning little spot to start your day.

It’s always worth checking out the local bookstores when you’re in a new city, and for those who need a little break from the hustling, bustling metropolis happening outside, The Book Exchange is the place for you. A second hand book store now turned coffee shop, this cosy little space is filled with friendly characters, and if you’ve got time to spare it’s the ideal place to curl up with a book and a cuppa for a while.

A specialty coffeehouse and a shared workspace all in one, Holm is the kind of place that almost makes you wish you were at work if only you got to set up here for the day. For those on a work-free agenda however it’s still very much worth a visit, especially if avocado on toast and specialty coffee brews are two things that light your fire.

Worth meandering a little further along K Road, Tür is a creative space continually merging and progressing to match the ever growing importance of art in Auckland’s culture. At any given time, Tür may home a ceramic exhibition, a fashion launch, a performance piece or maybe a market. Whatever it may be, Tür invites creatives to make, buy, touch, wear and use, while keeping the general vision that it must be fair, ethical and beneficial.

Come on… you’ve always got room for a cookie right? And when they’re fresh baked daily and come with the option of tea, coffee or milk (nostalgic yet?) then it really would be silly to turn one down. Famous for the rather radical flavours of their delicious milkshakes… Whittaker’s chocolate, gingernut, cookie dough, peanut butter, jellytip to name a few…. (there’s 13), they also do five flavours of vegan shakes.

While there’s no shortage of green spaces in the big city, you may just want a couple of hints about finding one near you. Inner city Albert Park sits just a stone’s throw from the University, meaning there’s often students here aplenty soaking up the fresh air and sunshine between classes, bring your cookie and shake down here (if they’ve lasted that long) and enjoy the feel of a green oasis amongst the buzz.

Whoever said there’s no room for retro in Ponsonby hasn’t been to Flotsam and Jetsam. With retro crockery and old milk bottles, Flotsam is perfect for those wanting to boutique the heck out of their lives while keeping things practical too. One of those places where you need to pick up everything and examine it carefully, just make sure you’ve allocated yourself enough time for making your way slowly through the aisles.

Now that you’re in Ponsonby territory, it’s near impossible not to visit every eatery on the strip, but to make it easy for you, we suggest sitting down for a meal at Orphans Kitchen.

Effortlessly cool and utterly lacking in pretension, Orphans Kitchen is one of the greatest contributions to the Ponsonby Road renaissance. The menu is ever evolving and seasonal, and features meals designed to share – small plates and larger ones with a couple of sides, so if you’ve got company, make sure they’re good sharers, this place will have you picking off plates til the very last bite.

The kind of place kept secret by those who love it best, Pineapple on Parnell is not so easily found on social media, or any media actually. But hey, that’s half the thrill. Look out for the gold pineapple on the door and as guests are ‘fervently’ encouraged to dress up, you best swap your puffer for your best shirt and blazer before entering the plush interior where bartenders will mix you up any number of specialist cocktails.

Portland is particularly famous for their live gigs, with musicians taking the stage most nights of the week, so if you’re wanting a night of entertainment that doesn’t take a whole lot of organising – simply show up here and be treated. Listening to music sure does make you hungry, so give in to the temptation to order one of Portland Public House’s specialty pizzas too.