Blog

When staying at the Greenlane Suites guests enjoy the beautiful leafy suburb surroundings, sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the city. One of the great things about Greenlane is there are also plenty of attractions and amenities nearby, including some fantastic restaurants covering a variety of international cuisines. We’ve put together this list of...

One of the great things about staying in the heart of Auckland’s CBD is that you’ll be able to dine at what are considered to be, the best restaurants in New Zealand. Our own Cooke’s Restaurant and Bar led by award-winning chef Jinu Abraham is a fine choice of course, with a modern menu inspired...

Auckland is a city full of great attractions and sights to see, a well-known fact amongst those who visit and those who call it home. What people don’t necessarily appreciate or realise, is just how many of these activities are free. It’s always nice to enjoy a few complimentary activities whenever you’re travelling to keep...

Matariki (Pleiades star cluster) Matariki signifies the Maori New Year and is the Maori name for a small cluster of stars known as the Pleiades that become visible during the winter months. Each year, events take place all across New Zealand to celebrate Matariki and this year, the Picton Yacht Club Hotel is supporting the...

Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with a population of over 1 million people from a diverse mix of cultures with the city offering plenty of things to see and do. In saying this, New Zealand is one of those countries that’s great to explore and Auckland makes a great base for doing so with...

The Executive Chef at Cooke’s Restaurant & Bar, Jinu Abraham, has put his support behind a classroom nutrition initiative aimed at teaching primary school students and their parents about the benefits of healthy eating. The initiative is the brainchild of Dr Sharad Paul, author of The Genetics of Health – Understanding Your Genes for Better...

Our menu at Cooke’s Restaurant & Bar is getting a winter facelift and we’re very excited to be launching some hearty new dishes just in time for the colder season. In a recent interview with Hotel Magazine, Group Executive Chef, Jinu Abraham talked extensively about the exciting new dishes coming to the menu at Cooke’s...

New Zealand’s scenery is some of the most breath-taking in the world, a fact that hasn’t been missed by Hollywood’s biggest filmmakers. A large number of films have been shot here with Hollywood keen to take advantage of our natural beauty and cinematic surroundings. If you’re a movie-buff, there’s nothing more fun than seeing these...

New Zealand is known as ‘The land of the long white cloud’ but it could just as easily be known as ‘The land of awesome beaches’ with 15,000km of coastline to boast. Suffice to say, you’ll have plenty to choose from but below are some of the best to prioritise during your stay! Gillespie Beach...

Year of the Dog 2018 is the Year of the Dog according to the Chinese zodiac. … The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve-year cycle, related to an animal sign. These signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Years of the...

Mangere Mountain – a hidden gem in Auckland The City of Sails is a great place to visit with so many notable attractions to pick and choose from. Being a tourist hotspot, the top sights are fairly well publicised so we thought we’d highlight a few lesser known marvels for those after something a little...

When planning a trip to New Zealand the first thing you’ll probably pack before clothes, toiletries, sunscreen etc., is your camera. There’s no secret why, it’s a beautiful country. But the next step can often be a bit more challenging. Deciding where to go to take your awe-inspiring, liked-by-all, insta-famous snaps. To make this decision...