Nightlife

Auckland has something for everyone -- the adventurous, the sophisticated, the young, and the young at heart. From 24-hour casinos and live theater to cinema, clubs, pubs, bars, and dance spots, you can party all the way to breakfast time.

For information about current cultural and entertainment events in the city, contact Ticketek, Aotea Centre (tel. 09/307-5000; www.ticketek.co.nz), which provides easy credit card booking with next-day courier delivery. It also makes bookings around the country -- a good way to save time and avoid disappointment. The free newspaper Tourist Times also lists current happenings.

The Performing Arts

The Edge, 50 Mayoral Dr. (tel. 09/309-2677; www.the-edge.co.nz), is the cultural core of Auckland. Located in the central area bordered by Mayoral Drive and Albert, Wellesley, and Queen streets, it includes the modern Aotea Centre, the impressive Auckland Town Hall, and the refurbished Civic Theatre. The Aotea Centre (tel. 09/307-5060), opened in 1990 by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, features theater, ballet, dance, opera, major stage productions, art exhibitions, and lots of local drama. The Auckland Town Hall is the city's best-known building. The Great Hall seats over 1,600 and is modeled after the Gewandhaus Concert Hall in Leipzig, Germany, which was bombed during World War II. It is regarded as one of the finest acoustically tuned concert halls in the world, and schedules regular performances by the Auckland Philharmonia and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. For listings of events at The Edge, call tel. 09/307-5060 or go to www.akcity.govt.nz.

The SKYCITY Theatre is the newest addition to the city's performance venues. The 700-seat theater features state-of-the-art technology and major local and international performers in dance, theater, rock, pop, jazz, and cabaret. For details on events, call tel. 0800/759-2489 or visit www.skycity.co.nz.

The Maidment Theatre at Auckland University (tel. 09/308-2383) is well known for New Zealand drama and theater sports; the Bruce Mason Centre, in Takapuna (tel. 0800/005-959 in NZ, or 09/488-2940), offers a little of everything.

The Live Music Scene

Pick up the free Auckland What's On guide from the visitor center for the latest on the music scene. You'll find jazz and rhythm-and-blues gigs at places such as London Bar, Wellesley and Queen streets (tel. 09/373-3864); Deschlers, High Street (tel. 09/379-958), which is popular with the 20- to 30-something after-work crowd. The Alto Casino & Bar at SKYCITY (tel. 09/363-6368) also has live jazz performances.

The Devonport Folk Music Club meets in the Bunker, Mount Victoria, Devonport (tel. 09/445-2227), Monday evenings at 8pm; new faces are welcome.

If Irish music is your thing, you'll find it at Danny Doolan's, Viaduct Basin (tel. 09/358-2554), where there's live entertainment on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights; The Dogs Bollix, Karangahape and Newton roads (tel. 09/376-4600), which schedules piano nights and jam sessions; and The Bog, 196 Parnell Rd., Parnell (tel. 09/377-1510).

The Mexican Café, 67 Victoria St. W. (tel. 09/373-2311), has live Latin music every Wednesday and Thursday.

The Club & Bar Scene

No matter how many nightspots I list here, I'll always overlook somebody's favorite. If you want a night with the work-hard, play-hard business crowd, head for Parnell; older, richer, devil-may-care types flock to Viaduct Harbour and its many nighttime haunts. The younger, funky, black-clothed set hangs out in High Street/Vulcan Lane in the Inner City; most of the all-night clubs, drag clubs, and gay bars are along Karangahape Road; and Ponsonby is a favored upmarket place for drinks, dinner, and a general wind-up before hitting the club scene.

Inner City -- If you want to check out the yachting scene, head for The Loaded Hog, Viaduct Harbour, Hobson and Quay streets (tel. 09/366-6491), where the pace is fairly frisky after a day on the water. Spy Bar, 204 Quay St., Viaduct Harbour (tel. 09/377-7811), is Auckland's top after-hours bar for a sophisticated older crowd. Brand new on the scene is (the very chic) Chic, 201 Quay St., Viaduct Harbour (tel. 09/377-5360), where exotic fabrics, lavish "beds," and plush pillows set the mood for a seductive night out with the glam crowd. Plum, Viaduct Harbour (tel. 09/357-0980), has fabulous cocktails, a friendly staff, and great retro music. The Flight Lounge, 1 Fort Lane (tel. 09/309-6569), is a funky stone basement with gold fabric panels, thousands of miniature lights, sheer screening curtains, and good live music.

Minus 5, Princes Wharf (tel. 09/377-9865), is the "coolest" experience in town. Everything from the walls to the glasses is made of ice, and the temperature is a constant -5°F (-21°C), so make the essential booking and don your warmest coat. Crow Bar, 26 Wyndham St. (tel. 09/366-0398), is a classy little rich joint that's trendy in the wee small hours. Honey, 5 O'Connell St. (tel. 09/369-5639), is a sophisticated spot offering over 30 varieties of champagne and New Zealand's very own vodka label, 42-Below -- the cocktails are winners. Galatos, 17 Galatos St. (tel. 09/303-1928), is a plush bar that veers towards the alternative international gig scene with live funk, soul, hip-hop, and jazz.

Coco Club, 3 Fort Lane, Inner City (tel. 09/309-3848), an upmarket alley bar -- a hidden gem -- for sophisticates, offers vintage champagne by the glass and live jazz every night; and Match Lounge Bar, Hopetoun and Pitt streets, City (tel. 09/379-0110), is a slick little joint designed to accommodate an intimate crowd with plenty of quieter spots for conversations. Don your glad rags for this one and arrive late if you want to appear cool. Khuja Lounge, 536 Queen St. (tel. 09/377-3711), is a Latin/hip-hop/funk DJ scene popular with the 20s and 30s crowd; and Fu, 166 Queen St., downstairs (tel. 09/309-3079), is the dark, gritty home to purists of hip-hop, drum and bass, and break beats. And don't miss chef Peter Gordon's latest inspiration, Bellota, 91 Federal St., opposite SKYCITY Grand Hotel. It's a supercool, dark, sensuously modern take on a Spanish tapas bar. La Zeppa, 33 Drake St., Freemans Bay (tel. 09/379-8167), is another popular tapas bar in the Victoria market area. It's popular with the corporate crowd.

Karangahape Road/Ponsonby -- Suede, 213 Symonds St. (tel. 09/366-3906), previously the corner bar Tonic, is a favorite with a mixed crowd of locals; Club 4:20, 373 Karangahape Rd. (no phone), is the place to find out all about New Zealand's growing hip-hop scene.

SPQR, 150 Ponsonby Rd. (tel. 09/360-1710), is the staple of Ponsonby Road. It has a great bar scene late Friday and Saturday nights; you'll see all sorts, both gay and straight, indulging in cocktails with fanciful names such as Horny Monkey and the Slapper. Lime, 167 Ponsonby Rd. (tel. 09/360-7167), is the smallest bar of all, and everyone, just everyone, is determined to be first or second here -- after that, there's always a queue to get in.

Sponge, 198 Ponsonby Rd. (tel. 09/360-0098), attracts a younger dance crowd; Orchid, 152b Ponsonby Rd. (tel. 09/378-8186), beautifully appointed in 1970s Asian style, serves the best cocktails; and Whiskey, 210 Ponsonby Rd. (tel. 09/361-2666), is the best late-night scene on Friday and Saturday. The very popular Malt, 442 Richmond Rd., Grey Lynn (tel. 09/360-9537), has the feel of a local corner pub with a bit more warmth and style.

Parnell/Newmarket -- Iguacu, 269 Parnell Rd., Parnell (tel. 09/358-4804), has established a reputation for hedonism. A business crowd tends to let loose here on Friday and Saturday nights, and it's pretty much a case of anything goes -- certainly lively, and certainly a pickup joint of the first degree. A younger hip crowd looking for good house music favors Denim, 207 Parnell Rd., Parnell (tel. 09/337-0227). The Paddington, 117 St. Georges Bay Rd., Parnell (tel. 09/309-3586), might seem cast adrift in industrial land between Parnell and the city, but it's a big hit with the advertising crowd and designers after work. Don't be put off by the big-screen televisions; it gets more glamorous later in the evening. In Newmarket, there's the slightly unruly, "boys' night out" atmosphere of The Penny Black (tel. 09/529-0050), Khyber Pass and Broadway.

The Gay Scene

It's hard to keep up with Auckland's ever-changing gay scene -- especially when you're not gay. But I have it on good authority that Urge, 490 Karangahape Rd. (tel. 09/307-2155), is a good bar for the "more masculine" crowd. Just be sure to wear leather! Kamo, 382 Karangahape Rd. (tel. 09/377-2313) is a gay-friendly scene. The suggestively named Flesh Nightclub & Lounge Bar, 15-17 O'Connell St., City (tel. 09/336-1616), is popular; Lateshift, 25 Dundonald St. (tel. 09/373-2657), the men's safe-sex cruise club, is going strong. And Witch, 152 Ponsonby Rd. (tel. 09/360-9315), is a popular lesbian hangout.

Placing Your Bets: A Night at the Casino

Auckland's SKYCITY Casinos, Victoria and Federal streets (tel. 0800/759-2489 in NZ, or 09/363-6000; www.skycity.co.nz), receive over 12,000 visitors per day! The SKYCITY Casino is the largest in New Zealand. This vast expanse of gaming tables (blackjack, roulette, craps, Caribbean stud poker, baccarat, tai sai, pai gow, and money wheel), an 80-seat keno lounge, and more than 1,200 slot machines is not the most stimulating of environments -- unless you're keen to try your luck. Everyone is earnest and intent, as well they might be, given the amount of money changing hands. Still, it's worth a look, if nothing else. The upmarket Alto Casino & Bar, on the third level, is much more stylish and intimate, and Bar 3 is popular with locals. It has live music and a strict dress code (jackets for men; jeans, shorts, active sportswear, and sports shoes not permitted). It opens at 4pm and continues through the night. The SKYCITY Members Club is a more exclusive, invitation-only gaming room.

You may not be interested in gambling, but I think a visit to SKYCITY is essential at some point in your visit to Auckland. The casinos are not the only aspect of this multifaceted complex. It holds several excellent restaurants (17 overall) the Sky Tower, the SKYCITY Theatre complex, and one of the best contemporary New Zealand art collections in the country. The casinos are open 24 hours a day, every day.