We had not pre-booked any accomodation, so on our arrival to Auckland airport we found the information center, just past the arrival door, near McDonalds. The ladies there showed us a number of available accomodation options, then phoned to book and even organised pick up. Fantastic service.
The Kiwi, as we called it, is a short ride from the airport at 150 McKenzie Road
Mangere. There are a number of other hotels and motels in it's near vicinity as well as a number of car rental companies. You can't miss the hotel, it has a huge Kiwi on top of it.
The hotel was actually for sale and a little run down, but all we needed was a bed and place to wash and that is exactly what they could provide. Breakfast was also available, for a fee, and though not spectacular it did what it's intended to do - it broke our fast.
Motel units are also available at the Kiwi International.
We eventually booked the rest of our holiday in one of the motel units. Our grandchildren were visiting us at the hotel and the top floor windows were not safe for young children - something we pointed out to management and hope they take on board.
The motel units are all on the ground floor, are very tidy and more roomy than the hotel rooms - much more suitable for a longer stay. They also open out onto a large and lush grass area so the grandkids can run around.
Cooking facilities and a little frig are in each motel unit along with the majority of necessary utensils, crockery and cutlery. Anything we didn't have the staff were happy enough to get.
Although there was a restauant on site, it was being run at a minimum, so the opening hours were very restricted. To eat out a short drive to Mangere Bridge was in order. Or an even shorter drive to the other Hotels down the road - the Holiday Inn and the Grand Chancellor welcome other diners if you give them a call.
Despite it's shortcomings, which were not huge on the grand plan of life, we enjoyed our stay here. The staff were helpful, the rooms were clean, and the surrounds were quite pleasant. Should the Kiwi International find new owners happy to spruce it up, it will be a lovely place to stay.
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