Parnell, is a great place to visit and boasts some of Auckland's finest specialty shops and restaurants. Beautiful brick-paved paths take you through older buildings, galleries, jewelry and craft shops. You can find a great place to dine or have coffee at the many top class restaurants or cafes, and you can always find a gem of a place in one of the many side alleys or alcoves. Parnell is only a hop skip and a jump from downtown and transforms itself from a great shopping and tourist attraction in the day to a place to see and bee seen at night. There are a number of great clubs that seem to cater for a slightly more swanky sophisticated scene than other areas. At the further end of Parnell you will find Judges Bay. The Bay has now been cut off from the water by the road, creating a salt water "lake" which is still used for swimming on a regular basis and is just next to the Tepid Pools. Just opposite the Parnell Rose Gardens is a beautiful garden with this lovely picturesque church. There is plenty of open space to picnic on (great during the summer). The rose gardens are a beautiful and tranquil place to visit, and will certainly give your nose muscles a good workout. Apart from the plethora of rose varieties there are a number of old trees that provide a bit of shade and old wisdom and are perfect to take cover from a hot day's sun. The roses are mainly modern with over 4500 rose bushes and are at their best from late Spring to early Autumn. |