Cathy's and Ken's place is a wonderful suburban bungalow. They've placed a lot of detail on the interior and you will definitely feel at home away from home.
Everything is quiet in this area (if that is what you're looking for) and a bus station is just a few meters out of the house.
There's great food around (the Afghan place "Samadi" is awesome for example) and you can get to the sea in a few minutes walk.
Around the area you will also find the zoo of Auckland and if you're looking to get a Polynesian style tattoo done, I'd suggest looking for "Monk3ys" which is just a 10 minute drive away.