Melissa has a lovely home in an upmarket area of Auckland. The apartment was very stylish and Melissa was extremely hospitable and helpful. The pool area is lovely and my son thoroughly enjoying using the hot tub with Melissa's children. The outside area is a little noisy as it is right above a road but we could not hear the traffic from inside the room. Melissa recommended Takapuna Beach as a nice place for restaurants/cafes (with a view) nearby and we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere there with the added bonus that it had a lovely playground for our son. Devonport was also a nice area to visit, about 15 to 20 minutes from Melissa's place (we also caught the ferry from Devonport to the city centre).