Auckland: On the sunny side of the street

Ponsonby Rd is a perfect place to use a range of Grabone deals to be pampered, shop or dine. Photo / Doug Sherring

Daily deals make it even easier to pick up what Ponsonby is putting down, writes Donna McIntyre.

Where are you working today, asks my husband. Ponsonby, I say, I'm going to a ballet-Pilates fusion class, then I'll have a massage and facial, shop a little, have lunch and meet our son for a meal after work.

That hardly sounds like work, he says.

Oh, but it is, I exclaim ... all in the name of research for the Ponsonby deals Weekend readers can get their hands on through Grab One.

I figure the logical first stop for the day is Xtend Barre Ponsonby where I meet Viv Gallagher who talks me through what the classes involve. May as well get the energetic, sweaty stuff over with first. Xtend Barre classes offer a combination of dance, ballet barre and Pilates. Some are more dance-oriented, others follow more a Pilates mat class structure.

For my class we use a Pilates stick attached to our barres. The best way I can think of to describe the experience to Pilates people is getting some of the effects of the Reformer in a mat class environment. It's fun, challenging and it's great to try to something different. I even get to feel flattered when Viv tells me I've got great body awareness. (I'll google what that means later.)

You can do a bit of celebrity spotting while you build your core strength and stability. Today I'm mixing with Teuila Blakely of Shortland Street/Dancing with the Stars fame. She's made it to class despite a big night out celebrating a year of putting some distance between the Warriors Sex Tape (with Konrad Hurrell) media frenzy.

"Oh, now, I know who you are," I say "Didn't you used to have longer hair?" Teuila reckons the four Xtend Barre classes she does each week are perfect preparation for the series which pairs her with Scott Cole (Brendan's brother).

With Grab One you can try out the classes with an unlimited month pass or the five-class pass.

After showering at the studio, my next stop is a relaxing massage, facial and paraffin treatment for my hands at Acajou in Richmond Rd. Oh my, this is heaven. I suspect I'm purring almost as Raylene Lee expertly makes me feel relaxed and unknots some of the tension in my shoulders.

I like the ambience of Acajou's beautiful villa, with its high ceilings and spacious treatment rooms. It's so warm and comfortable I could almost... but I don't want to miss a minute of this... fall asleep. In a word, bliss. Heck, I reckon I deserve it after slogging it out at the barre.

Cafes, restaurants and bars line Ponsonby Road. Photo / Natalie Slade

Next I check out what Ponsonby Rd's Needles and Threads has to offer as I am meeting my 19-year-old for shopping and a meal later.

Director Hadley Pegden describes his stock as premium streetwear aimed at the ages between 16 to 40 years. Kiwi brands are Huffer and Federation and the store is branching (shuffling?) into sneakers - think Adidas, Asics, Reeboks, Timberland and New Balance. We'll be back later and I'll let you know what my son chooses to buy.

Hadley is waiting for the chillier temperatures to kick in when he'll see the Huffer jackets practically walking out the door and Wrangler jeans sales take off. "When it starts to get cold, everyone starts layering up." The $100 vouchers for $50 will come in handy then.

I stop for lunch at L'Escabeau French Kitchen, which is also jumping on board the Ponsonby Grab One deals with crepes and coffee. Several eating places and bars are included in the promotion and L'Escabeau's a good place to pop in for lunch and relatively easy to find a park. (Just don't park across the driveway of the woman opposite expecting twins, like one ignorant driver did on the day of my visit. I didn't feel any sympathy for him/her when the tow truck arrived.)

I've time for a stroll around the Ponsonby shops and a drink at the Longroom after typing up my notes (I am working, honestly) and before meeting my son.

A backtrack to Needles and Threads (my son chooses Wrangler jeans), and that's my work in Ponsonby all stitched up.

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Further information: GrabOne has some terrific deals on eating, shopping, pampering and more in Auckland's hippest strip with its Ponsonby Event.

Donna was a guest of Grabone.