Air New Zealand International Lounge, Auckland

Update Reviews - August 2022, Morning and Evening

During my first trip back to Australia since the pandemic, I choose to fly with Air New Zealand, through Auckland, rather than direct with United, as I usually do.  My co-workers all went direct, but, I had my reasons.  This meant for very long days, but, considerably better food, wine, and friendlier staff.  I think my overall experience, although longer, was more enjoyable. It also meant time in the airline lounges in Auckland, which you'd expect Air New Zealand to shine at, as it is their main hub, but, it does always let me down, as you've read about before (scroll down for all my previous reviews, which go into more detail).

Snacks

My favorite part of the Auckland lounge has always been the snack/candy jars, and this visit was no different.  These are available all day.

Bhuja Mix / Pretzels.

Up at the bar I was thrilled to see the Bhuja Mix, but alas, my favorite licorice BBs were nowhere in sight.  I still do like the bhuja mix though.

My second visit, there was only pretzels.

Wild Berry Bliss Balls.

My second visit also had little packaged bliss balls.

Marshmallow, Cookies.

Near the coffee bar there was my favorite marshmallows, along with the hard looking cookies I never try.  Those marshmallows though I love.  I know they are generic marshmallows in NZ and Australia, but I really like them more than what we have in the US - they have a better texture, taste a bit more like something, and I like the powdered exterior.

The coffee bar also serves up genuinely good coffee, both regular and decaf, and you can order on their tablet, or through the app on your phone, to avoid a wait.  The app lets you know when your coffee is ready, and is remarkably handy - just order on your way to the lounge from your connecting flight!

Breakfast

My first visit was en route to Sydney, early morning.  I arrived at 6am to a fairly empty, peaceful lounge, but by the time I left to board at 8:30am it was packed.

Cereal.

There are only 3 kinds of cereal, all in those annoying to use dispensers.  The lineup was basic corn flakes, toasted muesli, and Light N Tasty.

Yogurt, Fruit.

Next came the yogurts, different on both sides, along with fruit salad and a black cherry & vanilla compote that I meant to go back to try but forgot.

I skipped the yogurt as I haven't liked it in the past, even though I generally like New Zealand yogurt, just, not the brand they tend to serve in this lounge.

Oats and Chia Jars.

Composed jars came next, one side had this peach and passion oat jar (overnight oat style) and the other had boysenberry & chia oats.  If I was hungry, I would have tried the peach and passion fruit one, even though I haven't been into them in the past, but, I had just come off my flight from San Francisco with quite decent eggs benedict, and had another meal up ahead, so, I was pacing myself.

Juice Shots, Parfait.

Next came juice shots and a "parfait". I was curious what the parfait was, so, I tried it.

It was just plain yogurt, with an ok fruity rhubarb compote, and a few bits of now-soggy crumbled banana chips.  Meh.  It sounded better than it was.

Fruit Salad, More Yogurt.

Then there was more yogurt and the same fruit salad.

Pastries.

Pastries were just basic croissants and danishes, which looked worse than the ones served on the flights, so I walked right past them without a second glance, and odd thing for me as I love my baked goods, but I could tell these weren't going to be winners.

Kranksy Sausage.

The hot buffet had a single hot meat, kranksy sausages.

Hash Browns / Scrambled Eggs.

The other hot items were just basic hash brown patties and scrambled eggs.

Gluten-free Vogel's Bread.

Both regular and gluten-free bread were available to toast, the same brand, Vogel's, that they serve on board.

Bread and Spreads.

Individual packages of peanut butter, marmalade, etc were also available, most Kraft brand.

Evening

The evening lineup at the Auckland lounge has never been very good.  This visit was no exception.  This was fine, I didn't need to eat really, given that I had just gotten off a flight with a meal, and I had access to the Strata lounge nearby via Priority Pass that generally has better food.

Wine.

Since I had just come off a lunchtime flight where I enjoyed a glass of red wine alongside my meal, and was about to take a dinner flight where I planned to try another red with the meal, and their excellent port with my dessert, I didn't try the wines.

All New Zealand wines.

Broccoli, Cranberry, Vegan Mayo Salad.

When I saw the broccoli salad my heart leapt, even though it was labelled as vegan.  It looked like it might be like my favorite Whole Foods broccoli crunch salad, just, with cranberries instead of currants, vegan mayo instead of regular, and obviously no bacon.  

It was quite boring.  The broccoli was cooked nicely, still crisp, but it was so lightly dressed that there just wasn't much to it.  Crisp broccoli, a little bit of dried cranberries, no seasoning to speak of ... sadness.  I tried two different batches hoping it would be better, but alas, boring.  **+.

Salads.

The other salads were just a simple mixed greens (that had some tomatoes that fell to the bottom) and a chickpea salad.

Sandwiches.

Egg salad or chicken sandwiches, very uninspired.

Cheese & Crackers, Whole Fruit.

I do really like the rice crackers that seem fairly standard around New Zealand and Australia.  I think they were ahead of the US on gluten-free-ness, and perhaps rice crackers became more of a thing there earlier?

Chocolate & Coconut Pudding.

The Air New Zealand Auckland lounge always has pudding pots and they are usually awful.  So much so that I've written notes to myself to not bother trying.  They always sound great but are horrible.

And yet, of course I tried this.  I love pudding after all.

It actually was good.  Thick, rich pudding, good chocolate flavor, clearly also coconut milk based.  It was a heavy rich pudding, and I think would be better with some whipped cream to mellow it out a bit, but, it was still good.  I also kinda wanted a crunchy topping like candied nuts or cocoa nibs, rather than just shredded coconut.  But still, good.

The Strata lounge next door had an even better chocolate mousse though.

***+.

Raw Cacao & Coconut Bar.

Captive audience syndrome hit, as I decided to also try the raw bar.  It was also gluten-free and vegan, not usually a winning combination for a dessert.

It actually wasn't bad, but you definitely need to like coconut.  The base was a chocolate-coconut blend, soft, almost cake-like, but, really just coconut and cocoa, and whatever else bound it together.  The middle was just sweetened coconut, and lots of it.  This bar was very, very coconut forward.  On top, a chocolate layer, smooth and creamy (and likely blended with coconut oil?).  

Overall, not bad, lots of coconut, some chocolate flavor, interesting enough texture, didn't fall apart.  Good alongside a coffee.

***+.  

Baked Rhubarb Cheesecake.

At least I didn't try the cheesecake?

Crispy Toppings.

Major points for the nut & seed mix and crispy shallots.  They jazz up everything nicely, and are also just tasty to munch on. ****.

Apple Crumble Muffin / Apple & Turmeric Scone.

I didn't really remember trying muffins or scones in this lounge before.  Always in the Sydney lounge, where they always have at least one sweet and one savory of each, but these looked entirely different.  The muffins didn't look good, but I snagged a scone.

I had the scone on my flight alongside my starter, and quite enjoyed it.  I didn't taste apple at all, and not necessarily turmeric, but, it was a good scone, nice crumble, good tang.  Far better than the ones from the Sydney lounge actually.  I'd consider getting these again in the future.  ***+.

Soup.

I tried the soup of the day, cauliflower and leek, and didn't care for it.  Kinda gloopy and not a flavor combo that really worked. *.

Hot Buffet: Venison.

The hot buffet had roast potatoes, a chickpea dish, and venison stew.  I didn't try any of it, none of it was stuff I like.

Action Station: Lamb.

The action station was doing lamb chops, definitely not my thing.

Update Reviews - 2019 + 2020: Morning

As you read about in my previous update review, I wasn't impressed with the daytime food at the Air New Zealand International lounge, at their home base in Auckland.  The disappointment is even greater during my morning visits, but mostly, that is because I have the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney as a comparison, where I actively adore some of the selections, particularly for breakfast.

Since I have never liked the breakfast in this lounge, in January 2019, I checked out the Strata lounge first.  Disappointed there, I went to the Air New Zealand lounge for just a bite anyway.  

The lineup was no different from other visits, and I skipped the cereal, plain yogurts, and pastries that I never like.  Always disappointing, every single thing.  Except the candy, the candy I do adore.

Breakfast

The breakfast offerings included standard chilled continental items, a hot breakfast buffet, and, eventually a hot action station (not opened when I first arrived, as it was so early).

Drinks

Coffee, Tea, Water Tap.

Self serve coffee from a robot machine makes regular only.  Decaf was available in instant packets.

I liked having the sparkling water tap (also still or hot), but I did want to be able to take a bottle of water with me as I walked around the terminal, and had to settle for a paper cup.

Soda, Juice, Beer.

The other cold drinks were a soda fountain, juice, and beer (below).

Decaf Long Black.

I knew my day was going to be long, but I also already had a couple coffees, and wanted to pace myself, so I ordered a decaf long black from the barista station (via the ipod).

It was *very* strong, so I added hot water to mellow it out, which was fine.  Likely better than the instant?

Continental

Cereals.

The continental section began with three type of cereal, in those absolutely horrible self-serve dispensers that always make a horrible mess and crush the cereal.  Several types of milk were on the side.

Toast, etc. 

Another basic offering, assorted bread, a toaster, and basic spreads.

Greek Yogurt with Raspberry, Fruit Salad. Greek Yoghurt.

Next was the yogurt bar, with several yogurts and fruit.

From this area, I tried the Greek yogurt with Raspberry, since in both New Zealand and Australia they have some amazing full fat yogurt, but this was not it.  This was just ... thin, tart yogurt with raspberry goo.   Meh to this.  It really didn't seem Greek at all.

Greek Yogurt with Lemon Curd (July 2018).

The next time I visited, the greek yogurt had a lemon curd, which should have lead me to really ignore it, since I don't like lemon curd, and I didn't like the yogurt, but, I still tried it.  It was again just not the style of yogurt I wanted, thinner, not creamy.

Fruit Salad, Peach, Mango, & Passionfruit, Low Fat Yoghurt.

The other side of the yogurt bar had another yogurt and fruit salad, but also Peach, Mango, & Passionfruit stuffs.

I know it was for the yogurt, but I enjoyed it just as is, although, it was very sweet.  I don't get mango and passionfruit very often in the US, so, this was nice to have.

Lemon Custard, Greek Yoghurt & Granola,
Banana, Salted Date, Almond & Vanilla Smoothie,
Bircher Muesli.

Now we were getting to the good stuff, the little composed pots of yogurt (and smoothies).

More Yogurt & Muesli, Berry, Beetroot, Yoghurt, & Honey Smoothie.

The next station had the same yogurt and muesli, but a different type of smoothie.

Lemon custard, Greek Yoghurt & Granola.

I eagerly snatched up a custard yogurt parfait.

It sounded like dessert!  And the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney had such awesome yogurts on my last visit.

But ... it tasted like ... yogurt, with tangy lemon curd, and mushy granola on top.  The granola was a nice mix though, although not really what I'd call granola.  Shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, mixed nuts, lots of goodies, just, soggy from sitting there on top the yogurt.

Lemon Custard, Greek Yogurt & Granola + Rhubarb & Red Berry.

My next visit, I moved on to try the bircher muesli and yogurt pots again, even though they always make me sad.  I really, really wanted to like these for once.  I added fruit toppings from the compotes section.

The yogurt was just plain yogurt, not the rich awesome yogurt from Sydney.  The lemon custard was not distinguishable.  I did kinda like a chunk of something I found on top in the granola, it seemed to be a coconut chew?  It was kinda good.

To this one I added the rhubarb & red berry compote, which didn't really help anything, just mushy tart/sweet fruit.

Bircher Muesli.

I also snagged a bircher muesli.

I love bircher muesli, but I'm also crazy particular about it, and I know it.

This was not really the kind I like.  Mushy.  Way too much apple, it tasted overwhelmingly like applesauce.  Way too much coconut, the texture was off-putting.  It did have a nice mix of seeds, dried fruit, and other goodies, but sadly, I just didn't care for it.

When I returned in July 2018, I gave it another try.  And the result?  Yup, still not the style of bircher I like.  Very tart and yogurt forward, too many seeds on top.  I'll skip next time.

Bircher Muesli + Peach, Mango, & Passionfruit.

Except, I didn't skip it my next visit. I then tried a bircher muesli, hoping so badly that it would be the kind I like.  But alas, it was not, as always, it was just kinda mushy cold oatmeal that tasted sour like yogurt.

I added the peach, mango, & passionfruit compote on this, and it still didn't really help.  It didn't taste like fresh fruit in any way, not particularly tropical or redeeming.

Strawberry, chia, & coconut yoghurt. (July 2018)

My next visit had a new offering, a chia pot.  I strangely sometimes adore chia, so, I tried it.

The consistency was ok although thinner than I prefer, but it, like everything else, was very tart.  I didn't like it.

Raspberry, Chia, & Coconut Yogurt.

Why did I try this?  I dunno, sometimes I like chia pudding?  And remember that whole thing about being bored?

This was not good, far too raspberry flavored, and slimy.  Did not like.

Croissants, Assorted Danish (2017).

Next were plain croissants and several types of unlabelled danish, all of which I skipped since they didn't look good, I had a danish on my flight just an hour before, and I'd tried these on a previous lounge visit.

Chocolate Danish. (July 2018).

I skipped the baked goods since they have never been good, but then I saw a kid overjoyed eating a chocolate croissant, and he commented that they were warm and toasty, so, I grabbed one on impulse.

It *was* warm.  But the pastry was not good, not flaky, not buttery, just spongy and oily.  And it did have a lovely chocolate drizzle on top, but not really much at all inside.  A letdown, all around.

Note to self: give up on these!

Cheese & Chive Scone, Oranges, Apples.

Next up was baskets of savory scones and whole fruit.

The scones did not exist during my 2018 visits.

Lemon & Vanilla Scone, Pears, Bananas.

And sweet scones and other whole fruit.

These also did not exist during my 2018 visits.

Cheddar & Chive Scone, Lemon & Vanilla Scone.

I tried both scones, a bit sad that they were not served warm.  I briefly considered sliding them into the toaster, but didn't want to be that person who set something on fire.

I was also sad that there was no whipped cream or clotted cream to go with the sweet scone, just the butter and marmalades from the toast station.

Both scones were ... fine.  They were more like biscuits really.  Very cakey.

The savory one wasn't really that cheesy, but it did have a decent chive flavor.  The sweet one was sweet, with good citrus notes.

Not really fresh tasting, and not really scones, but, the best of the baked goods. 

Feta & Roast Pumpkin Muffin. Raspberry & Cream Cheese Muffin.

The final baked good was mini muffins, not located with any of the other continental items, rather, up on the bar where the hot food was, although they weren't kept hot.

I didn't try the savory one, but opted for the sweet one.

It was, well, not very good.  Moist in an oily way.  Not much raspberry.  Strange bits of cream cheese.

Hot Items

The rest of the breakfast spread is hot items, a buffet and a station where the chef is making a dish of the day right there.  The buffet isn't extensive, but has the basics.

Scrambled Eggs with Chives.

I skipped the scrambled eggs, as I don't like eggs, and they looked like the powdered variety anyway.

Campfire Beans, Feta, Pumpkin & Herb Filo.

Next, a double feature, baked beans and a filo thing.

In July 2018, this was a fritatta instead alongside the beans.

Feta, Pumpkin & Herb Filo.

The filo thing caught my eye. Filo! Pumpkin!  In a warm pastry!

The menu did not say this had egg, but it sure looked eggy to me.  Still, I cautiously took one.  And ... yup, eggy.  An eggy souffle-quiche, stuffed with feta and pumpkin, with a tiny, tiny bit of filo wrapper.  If you like eggs, I think this was probably good, but, alas, for a non-egg loving me, I didn't care for it.

Roast Gourmet Potatoes, Lyonnaise Onions & Thyme.

I didn't have the potatoes themselves, but, I did steal a bunch of the onions.  They were nicely cooked and seasoned, a welcome savory addition to my breakfast lineup.

Italian Breakfast Sausages, Wholegrain Mustard.

The single meat offering was sausage links.  No bacon!

This has been consistent across visits.

Pancake Machine.

The first time I encountered one of these pancake machines, I was pretty thrilled.  Push a button, out pops pancakes!  However, I'd since had them a number of times, and, well, they aren't ever actually good. 

On the side was two sauces that weren't labelled (unlike everything else that was generally well labelled).  I tried both, thinking I might dip something in them.  One turned out to be a thin chocolate sauce, which was a surprise, and the other, I think golden syrup.

Pancake.

I decided to give the pancake machine a try, one thing I had never done before in this lounge.

It was ... novel, but, not actually tasty.  I've tried these in other places, as several hotels and airline lounges have the exact same machines, so I guess I knew better, but I was bored?  

A thin pancake, no flavor.  Syrup didn't really save it.  But yes there is a part of me that at least had fun as my pancake came shooting out.

Lambs's Fry, bacon & Mushrooms on Toasted Sourdough.

The chef station wasn't open when I first arrived, but when I circled back an hour or so later, it was in action, with the featured dish of the day.

The dish isn't exactly made to order, but, the chef is there making small plates one at a time, and they go quickly, clearly an attraction.

But for me?  Well, I don't like lamb (sorry, NZ, I tried!) and I don't like sourdough (sorry, SF!), so, this was clearly out.

Action Station: Lambs Fry, Bacon & Mushrooms on Toasted Sourdough (Jan 2019).

My next visit, rather forlorn at my option, I arrived back at the action station.  The action station at least had fresh food, although it wasn't exactly something I was excited for - I hate sourdough and lamb.  And, I'll admit, I didn't know what "lambs fry" was.  Was it lamb? If so, I didn't want it.  But ... bacon and mushrooms, freshly cooked, sounded decent.  I quickly Google searched to find out that this was offal, likely liver, yes, from a lamb, but at least it was a part I generally like?  I went for it this time.

I don't like sourdough, and the toast was not actually freshly toasted at all, it was just sitting there at room temperature.  Minus one point.

The bacon turned out to be the style I do not like, flabby.  Maybe ok if you like that style.  The mushrooms weren't fancy mushrooms, just sliced button mushrooms, kinda slimy.  Minus more points.

But I was curious about the Lambs Fry.  The verdict though?  I think overcooked?  It was really, really tough, and very oily. 

Oh well.  I won't rule out this dish in general due to this experience, and I'd like to try it again sometime.  Kudos to them for introducing me to a new dish though?

Action Station: French toast with Glazed Banana and Whipped Cream (Oct 2019).

Another visit, the action station at least had something more my style: sweet carbs!

I don't know why I tried the french toast though, given that 1) I'm not really into french toast, 2) I was not hungry, at all, having had a full breakfast on my flight from San Francisco, and pretty decent liege waffles in the Strata lounge already, and 3) was about to board a flight with another meal, but ... I dunno.  I was drawn in by whipped cream?  Captive, bored audience, really.

The french toast was, well, french toast.  It was freshly made, but very eggy, and I just didn't really want it at all.

The glazed banana was good, and covered in whipped cream was a nice little treat, and I think I really would have liked it if I was hungry.

The "whipped cream" was ... um ... a little container on the side, grainy, and very sweet.  Very, very odd stuff.  I think it had too much powdered sugar, was over-whipped, and had been prepared too far in advance.

Action Station: Brioche French Toast / Caramelized Bananas / Whipped Cream. (March 2020).

Well, huh.

The next year, the action station was in action, and, I don't even know why I decided to try it, given that I don't really love french toast, and haven't ever found the food there enjoyable, and already had breakfast #1 on my flight (shockingly good eggs benny!), and a small breakfast #2 in the Strata lounge, and had breakfast #3 lined up on my next flight ... but, just like before, captive audience, boredom, something got me.

And I'm glad it did.  This was good.  Really good.

The brioche was a super thick slab, absolutely soaked in custard, it clearly had soaked up tons of goodness.  Perhaps a touch eggier then I like, but really, nicely done.  I appreciated that they had maple syrup for me to drizzle on.

But the amazing part of this dish was ... the bananas.  Yes, the bananas.  They were perfectly caramelized. Actually caramelized, like, crisp caramel on them.   The bananas themselves were soft, but not mush, but very soft.  The texture combo of the soft banana and truly caramel layer was fabulous.  Shockingly, shockingly delicious.

And then of course, whipped cream, which was on the side, so I could add as much as I pleased.  This time it was quite fluffy and "normal".

Overall, a winning dish, and it really surprised me.  I *devoured* it, and even went to go congratulate the chef!

Snacks

Up at the bar and barista area are a few self-serve snacks, the only only ones available in the lounge, as they focus more on "real" food.

Bhuja Mix, Pretzels.

Up at the bar was some basic snacks, including the bhuja mix that I've enjoyed before.  It isn't amazing, but it is decent, a good mix of savory, indian spiced goodies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Marshmallows.

I really like these marshmallows.  I mean, they are just marshmallows, but for some reason, I always enjoy them.  I guess I just like sugar.  I had no shame in having a big pile of marshmallows at ... 6am? local time.  I needed the energy?

I skipped the chocolate chip cookies that looked rather hard and boring, as did the Anzac biscuits they had instead the next year.

RJ's Candy Coated Strawberry & Licorice Balls (February).

The lounge surprised me one visit with one new addition: a new type of candy!  I eagerly filled up little bowls with them.

I started with the licorice ball, thinking the shell was going to be licorice flavored, but it wasn't.  I had no idea what to expect with the strawberry one ... a juicy filling? Cream?  The pink would be fruity right?

I was wrong about what they were, but I liked both.  Both were the same format: crunchy candy shell (not actually flavored, just colored), light layer of creamy milk chocolate (I think?), and then chewy flavored centers.  The strawberry one tasted remarkably like a milkshake.  I adored it, and now purchase a bag whenever I visit New Zealand or Australia.

They both paired nicely with coffee, a little sweet and creamy treat.

BJ's Candy Coated Licorice Balls.

I was so excited for these when I visited just 3 weeks later in March, but, alas, they were not there.  No candy.  In October, the licorice ones were the only available.  Slightly disappointing, but I was glad to see either of them, and eagerly made a bowl ... or two.  These really are a unique candy I wish we had in the US.

Update Reviews - February 2018, July 2018, February 2019, October 2019: Daytime

Another day, another few visits to the Air New Zealand Aukland International Lounge, this time for mid-afternoon and dinner time.

I am always shocked by 1) how good the Air New Zealand food is on board (like NZ 8 AKL-SFO), 2) how good the Air New Zealand breakfast is in the Sydney lounge, and 3) how poor the food is in their International lounge in Auckland (see original reviews).  How do they serve better food on flights than in the lounge?  In their home base?  I don't understand, but this food is just never good.

Lounge Overview (February 2018).

As before, they had a continental selection of salad, sandwiches, cheese, and fruit, a chef's action station with a single hot item, a daily soup, two hot side dishes, one hot meat dish, and one hot veggie dish.  And just like before, I was super excited by the desserts, but, they weren't good.

Pre-Meal Snack (February 2018).

I don't even know what meal to call this.

I started my day with breakfast at my hotel lounge (so good!).  I had second breakfast in the lounge at the Sydney airport (also so good!).  I had ... early lunch also in the lounge.  I had lunch on the flight to Aukland.  I'd be having dinner on the next flight.  So I'll just call this snack.

I kinda took a few bites of ... everything that looked remotely appealing.  Nothing was great.

Indian Spiced Cauliflower Soup (February).

I didn't try the soup of the day, cauliflower in February.

Carrot Soup (July).

Nor the carrot soup in July, but I appreciated the coconut and fried shallot toppings.

Salad Bar, Part 1 (February).

The first side of the salad bar had arugula, beets, and hardboiled eggs as the basis for a salad, with flaked tuna, "chickpeas & cheese" (!?), and broccoli with sesame as the more interesting pieces.

I tried the broccoli thinking it might have a nice sesame flavor, kinda asian style, but it didn't.  It was just a few sesame seeds.  Uninteresting.

Many of these options were the same in July, with just a few new items switched in.

Salad Bar, Part 2 (February).

The other side was a bit more exciting.  The tomatoes and grilled chicken weren't interesting, but, the other items were "Asian Slaw",  penne salad with basil pesto & parmesan, potato salad with green beans & black olives, and carrot slaw with sultanas.

I tried all of the later.

The asian slaw was literally just mixed cabbage.  No dressing, no add ins.  Um, let's just call it mixed cabbage?  It was reasonably fresh and crispy though, which I appreciated.

The penne pasta was decent in February.  The pasta well cooked, the pesto flavorful, although oily.  One of the better items.  In July though I didn't like it, mushy, starchy, oily.

The shredded carrot salad was quite refreshing too, juicy sultanas and all.

July swapped in a celery, blue cheese, walnut, & apple salad.  I tried it, hoping for something refreshing and flavorful.  The celery was crisp, but, this was basically

Overall, a couple successful things, nothing extraordinary though.

Salads: October 2019.

 In October, the lineup had some new items, and I decided to try most of them.  I found some really quite satisfying.

Baby potato salad with sour cream dressing: This one I expected to like the most, as I do like potato salad, but, the sour cream dressing just didn't do it for me.  Skip.

Pickled Vegetables: I love pickles, and fun veggies, but, these were far too acidic for me.  Skip.

Cauliflower rice, cucumber, & curry dressing: Um, I really liked this?  Yeah, me. Cauliflower rice.  I don't get it.  But it was well seasoned, didn't taste too much like cauliflower, and had a good chew to it.  I was shocked by how much I liked this.

Quinoa, carrot, almond, and coriander: This was decent, healthy and hearty, and the part of me that had been over indulging way too much appreciated it.

Freekeh tabbouleh: Same with this.  Healthy, hearty, good chew to it.  It felt good eating it.

I didn't try the beet/feta/walnut salad, nor the bean salad.

Overall I was pretty surprised, and pleased, with these salads, and they gave me hope that I could get a light meal in the lounge before my flight that I'd enjoy.

Crispies!

I was pretty happy to see a crispy section!

Sunflower seeds, croutons, crispy noodles, and fried shallots in February, and the same items, just with mixed seeds replacing the sunflower seeds, in July.

I added the later two to everything.  The crispy noodles were a tasty snack, and the fried shallots added some flavor to everything.  Yay for this station at least.

Cheese, Crackers, Chutney.

I didn't try any of the cheeses or chutneys with crackers in February, but there was a blue, a brie, and cheddar.

In July, I did try a cracker, a hearty style, and it was ok.  The chutney had a strange flavor.

Sandwiches (February).

Nor did I try any sandwiches, two chicken, 1 pork, and 1 veggie offering.  One on a roll, one wrap, one hearty bread, one white bread.  A decent selection I guess?

Cheddar & Spring Onion Sandwich.

I did try one in July, no idea why really, I was just ... bored?

It was labelled as cheddar and spring onion.

It was ... not good.  Soft bread, but mostly just a strange creamy inside with an odd taste.  I didn't find any spring onion.  It did have a slice of mealy tomato too.  Not really sure what this was, it seemed potentially mis-labelled.

Broccoli, Garlic Chips, and Olive Oil (February). 

Moving on to hot foods, the veggie side on offer in February was broccoli was loaded up with caramelized onions and garlic chips, so, even though I wasn't exactly excited about broccoli, I took a bunch of the toppings.

The caramelized onions though weren't great (just like when I visited on my way to Sydney).  The garlic chips were great, except that they kinda destroyed my palette for a few hours.  I had such bad garlic breath.  Oops.

Roasted Root Vegetables (July).

July brought root veggies, a mix of squash, potatoes, and whatnot, that I didn't try as I wasn't hungry, but looked decent enough.

Green Beans (July).

The other July offering was green beans, they looked fresh and crisp, just swimming in butter.

White Bean & Kale Ragout (February).

The other veggie side in February had protein, white beans with kale, but meh to beans, didn't try this.

Braised Lamb Shoulder, Tomato & Oregano (February).

In February, the meat dish was lamb.  Oh New Zealand. I dislike lamb, so I didn't try this.

Braised Beef Cheeks (July).

In July, it was beef (yay!), but I didn't try it.

It was huge, huge, huge chunks of braised beef cheek.  They did look like they fell apart nicely, so maybe this was decent.

Orecchiette, Sundried Tomato Pesto, Olives (February). 

I tried the pasta.  It was dried out, the pasta was mushy, and the flavor was meh.

This came out again July, replacing the green beans when they ran out.

Macaroni Cheese (July).

Ok, this looked awesome.

Super creamy pasta.  Savory mushrooms.  Crispy top.  I like these things.

But ... it was not good.  The pasta was mush.  Total mush.  Not good.

It was creamy, yet somehow not actually cheesy.  Not good.

And why on earth where there huge croutons on top?

Vegetarian Indian Curry. October 2019.

In October, the hot lineup was actually quite different, all Indian inspired.

I didn't try the meat option (because, still lamb), but I took a taste of the veggie one, even though bean based, and I'm not generally one for beans.

The curry base had good flavor, not the best ever, but, it was creamy and decent.  I wouldn't get it unless I really needed a meal though, and the Strata lounge had far better curry (and fantastic pasta).

Chef Action Station:February 2018,

The action station wasn't running when I first arrived, but must have started around 5pm?  The same happened on my second visit too.

In February, the chef was making beef sliders, pulled beef, with slaw on top.

I had one, and, it wasn't very good.   I was mostly excited for it to finally not be a lamb dish, but the pulled beef didn't really have a great flavor, there wasn't much slaw, and the roll was kinda dry and boring.

Chef Action Station: Calamari. (July).

In July, I was really, really excited when I saw what the chef was making.  There was no sign saying what it was, but, it was clearly calamari, in some kind of asian sauce, with cashews!  It looked incredible, and I was thrilled.

But ... it wasn't good.  At all.

The calamari was completely rubbery, impossible to cut, and not redeeming in any way.  I at least planned to salvage the well coated cashews, but they were shockingly bitter.

There was nothing here I wanted, which was really quite sad, since the concept, and even look, was so appealing.

Steamed Buns, Pulled Beef, Asian Slaw.

I was sooo excited when I saw this, bao!  Not lamb!

But it was pretty awful.  The bun was soggy and gummy, the filling had a really strange flavor that I hated.  Not asian flavors at all, it was more ... like Indian spicing? But with asian slaw.  Clashed horribly.  Did not like at all.

Roving Appetizers: July.

I saw some kinds eating what looked like pigs in a blanket, one of my favorite things.  I wondered briefly if they actually had a kid's menu hiding somewhere, and, if I could order from it.

But then I spotted it.  A server walking around the room, with a rolling cart, with a platter of pastry wrapped sausages.  Yes!  I had no idea they did this, and I think it must start only much later in the evening, it was after 6pm when I saw it, the latest I had ever remained in the lounge.

Sausage Roll.

From a distance I had thought it was pigs in a blanket, my American preferences of hot dogs clearly kicking in, but it was actually a sausage roll, much more appropriate for the region.

It wasn't really warm though, since it was roving around on the appetizer cart, rather than kept under a heat lamp.  The pastry was crispy and fine, but nothing special.

The filling though?  Doh.  Lamb.  Of course.  I was in New Zealand.  Before I realized it was lamb though, I did try it, and it was dried out and not good anyway.

Desserts: Glazed Lemon Meringue Tart / Banoffee (February).

And ... desserts! Of course a station I headed straight for.

The Glazed Lemon Meringue Tart didn't call out at all, as I dislike tarts, I dislike lemon desserts, and I dislike meringue (yes, seriously, I guess I'm picky!), but the other was ... BANOFFEE!

Banoffee.

I grabbed one before I even put down my luggage.  I love banoffee.

Of course though, this wasn't great.

The base was a gritty crumble, not made with digestive biscuits and not carmelized.  Strike one.

Above that was the pudding.  I love pudding.  I love banoffee.  I should love this.  But ... the texture wasn't great, not rich and creamy, instead it was just kinda grainy, and banana flavored.  Sigh.

On top chocolate cookie crumble.  This was fine, but soggy.

So much potential here.  Things I love.  But, poorly executed.

Update: they had these again in Feb 2019, and I again tried it, excited.  And ... yeah, not good.  Grainy, banana flavor.  Did not like.

Desserts: Black Forest Profiteroles /  Rhubarb & Lemon Posset, Almond Crumble. (July).

Desserts in July were totally different, and again featured a little pudding pot!  Yes!

I didn't try the profiterole, since I don't care for choux pastry, but eagerly snatched up a little jar.

Rhubarb & Lemon Posset, Almond Crumble.

It was ... ok.  Decently creamy pudding, slightly lemon flavored, but more firmly set than I wanted, more like a panna cotta than a pudding.  I don't really like rhubarb, which was a thin layer in the jar at least.

I did really like the topping.

Salted Caramel Tart / Baked Lemon Cheesecake. October 2019.

In October, the desserts were both new, and not the same style as previous items, so, even though I hadn't liked them before, I gave them a try.

The cheesecake was meh. Not particularly creamy, not interesting.  Kinda odd texture.   Meh.

Same with the salted caramel tart.  A kinda cookie-like soft tart shell, generic thick sweet caramel inside (not really any salty/savory component to it), generic thick chocolate layer on top, a tiny sprinkle of salt.  The flavors didn't pop, the textures were muted, and the overall product just felt very generic and average.

Snacks!

In the snack jars were Anzac cookies, packaged gluten-free balls, pretzels, and, my favorite Bhuja mix.

Except of course, by July I didn't really like the Bhuja mix.  I appreciated the crunch, but, wasn't into the flavors, and the wasabi peas were too strong.  Funny to evaluate, as I know it was the same, and it was just me that changed.

Ice Cream Cart!

For the summer 2018, they featured an ice cream stand, complete with a server who dished it to order.

Only 4 choices, one was simple vanilla, and two were caffeinated (chocolate brownie or coffee), which left me with only one selection that I wasn't really excited by, but, I still went for.  They did have fun names though, like "Brown Eyed Girl" for the chocolate brownie.

Sadly, this was gone in the summer of 2019.

Bad Boys & Berries, e.g. Boysenberry Ice Cream.

The ice cream was ... fine.  It was creamy nice ice cream, but, I didn't care for the boysenberry stuffs.  If I did, I'd really compliment the ice cream, as it was generously loaded with it.

Original Review, August 2017

My journey with Air New Zealand continued to the lounge in Auckland, after a fairly enjoyable flight from Sydney, and a visit to the brand new lounge in Sydney for incredible breakfast.

I had visited the Air New Zealand lounge in Auckland a few years ago, but, it must have been a different lounge, as the layout seemed totally different this time.

Overall, it was a large, but crowded, lounge, with lots of seating options, and poor buffet food.  Nothing particularly noteworthy.  The Sydney lounge was far superior, as was the previous Auckland lounge.

Facilities

There were showers, but I didn't check them out.

Big Main Area.

The lounge opens into a large room with assorted, not very comfortable, chairs.  This area was packed though, it is clear that most people just settle into the first chairs they find. 

Window Seating.

But for those who venture further, the space is broken up into several areas, all with different styles of seating.  There were comfortable padded chairs and couches along a window.

High Table.

I quickly found a high table, and used it as a standing desk.  After sitting on my previous flight, and gearing up for a 12 hour flight, the last thing I wanted was to sit more (although most people did use the stools, I was the oddball standing here).

Swing Chairs!

The end of the room also had a few coveted swingy chairs, that I must admit, looked pretty awesome.  If only I wanted to sit.

Bar.

The bar wasn't much of a hub of activity, although it did have some stools.  I think most people preferred to just use the self service drink stations.

Dining.

The area closest to the food buffets had dining tables with chairs, plus another high table (this one with a different style of stool).

TV Lounge.

Near the front entrance was a media room, with a large screen TV, the only area that was relatively empty.

Drinks

There were two self-serve drink stations, and a bar with alcohol and a barista.

Drink Station.

The drink station had juices (orange, apple, tomato), beer and cider in the fridge, basic liquors, and soda taps (including lemon lime of course).

There was also a water tap with hot, still, or sparkling water, and lemons and limes on the side.

Robot Coffee.

You could also opt to make your own coffee from the robot.  Decaf was instant.

Food

Food is all located in a buffet area, along with a station with a made-to-order dish of the day.  Most of the buffet is duplicated, so it moves fairly efficiently.

Bhuja Mix, Pretzels.

Ok, I lied.  There is food in one other location, bar snacks at the bar.  You know me and my love of snacks.

I do love bhuja mix, so I was happy to see that, although I remembered liking the "Snippets - Honey & Dijon Snacks" before and was secretly hoping for that again.  The bhuja had little crispy peas, crispy chickpea sticks, and more, and was seasoned with curry spices.  Very munchable, which I appreciated.

Lollies.

The bar also had jars of wrapped candies and mints.

Salads.

The buffet featured 4 salads, all vegetarian.  I skipped the first two.

• Lentils with raisin and carrot
• Iceberg with mint and vegetables (with unlabelled dressing)
• Roasted cauliflower with honey and walnut
• Tomato & basil farfalle, bocconcini, & parmesan

The cauliflower salad was ... not dressed?  Just leaves of spinach, raw walnuts, and roasted cauliflower.  Not sure where the promised honey was.  Not good.

The pasta salad was equally bad, very tangy, and I didn't see any cheese in it.

Cheese, Crackers, Scones.

I did try one of the darker crackers with the pear and fig chutney, and it was fairly tasty, a hearty cracker.

The final item was cranberry & orange scones, and they looked dry, and there was no whipped cream or anything to spread on, so I skipped.

Cheese, crackers,  muffins.

There were three types of muffins, the two here (double chocolate and golden corn), and a third, unlabelled muffin was added later.

I tried the unlabelled one, and it seemed to be trying to be healthy.  It had some kind of tiny seeds (chia? linseed?) and walnuts, wasn't sweet, and was fairly dry.  Not recommended.

Golden Cornmeal Muffin.

The Golden Cornmeal muffin was fascinating, and not at all what I was expecting.  It was savory, cheesy, and had huge chunks of corn in it.  More like a savory cornbread muffin.  It wasn't necessarily good though.

I gave up on the baked goods, the ones from the Sydney lounge were much better.

Soup, Rolls, Butter, Snacks.

The daily soup was tomato, there were several types of rolls with butter and margarine, and more of the same snacks from the bar.

Again, I only had eyes for the bhuja mix.

Desserts.

Besides snacks, I love one other thing from buffets: desserts!  A buffet means I get to try them all :)

The dessert lineup had two potted items and fruit salad.

 Raspberry  Crème Brûlée.

I was super excited to see crème brûlée, as my blog has an entire label devoted to it.  And then ... I tried it.  Not good.  Also, totally not crème brûlée.

No bruleed top, just thin caramel on top.  The raspberry was just a little puddle on top.  But neither of those things were really the problem.  The problem was that it was gritty and tasted horrible.

Apple Cream with Gingerbread.

This was slightly better, but only slightly.

The bottom was a soggy cake (I guess gingerbread), then a layer of cream (that didn't taste like apple), then an apple compote, then more cream, and topped with what seemed to be stewed raisins.  I don't really care for apple, so that is why I wasn't pleased with the flavor, but the cream also wasn't very good, just like the crème brûlée, it had a really strange taste to it, like it had gone bad, honestly.

I was sad, as both of there were dessert items that I should have liked.

Action Station: Pull Lamb Pappardelle.

During our visit to the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney, the made to order chef station had crepes in the morning, but we weren't able to stay long enough to see what it transitioned to at lunch time.

Here, the station looked promising from a distance, I saw fresh pasta!  A chef making plates to order!  But ... the sauce had lamb.  Only lamb.  I don't like lamb.

Lamb.

Unfortunately for me, the lamb continued into the hot buffet.  The only protein option was lamb.  No seafood, no chicken, no beef.  Only lamb.  I know New Zealanders love their lamb, but, geez!

Herb Cous Cous.

It was served with herbed cous cous on the side, another item I'm not particularly fond of.

Green Curry Thai Vegetables.

The veggie entree was thai green curry, which I did try.  It was mushy and horribly overcooked.

Asparagus with Garlic Butter.

I skipped the asparagus swimming in garlic butter.