Ponsonby, Auckland

This fashionable ridge suburb west of the city centre is known for its long main road of restaurants, bars, boutiques and design stores set among restored Victorian villas. Once a working-class district, it has become one of the city's most sought-after areas, blending heritage housing with a vibrant hospitality scene. Side streets showcase colonial cottages and leafy gardens. A converted supermarket now serves as a popular food and shopping hall, anchoring the neighbourhood's social life.