I visited Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland about a year ago, but work, sports, travel and other commitments kept me from getting around to writing a report. By now I'm a little hazy on some of the details, but I remember enough to write this short report and preliminary guide for Auckland, New Zealand. I'll be submitting the Syndey and Melbourne reports/guides separately.

Member Steve_richards also submitted a report that is in a guide format. He's a local New Zealander (Kiwi) and goes into some of the local terms as well as covering some venues that I didn't. He has a decent section on freelancers if you decide to go that route. For current information he's probably a better resource since he lives there. Here's the link to his report: 2006/03 Steve_Richards - New Zealand from a Kiwi Point of View

I've only been once and only for three short days, but an advantage of this report/guide is that I've written it with a background of the P4P scene in Mexico, Central America, South America, and Asia. As might be expected, my opinion is that these other parts of the world offer better value, but hobbying in Auckland can still be enjoyable.

I don't recall the exchange rate last year, but it's probably close to what it is now. As of Wed, 5/17/06:
$1 USD = 1.6 NZD / 1 NZD = $.63 USD

Passports are obviously required and must be valid for 3 months past the intended stay.
Visas are not required for Americans, Europeans, and many others.

Electricity is at 230V with Type I outlets. Most laptops and consumer electronics should have a transformer built into the power cord, but you may want to make sure you have the outlet adaptor in advance. See -World Traveler Tips-: Electronics - Transformers and Adaptors for more information.

I flew on Australia's Qantas Airlines which is a oneWorld member. I spent 4 days in Sydney, 2 days in Melbourne, and 3 days in Auckland. I had mixed feelings about Qantas. I generally travel light with a backpack and a duffle bag that's at or below nearly all specs for carry-on size limits, but Qantas personnel in Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland were anal about weight limits (no problems on my flight leaving the US). In short, I had to check my larger bag which I do not like doing and haven't had to do on any other airline I've flown. (American, CathayPacific, EVA, Southwestern, Varig) On the plus side, since this was done for everyone boarding was always smooth and quick.

I believe I paid 22 NZD ($14 USD) for the shuttle ride direct to my hotel.

I stayed at Sail City Hotel (now called Rainbow Hotel) booked at http://www.holidaycity.com for 65 NZD/$41 USD per night. The surrounding area was relatively quiet despite being next to the large Sky City Casino Entertainment Complex. Femme Fatale, IMHO the best brothel in Auckland, is located across the street. Rainbow is an Asian-run three star hotel. I don't know if it's guest-friendly as I didn't go the escort or takeout route, but I imagine it would have been as long as it was discreet. The dialup connection for their computers sucked, but a 24 hour iCafe/gaming center is only a few blocks away. This place is probably well suited for budget-minded travelers that prefer a quiet area. Personally I like to be closer to the hustle and bustle and will probably look for something on or closer to Queen Street in the future.

I visited four brothels and one Asian massage parlor, sessioning at all but one of the brothels. One significant thing all the brothels had in common were the mattresses. They were all a hard plastic type of material, not the kind of mattress you would want to sleep on. I'm sure it had to do with their health regulations, you could pour hot soapy water on top and wipe it off with some towels and they'd be as good as new. Pricing seemed fairly consistent in the 170-190 NZD / $107-$120 USD range for the brothels, 150 NZD / $94 USD for the massage parlor.

BROTHELS/MASSAGE PARLORS - ordered by preference
(Click on the links for more info, I also posted some business cards)

Femme Fatale
84 Wellesley Street A
Phone: 09-3032422
http://www.femmefatale.co.nz/

Femme Fatale is IMHO the best choice overall, but only slightly edging past Pelican Club. I had a good session and a bad session here, the good with a stunner resembling Catherine Zeta Jones, and the bad with a Thai girl that was exhausted (good attitude at first, but ran out of steam). The decor and ambiance here is above the rest, but the lounge area is small and can get crowded quickly.
Day 2: Katherine $113 USD
Day 3: Rose $113 USD

Pelican Club
101 Newton Road
649-358-0900
http://www.pelicanclub.co.nz/

Pelican Club had the best overall selection, but the ambiance wasn't as nice. PC also had the largest selection including more Asians than the other brothels. The pricing structure when I visited was slightly different with a house fee separate from the "tip" that went to the girl. I found the terminology confusing at first because I didn't expect it.
Day 2: Monica $107 USD

Famous Floras
14 Pitt Street
0-9-377-1035

I had my best Auckland experience here with a local Asian girl I clicked well with (she resembled my Japanese ex, explosive in bed). Selection here was limited with only eight girls total, the one other attractive girl I suspected was a post-op. The girls overall did seem friendlier here, though.
Day 1: Jane $120 USD

Salon 28 Asian Massage Parlor
28 Ponsonby Road
09 361 1628

This all-Asian massage parlor only had seven total girls that I saw, but six were doable with two of those being stunners, unfortunately I didn't see the stunners until after I chose because they were with other clients. Unfortunately the girls do not speak English and the massage tables here are uncomfortable. At least the price is a bit lower.
Day 1: Maggie $94 USD

Emily's 8
8 Waverly Street
09-309-5511
http://www.emilys.co.nz

I only saw one decent looking girl out of three working and was a bit annoyed having been told there were eight. Because of this and my short stay in Auckland, I didn't return. On the other hand, I probably visited at a bad time during the day when fewer girls were working. I have seen some good reviews of this place, but I'll still place it lower on my list of places to see.

White House Strip Club/Monica's Massage Parlor
371 Queen Street
Ph: 09-377 4545
http://www.thewhitehouse.co.nz/ (currently under construction)

This was on my list, but I didn't get around to visiting. Actually I think it was closed for some reason, but I don't really remember to tell the truth. Consequently I can't comment on the protocol here, but there are some comments if you click on the CH discussion link above.

BRIEF SUMMARY

I can comfortably say that Auckland, New Zealand is in last place among over ten countries I've hobbied in. Prices are higher than most of the major destinations, but not too unreasonable. What really lags in NZ is quality of service. Attitudes seemed fine, but kissing, DATY, and BBBJ seem to be rare here.

Still, it beats trying to hobby in the US and probably many parts of Europe. One can still have an enjoyable experience here as long as you're not expecting it to be a Brazil or Thailand (or even a TJ or Costa Rica). One advantage I'm not used to having is a selection of English-speaking Caucasians but Germany easily leads in that category. I also found the local accent intriguing and sensual, I especially got a kick of hearing the Asians at Pelican Club speaking with the accent, but Asians in SEA are miles ahead in service.

If your main consideration is P4P, there are many other places you should be looking at first, but if business or other reasons bring you to Auckland, you can still have a fair amount of fun here.

Next up...Australia!

Click here for d'Artagnan's Auckland Map