Friendly faces and warm weather are great memories to take back home.

Despite marking its fifth consecutive year, the 2011 Auckland Seafood Festival has a number of firsts up its sleeve.

Waka ama is more than just the fun sport of outrigger canoeing, which fits in ideally with our Kiwi lifestyle and attracts paddlers of both sexes from age 7 to 70.

They are the grand old vessels of the sea - the ships of old, restored to full glory to sail Auckland's harbours once again, like they did more than a century ago.

Essential information for Laneway Festival goers has been released ahead of the day-long festival on Monday - Auckland Anniversary Day.

After watching all those yachts on the harbour this weekend you might be itching to get among them. Diana Clement had a go at learning how to sail.

Sally Foot and husband Patrick thought Hobsonville would be a temporary base for just a few years, but its closeness to the water and easy lifestyle means they feel settled here now with their children.

It's all happening on the water this weekend - we round up some of the best spots to catch the yachting action.

Mt Wellington and Constellation Drive on the North Shore. Watch the yachts with a basket full of goodies from one of these great delis around town.

It's a cuisine getting big attention but this particular spot, while delicious, didn't quite get the pulse racing.

The man found dead beside a cycleway in the Auckland suburb of Kingsland has been identified.

Police have found no suspicious circumstances in the death of a man whose body was found on a cycleway under an Auckland overbridge.

Another weekend and meh, another cyclone.

A post mortem was due to be carried out this morning on the body of a man found on an Auckland cycle track last night.

The band rotunda at Auckland's Albert Park will again host a selection of new and (kind of) older bands for the annual 95bFM Summer Series.

Claire Stapleton uses the power of shopping to help those in need.

At one upmarket Auckland restaurant the waiting staff are likely to be at least as well qualified as their clientele.

One of New Zealand's finest creations, Crown Lynn crockery, is being celebrated in a new exhibition. Viva meets some of its most passionate followers.

We came here because it was late, and we'd heard these guys did an all-day breakfast.