Picture a chic, boutique hotel located not in the “heart” of Auckland City but rather on the corner of Karangahape Rd, minutes from the bars and boutiques that line New Zealand’s coolest street. Inside, the ground floor holds several communal spaces that feel distinctly New York in their focus on the aesthetic, from the co-working studio that doubles as an art gallery to the library lounge filled with maroon velvet couches and 600 hand-curated books. Even better, rooms at the newly opened Abstract Hotel start from just $140 per night. Central, cheap and cool, so what’s the catch? “The rooms are smaller,” explains Nigel McKenna, whose company Templeton launched the hotel last week, following a blessing by Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei.
