Commonly heard but not true in my experience. Challenge is more finding out what is happening. Here’s a few websites (most of which have weekly newsletters) that will help point you in the right direction…
Concrete Playground – very useful guide to what’s going on in Auckland, plus handy top 10 lists
Metro – the essential Auckland magazine, great on events, food and urban issues
Gather & Hunt – has a handy directory of places to eat, drink, look and play around town
Auckland Council – run or support a huge range of events
University of Auckland – have some pretty random events, but most are free
Ticketmaster – gouge you on extra fees but is one of the main players in town, particularly for gigs
Auckland Live – covers all the events at Aotea Centre, Civic Theatre and other central venues
Eventbrite – another source of fairly random but occasionally interesting event listings
Eventfinda – comprehensive if slightly overwhelming listings
MeetUp – combines events with other people going to them, great way of meeting new people
