Hello hellooo!
Welcome back to the second installment of the Hall Tour Series. Hope you enjoyed the quick glimpse inside Whitaker Hall. I’m sorry to say that my filming skills have still not improved 😢 and the lighting was just not great 😭. However, did try my best and hopefully I was still able to capture everything you wanted to see!
Today we will be covering… Grafton Hall & Huia Residence.
An important note that I would like to make is that Huia Residence will no longer be available as an accommodation option in 2019 and will instead be replaced by the new Grafton Hall which is nearby.
Although Huia won’t be available as a residence for you guys next year, lets still take a moment to pay tribute to a great hall and recap some of it’s unique points.
Catering 🍽️: What makes Huia Hall very unique is the fact that it has three different meal plans. Fully catered, partially catered, and self-catered. I think the biggest selling point of Huia is that it offers some more independence, as well as flexibility in catering and overall cost. Another plus side was that you got to have a minifridge in your room! If you would like more details of catering in Huia, Rory, fellow Inside Word blogger did a fantastic post about it, named “Catering flexibility at Huia”.
I don’t want to dwell too much on the past here, but here is the video if you’re interested in having a glimpse.
A HUGE thanks to my friend Adam for showing me around 😀
Now, don’t be too disappointed, because what’s coming will knock your socks off, and probably give University Hall Towers a run for their money…
Grafton Hall!
*Cue oohing and aahing.
The newly redeveloped Grafton Hall will re-open again next year, just in time for you guys to move in!
Location 📍:
Circled is Grafton Hall, star is where majority of campus is.
Grafton Hall is located at 10A Carlton Gore Road, around a 10 minute walk to the city campus, which is a bit further than the rest of the first year halls. It looks really far away in the map I have attached, but in reality it is just a few roads away, travel along Symonds Street and cross the Grafton Bridge and you’ll pretty much be on Grafton Hall’s doorstep. In fact, the new logo for Grafton Hall is the Grafton Bridge! (I think…don’t quote me on this😅)
Capacity 🏠 : Grafton Hall houses a maximum of 324 students, close in size to O’Rorke Hall at 366, less than that of University Halls and more than Whitaker, so right in the middle.
Catered/non-catered 🍽️: Grafton Hall is fully catered. Just like every other first year hall in 2019.
Room type 🛏️: Grafton Hall only has single rooms.
Looking at these photos, they give off a very University Hall Towers vibe, except with a different style wardrobe. If you want to see what a UHT room looks like, check out my last vlog. 😉 Keep in mind I haven’t actually been to Grafton Hall so i’m only drawing conclusions from the pictures.
Bathroom style 🚿: Very interestingly, they listed Grafton Hall’s bathroom style as “multiple single occupant bathrooms located throughout each floor”, different to all the other halls which have “shared unisex bathrooms”. Without having been there, I imagine instead of having a big bathroom with multiple showers, toilets, hand basins, and hand dryers, they will have single bathrooms with full sets of each.
Sport Facilities & Parking: Grafton Hall does not have car parks available for hire, nor does it have any built in sporting facilities. However, everyone living in halls has free membership to the Sport and Recreation Centre so you would be able to get your daily dose of exercise. Getting to and from city campus is also around a 10 min walk so if you make 2 trips, you’d already have 40 minutes under your belt 😉
Cost per week 💰: $387
My first impression: Keep in mind, I have never actually visited Grafton Hall so of course my impression will not be very accurate. However from the pictures and the room style, if I had to pick one hall it most closely resembles, it would be University Hall Towers. They both exude a very clean cut, fresh and modern feel as they are both the newest. However, while UHT is a high rise, corridor style tower, Grafton Hall is a multistory residence split up into many different buildings, a structure unseen in any other first year hall. This, I imagine would probably elicit a Whitaker Hall like closeness between residents of each block. The only problem for me personally is that it’s a bit far from campus, although it would force me to exercise more so I guess that’s good too 😂. Again, I haven’t actually been there so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
For more information on Grafton Hall, visit: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/on-campus/accommodation/university-accommodation/catered-accommodation/grafton-hall.html
Please only use this post as a general guide! There will be hall tours conducted during Courses and Careers Day on the 25th of August 2018, where you will get the chance to visit the hall itself. If you can’t make it, there are details of private halls tours as well as more information at: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/on-campus/accommodation/university-accommodation/catered-accommodation/halls-of-residence-general-information.html
Remember! Applications open 1 August. Deadline is 30 September for first offers. Biggest tip is to take time filling in your application as this is often what determines who your neighbors are!
Until next time xx ~
Cecilia