Columbia Hillen
From our room on the 15th floor of the Cordis hotel, my companion and I couldn’t have asked for a better skyline view over downtown Auckland – the waterfront, Rangitoto Island and the wide open sea spread out before us.
Columbia Hillen
Formerly the Langham Auckland, and still operated by the Langham Hospitality Group, this 5-star property was renamed Codis, Latin for heart, four years ago. Built on the site of a former flour mill and biscuit factory, the hotel now has 640 hotel rooms and suites on its 17 floors, including the Pinnacle Tower, making it the biggest hotel in New Zealand.
Columbia Hillen
An array of artwork adorning the hotel’s walls, corridors and rooms makes it home to one of the largest locally curated collections in the country, with strong links to native Maori traditions. The ‘art tour’ begins with an impressive first view upon entering the lobby – a mighty five meter tall bronze sculpture entitled Holding up the Sky by artist Sanne Mestrom of the goddess, Ika-Roa, who in Maori mythology is a long fish that gave birth to all the stars in the Milky Way.
Columbia Hillen
The reception area also features 21 large panels entitled Ki Mua, Ki Muri which highlight the ancient art of tukutuku (weaving), a collaboration between Beronia Scott and Carla Ruka with Te Puawai Orakei Marae.
The hotel hosts paintings by Amanda Gruenwald, sculptures by Seung Yul Oh, stone carvings by Joe Sheehan and digitally collaged images by Jae Hoon Lee among others.
Columbia Hillen
Aside from its panoramic views, our room was spacious, with carpeted floor and minimalist decor. Two simple framed prints hung in one corner beside a standing lamp, with other furnishings including a couch, round marble-topped table, armchairs, large wife-screen TV and tea and coffee making facilities. Our double vanity bathroom featured both a glass-enclosed shower and a bathtub, with toiletries by Christophe Laudamiel.
Columbia Hillen
Our favorite places to relax were the club lounge, managed by Sachin Nayak and where we were served by the friendly Anekin Saunders, and the hotel’s extensive spa. The lounge, one floor below us and accessible to premium customers, is flooded with natural light large windows all around the room, with comfy armchairs and a generous and diverse menu of complimentary food during our three-day stay there including sushi, Moroccan style roast lamb with couscous, dried fruits and almonds, satay chicken skewers and battered calamari tentacles. Even the desserts offered a wide selection with macaroons, cheesecake, Black Forest cake and at least five different kinds of ice-cream. Executive-floor guests can also eat breakfast and afternoon tea here.
Columbia Hillen
Food and drinks were exceptional for us at the hotel’s other restaurants too, beginning with a diverse breakfast buffet ranging from standard eggs, cheese and meats to Chinese congee and breakfast pakora. Here I enjoyed the second best omelette I’ve ever tasted (the first being my wife’s), a combination of cheese, spinach and mushroom prepared by Indonesia-born Annie Lai. For dessert lovers, the hotel’s chocolate fountain and ice cream bar remain open for breakfast.
Columbia Hillen
We also spent a leisurely time in the dazzlingly-lit Chandelier Lounge in the lobby over an afternoon tea of scones, desserts and sandwiches, with live music accompaniment. Our dinner with friends at Our Land Is Alive restaurant managed by Dau Duisenov, was also a memorable evening, and not just because of the New Zealand oriented menu ranging from fisherman’s pie and Grandma’s meat balls to grilled snapper, lamb ribs with spicy green miso and South Island blue cod fish, but also the innovative cocktails.
Columbia Hillen
Our favorites were the ‘smoke-in-a-glass’ Aotearoa New Fashioned with Manuka Smoked Batch 10 Bourbon, New Zealand honey and house bitters and Pomegranate Martini comprising Black Collar vodka, triple sec, lemon and, of course, pomegranate, all served by friendly waitress, Aarti Mistry, and mixologist, Yogi Mahordika. The stylish bar-cum-restaurant, with its courtyard surrounded by leafy native plants, also hosts whisky tastings and quiz nights.
Columbia Hillen
The Chuan Spa, under the helpful and efficient managership of Sonia Prasad is well worth a visit. My therapist, Koj from Thailand, has a reputation as a ‘miracle masseuse’ and she certainly lived up to it. During a one-hour ‘harmony massage’ using wood element oil combined with acupressure she managed to ease stiff muscle tension resulting from my 45-hour journey to Auckland from Dublin via San Francisco. Fifteen minutes in the spa’s herbal infused steam-room afterwards and a lingering rest on a chaise longue beside the outdoor heated pool was the perfect finish to an afternoon.
As I told a friend afterward, ‘I went for a massage as a slab of pork and emerged as a fine fillet of fish.’
Columbia Hillen
In terms of events, the Cordis offers eighteen different venues, The Great Room, with 33 crystal chandeliers, can host a banquet for up to 800 guests.
Environmentally conscious, the Cordis is part of a sustainability program known as EarthCheck where it has achieved Masters status. As well as soap recycling programs, energy-efficient lighting and recycling practices, the hotel keeps beehives on the roof to assist bee populations and local pollination. The honey produced is used in the hotel.
Columbia Hillen
Cordis also offers a convenient uptown location, close to many of the city’s highlights, including the Auckland museum and art gallery and the city’s fashionably grungy K Road (Karangahape Road) area. Visitors are a walk away from an array of cafes and restaurants and a five-minute drive to the lively waterfront and city centre.
