For activist Shaneel Lal, New Zealand will always be home — as well as a place worth fighting to improve.

Auckland

"Burger Burger in Commercial Bay makes the most delicious burgers. I am addicted to it. I love it so much that I take all my dates there. The great thing is that their burgers are local. It’s a cute place to hang out with your friends, eat good food, and have a great time"

Burger Burger

"Purrs & Beans is New Zealand's longest-running cat cafe, now located in Birkenhead, Auckland. It's a small cafe that cares for old rescue cats and cats with special needs. When you support the cafe you support the cats. It is a heaven on earth for cat lovers."

Purrs and Beans

"Karangahape Road, known as K Road, is where the queer people of Auckland live. The street comes to life at night with queer excellence, drag queens and messy straight people. If you want a quick way to immerse yourself in Auckland’s queer community, hit Karangahape Road."

Karangahape Road

"Piha is a beautiful black sand beach in West Auckland. Lion Rock is Piha’s most iconic landmark, with war memorials and Māori carvings. Piha is surrounded by subtropical native rainforest. It is a tropical paradise."

Piha

"The Auckland Art Gallery is located in a French Renaissance-style building from 1887 in Auckland City. It exhibits art in many forms: paintings, sculptures, live performances, and more. It also displays a remarkable work of indigenous people, Māori artists, and other Pacific artists."

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki