I left Auckland in 1978 for Sydney and returned to live in Auckland in 1998. I opened The Kitchen at Cleo's Bar out at the Manukau Tavern in Onehunga for a couple of years. Back then Legends Bar in K Road was the place to be. Queues outside every Friday and Saturday night to get in. Not a big place but really popular.

Hello and thank you so much for this walk down memory lane for me. My coming out years started in 1974 at the sweet age of 14. Auckland had such an active, vibrant but underground gay scene in those days. The Aquarius Club in Federal Street which is now the location of the SKYCITY was my first gay venue. I remember going there in my school uniform that's how fresh I was to the scene. Backstage and the wonderful Lew Pryme was another place I adored and have fond memories of. So many bars, clubs, Sauna's and beats dotted the city. Bars included The Taproom with the mighty Mighty behind the bar, Busby's below it, Shakespear Taern and Occidental in Vulcan Lane, The Empire Hotel, The Alexander, The Great Northern and the coronation corner group of gay business men who would sit in the corner by the main entrance cruising all the spunkies as they paraded in, Mojo's drag night spot, Ace of Clubs, cabaret and Marcus Craig, The Victoria Hotel down the road from the Victoria Spa in Victoria Street, The Schooner Bar where seamen, gays and everything else under the sun would go for fun and games, Ka d Ora coffee lounge downtown and Westwind coffee lounge uptown and never the twain shall meet, high street, custom street and howe street bogs were well............... wow Auckland was really a happening place in those days for the times. . ,