Monterey Cinemas

Great local cinema in Howick, East Auckland. Plenty of parking around, great café and comfy seats — my new favourite!

This cosy cinema, tucked away in Howick, East Auckland, has become an institution for those in and around the area. The décor and interiors are very vintage chic, as are the movie snacks — they offer Phoenix drinks and even roll & dip all their own ice creams by hand! The cinema also doubles as a café, with many coming in extra early for their movies to grab nibbles (Try the carrot cake warmed slightly — it’s so darn good) and enjoy the coffee.
Monterey has five relatively small screens, four of which seat around 45 and the largest screen seating 100. Each seat is large and luxurious, with even the front row placed back far enough to ensure nobody has to crook their neck in order to see properly. The feeling is boutique, but the prices are incredibly reasonable. You can get tickets for around $ 10 depending on the night or time of day. There’s plenty of special events and perks for club members. Furthermore, the selections of movies are fantastic — with a great mix of big budget and indie fare. Overall, It’s a very enjoyable place to view a movie, one which I highly recommend even if you’re not a local.

A cosy cinema with a café attached, The Monterey suits the antique feel of Howick Village extremely well. Between their cheap films during the weekdays ($ 9.50 for an adult), intimate cinemas and variety of special events (met opera, ladies high tea, etc), this place stands on it’s own as something a little different from the mainstream cinemas.

If you’re not into hanging around noisy, popcorn-​strewn foyers that seem to be more about spacies than film, you’ve probably already started seeking out the suburban cinema experience. Monterey is really cinema as it should be. It has a distinctive suburban feel, but not in the run-​down way. It’s new and tastefully furnished, with a classy café area featuring bevelled mirrors, bookshelves, and lovely vintage crockery. It has several cinemas, each of them with a small number of comfy seats and tiny screens (at least by today’s standards). I like best because you never feel like the film is an assault on your senses; I can walk out of the movie and not be dazed by how bright and quiet the real world is.