Getting to Ponsonby Road . . .

Our second-hand bookstore is centrally located at 201 Ponsonby Road, opposite Prego and only five minutes walk from Ponsonby Central. It’s easy to reach us using all forms of transport.

Visit us Using Public Transport

There are so many different possibilities when using the AT public transport system … the following basic information will get you started.

Option 1. Catch any bus or train which intersects with the Inner Link bus route and transfer to an Inner Link bus at a stop on the Inner Link route. Good places to transfer are: Newmarket, Parnell, Grafton, Karangahape Road.

Option 2. Catch a bus, train or ferry to Britomart/Lower Albert Bus Interchange/Downtown Ferry Terminal (they are next to each other) in Downtown Auckland and then transfer to an Inner Link  bus and get off outside the store.

Auckland Transport website: https://at.govt.nz/ 
Link buses: https://at.govt.nz/media/1983090/cnlk_link_july-2020-web.pdf

All bus, train and ferry information and timetables are on the Auckland Transport (AT) website: https://at.govt.nz/ and you can route your journey with the AT Hop Journey Planner (available as an app). To use Auckland buses, trains and ferries you will need an AT Hop card: https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/at-hop-card/

Getting to Ponsonby Road by Bus

We have bus stops on our doorstep!

Closest bus stops:
Stop 7219 – 215 Ponsonby Road – on the same side of the road, a minute’s walk from the store
Stop 7218 – 228 Ponsonby Road – directly opposite the store on the other side of the road
The buses that use these stops are nos. 20, 866, 966, and the Inner Link. Other nearby stops connect to more buses. 

Best buses for Ponsonby Road:
Inner Link - Does a loop from Britomart (central city) to Ponsonby and out to Newmarket and back around. You can catch a bus in either direction but it pays to work out which way will be best for your particular journey. The Inner Link buses are lime green and come every 10 to 15 minutes. 
866 (Monday to Friday only) - Comes from Albany (North Shore) via the Northern Expressway. You can get feeder buses to the Northern Expressway bus stations. When you get to Ponsonby hop off at bus stop 7219, a minute’s walk from the store. Or you come from Newmarket in the other direction and get off opposite the store (7218).
966 (Monday to Friday only) - Same as 866 but it goes from Highbury (North Shore) to Newmarket.
Outer Link - Doesn’t go to Britomart and doesn’t travel along Ponsonby Road but it goes to many inner suburbs including Epsom, Mt Albert, St Lukes, and you can get off at Three Lamps which is about 7 minutes’ walk to the store. The Outer Link buses are bright amber and come every 12 to 15 minutes.
20 - St Lukes to Wynyard Quarter via Kingsland - doesn’t go to Britomart but goes through Herne Bay, Mt Albert, Kingsland etc so may be useful.

Another good option if you’re coming from the North Shore and feel like walking is to catch any Northern Express bus and walk from Fanshawe Street which is the first stop after going over the Harbour Bridge (it’s a good 20 minute walk up hill!).

Getting to Ponsonby by Ferry plus Bus

The following ferries arrive at the Downtown Ferry Terminal which is across the road from Britomart. From Britomart you can catch an Inner Link bus to Ponsonby Road.

The main ferries are the Devonport and Waiheke ferries. Others may have restricted sailings (e.g. only weekdays) and all are subject to change.

North Shore:  Beach Haven, Birkenhead, Northcote Point (limited sailings), Bayswater, Devonport
Whangaparaoa Peninsula: Gulf Harbour
East Auckland: Half Moon Bay
West Auckland: Hobsonville Point, West Harbour

Also: Waiheke and Rakino Islands

Getting to Ponsonby by Train plus Bus

Auckland has four main lines: Southern, Western, Eastern, Onehunga

Southern, Western, Onehunga lines -  these lines go through Newmarket where you can transfer to an Inner Link bus. Or go right through to Britomart and transfer to an Inner Link bus from there.
Eastern line - this line doesn’t go through Newmarket so go to Britomart to transfer to an Inner Link  bus there.

Walking to The Open Book

If you’re walking, we’re just around the corner from Franklin Road, opposite Prego and towards the Three Lamps end of Ponsonby Road

Walking from Three Lamps: about seven minutes’ walk to the store
Walking from Karangahape Road: about 15-20 minutes’ walk through the main shopping area of Ponsonby Road (allow a bit longer for shopping!)
Walking from the city: a surprising number of people enjoy the walk from the city which takes at least 40-60 minutes depending where you start from. Lots of different routes but a straightforward one is to walk to the top of Queen Street, turn right into Karangahape Road (K Road) and then another right into Ponsonby Road. It’s another 15-20 minutes’ walk from the corner of K Road and Ponsonby Road. It’s quite hilly but flat once you reach Ponsonby Road.

Getting to Ponsonby by Car

We have no parking on site but it’s normally possible to park on Ponsonby Road or nearby side streets. Note that parking in the area is restricted and/or paid parking depending on the time/day.

Parking on Ponsonby Road:
Ponsonby Road Monday to Saturday. 8am - 6pm: $1 per hour for the first two hours and then $4 per hour (but only until 6pm)
Ponsonby Road Sundays: Free
Nearby side streets: Monday to Friday. Mostly free but a 2 hour time limit from 8am - 6pm. A few parks close to Ponsonby Road are paid parking/restricted as signposted.
Nearby side streets: Saturdays and Sundays: Mostly free and no time limits. A few parks close to Ponsonby Road are paid parking/restricted as signposted.

Notes: paid parking is by parking machine. Some of the machines take coins and credit/debit card but other machines only take cards.
We have tried to be as accurate as possible but treat the above as indicative only. Check parking signs and machines when you park.

Cycling to Ponsonby Road

 
We aren’t far from the North Western Cycleway and some nearby shared paths. Also you can take your bike on Auckland’s trains and ferries subject to space. There are no dedicated cycle lanes on Ponsonby Road itself, but there is some cycle parking. The closest rack is on the corner of Ponsonby Road and Franklin Road.

More about cycling in Auckland here:
https://at.govt.nz/cycling-walking/maps-rides/#network

Store Accessibility

Sadly our store is not easily accessible by wheelchair as there is a brick path up from the road which starts with a step up from the footpath and finishes with a few more steps at the shop entrance. Give us a call if you’d like to know more about accessibility. 
Strollers and buggies are reasonably easy to get into the shop but larger ones can’t fit through some of the spaces in the store.

The information on this page is to help you find your way around Auckland and get to us easily. It is indicative only and subject to change. Please check parking signs, parking machines and Auckland Transport for public transport information.