If you are making plans to holiday in Auckland as a group, then it may be wise to have an early start in researching into hotels in Auckland. This is because some hotels have upper limits of the number of guests they can accept at a time. Never put yourself in the situation where you get into town and have to move from hotel to hotel shopping for accommodations. It can be tough, stressful and annoying.
Make a reservation for your hotel rooms immediately after confirming the number of persons you have in your party. Even lastminute.com may not be able to help you on a group reservation at the very last minute.
A good idea in narrowing down your hotel options is your budget. So make out your budget early and constrain your search to hotels that fit within your finances. The number of persons traveling in your tour group will also factor in helping you narrow your hotel selection, as hotels have only so much rooms.