Aaaaaaah - Carlaw Park. I had the fortune to be at the last League games played there. The Bartercard Final (Mt. Albert Lions vs Hibiscus Coast Raiders) and Fox Memorial Final (Hibiscus vs Otahuhu Leopards) in 2002. The Fox final had everything - 8 point try just before halftime to Otahuhu, a 30 all scoreline at fulltime, 40 all at the end of extra time - Hibiscus scored in the corner in the 94th or 95th minute from memory to win 44-40. One of the best games of footy I've ever seen. I didn't get to see most of the Bartercard game because I was under the grandstand with the other refs getting on the piss
The best thing about Carlaw Park was the intimacy of the place - the front row of the main stand being only 5m or so from the sideline made fantastic footy viewing. It's a bummer the ARL couldn't get off their asses and develop it. A great piece of Kiwi League history gone
For the record, out of the grounds I've been to, my faves would be Carlaw, Ericsson, and Eden Park.