News and Views

Auckland’s Best Designer Shopping

Here’s eight spots where Aucklanders shop for fashion all-year-round, all within easy walking distance.  From vintage to avant-garde, and downtown to uptown the locals know where to go.  

1. Start downtown at Britomart for the strip of Kiwi designers.  From Karen Walker and Trelise Cooper, to Kathryn Wilson for shoes. World and Kate Sylvester are also located alongside in nearby Tyler Street. 

2. If money’s no problem, discover the recent addition of high-end luxury labels on Queen Street, including Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hugo Boss. Both Chanel and Tiffiny add a touch of glamour to Takutai Square. 

3. Save the earth (and your wallet) at the Recycle Boutique on Darby Street. Once-owned designer threads makes this a popular shopping haunt amongst both city professionals and students. Delight in the discovery of high-end fashion for close to nix.

4. Get your bling at Fingers on Kitchener Street. Bespoke jewellery designed and made by Kiwi artisans, it’s a treasure trove of shimmery shine including pounamu or greenstone inspired Maori art. 

5. Cross the road to the beautiful heritage building of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o TÄmaki. Take a stroll past more than 800 traditional and contemporary artworks and marvel at the fashions of generations past.  Best of all the entry is free!

6. Jump on the CityLink Bus and head uptown to Saint Kevins, one of the last old grand arcades remaining in central Auckland. Take a lunch break at Lord of the Fries or Tart Bakery (Vegan Friendly!). Take in the latest tattoo design studios which line K’ Road. 

7. Ponsonby is home to most of New Zealand’s top fashion brands. Take a stroll down Ponsonby road, grab a cup of coffee and see all the full range of style on offer. From upcoming designers, handicrafts and vintage finds to top labels including Karen Walker and Zambesi - there really is a shop for everyone. 

8. Dubbed the shopping capital of New Zealand, Newmarket really is the spot to indulge in some retail therapy with the largest Westfield mall in the country. From high-end boutiques to all things hardware, both men and women can have a field day.
Shoe lovers rejoice! Newmarket also has New Zealand’s highest concentration of footwear stores in one place - ranging from stilettos to sportswear (get the wallet ready).

Whatever your tastes - champagne or not, Auckland is a haven for shoppers both young and youthful. So take a walk and hop around the city shops for a fun day out. 
 

WELCOME TO TIRI-TIRI MATANGI

If you asked an Aucklander what the city’s top visitor attraction is, the answers would likely range from SkyTower (for the views), Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium (for the penguins) or possibly Waiheke Island (for its vineyard and beaches). And yes the top attraction is an island. But it’s not Waiheke or Rangitoto, the volcanic wonderland in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.

Auckland’s top tourist attraction, according to Trip Advisor, is actually the island of Tiri Tiri Matangi. This wildlife sanctuary ranks as number one of 270 things to do in Auckland and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Thirty years ago it was a different story. The 220-hectare island had been stripped of 94% of its native bush, a result of over-intensive farming. Bird life had disappeared. In 1984, volunteers took action planting around 300,000 trees over a ten year period and introducing a pest trapping programme. Today Tiri Tiri Matangi is now 60% forested with the remaining 40% left as grassland for species preferring open habitat.

A number of threatened and endangered species have been successfully introduced, including the flightless takahe and the tuatara. There are few places in New Zealand where you can readily see and walk amongst so many rare species.

On a summer morning, the queue to catch the Tiri ferry snakes its way down Quay Street.  Situated in the Hauraki Gulf, the island is a 75 minute ferry ride away from downtown Auckland (via Gulf Harbour).

The island is a protected haven for native endangered species and is a nature lover’s paradise, particularly for avid birdwatchers. From the moment you step onto the island to the moment you leave, you’ll be serenaded by bird songs while exploring walking tracks through native bush and coastal forests.

But don’t take our word for it, here’s what Jeanne from San Diego wrote on Trip Advisor.

“This is an absolute must visit, a beautiful nature reserve. Once on the island, you are divided into a group of 8-10 people with a volunteer guide who tells about the history of the island, and takes you on a guided hike on several paths, while pointing out the species of birds & plants. Many species can only be found in New Zealand. Several are endangered. The island is a regrown rain forest, full of life and beauty. The excursion takes most of the day. But worth every minute!”

As well as wonderful wildlife, Tiritiri Matangi has a 150 year old lighthouse, a Visitor Centre, some great walks, views and beaches.  Most visitors start with a guided walk which finishes at the Tiritiri Visitor Centre where there are informative displays and a great gift shop with complimentary tea and coffee. All profits from the shop go back to supporting the conservation and education programmes on the island.

The Tiritiri Matangi Island sanctuary is a partnership between the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the community, through the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi (Inc), a non-profit community conservation organisation.

So if you feel like a walk in the wild, head over to Tiri Tiri Matangi for birds, bush and beautiful bays. A jewel of an island in Auckland’s crown.

New Zealand's Best Restaurants

The country's best restaurants for 2019 have been announced. Judged by 40 food and drink professionals, the Cuisine Good Food Awards are the equivalent of the New Zealand-dining Oscars. 

Here’s the Auckland winners for 2019 featuring some perennial favourites, others' relative newcomers.

Cuisine Restaurant of the Year:  Sidart - Auckland 

Three Hat awardees:
Pasture -  Parnell
Cocoro - Ponsonby
Sidart - Ponsonby

Two Hat awardees: 
Apero - Karangahape Rd
Baduzzi - North Wharf
Cassia - Fort Lane
Cazador - Dominion Rd, Mt Roskill
Kazuya - Newton
Lillius - Grafton
Sid at the French Cafe - Newton
The Engine Room - Birkenhead
The Grill by Sean Connolly - Federal St, SkyCity
The Grove - Wyndham Street, City

Traveling further afield? Here are the judge’s picks for the best restaurants across New Zealand:

Palate - Hamilton

The Bistro - Taupo

Pacifica - Napier 
Bistronomy - Napier
Craggy Range Restaurant - Hawkes Bay
Elephant Hill - Hawkes Bay
Logan Brown - Wellington 
Hiakai - Wellington 
Shepherd - Wellington 
Boulcott Street Bistro - Wellington 
Shepherd - Wellington
Capitol - Wellington
Pescatore - Christchurch
Rata - Queenstown
Sherwood - Queenstown
Amisfield Bistro - Otago

Fleurs Place – Moeraki
Gatherings – Canterbury
Hopgood’s & Co – Nelson

Inati – Canterbury
Moiety – Dunedin
No 7 Balmac – Dunedin
Pegasus Bay – Canterbury
Riverstone Kitchen – Oamaru
Scotch Wine Bar – Blenheim
The Bicycle Thief – Canterbury

These restaurants are at the top of the New Zealand food chain in an industry which prides itself on creativity, friendly service and top-notch cuisine. When visiting Auckland, walk with us for the latest food finds and popular places. We show where the locals go on our Taste Auckland Food Tour, a moving feast of fun, food and good times.

Image credit: Sidart

Don’t miss Auckland’s Heritage and Art Week Festival 

October brings together Auckland’s Heritage Festival and Art Week with events designed to celebrate the city’s history, culture, architecture, artists and legends. This annual festival keeps on getting better. 

This year’s Heritage festival theme is ‘Journeys’ exploring the stories of how New Zealanders traveled to Auckland Tamaki Makaurau by sea, by air or by land, to create a shared future together.

It’s one of our favorite festivals as the colourful characters, art and diverse cultures of Auckland are bought to life by the city’s historians, commentators, artists and social anthropologists over a magical three weeks of walks, talks, exhibitions and market days. 

Here’s a few events which have captured our imagination:

1842: The Arrivals
Sat 19 October 10.30am - 12,30pm Shed 10, Queens Wharf. Adults $10
America’s first European settlers of note arrived on the infamous Mayflower. Auckland’s first significant shipment of passengers was the Jane Gifford in 1842. Scroll through the passenger manifest and it reveals a bleak and long journey of hardship to an unknown new frontier. Put yourself in settler shoes and be guided around the city of old by old hand Eliza Post.

K-Road: The Winding ridge
Sun 6 & Friday 25 Octo 1pm - 3pm
Take a journey through time along Auckland city’s infamous ridge Karangahape. Known as the Karanga (Calling)  Hape (a mythical Maori spirit who traveled ahead of our first people), this colourful vibrant street mirrors the social, commercial and political history of our city. Until the middle of the 20th century Karangahape Road was the only street in central Auckland with a Maori name as it predated the European settlement.
The Symonds Street and Karangahape Road ridges are also part of the walking route used by Maori to reach the Manukau Harbour. This track was known as Te Ara o Karangahape or The Path of Karangahape.

Changing Lanes
Part of Artweek
12-20 October 2019
Auckland's much loved central city lanes will be transformed by local artists during Art Week. 
Prepare to feel lost as local artists use the laneway cobbles and walls as a creative canvas.
This year features work from the following artists. 

Ross Liew 'kè knài láo' | Durham St East
Shannon Novak 'Alight' | Upper Vulcan Lane
Yohan Ryoo, Yosop Ryoo, Raimana Jones 'I Spy with My Little Eye' | Lower Vulcan Lane
Angus Muir 'RIPPLE' | Exchange Lane
Tracey Tawhiao | Chancery Square
Unitec Creative Industries and Piki Toi Artists Collective 'The Little Theatre: Aotearoa Arcade' | Chancery Square

 Art in the heart of the city
Monday 14 October 11am, Friday 18 October 11am
Journey up the lower Queen St valley and discover sculpture in public places. In most cases, the artist and/or the subject is Maori. The modernist movement emerged in 1960s, with Maori artists forging a new national identity of indigenous art. The city centre has a significant collection of public art made by five Maori artists including Ralph Hotere, Fred Graham, Selwyn Muru, Paratene Matchitt and Arnold Manaaki Wilson. Their works are part of the city centre public art collection. 

The Auckland Heritage Festival kicks off from October 5, click here for the full programme. Or book onto any of our small-group Auckland walking tours to discover more about the city's history from a professional local guide. 

Image credit: Auckland art gallery courtesy of Heart of the City

Top $25 menus this Restaurant Month

Get eating Auckland! Only two weeks remain in American Express Restaurant Month to enjoy international award-winning chefs and special offers from top city restaurants. We've enjoyed some delicious meals out this month in between showcasing some of Auckland's best food on our Taste Auckland Food Tour.

More than 100 restaurants are taking part in the August event with a calendar packed full of unique dining experiences – from the return of the popular Chef Dining Series to special set menus at three price points; $25, $40 and $55+.

Where to munch on a $25 lunch? Don't miss these bang-for-buck menus at:

> Gusto at the Grand | $25 2-course lunch menu with a glass of wine
With a menu designed by renowned Chef Sean Connolly, Gusto is the perfect spot to share delicious Italian dishes amongst friends and family. Check out their special Restaurant Month menu which includes pea, mint, ricotta bruschetta to start and a main of Pappardelle al Ragù alla Bolognese. A delicious wine match is also included. 

> SEVEN at Seafarers | $25 for a 3-course dinner & lunch

Enjoy rooftop views of the Waitemata Harbour and flavourful pan-Asian delicacies including SEVEN's BBQ char siu Bao with hoisin mayo, spring onion, pork crackling. 

> The Culpeper | $25 for a 2 course dinner & lunch
The Culpeper menu - from Nourish Group’s Executive Chef Gareth Stewart draws on influences from around the globe. Their Rotisserie jerk spice chicken is just one lip-smacking sensation from their Restaurant Month menu.

Who’s taking over the kitchen? Here’s a couple of special celebrity chef events coming up over the next fortnight.

A Taste of Maha at Soul
Wednesday 21 August 2019 - $199 per person
Melbourne’s Maha restaurant is celebrated for its fresh, contemporary Middle Eastern menu with a cutting-edge style that has redefined this ancient cuisine through modern dining. Chef, Television Presenter and Author, Shane Delia and the Maha team will join Gavin Doyle of SOUL Bar & Bistro to create a one-off menu of full-flavoured Middle Eastern dishes and a night of celebrating a shared love of food and company.

A Taste of Aaharn at Huami
Wednesday 28 August 2019 - $230 per person
Culinary legend David Thompson is a master of Thai cuisine and made his name internationally when his London restaurant Nahm, was the first Thai restaurant in the world awarded a Michelin star within six months of opening. Now promoting Thai gastronomy through his chain of Long Chim restaurants in Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth and the newly opened Aaharn in Hong Kong. Thompson is teaming up with Raymond Xue at HUAMI to bring the authentic Taste of Aaharn right here in Auckland for one night only.

Check out American Express Restaurant Month 2019 including a full list of participating restaurants and menus here 

Credit: Repurposed in part from Scoop Business, July 2019