Unity is what all bookstores should be: a good collection of global newspapers by the door, a room stacked to the gills with curated books and magazines, and an extremely well-read staff. Three people is a crowd here; 30 is a very civilized riot. —Nat Cheshire 19 High St., 64/(0) 9-307-0731. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
On Friday nights the basement here is a haven from the madness swirling in the main bar above. I drink a Hendrick’s martini with an olive: dry and clean, not dirty. Stirred not shaken. James Bond can take his vodka shaker elsewhere. —Nat Cheshire 27 Galway St., 64/(0) 9-551-3100. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
Café Hanoi is choreographed dilapidation. Rough brick, crumbling plaster, and layers of scraped-back paint are softened with huge Noguchi globe lamps and planes of hand-oiled timber. —Nat Cheshire Galway and Commerce Streets, 64/(0) 9-302-3478. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
On a weekend trip around Auckland our group made a afternoon stop at Lake Wainamu. Dark sand dunes surround a section of lake. For most, walking along these will suffice. For New Zealanders, seeing who can jump the farther off the dune is the notable pastime.
We built this restaurant in 2011. It’s an architectural vagrant. People dine under pictures of pendulous bosoms and skulls. My colleagues and I roll out the drawings we’re working on across the tables and chefs bring food. I always have a white tequila regardless of the time of day. —Nat Cheshire 23 Britomart Pl., 64/(0) 9-366-1759. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
The juices and smoothies at this little café are incredible. If I’m up late drawing, these save me the next morning when all I need is something fresh and healthy. —Nat Cheshire 10 Federal St., 64/(0) 9-359-9113. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
The owner of Crane Brothers sent me to Greg Murrell and his hair salon. I liked him immediately. He has a passion for mid-century architecture. I look too nice if my hair grows too long, so I need Greg to attack and reintroduce a degree of focus. —Nat Cheshire 56 Customs St. East, 64/(0) 9-309-9790. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
Walking Auckland’s waterfront is one of the free things that makes the city great. Pick up a map or just wander around aimlessly – the choice is yours – but whatever you do try to do it early in the morning so you can catch the day at its glorious beginning, when the yachts are still still in the water, the traffic is non-existent and the smell of roasting coffee is strong.
I have a wonderful relationship with Crane Brothers. I first went there years ago. I tried on a shirt I could not afford, but I had to buy it. Recently they made me a beautiful indigo woolen blazer. Their clothes last, so you don’t need to buy many. —Nat Cheshire 2-4 High St., 64/(0) 9-377-5333. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
During my first trip to New Zealand, I took the short ferry ride from Auckland to Devonport rather a lot. Each time I would walk the coastline to North Head Historic Reserve to take in amazing views of the surrounding islands, explore bits of history, and just enjoy the beautiful space. Upon returning to New Zealand with my husband it was the very first place we went on the very day our plane landed. North Head is such an easy excursion from Auckland that even after 13 hours on a plane we still enjoyed it. North Head Historic Reserve sits on an old volcanic cone formed about 50,000 years ago - so check, super cool geology. In the 1840's it became a pilot station to guide ships into Auckland's harbor and by 1885 a defense fort was built on the island for fear of war with the Russians. Today, it's a public reserve where you can get lost in dark tunnels, have a picnic with gorgeous views, lounge by the water, or even get married!
Coco’s is like our second living room. My staff and I come here in part because the scene and the rustic, Italian-inspired food are so good, but also because everyone is a friend. 376 Karangahape Rd., 64/(0) 9-300-7582. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
The restaurant’s decor plays with industrial roughness and sumptuous luxury in a really intelligent way. Rich leathers and curtains of black cord enfold each round table, while overhead concrete beams and ductwork are left exposed. I love to arrive late and quietly occupy a booth with a friend and order the satisfying yet refined food. —Nat Cheshire 33 Sale St., 64/(0) 9-358-1702. Photo by Kieran Scott. This appeared in the March/April 2013 issue. Read more about Nat Cheshire's Britomart neighborhood of Auckland.
If you're looking to come to Auckland, the latest eating precinct that's opened up is Wynyard Quarter, know to locals as North Wharf. Just across a walk bridge from the Auckland Viaduct, it also happens to be home of Auckland's seafood festival - yum! With a load of restaurants and bars, al fresco dining in the sunshine, nice views back to the city and a wee bit of people-watching thrown in, it's a great place to spend a cheeky Sunday afternoon.
Sure, it’s not the biggest fish in the world but if the catch isn’t what you expect at Okahu Wharf you always pick up some “fush & chups” from a shop. This is where the locals cast a line out early in the morning, using the littlies as bait to try and snare something a little bigger. Walk to the end of the jetty and you’ll get an idea of how these real Kiwis spend their mornings before starting their day jobs in the city.
Every year in Western Springs the Pacifika community come together to celebrate their cultures, food, dancing and singing at a multi-national festival. Auckland hosts the world's biggest Polynesian community, so from Niue to Tuvalu to Fiji to Tuvalu to the Cook islands and beyond, each has their own separate area where the best thing you can do is sample the food, sit on the grass, enjoy the sunshine and take it all in.
"Institution" doesn’t begin to describe this eatery, where patrons are followed by TV cameras, the staff giggle and scream with laughter, the passers-by pretend not to see who’s eating there and the wine just keeps on flowing. SPQR (named after the Latin phrase “Senātus Populusque Rōmānus” that used to be carried at the head of Caesar’s banners) is one of the longest-lasting restaurants on Auckland’s Ponsonby Road strip, surviving the fickleness of diners and the attraction of the new. Its food and wine list has diehard fans, and if you’re lucky enough to score a table outside on the weekend it’s worth its weight in Taittinger.
‘Boutique’ is an understatement for this hotel. Hotel de Brett in Auckland’s CBD has the special sort of charm that makes you feel loved. Complete with retro furnishings, open fireplace, three separate bar areas, and an award-winning restaurant – oh, did I mention a Juliet balcony from your bedroom overseeing the eating and drinking atrium? I won’t even get into the private library that only guests can access or the live jazz on Sunday nights…
My digital camera caught the view from observation deck at the top of the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand. The Sky Tower is the tallest free-standing structure in New Zealand.
The former Farmers department store in the heart of Auckland is the place to stay when visiting this city. The Heritage Auckland has a variety of rooms with great facilities, beautiful local art work on each floor and spectacular views across the harbour. It's within walking distance to waterfront bars, cafes and restaurants, inner city sights and transportation to places further afield.
During my time in Auckland, I heard repeatedly that the city is home to the highest number of boats per capita in the world. I relayed this information to Kevin Bowler, CEO of Tourism New Zealand, while we watched a Maori dance performance on the waterfront terrace at the Hilton Auckland Hotel. “Well, there haven’t actually been any scientific studies done on the subject,” he laughed. “But it’s probably true. It makes sense, everyone in Auckland has, or knows someone who has, some type of boat.” The 165-room Hilton Auckland extends like a cruise ship out onto a wharf within steps of downtown and the Maritime District surrounded by the sprawling city marina. The hotel is HQ for the visiting yacht crowd, and it’s busy with locals because of the breezy waterfront setting. The all-white Hilton feels Mondrian-esque with hard square angles on the outside, but it feels completely inviting inside with so much natural daylight in the guest rooms and public spaces. The decor is nautical throughout, but not too much, and all of the rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and big balconies. There’s hardly a square foot in this hotel where you can go without seeing the water. The glass-enclosed Bellini Bar and FISH Restaurant open out to the overwater terrace. Try the sustainable whole roasted blue cod with clams and green lip mussels in a spicy tomato vermouth salsa. It tastes especially good with the local Cable Bay chablis and views of the sunset bouncing off the water.
At the end of a recent adventure trip through New Zealand, I hung my hat for a night (and aired out my hiking boots) at this vibrant boutique hotel. It was just what I was looking for. The DeBrett is smack in the middle of downtown, and it's not just travelers that are passing through. Busy Aucklanders populate the place, whether they’re having dinner at the well-regarded Kitchen restaurant or downing Bluff oysters and Kiwi craft brews in the clubby Housebar. I found plenty of convenient stuff mere steps away, including the hotel’s (fairly rudimentary) off-site gym and Shaky Isles, a nice café in Britomart that’s also a perfect place to get some work done. It’s a design-conscious hotel. Much of the look is mid-century modern, for a dash of a "Mad Men" flavor—the owners have snapped up some awfully nice vintage furniture at auction—but with extra pops of color and some cool Art Deco details. I crashed in a Loft Suite, where I had the luxury of two bathrooms. I didn’t have time to borrow a DVD from the guests-only library, but I did grab a complimentary evening drink there. (Another fun touch.) All in all, I'd say, a hospitable headquarters for anyone exploring New Zealand's only metropolis.
“What’s in Unity Books? ᴥ Something that sings ᴥ That argues ᴥ That tells a story ᴥ Something wonderful ᴥ Something that can see the future ᴥ Something that seduces ᴥ Excites” so says the wrap-around wording of the most interesting book store in Auckland. A gem in High St, I’ve been to many book stores but never one where I’ve asked for “books on the former Yugoslavia between 1991-1995” and had three personally pulled from random shelves by the assistant.
Hmmm, what to buy when you want a New Zealand souvenir that's not a tacky plastic tiki or kiwi-shaped astray? That’s when you head to Pauanesia (pron. Pah-wah-nesia). Named after the Maori word for abalone, this High St, Auckland store has everything that you won’t find anywhere else. From authentic pounamu (greenstone) pendants that you traditionally gift to friends – never buy one for yourself – through to tea towels with 1970s motifs on them, you can be sure no-one else will have what you’ve brought when you get back home.
Our day began at Pier 4. It was slightly overcast, but plenty mild for a chartered boat excursion on the harbor. It was day one of five in Auckland and we wasted no time getting familiar. The afternoon was perfect. We hired a boat for the day and treated ourselves to some leisure fun in the sun. It didn't take long before margarita's were flowing and burgers and "guac"served. Yes, we had a BBQ Auckland-style,.....on the water, in a boat. With such an active bay and beautiful coastline we chose to make the most of our time in town. It was a day well spent.
The two 80-foot America’s Cup racing yachts operated by ExploreNZ in Auckland were originally used as prepatory boats for the New Zealand race team at Valencia. It’s just plain nasty as we head out into Hauraki Gulf. The rain is falling in a steady sheet and everyone’s pants are soaked through within 10 minutes. There’s a good wind racking the boat over at 45 degrees at a brisk 12 knots on a close tack sailing upwind toward open sea. When you’re slicing through the water like this while trying to maintain a steady foothold, the adrenaline makes you relish the conditions, somewhat. It's surprising to me that many of the locals sailing around us feel the conditions are perfectly acceptable for a leisurely day at sea. Dozens of boats pass by us in the grey haze while couples sip chablis and slice camembert under protective canopies, oblivious to the slanting rain. As we tack quickly back and forth, everyone crosses from one gunwhale to the other when the boat sits at even keel during the few seconds it faces into the wind. In the slippery conditions, some people lose their balance teetering toward the water before others grab them by their rainjacket and hoist them up to the high side. These multimillion dollar boats have some serious get-up-and-go, and you can feel the responsive hull itching to lean over in the gusty wind. “Do you guys sail in any kind of weather?” I ask one of the crew. “We’re used to getting a little wet,” he says. “This ain’t the Caribbean, mate.”
This little fellow is the last thing you would expect to find in a War Memorial Museum, but there he was. In the Auckland museum's nature section, he was just perched on a log taking in all those people looking at him - including me.
In the Hauraki Gulf, Rangitoto Island is just a short, and not to mention highly enjoyable, 25-minute ferry ride from Auckand. The unpopulated island is actually a shield volcano that is the youngest (only 600 years old!) in the Auckland Volcanic Field. Rangitoto Island is like an almost unspoiled wild world - so far removed from the city, but just under an hour away. The summit walk takes you up the side of the volcano, passing this odd landscape of black rock and green trees that have managed to grow out of it. It's recommended you give yourself at least an hour to make it the 2 km uphill to the crater. There are a number of interpretive signs and interesting things to see along the way.
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