Best restaurant for dinner with friends?
Satya Chai Lounge in Sandringham; low lighting when your eyes hurt from a day of being on a screen. Everything is delicious and easy to share. Especially love their spiked chai with rum.
The place to take a visitor?
Cornwall Park and its cafe is great if you’ve got an out-of-towner in tow; seeing the sheep and views for free is unmatched. Same goes for Buoy right under the harbour bridge; followed by a great walk down to the city after grabbing a coffee there. I recently took my partner, who is from the UK, to Kelly Tarlton’s and it still delivered that teen romance vibe.
Best spot to finish a night out?
Gogo music cafe – open late, all kinds of skewers BBQ style and a loud unpretentious atmosphere (oddly Western Saloon styled though the food is Chinese); be prepared to smell like BBQ for the rest of the night.
Best coffee?
Gray’s is already on my list – another Dom Rd gem is PaCo pocket cafe, run by a very cool couple Pan and Cobi; keep an eye out for their “shared table” events (Panstable_ on insta) in which Pan and Cobi cook up a Cambodian spread; absolutely loved attending “Season 5″. They share a space with Nowhere Book Store, which has a gorgeous selection of graphic novels and books in both Chinese and English. Very good coffee, very aesthetic vibes!
Favourite trail for a hike?
The most I’ll do is up and down Mount Eden. I genuinely love watching other people from overseas experience the maunga for the first time and there are a few less obvious paths for when I’m in a down mood and want to be alone.
Favourite fish and chip shop?
Toby’s – fry bread, nuff said.
Venue for a gig?
Whammy is consistent! Ladi6’s House Party for new year was super cool.
Best spot for a bargain?
Wairau park on the shore has a collection of op shops all in one area, I think there’s about 9+ places to do an epic circuit and it has the most atmospheric Denny’s on the edge of a scummy lake.
Following its sold-out 2021 premiere, award-winning playwright Talia Pua’s Pork and Poll Taxes 人頭猪税 returns to Herald Theatre from September 16-20. Directed by Proudly Asian Theatre Artistic Director Chye-Ling Huang, this powerful family tragedy draws on the histories of Chinese market gardeners during Aotearoa’s poll tax era. Redeveloped for 2026 with a new cast, production design and direction, the epic story spans years and continents, bringing Chinese voices and experiences to the stage through striking visuals, music and movement.