When I\u2019m not at the piano or in the office, I\u2019m teaching yoga at Hum in Grey Lynn, which just happens to be right next door to the best brunch spot in T\u0101maki Makaura \u2013 Ozone. Judging by the line out the door on the weekends, I don\u2019t think this is a unique take, but that\u2019s because it\u2019s just such a damn good spot. Also, great dogs.<\/p>\n
Best restaurant for dinner with friends?<\/p>\n
Food courts all the way. Classic options include Ponsonby Food Court for delicious and cheap, Ponsonby Central if you\u2019re feeling fancy. Also, Ponsonby Central is dog friendly, so \u2026<\/p>\n
The place to take a visitor?<\/p>\n
I think one of the most amazing things about T\u0101maki Makaura is the mix of urban and wild natural beauty. I\u2019d take a visitor to Toi o T\u0101maki\/Auckland Art Gallery to admire the architecture and contemporary Aotearoa art collection and then straight out to Te Henga\/Bethells Beach. If time and season allow, maybe a picnic in Cornwall Park to hang out with the sheep (and dogs).<\/p>\n
Best spot to finish a night out?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve spent more nights than I can remember on the steps of the Basement Theatre until after last call. It\u2019s the best place in the city for the arts community to meet and mingle. That\u2019s my \u201ccool\u201d answer. My honest answer would involve a couch, a crossword and a cup of tea with my partner and, of course, my dog.<\/p>\n
Best coffee?<\/p>\n
I love local, so it\u2019s got to be my neighbourhood Waterview Coffee Project. It helps that Katy makes the best coffee in T\u0101maki Makaurau. Gareth and the team there are super community-minded, so it\u2019s more than a coffee place \u2013 there\u2019s evenings with food trucks and a monthly market. It\u2019s a testament to how a community can build around something simple, like coffee or a bacon buttie. Also, excellent dogs.<\/p>\n
Favourite fish-and-chip shop?<\/p>\n
Cambodian Takeaways in Avondale. Super good value, VERY generous with the extra potato cakes. Also, great hot dogs.<\/p>\n
Hiking trail?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve lived in T\u0101maki Makaurau over half my life and still haven\u2019t discovered everything the Wait\u0101kere Ranges have to offer. It\u2019s ridiculous. I love the Omanawanui Track and the Mercer Bay Loop and I\u2019m looking forward to doing the Zion Hill Loop, which has recently reopened, but I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019m only scratching the surface. These days it\u2019s often a family trip, so we want somewhere that\u2019s good for little nephew-sized legs and, of course, safe for dogs.<\/p>\n
Venue for a gig?<\/p>\n
The Piano Bar at Auckland Live\u2019s Cabaret Festival is genuinely, hands down, my favourite place in Auckland for a gig. I can\u2019t think of another gig with so much joy and atmosphere. People stay all night and leave with a massive smile on their faces. Outside of the Cabaret Festival, I\u2019m a sucker for a venue with character like the Hollywood in Avondale, or a great acoustic church like St Matthew-in-the-City or Holy Trinity Parnell \u2013 magic.<\/p>\n
Best spot for a bargain?<\/p>\n
Avondale Sunday Market. Need daikon and every variety of mushroom known to cuisine? Fresh plants and flowers? A t-shirt? Some power tools? If you can\u2019t find it at the Avondale Market, it isn\u2019t worth having.<\/p>\n
The Auckland Live Cabaret Festival returns to the Civic from 24 June to 5 July 2026, transforming one of T\u0101maki Makaurau\u2019s most iconic venues into a bold, late-night celebration of cabaret, circus, theatre and comedy. Robin Kelly will take the role of pianist alongside Jason Te Mete, ready to tackle any tune. With a different host each night, this after-hours playground brings cabaret stars and audiences together in a joyful free-for-all. Tickets are on sale now via AucklandLive.co.nz<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I\u2019m not at the piano or in the office, I\u2019m teaching yoga at Hum in Grey Lynn,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477291,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[51,22398,2199,156,22397,10938,293,78,18220,4977,111,139,69,240399,22399,33229,9095,1963,180,10041,10809,1120,223,165,1961,208,686,12025],"class_list":["post-477290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-auckland","tag-aucklanders","tag-city","tag-entertainment","tag-favourite","tag-herald","tag-his","tag-in","tag-kelly","tag-my","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pianist","tag-places","tag-robin","tag-secret","tag-series","tag-shares","tag-spots","tag-sunday","tag-takes","tag-the","tag-their","tag-this","tag-tour","tag-week","tag-wellknown"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477290\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}