NEW
ZEALAND'S
NORTH ISLAND
by Rich Rubin
Home to a quarter
of all New Zealanders, Auckland is mellow & hopping,
laidback & buzzing, funky & chic, and it’s
perched at the doorstep of some of the world’s most
amazing scenery.
While the rest of New Zealand tends to deride the big
city (they even coined the term JAFA: Just Another F@&*ing
Aucklander to describe its residents), I think it’s
great, with enough pleasures to satisfy the most dedicated
urbanite. It’s a sprawling city, though what they
call suburbs, especially Ponsonby to the west and Parnell
to the east, are actually walkable from the city center.
It’s in these spots you’ll spend most of your
time, along with Karangahape Road (locally known as “K
Road”), located on the southwestern edge of the city
and curving around to meet Ponsonby Road.
The waterside setting is half of Auckland’s charm.
Dockside, boats ply the harbor for day tours or trips
to the nearby islands, and walking along the quay, I can
hardly tear my eyes away from the water. When I do, it’s
like: Wow, it’s a CITY! Skyscrapers rise above busy
streets and sidewalks pulse with people on their way from
wonderful restaurants to boutiques showcasing New Zealand’s
fashion scene.
I make my way from the bustle of Queen Street to tony
High Street, where I admire a series of single-named boutiques
(Ruby, Industrie, Brave, Fabric). Car-free Vulcan Lane
crosses High Street and offers wonderful shops and a selection
of eateries from pubs and restaurants to my favorite little
coffee place, Vulcan Café/Espresso Bar. As High
Street becomes Lorne Street, I discover Compendium Gallery’s
gorgeous collections of glass, ceramics, woodwork, and
jewelry.
Later I hike up to Albert Park, one of
many green areas in the city. It’s full of people
on this gorgeous day: groups sitting on the grass chatting
animatedly, teens with iPods, a lady pushing a baby carriage
so enormous I wonder how she got it up the park’s
steps. Next to the park entrance is Auckland Art Gallery,
New Zealand’s largest gallery of local and international
art. While the main gallery is closing until 2011, works
from the vast collection will be displayed at the contemporary
branch across the street. Just a ten-minute walk from
here you’ll discover the Auckland Domain, an immense
park that holds the Auckland Museum, a treasure trove
of local culture and history from the indigenous Maori
to later settlers, that highlights everything from flora
and fauna to jewelry and clothing.
Auckland, though, is more about life than museums, a fact
I discover on Ponsonby Road, a short cab ride from downtown
and the heart of the burgeoning “gayborhood.”
Bars and cafés line the long, wide boulevard. Boutiques
offer shoes, wraparound dresses, t-shirts, jackets—more
casual stuff than High Street. Shell Shock displays bright
beads and bold, chunky jewelry. Gay-run Marvel Menswear
displays a fab plaid jacket I’d never have the nerve
to wear, the gayest sandals ever created, and a smartly-tied
scarf (all the rage here). I stop for coffee in Santos,
where the patio is the main draw, set back from the road
and rimmed with potted plants. I have another in Café
Cezanne, which sweetly displays a sign boasting that they
were selected Auckland’s “second best café”
back in 2003! A blackboard lists smoothies and “kick-ass
coffee.” The staff is sweet and laid-back, the customers
a cross-section of Ponsonby Road life.
On the other side of the city center, Parnell is a little
more upscale, filled with home décor stores, galleries,
and wonderful Victorian buildings. Auckland’s oldest
suburb, it’s great for strolling, window-shopping,
or café-hopping in such places as Strawberry Alarm,
a funky little coffeehouse where, upon ordering my “short
black” (i.e., espresso), I’m given a toy gazelle
instead of a number to take to my outdoor table. Note:
some of the best views of Auckland are seen as you climb
down Parnell Rise toward the city.
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With all these different areas, where
should you stay? Well, if you want to be near the action
of Ponsonby Road, choose Mollies Hotel, my favorite
spot in any location. This boutique hotel features rooms
individually designed by the opera-loving owners, so
you’re likely to find everything from a print of
La Fenice to a beaded candelabrum to a piano adorning
your huge digs (and a great water view from your enormous
balcony). If you want to be in the heart of the city,
The Westin, overlooking the quickly-developing Lighter
Quay, is a great choice for spacious, comfy rooms, quiet
setting, and downtown convenience. Even more central
is the Sky City Grand, located across the street from
Sky City Tower (a ride up this Auckland landmark is
a must). This isn’t the hotel in the tower, but
across the street, and it’s a lavishly accommodating
place with stylishly modern rooms, a state-of-the-art
gym, and Asian-accented spa.
You’ll also find prime dining in every part of
town. Check out intriguing Euro/Pacific Rim cuisine
beneath the soaring, skylighted ceilings of Iguacu on
Parnell Road.
In the city center, I love tiny O’Connell Street
Bistro, casually upscale in feel, with a chic but welcoming
air and spectacular food; try the slightly chewy, smoky,
and dense chargrilled squid (a signature dish) or the
rich, flavorful duck/chestnut tortellini.
Another great spot downtown is The Grove where I splurge
on the tasting menu, a dozen small courses from tuna
with wasabi cream to caramelized pork belly with seared
scallops.
On the southern edge of the city, a short cab ride away,
is the remarkable Merediths. Opened by the Grove’s
former chef Michael Meredith, with a coolly contemporary
black and white interior, and such astounding dishes
as beet gnocchi, or duck with cauliflower, pancetta,
and raisins, this is some of the best food I’ve
had in ages. Want a top-notch pre-nightlife dinner?
Right on Ponsonby Road is one standout: Rocco. Comfortably
elegant with amazingly nice service, the menu’s
to die for, from smoked fish/leek/saffron cream tart
to seafood tagine or lamb with lentils and Manchego.
The same folks have just opened Magnum, a more casual
spot up Ponsonby Road where people pack indoor and outdoor
tables to enjoy cauliflower soup, duck confit salad,
and seared yellowfin.
When it comes to gay nightlife in Auckland “A lot
of people,” says local Nathan Beale, “are
over the idea of going to a place just because it’s
all gay people there.” There’s a level of
acceptance here that many feel makes the need for segregation
unnecessary. “Everyone in Auckland,” says
Nathan, “knows someone gay. It’s just not
acceptable to be homophobic.”
The annual Hero Festival, for instance, draws many non-gay
supporters. This month-long extravaganza, held in February
(the height of New Zealand summer), begins with “Wigs
on the Waterfront” and ends with the huge Hero
Party on Ponsonby Road. In between the two events, you’ll
find film festivals, special shows at galleries, sporting
events, Heroic Gardens (in which locals open home gardens
to the public), and the Big Gay Out, a huge picnic that
attracts politicians from the mayor to the prime minister.
As for nightlife in general, the usual weekend circuit
encompasses some of the gay-friendly bars along Ponsonby
Road, then down to K Road to Family, the “official”
gay bar and its affiliated dance club downstairs that
is cheekily named The Supermarket.
Continued
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On
the Road, A Mini Gay Film Fest