Auckland’s Browns Island a Green Haven
“In the middle of busy, urban Auckland harbour, there’s a little spot of green,” travel site Atlas Obscura writes. “It’s a peaceful place, one without tourist boats and very few structures at all. You…
Tag Archives: Auckland
Brooklyn Nets Manager Sean Marks Bets on People
The Brooklyn Nets have become one of the NBA season’s biggest surprises. Auckland-born Sean Marks is the basketball team’s manager and he recently spoke with Harvey Araton, a sports reporter for The New York Times. Araton…
New Tiny Ruins Album Gentle Study in Freedom
“After an extended search for inspiration, New Zealand singer/songwriter uses colour and newly adventurous song structures to explore definitions and limits of freedom,” Pitchfork contributor Margaret Farrell writes in…
Graeme Simsion Pens Final Rosie Instalment
Auckland-born IT consultant-turned-author Graeme Simsion’s mega-successful Rosie books have sold almost five million copies in 40-plus countries since The Rosie Project in 2013. Readers fell in love with genetics professor Don Tillman who developed a…
New Marine Facility Confirmed For Auckland
“The $1.5billion a year New Zealand marine industry is expected to receive a significant boost with the announcement and sign-off on a massive refit facility adjacent to the America’s Cup bases currently under construction…
Lifetime Achievement Award for Ron Holland
Every winter, the world’s best superyacht designers and builders gather with some of the world’s most passionate yacht owners to ski, party, share ideas and inspiration, and most of all, to recognise the most…
From Practising Law in Dublin to Yoga in Auckland
Each week, Irish Times Abroad meets an Irish person working in an interesting job overseas. Lawyer and yoga teacher Paul Gillick shares his experience of moving to Auckland with his New Zealand-born wife where…
Spend Some Layover Time in Auckland
“Auckland is the international gateway to the green pasture paradise that is New Zealand. But before you head on to Queenstown to hit the slopes, bungee jump off cliffs, and dive into all the…
Distance Runner Bill Baillie Finishes the Race
Nelson-born athlete William “Bill” Baillie, who once held world records in the now obscure 20,000m and one-hour running events, has died in Auckland. He was 84. At the time Baillie broke the records they had…
Daring Douglas Wright
(1956-2018)
Revered New Zealand dancer and choreographer Douglas Wright died in Auckland on November 14, 2018, aged 62. He was “undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s most magnificent and important artists of…
Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe in the Interview Hot Seat
Zane Lowe talks like he’s rapping. No, really. The man’s words cascade from his mouth so quickly and smoothly that, at numerous points during our conversation, we expect him to slip into a full-on…
Auckland’s The Grove Rated 9th Best in World
Auckland restaurant The Grove has been rated New Zealand’s best and the world’s 9th best fine dining restaurant in this year’s TripAdvisor Annual Choice Awards. “Owners Annette…
Auckland’s Pacific Islanders Take Stock
Some Pacific Islands, such as Tokelau and Niue, now have more of their people living in New Zealand than at home, a trend that is predicted to soar with the rising threat of climate…
Wellington One of The 10 Best Cities For Digital Nomads
“Wellington has ranked in the top ten cities around the world for digital nomads – remote workers who usually travel between different locations – to work in, according to a new study,” as reported…
Wikipedia’s Man in NZ Is Mike Dickison
In the grand library of the Auckland War Memorial Museum on a Saturday morning in August, a small group of new and slightly nervous Wikipedia editors gathered for a day of training that would…
Sean Fitzpatrick’s First View of Twickenham
Former All Black captain, Auckland-born Sean Fitzpatrick, 55, looks back at the games he played at Twickenham, in a piece for the Guardian. “I remember arriving at Twickenham for the first time, for a game…
Reframing How We Talk About Guns
“We do know that tough gun laws work in other developed countries.” But in the US unity of opinion on gun laws never materialized,” writes Timothy Dumas for Greenwich Magazine….
Mark de Clive-Lowe Unlocks His Creativity
Auckland-born Mark de Clive-Lowe, 44, is “a jazz artist with both a visionary outlook and an old soul. As a concert pianist deeply steeped in the jazz tradition, he’s courageously committed himself to modern…
Swimmer Makes Olympian Grandmother Proud
Seventy years after her grandmother swam in the London 1948 Olympic Games, Auckland swimmer Gina Galloway, 17, took up the torch to represent her country at the Buenos Aires 2018
Music’s Most Powerful Tastemaker Zane Lowe
Auckland-born, LA-based radio host Zane Lowe “has been in the thick of the music industry for nearly 20 years — first as a presenter for MTV, than as the 13-year host of BBC Radio…
Rocket Lab Unveils New Production Facility
“Rocket Lab has expanded its global footprint with the unveiling of a new production facility that ‘rethinks the way orbital rockets are built’”. Space Tech Asia reports. “The new 7,500 sq/m…
Peter Macky Renews Historic German Train Station
Aucklander Peter Macky, a former lawyer, has nearly completed a 10-year restoration of the first Kaiserbahnhof train station in Halbe, Germany. Macky, who lives six months of the year in Germany, says he stumbled upon…
American Magic Entrust Campaign to Dean Barker
The US syndicate will have renowned New Zealander Dean Barker as helmsman for the America’s Cup in 2021, plus an international crew of sailors for the New York Yacht Club’s first bid for the…
Riverdale’s KJ Apa Makes the Cover of GQ
KJ Apa is really going places. Driven, humble, talented, the boy from New Zealand is soon to be everywhere, according to Jake Millar in a cover story written for GQ Australia. Apa, 21,…
Take A Taste Of NZ With You When You Leave From Auckland International Airport
New Zealand chocolate maker, Whittaker’s, has opened their first ever store. Located at Auckland International Airport, just beyond the Customs area, it’s the perfect convenience for any traveler in need of an authentic Kiwi…
Jacinda Ardern Gives Maiden Speech at the UN
The collapse of multilateralism would be “catastrophic,” Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, said in her first speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Opening her address with a Māori salutation,
NZ’s Best Live Music Venues
“Having just returned from a trip across the pond I can safely say New Zealand is like no other,” writes Jareth Leslie-Evans in an article in Australian based online music and youth culture magazine…
Musician Julien Dyne Ups the Tempo on Teal
New Zealander Julien Dyne’s forthcoming album Teal is “a joyful exploration of afro-influenced percussive house and electronic soul”, according to Anton Spice writing for Britain’s music and arts enterprise, The Vinyl Factory. “Dyne, whose CV…
Artist Angela Tiatia Holds On in Tuvalu’s Tides
Auckland-born, Sydney-based artist Angela Tiatia, who was a finalist in the 2018 Archibald Prize, is a person of movement, of restless tides. Her solo show, Holding On, is exhibited at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre…
Rosé a New Zealand-Born K-Pop Idol
A member of one of the most popular female K-pop girl groups, Auckland-born Park Chae Young, aka Rosé, 21, is gaining popularity in her own right for the sweet timbre of her voice. Since the…
Auckland: The Economics of Shared Streets
“The obsession with self-driving cars and dockless cycles means pedestrians are often overlooked. But if we fail to accommodate those on foot, we ignore an essential part of what makes a city great,” writes…
Parris Goebel Choreographs Rihanna’s Lingerie Show
The choreography for Rihanna’s New York Fashion Week 17-minute savage beast lingerie runway show, which was live-streamed on YouTube, was orchestrated by New Zealander superstar Parris Goebel. Rihanna unleashed the wild…
Zaha Hadid Architects Unveil Auckland Vision
Five competing visions for a landmark new hotel and residential tower on Federal Street in Auckland – including one by UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) – have been unveiled. The other proposals are by local…
Seek Out Auckland’s Top Shopping Destinations
“New Zealand’s biggest city is booming, and so are its designer fashion and beauty boutiques – some of them destinations in themselves,” according to South China Morning Post correspondent Patty Huntington, who has the…
New Zealand Debuts World’s First Digital Teacher
Primary school students in New Zealand will soon be the first in the world to learn from an artificially intelligent (AI) digital avatar. Auckland energy company Vector teamed up with AI…
Georgia Pratt Figures in Modelling World
“For a long time, Ashley Graham’s name was about the only one that would pop to mind when thinking of a famous plus-size model. But as diversity becomes an increasing focus in the fashion…
Michael Brett Draws on Bram Stoker for Ballet Score
The task of piecing together the music for the West Australian Ballet production of Dracula has fallen to the company’s Auckland-born music coordinator, Michael Brett. The assignment extended to Brett watching the movies Polish composer…
Best London Dry Gin on Earth is Scapegrace
New Zealand’s Scapegrace Gold gin has been named the best London dry gin in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition. Scapegrace Gold took out the London Dry Gin trophy 2018 in London,…
Rose Matafeo Scoops Coveted Fringe Comedy Award
New Zealand comic Rose Matafeo, 26, has won the biggest comedy award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her show Horndog, becoming only the fifth female comic to win the Edinburgh Comedy Award since…
WWE Rising Star Dakota Kai a Wrestling Trailblazer
Thirty-year-old Aucklander Dakota Kai signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) more than a year ago but every now and then, she still has to pinch herself. It’s easy to see why. Kai is breaking new…
Skateboard Photographer Jake Darwen Takes Off
Skateboard photographer Jake Darwen, 25, who grew up on Auckland’s North Shore and is now based in Los Angeles, shoots for the likes of New Balance and Element, often travelling to offbeat destinations in…
Auckland and Stand Up Paddling a Perfect Match
Auckland has been named one of the world’s top eight paddling hubs by readers of the UK’s SUP magazine. “Take one look at New Zealand’s largest city on a map and it’s no surprise that…
On an Art Tour of the North Island
New Zealand’s art scene is vibrant, moving, astute, and gnaws at your consciousness, with a strong connection to history and place. And it’s everywhere, from Auckland’s dozens of small commercial spaces to major galleries in…
Parris Goebel and ReQuest Stars of Ciara’s Latest
New Zealand choreographer Parris Goebel and ReQuest Dance Crew have collaborated with Atlanta-bred pop star Ciara for the music video of her latest single, the “empowering anthem”, ‘Level Up’. “The visual features the singer showing…
PM Makes Fortune’s 40 Under 40 List
The influential Fortune magazine 40 Under 40 list includes Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at No 12. Co-founder and CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom took top place in this year’s ranking. “It’s only appropriate that Ardern,…
Wax Chattels Pursue Post-Punk with Manic Fervour
“There are few record labels out there that have come to define an entire country’s quality independent music output. Flying Nun Records did that for New Zealand,” Adam McKinney writes for Washington-based entertainment newspaper…
Waiheke One of the Best Islands
Waiheke Island has been ranked the fifth best island in the world in this year’s World’s Best Awards survey, which asks Travel + Leisure readers to “weigh in on travel experiences around the globe.”…
World’s Largest Group Fitness Provider Turns 50
“Marking half a century in the fitness industry this year, the family behind Les Mills, the world’s largest group fitness provider, have shared their remarkable story of struggle, success and striving for a fitter…
Get Summery with Emilia Wickstead and Matches
Auckland-born designer Emilia Wickstead’s summer-ready capsule collection – a collaboration with Matches Fashion – is recommended by Singapore Tatler. “British-based Wickstead, 34, creates her first vacation collection in partnership with e-retailer
Yellow Is Forbidden Auckland Premiere
After premiering to fantastic reviews at Tribeca Film Festival, New York, Pietra Brettkelly’s Yellow Is Forbidden will be shown in Auckland at the upcoming New Zealand International Film Festival. “Kiwi director…
Ink Artist Steve Butcher’s Latest Eerily Lifelike
Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been immortalised in a brilliantly detailed tattoo by famed ink artist, Aucklander Steve Butcher. Butcher spent 12 hours on the eerily lifelike tat on a…
Rare ISS Moon Shot Captured by Josh Kirkley
Auckland amateur astrophotographer Josh Kirkley captured a shot so unusual the cameraman can be heard gasping as he films clip. Kirkley describes his “shock” at capturing footage of the International Space Station (ISS) crossing…
Jacinda Ardern What the Global Left Needs Now
The future of the left is bright if it looks like Jacinda Ardern and American political activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to Guardian Australian columnist Van Badham. As a political communication, Ardern’s recent handheld Facebook Live…
Matt Arbuckle to Exhibit at Melbourne Art Fair
Auckland artist Matt Arbuckle is one of six artists featured in Grazia Australia as “most exciting emerging artists exhibiting as part of the Melbourne Art Fair.” Nicholas Carolan reports. The Melbourne…
Towards Making Auckland Island Predator-Free
At Forest and Bird’s 2018 Conference, New Zealand Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced funding for the first step in the country’s “most ambitious island pest eradication”. Sage has committed $2 million over the next three…
Saving New Zealand’s Prehistoric Giant Wētā
New Zealand is rich in wildlife and, because of its isolation, there are hundreds of plants and animals that evolved here that cannot be found anywhere else. The country’s giant wētā (wētā punga) managed…
