I love the delights of Queenstown and Central Otago but every now and again I want to run free (that’s free not naked) and wild in another town. To get amongst the back lanes and alleyways, take photos until my friend’s scream ‘stop!’ and eat my body weight in new food and drink. I can safely say I haven’t eaten as much in a while. The views weren’t mountainous but they were beautiful and different. There’s nothing like a trip away to remind you to look around at where you live and then look at it again. Until you see something different.
Cafe
Coffee is important in my book so when you’re out for breakfast you need someone to take you somewhere that you can trust. We headed to Vinyl in Mount Eden. I love being able to walk to a cafe as you feel like you can eat, drink and exercise at the same time. Thus being able to eat more (see what I did there). Just call me sneaky. I also find it really hard spelling Vinyl.
Eating
Chop Chop in Ponsonby is a ramen lovers dream. There’s also the best fried chicken I’ve had in a while. I drank a few beers and scoured the menu for mushrooms. I love mushrooms. Usually in my bowl not around my bathtub and I was lucky to find a mushroom salad here that satiated my desire for all things fungi. Job done.
La Noisette is a patiserie and chocolate house. I had the espresso sponge cake and a hot choc (you can choose 30,50 and 70% strength- I went with 50%. I’m a chicken). About an hour later I was still full and off my face on sugar. There was a nosedive later when I found myself asleep on the sofa at 3pm. But this is quite usual for me so I’m still wondering if the cake had anything to do with it.
Drinking
Molten is a gorgeous bar in Mnt Eden. It reminded me of the Edward Hopper painting where you can look into a bar through the window. All slick and smoky (without the cigarettes!) and wood. The upstairs is amazing enough just to go in, dark green walls and golden mirrors. Go have a cocktail and feel cool.
Fashion
Good as Gold has opened it’s doors in Ponsonby and I had to be dragged out kicking and screaming (there’s rent to pay) as they stocked some gorgeous labels and sunglasses.
Music
We managed to time it right to catch the 10 year anniversary of Tahuna Breaks at The Power Station which is such a good venue (being a shorty)as wherever you stand you get an incredible view of the band who has now expanded to women backing singers, full on brass section and a whole lot of suits and ties going on. Brilliant.
Books
If you go on holiday with me, and I know you want to, I love finding book shops down alleyways. I could stay in them for a few days hours leafing through books, sometimes smelling them (come on you’ve all done it) and generally being around books. One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday afternoon is to be in a book shop and just hang around. So when I was allowed to just hang out in Unity Bookshop, I was in heaven!
Here are some shots of the weekend. If you get chance to get out of town once in a while an hour and a half flight will see you poncing up and down new suburbs and drinking so much hot chocolate they will have to create a new name for diabetes.
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Vinyl in Mnt Eden
Good As Gold in Ponsonby
La Noisette
Unity Books
Molten Bar
Woohoo – Mt Eden is great isn’t it!!? All the best people live there haha 😉 I’ll admit to being a bit overwhelmed for a few weeks after moving to Auckland from Taupo, but now I love the place!
Next time you make the journey up, you must visit ‘The hard to find bookshop’ in Onehunga. Believe me, it’s certainly worth finding haha.
I will ! Thanks for you comment will have to meet you both finally one day 🙂 Bikes and all ! Come down in summer for the trails