Stories

The Euro chic interior and the buzz of its open kitchen deliver on important first impressions but it’s Earl’s fresh local ingredients and striking combinations that really leave you wanting to return for more. Earl’s Classic Meatballs have won over another couple of fans, smitten by the pork-rich goodness of the balls and the acidic zing of the tomato sugo that coats them. Our eyes were still taking in the Lichfield Street restaurant’s Euro chic interior of wood, steel and glass and the bustle of the open kitchen at its heart but with the arrival of the Share plate of meatballs the focus became firmly front and centre. Earl was buzzing on the busy Thursday evening that we visited. Regardless, we were soon seated and owner and maître d’ Tom had us sorted with menus and a plate of their house-baked sour dough with smoked butter. Earl’s wine list each week...

Cityscape talks new music, opening for AC/DC and favourite tour  food with Villainy lead singer Neill Fraser. What can we expect from your upcoming album Raised In The Dark? This is our third record and it feels like the true evolution from the first two. We wrote something like 110 songs before committing to the 15 or so we recorded and then paired it back to 10 for the final sequence. We're not a one trick pony "rock" band and there is a lot of variation across those tracks from the really balls-out heavy songs to more introspective tracks. I'm really looking forward to hearing which ones hit home for our fans because there is so much depth in there. How would you say the music industry has evolved since you guys first started out? When we started up it was still all about getting on radio, selling CD's and hitting the road...

Cityscape spoke with Vanessa Ortynsky about what excites her the most about Christchurch, what brand she would love to work with and her favourite early morning hotspot for a coffee. What excites you about Christchurch? There’s always something new to discover in Christchurch. New businesses are opening all the time and there’s so much opportunity here. I love supporting the hard-working people who are making this city such a wonderful place to live. Anything coming that you’re particularly looking forward to? I just got married (in Christchurch, of course) and my husband and I are about to embark on a working/studying honeymoon in Amsterdam. I love returning to Christchurch with a new perspective. Plus there are always new cafés that open up whenever I go away. If you had $5000 to spend in one store, where would you go? Infinite Definite is a beautiful locally owned store that supports New Zealand...

On the Instagram scene since its inception, Monique Tinnelly of Christchurch Insider (formally Christchurch Foodie), tells us where to get a bargain in the city, her favourite thing to do in winter and her top insider's tip. What excites you about Christchurch? I feel like Christchurch just keeps getting better. There are constantly new eateries, retail stores etc opening up around the city. I love that I can showcase these cool things about Christchurch and support local businesses. Where’s your go-to for bargain hunting in the city? Op shops! There are so many in Christchurch and you will find me in them every week. I'm loving the new City Mission store in the Boxed Quarter. What’s your favourite thing to do in the city during winter? Go for a hike in the Port Hills. You can't beat a blue sky in Canterbury in winter. We also love to star-gaze and chase the...

We sat down with Shayden Whipps, who along with his wife Georgia, have been sharing their own reno tales on their rad blog Mooch Style. Shayden lets us know what his best treasure find has been, how he'd show off the city to his friends in 24 hours and where he gets away from it all. What excites you about Christchurch? The next generation! Our children will grow up in a city that has had years of solid strategic thinking in its redevelopment and is tailored for their success. The opportunity that it provides for adventure, academic study and culture is endless. Anything coming that you’re particularly looking forward to? I’m really excited for Te Pae/Christchurch Convention Centre. The opportunity and business that the facility will bring to the city is very exciting. We own a home on the fringe of the CBD so we get very excited for developments like...

Cityscape had a yarn to Renee Stewart on what she'd love to see in Christchurch, where she'd drop 5k if she got the chance and her favourite winter hospo haunt. What excites you about Christchurch? I am so excited to see the city finally come together – there is always something new and exciting opening and I absolutely love it! Anything coming that you’re particularly looking forward to? I am such a foodie so definitely the new Riverside Market – it looks like it is going to be amazing! What’s one thing health, food or fashion related you’d love to see in Christchurch? My dream would be for US supermarket chain Whole Foods Market to open up here in Christchurch – I am obsessed! Who is your favourite Cantabrian (living or dead)? Even though she was technically born in Canterbury I have always had huge admiration for Kate Sheppard. Without her, who...

Michelle Sullivan, of the popular Christchurch Daily Photo, clues us in on who her favourite Cantabrian is, her no. 1 spot to snap a stunning photo and her favourite photos from her vast collection. What excites you about Christchurch? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to? Spring! I go into photo overdrive in springtime. I also really want the Heathcote cycleway finished. Then I will have an easy route into the city on my electric bike. Who is your favourite Cantabrian? It’s got to be Richie McCaw. Seriously, what a living legend and role model. Where’s your go-to for a guaranteed stunning photo? Christchurch Botanic Gardens during the “golden hour” of photography. What has surprised you most about the city over the last few years? How vibrant it’s starting to feel in the central city and how people really embraced scooters! I’m a bit of a fan myself, and have been known...

Cityscape spent five minutes with Mary Outram, girlboss behind Borrowed By Mary and Shop By Mary, about what she's looking forward to this year, the brand she'd love to work with and her go-to place to blow off some steam. What excites you about Christchurch? The inner city! Seeing our city slowly come back to life after the sadness of 2011 is really nice to be a part of and to feel a part of that change and seeing it thrive again. Anything coming that you’re particularly looking forward to? Cup and Show Week 2019! Easily one of my favourite weeks of the year. What’s one thing you’d love to see in Christchurch? As a whole I want to see more people getting dressed up and also more events! Sometimes I feel like if you’re dressed well or dressed up there is a perception of "What are you so dressed up for?" People...

We pore over their likes and drool at their Insta feeds but how much do we know about the people behind them? For one thing, don’t call them influencers. Google “I’m not an influencer” and you’ll find myriad examples of YouTube stars and Instagrammers keen to put plenty of distance between the word and what they do. UK beauty blogger Jamie Genevieve (1 million Instagram followers; 750,000 YouTube subscribers) is one of them: "Influencer. Ugh. That word gives me the boak," she told the BBC (Translation? Makes me want to vomit). "It's almost like it's manipulative – manipulating people into buying things. I don't do that.” For Jamie and many others in the world of blogging, the unease over the term is due to its connotations of only pushing products for a fee. “I won't work with things I don't believe in,” she says. “I won't promote it unless I like it. My subscribers...

In the lead-up to the grand opening of The Welder, we get the inside scoop on the impressive development and yarn to the Box 112 team about their vision behind bringing it to life, its unique offering and their other projects. The city is on the rise with a wealth of boutiques, eateries and social hubs having opened up shop in recent months, and it just keeps getting better with the hotly anticipated unveiling of The Welder – the first health and wellbeing centre of such a large scale – brought to life by the team at Box 112. Set to open in the first week of October, The Welder is taking up residence on the bustling Welles Street and joining the impressive rank of culinary haunts such as Welles Street, Winnie Bagoes, Burger Burger and Supreme Supreme alongside the Yoobee Colleges, Grow Active Daycare and the abundance of seriously slick...

Lumière’s Nick Paris tells Cityscape why going to the movies will never go out of fashion. When there’s so many options on Netflix and television, why should people still go to the movies? Because it’s communal. When you are watching something at home there are so many interruptions to actually being in the moment it’s not funny. Whether it’s the jug, the kids, the phone, the constant interruptions with notifications – it’s not the ideal scenario. Because it’s communal you get that extra added feeling of being in one group at one time watching this special experience, so that to me is the key. And it’s something that home entertainment can never deliver. I think cinema is vital because it does the spade work for places like Netflix and those streaming catalogues to get the film out there. I really fear if Netflix is to be the only future, a lot...

New state-of-the-art multiplexes, new boutique art houses – Cityscapers again have a full range of big-screen options in Christchurch. And one of the “little jewels” is in the very safe hands of city cinema legend Nick Paris. Lumière, the Arts Centre’s new theatre complex, is a great big vote of confidence in a bright future for cinema in Christchurch and at the same time a series of gentle nods to the past. There’s the two theatres named after screen legends Brigitte Bardot and Sarah Bernhardt. There’s the names Bijou (for the bar) and Lumière, both firmly entrenched in cinema history both local and international. And then there’s the Bijou Bar’s cocktail list, each drink named after one of the grand movie palaces of Cathedral Square, historical photos of which line the walls. Anyone for a Liberty or a Crystal Palace? None of this would come as a surprise to anyone who knows...

Hot offerings from the world of cool technology. Power in your Pocket Add some extra juice to your phone’s battery life with a Mophie Juice Pack Access. Stylish, streamlined and chic, the juice pack extends the battery of your iPhone up to a total of 31 hours, meaning you have more time for those “important” things – hello extra social time!mophie.com Cinemood No need to find a sweet spot for your laptop or iPad for your next bingewatching marathon, the Cinemood portable movie theatre “brings that magic to life on the big screen – anytime, anywhere, all from the palm of your hand.” Cinemood can create a 3-metre projection on any flat surface and has up to five hours of battery life. cinemood.com SatPaq Heading off the grid? Let us introduce you to SatPaq, the device from Higher Ground that allows you to send and receive messages despite there being no...

What’s a SAV, you ask? It stands for Sports Activity Vehicle and it’s what BMW calls its luxury range of what other manufacturers call a Sports Utility Vehicle, or SUV. It all started with the M5, which launched a whole new genre for BMW. The latest iteration is the X7, and it’s an emphatic statement of luxury. The stats – 5151mm long, 2000mm wide and 1805mm tall, with a wheelbase of 3105mm – mean it certainly makes its presence felt on the road but the exterior still gives an impression of lightness and agility. The spacious interior offers incomparable comfort all the way to the third row of seats. From the base model, the X7 xDrive30d, to the top-of-the-line X7 M50d, a wealth of chassis technology comes as standard, including adaptive suspension with electronically controlled dampers and air springs. The vehicle’s ground clearance can be varied by up to 80 millimetres,...

The slickest tunes on the RDU airwaves. RDU continues to champion new Kiwi music with its Singles Club, a collaboration with In Real Life that lets listeners and music lovers become patrons and support new recordings from emerging artists. The initiative produces a 7” vinyl every month, with each side featuring a recording from two selected artists. Here are three releases from February, March and April. To get with the programme you can check out how to become a patron, and be sure to look out for gigs by these artists at venues around the city. Burn It Down, Zhukov Local punks Zhukov play short, fast songs inspired by dialectical and historical materialism. Their sub 1½ minute new tune is driven by biting guitars and an infectiously catchy call-and-response hook. It’s the first taste of a forthcoming EP recorded by Brian Feary (Melted Ice Cream Records). Everything Is Free, Lucy Smyth...

Revered as a prime location for producing top-notch wine, the picturesque Waipara Valley is home to an array of primo wineries, vineyards and cellar doors, making it the perfect place to head away for a day trip. If you are on the hunt for a spot to pull up a pew and wile away a couple of hours, then Fiddler’s Green Vineyard & Bistro is for you. With new head chef Viv van den Bosch at the helm, you can expect a tasty combination of European inspired and Kiwi favourites as well as comforting pub-style dishes that will entice and delight. Take your pick from their selection of wines or indulge in others from the surrounding Waipara Valley. fiddlersgreenbistro.co.nz  

Cityscape gets the scoop on solar power from Harvey Norman Commercial’s Craig Shaw and World Solar’s Doone Morrell. The two companies have partnered to ensure easy access for New Zealanders to the best of this emerging technology. Doubts about payback times and some well-publicised cowboys have spooked consumers thinking about switching to solar. Which is why the partnership between World Solar and Harvey Norman Commercial New Zealand comes at such a good time. Australasian industry powerhouse World Solar has installed over 10,000 commercial and residential solar systems in New Zealand and Australia, so these guys know what they’re doing. And when Harvey Norman puts its name behind another brand, you know all the due diligence has been done and all the boxes ticked. World Solar’s Doone Morrell says the first thing potential customers want to know is does solar stack up. “Here at World Solar we work very closely with Harvey Norman Commercial and...

Cityscape talks to Mark Doyle, Fletcher Living Community and Stakeholder Manager, who has engaged Gap Filler to ‘activate’ empty building lots with everything from a forest of hammocks to Fatboy Slim gigs, and asks him if this is the most fun he’s had at work. How did you come to be working with Gap Filler on these projects? In December 2015 Fletcher Living signed a development agreement with the Crown to redevelop the central-city area known as the East Frame. A development of this size can’t go up overnight, so Fletcher Living looked to develop a strategy that would deliver this neighbourhood over a period of time, while activating the parcels of land scheduled to be built upon at later stages. We wanted to bring down the fences, open up the area and establish a diverse range of activities, social enterprise initiatives and public amenities – exploring ways we could grow...