Weekend in the city
A girls’ getaway to the Big Smoke doesn’t disappoint.
Having lived in Aotearoa’s largest city for many years of my adult life, I’m
no stranger to its amazing attractions. But, as a city does, Auckland seems to transform every time I return. New shops, restaurants and hotels pop up faster than an Intercity bus on Hobson Street at rush hour.
So when a friend suggested we leave our families for a weekend in the Big Smoke, I jumped at the chance. Shopping, cocktails, amazing food and great company – what more do you need from a girls’ getaway? Said friend arrived early on Friday to pick me up. In jumped two other tired mums, and we all miraculously mustered up the energy to head straight for the shops.
Sylvia Park
Sylvia Park is perfectly positioned for anyone south of Auckland. We pulled right in off the motorway in time for lunch at one of the many restaurants at the mall’s alluring food alley near the entrance. After some traditional Vietnamese pho – and some not-so-traditional cocktails – at Vietflames, we hit the shops. We only had a couple of hours to spare so prioritised all the major brands like Zara, H&M, Country Road, Decjuba and Gorman, as well as the two big make-up and skincare chains, Sephora and Mecca. Yes, we have a few of these in the Bay, but the bigger offerings provide far more variety and options.
Westfield Mall Newmarket + Nuffield Street
The next mall on the hit list was one I hadn’t visited in years. It may have just opened last time I was here, and boy has it changed. Newmarket’s Westfield Mall offers all your usual middle-of-the-road stores but also has great women’s clothing shops like Assembly Label, Sass and Bide, Seed Heritage and COS, as well as the high-end stores such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton and the luxe department store David Jones, all of which I successfully avoided.
Three hours free parking gave us just enough time to get through the mall. The building is also perfect for kids with a covered playground, Event Cinemas and plenty of food options.
The top floor is dedicated to dine-in eateries, while the food court offers plenty of healthy food options, and your usual takeaway fare.
Of course, we had to get across the road to Nuffield Street too. A jewellery sale at Karen Walker had us standing outside in line for 20 minutes just to get a look at the new collection. Once we entered the store, free coffee and bowls of candy kept our energy and spirits up just enough to meander down the rest of Nuffield Street, to experience all its great offerings.
Ponsonby Road
Ponsonby has always been a boutique haven for shoppers, but since the addition of Ponsonby Central it now has the glue to hold it all together – and a pinpoint for the Uber to stop smack bang in the middle of the energetic suburb.
Still staying in line with the boutique-focused vibe, Ponsonby Central offers pop-up stores and cafés but also a vintage shop, a food market and Wallace Cotton, which remains a permanent fixture.
Across the road are two of my favourite stores – the Women’s Book Store and Mag Nation, and a bit further down is the famous Scotties Boutique and Zambesi. Of course you can’t go past Workshop and Karen Walker (again), and the many little vintage shops tucked between bars and cafés. I could stay here all day.
Commercial Bay
This new mall in downtown Auckland is obviously designed to cater for the harbour cruisers, but there’s a great amount of variety for your casual shopper here too. It has everything from H&M, General Pants and Lululemon, to Kiwi designer stores, Calvin Klein and Hugo Boss. There’s also some great eatery options with fine dining restaurants such as Ahi, PONI and a whole lot more upstairs.
STAY
QT Auckland
When looking for accommodation, QT Auckland suited us to a T. Centrally located between the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter, the hotel is a short walk from the downtown shops and restaurants, and a quick Uber to Ponsonby, Parnell and Newmarket.
Its quirky decor is surprising when you walk in from the street. The 20-year-old repurposed office building still fits in with its commercial neighbourhood, yet the interior’s sophisticated character, combined with its avant-garde style, makes you feel as if you’ve travelled to Paris or Berlin. We were offered bubbles on arrival and invited to the rooftop bar where they were celebrating the addition of a new bubbly to their menu. We were planning to go straight up but were so impressed with our rooms that we decided to lounge around in them for a while beforehand.
EAT
QT Rooftop Bar
On our first night at the QT we didn’t even think about leaving the building. We headed up to the top level for a few drinks before dinner, which was booked down on ground level at Esther. The views at the rooftop bar are spectacular, and the cocktails went down a treat after a hard day of shopping. Sipping divine drinks while enjoying the stunning views of the Viaduct and Waitemata Harbour was just what we needed. The place was already packed at 5pm, and somehow got busier as the night wore on. This was obviously the place to be.
Esther
Fronted by top international chef, Sean Connolly, everything about this Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is designed to impress, especially the
food. The slow-cooked roasted lamb was a definite highlight, along with the Truffle Fonduta with ciabatta and black Perigord truffle.
Even breakfast is quite the international food journey with strong Middle Eastern, Asian and Spanish flavours to get us ready for another day of shopping. Dishes such as the Khach a Puri, Baked Shakshuka and Tortilla Espanola were a delight to the taste buds, enough energy for the body and offered just the right amount of stodge to soak up our cocktails from the night before.
Daphnes Bar Taverna
Keeping with our choice of old-timey-turned-trendy-named restaurants, we booked in at Daphnes in Ponsonby for Saturday night. The service was on par with the incredible food, especially when one over-excited friend accidentally flung a whole glass of red wine all over another friend’s newly purchased white Karen Walker blouse. The waiter was immediately to the rescue with laundry tips and expert dabbing. As well as the great wine selection, I would highly recommend the raw scallops,
oyster mushroom skewers and grilled chicken.
