My Secret Auckland: Circus performer Eve Gordon's favourite places in the city
Favourite restaurant for dinner with friends?
Ghost St Kitchen down the bottom of town has epically delicious, unique, reimagined Beijing-inspired kai.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by kingi (@kingi_britomart)
Favourite place to take a visitor to?
I love taking visitors out to Arataki Visitor Centre. The walks are easy and short but beautiful and show off the glory of the Waitākere ranges. The visitors' centre is conservation-focused and has a bunch of super-interesting stories and facts from locals through history.
Favourite spot to finish a night out?
The bar people at Caretaker are creative, fantastic to chat to and make the very best cocktails.Highly recommended.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Caretaker (@caretaker.nz)
Favourite place to get coffee?
I'm currently performing in Smashed: The Nightcap in the Speigeltent in Aotea Square and have rediscovered just how incredible Remedy Cafe's coffee is.
Favourite fish-and-chip shop?
I'm not much of fish and chips fan, being gluten-free, but I'm always on the lookout for yummy GF pasta. Pici in St Kevins Arcade has fantastic GF pasta options and is Māori owned as a bonus.
Favourite trail for a hike?
I can't say just one so I'm offering up Te Kōpuke (Mt St John), Māngere Mountain and also of course the fantastic hikes and super loud Kākā of Aotea (Great Barrier Island).
Favourite venue for a gig?
I have to say the Speigeltent in Aotea Square is a freaking awesome venue and should be permanently installed somewhere. Failing that, when Ellerslie Arts opens it's going to be the hottest place to see fresh new art.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Eve M D Gordon (@e.vie.gordon)
Favourite place to find a bargain?
I've recently got amazing deals at both Little Tatty's in Ponsonby and SaveMart in Manukau so I feel like there is room for both ends of the spectrum in second-hand shopping.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsroom
2 hours ago
- Newsroom
The Dr Timoti effect
There is something special going on with The Unlikely Doctor, the new book by Dr Timoti Te Moke which has stunned the book trade by toppling Jacinda Ardern's memoir from the No 1 spot on the bestseller chart—in only its first week in the shops. The sales surge followed his momentous interview with Kathryn Ryan on Nine to Noon. It attracted 14,000 likes on RNZ's Facebook and has led to a wave of invitations. The attraction is obvious–Te Moke's inspirational memoir tells of his journey from prison to becoming a doctor—but it also captures or rather interrupts a kind of zeitgeist. The national narrative right now is miserable, racist, broke. The Unlikely Doctor shines a light, holds out hope in these angry, punishing islands. A free copy was up for grabs in the most recent ReadingRoom giveaway contest. Readers were asked why they wanted to read it. I was swamped with entries and a common factor among many was the theme of hope, salvation, the need to come up with something better than the current governance model of boot camps and benefit sanctions. 'I've spent 35 years helping people to read and write,' emailed Leigh Utting. 'For some of those years, I worked in prisons helping men to read and write. It was very difficult to find stories that spoke to them, spoke of them. I now help young apprentices (almost all men) and the lack is the same. If I had this book I could lend it to them, read it with them.' Deb Nation shared a story with parallels to Te Moke's journey. 'I once interviewed a gangland rangatira who earned his brutal leadership skills from the NZ Army. He grew up on the East Coast. His parents booted him out as a kid, and he survived by his brother sneaking him food behind the local dairy. 'Coming south to military training he found a weekend family in the local gang, and soon rose to the top. After endless spells in prison he eventually realised his mana as gang leader wasn't as good as it had been. Systems were changing both inside, and out. He was reaching retirement age. He decided to go straight. 'He got a degree in psychology and started coaching rugby to young gang kids. His aim was to divert them into another way of life. 'I really liked this guy. His patient understanding and empathy for people, was beyond excellent. I'm sure I'd find the same for Dr Timoti.' Reverend Michael Blakely kind of made it all about himself. He wrote, 'Having been in pastoral care ministry in South Auckland in the seventies, I served many struggling families from Māori and Pasifika backgrounds. I loved them and they loved me. As a school, parish and Health Care Chaplain, I got to know hundreds of whānau. I supported them on their journey towards wholeness. For a period, I was also chaplain to a well-known gang. The whakatauki that always governed my life was 'Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God.'' Anne–Marie Patterson made it all about Dr Timoti. 'I work as an administrator, based in the Hunter Centre, for the Early Learning in Medicine (ELM) programme at the University of Otago where Timoti completed his 2nd & 3rd Years of his MB ChB degree. 'Timoti was always here in the Hunter sitting at a table studying. He spent hours and hours each day doing this but also was never too busy to sit and chat with others, or give you a smile as you passed by. I knew, as an older student, that he had an interesting past, but did not know the details. 'If I should win this book, it would be passed around the others here in our very special ELM community who knew Timoti, and then it would be placed in our Māori students study room as an inspiration to them.' Almost every entry was about life in Aotearoa, about Aotearoa problems, wanting solutions for the broken societies within Aotearoa. But there was also an epic message from a reader who only gave his name as Abdul. He wrote, 'I was born in Kenya to Somali parents. Growing up in Kenya as a Somali in late eighties and early nineties was not easy. I was struggling with identity as I was not fully seen as Kenyan and on the other hand I was not fully accepted as Somali. 'To make matters worse the government of Kenya introduced a draconian law that targeted people of Somali ethnicity. We were targeted and threaten by the government. My father lost his business. We were subject to deportation to a country that we had no connection with. Somalia at that time was on the verge of a Civil War. 'The Kenyan government introduced what was infamously known as the pink card where people of Somali heritage were subjected to trauma and discrimination using flawed screening process to determine their Kenyaness. 'We were grateful to many human rights lawyers who were speaking up against this injustice. We managed to survive this ordeal even though the trauma is still with us. It is only this year that the Kenyan government abolished one of the draconian policy that came to be known as vetting of IDs. 'I experienced this injustice as a little boy and I saw how advocacy by human rights lawyers can make a difference. 'For many years I had this dream of becoming a lawyer, however life got on the way. Finally at the age of 48, I was admitted as a solicitor and a barrister of the NZ High Court in Auckland realising my long desire and dream. 'It is stories like Dr Timoti that inspire people who did not have the chance to realise their dream. It would be a privilege to have this book. This incredible journey of resilience and hope could inspire me to share my own story in the hope of inspiring many who feel lost and doubt themselves, which is all too familiar to me.' A winner of the giveaway copy of The Unlikely Doctor will be announced in ReadingRoom on Friday. The Unlikely Doctor by Timoti Te Moke (Allen & Unwin, $37.99) is available in bookstores nationwide.
NZ Herald
12 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Taylor Swift announces 12th album for ‘pre pre-order'
"The Life of a Showgirl" will be Swift's 12th studio album. Photo / Getty Images Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. "The Life of a Showgirl" will be Swift's 12th studio album. Photo / Getty Images US popstar Taylor Swift announced her 12th album, titled The Life of a Showgirl, for 'pre pre-order' just after midnight on Tuesday in posts on her website. Her online shop displayed blurred images of a record, CD and cassette tape overlaid with a glittery orange lock, explaining the album artwork would be 'revealed at a later date'. A disclaimer also notes that the release date has not yet been announced, and the album will ship before October 13. 'So I wanted to show you something,' the singer says in a video clip posted to her Instagram as she holds up a vinyl album, its cover completely blurred. 'This is my brand new album The Life of a Show Girl,' she says in the clip from the New Heights podcast, hosted by her boyfriend, American football player Travis Kelce, and his brother, ex-NFL player Jason Kelce.
NZ Herald
19 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Waihī Beach Surf Shack's winning Taniwha Toastie
For Surf Shack owner Pip Coombes, the win was not only a culinary achievement but a deeply personal celebration of place, people, and purpose. 'We're really stoked,' said Coombes. 'We've had people from all over the country come and try it over the six weeks.' Gerrard Ellmers from G's Cuisine enjoying a Taniwha Toastie. Photo / Supplied. She was surprised to find people arriving at 9am to eat the Taniwha Toastie for breakfast. 'It wouldn't be my 'go-to',' Coombes said. 'Even though we knew it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, seeing the absolute delight on people's faces when lifting the smoking cloche to reveal the toastie has been pure magic.' The Taniwha Toastie was more than a dish; it was a cultural and culinary homage. Inspired by Tūhua Island (also known as Mayor Island), just off the coast of Waihī Beach, Coombes created Parāoa Tūhua to reflect the island's obsidian origins. The striking dark bread, developed over 16 trial batches, was enriched with McClure's spicy pickle juice and influenced by both rēwena bread — a traditional Māori potato bread similar to sourdough — and focaccia techniques. 'For us, it's about more than flavour; it's about local ingredients and storytelling. We wanted to honour the whenua, celebrate our local kai, and bring people together over something delicious.' Kararaina Sydney, Horiana Wimutu, Maringirangi Pohatu, and Missy Wimutu who contributed to the Taniwha Toastie design. Photo / Supplied. Coombes worked closely with local hapū Te Whānau a Tauwhao, in collaboration with Whaea Kararaina Sydney, to forage for native herbs like kawakawa and horopito. Despite her early doubts — 'I said to the staff, 'It's eel. Who's going to eat that?'' — The Taniwha became a viral hit. During six weeks, Surf Shack sold an average of 20 toasties a day, culminating in 796 votes — comfortably ahead of Napier's The Boardwalk, which came second with 514 votes. 'It was the staff that made the People's Choice win happen,' Coombes said. 'Our head chef Brad Major was dedicated to making every single one. It was full on. The staff even ran their own in-house competition to see who could get the most votes.' Surf Shack Eatery's Taniwha Toastie which has won the People's Choice in the 2025 Great NZ Toastie Takeover competition. Photo / Supplied And the pickle? It featured eight different ways in the final dish — from dehydrated pickle shards to pickle-infused bread, pickle mayo, pickle salsa, pickle salt and more. 'It was literally born from my love of pickles, our coastline in our community and working with our hāpu,' Coombes said. The Surf Shack Eatery, located at 123 Emerton Road, Waihī Beach, has been a local favourite since Pip and partner Jo Coombes took it over 10 years ago. Jo runs the premises and 'does the hard yards' while Jo's son Brad is head chef. This was their first time entering the toastie competition, as it had previously clashed with annual leave. 'It started on the day we got back from America, so has been full on.' Looking ahead, Coombes plans to enter again next year — perhaps with a more crowd-pleasing option. 'With everything that's going on and our relationship here at Waihī Beach Beach with hāpu, I think the sandwich should be a celebration of culture.' For now, the Taniwha Toastie remains on the menu — but only while supplies last. With sustainably sourced eel running low and the complex 48-hour bread-making process taking its toll, it won't be around forever. Kararaina Sydney and Pip Coombes. Kararaina helped Pip with sourcing the native herbs and advising on ingredients. Photo / Supplied. ''We have loved the competition; our staff have been amazing,' Coombes said. 'It's been a labour of love. A huge shout-out to the people we have met and have travelled huge distances to try the toastie – and ultimately all the 796 voters.' The Supreme Winner of the 2025 Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover will be announced on August 20, with all 13 finalists' toasties available on menus until then. Last year's People's Choice went to Rotorua's Capers Café for its Brotha 'Mmmm hoisin pork belly toastie. This year, they were back in the finals with a Braised Birria Brotha. But for 2025, it's the Taniwha that captured the nation's taste buds — and hearts.
