Entertainment in New Zealand
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Dux de Lux
Closed until further notice.
Quality micro-brewed beers underpin this Christchurch icon. There’s good food too, especially seafood and vegetarian, and live music features at least four nights a week. On weekend afternoons the garden bar is the place to be after exploring the Arts Centre market.
reviewed
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Belgian Beer Café
Closed until further notice.
Are Belgian beer cafés the new Irish pub? They seem to be springing up everywhere, with the cosy wood-heavy interiors, pots of mussels and fabulous array of beers. This is a fine example of the genre, with a suitably old-world exterior and a good-looking beer menu you'd be happy to work through.
reviewed
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Matterhorn
Perennially popular bar, with a clientele as interesting as its drinks list. Worthy winner of numerous accolades including New Zealand’s best bar and restaurant. Slick and ultracool, with great attention to detail. Occasional live music provided by some of Aotearoa’s freshest bands and musicians.
reviewed
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Tillermans Music Lounge
Upstairs from Don St, Tillerman’s is an alternative live music/DJ venue, with live music ranging from local thrash bands to visiting rock or reggae talents, and DJs doing mostly dub and house. Decrepit black couches and a battered old dance floor prove its credentials. Free entry Thursdays.
reviewed
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Sandwiches
Get yourself a slice of NZ’s electronic artists and DJs, regular multiflavoured international acts and the capital’s best sound system. Throw shapes in the edgy main room or enjoy cocktails and pizza in the sultry bar. Great club run by a dedicated team that isn’t just in it for the bread.
reviewed
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Malthouse
Beervana. An immense array of beers (both local and international) that would make even the most fervent of hopheads quiver at the knees. New Zealand does brew great beer, and this is the place to quaff them. Check out the Forty Licks–style toilets in the gents.
reviewed
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Good Luck
Cuba St’s Chinese opium den, without the opium. This is a slickly run, sultry basement bar playing fresh hip-hop and electronica. It also brings you the thing no one else could: a middle-of-the-mall alfresco lounge – great for watching the Cubacade.
reviewed
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Cabana Bar
This legendary music venue of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s died in 1997, but thanks to some forward-thinking, toe-tapping folk, it’s risen from the grave. Visit its website (www.cabana.net.nz) to see who’s on, then get down there and shake your thang.
reviewed
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Town Hall
Closed until further notice.
The riverside town hall and its two main spaces (the 2500-seat Auditorium and the 1000-seat James Hay Theatre) are the main venues for local performing arts such as orchestras, choirs and bands. The venue’s acoustics are excellent.
reviewed
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Backbencher
You might spot the odd parliamentarian on the turps at the Backbencher, a pub opposite the Beehive where rubbery puppets of NZ pollies are mounted trophy-style on the walls (David Lange is a beauty). Good weekend brunches.
reviewed
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Pheasant Plucker
A place for a proper pint, but this time á l’Anglais. The Pheasant proffers locally brewed and British beer, along with bangers ’n’ mash and nonstop carvery with Yorkshire pud (mains $15 to $36).
reviewed
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Gecko Theatre
When the weather closes in, pull up an easy chair at this wee, independent theatre for interesting art-house flicks. Cheap tickets ($9) are available on Mondays and Tuesdays.
reviewed
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Mac’s Brewery Bar
Occupying a renovated warehouse on a prime waterfront site, this microbrewery does a great job of looking seriously committed to the craft. Excellent fish and chips.
reviewed
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Embassy Theatre
Wellywood’s cinema mothership, built in the 1920s. Screens mainstream films; bar and cafe on-site.
reviewed
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Mayfair Theatre
Resembling a pink liquorice allsorts, this seafront picture house screens almost-recent releases.
reviewed
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Cinema Paradiso
Playing first-run and classic movies, Cinema Paradiso has got to be the coolest movie theatre around. Forget boring, stiff cinema seats, this theatre is filled with vintage couches to snuggle up on. Extra cushions are available to stretch out on the floor and there’s even an old Morris Minor to sit in for the true drive-in movie experience. At intermission they throw open the doors and the smell of freshly baked cookies wafts through the theatre and you just can’t help yourself. There is a great cafe that can prepare a meal to be ready at the break. Then sit back and watch the second half of the film with a plate of fantastic grub. Now that’s dinner and a movie! Try the h…
reviewed
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Backstage
Hidden down an appropriately seedy backstreet, magnificently grungy Backstage is the live-music venue in Dunedin. This is where NZ's bigger acts usually play when they're in town, whether they're pop, metal, rock, jazz or dub. Check local media or the website to see who's playing when you're in town. Acts here can be pretty loud, but it's a big bar, so you can generally escape far enough to be able to think, if not talk. It even does bar food, but you'd have to be pretty hungry…
reviewed
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Penguin Club
Tucked down a seedy industrial alley off a 19th-century street, the Penguin’s bizarre location matches its acts: everything from Flying Nun stalwarts the Clean to punky/grungy/rocky/country locals. Big national acts and up-and-coming international acts sometimes drop by, too. Fridays are open-stage jam night with free admission. If there’s something on at Penguin – anything – go and see it. It’s nominally Members Only, so ask at the Oamaru i-SITE about scoring a guest pass.
reviewed
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Arc Cafe
Wonderful Arc Cafe would be an asset in any city: out front there's a laid-back, grungy bar-café with mismatched tables and a gentle, welcoming vibe from the be-dreaded staff and drinkers; in back there's a dark live-music venue where fine bands play to packed crowds, or lousy bands play for their own entertainment. Good for a midday coffee or a late night beer. The vegetarian fare here is some of the best (and certainly the healthiest) options for late-night snacking.
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Stadium Southland
Stadium Southland is home to Invercargill’s extremely successful and popular Southern Steel women’s netball team (www.southern steel.co.nz; season April to July). You can try out rock climbing here from $5 (7pm Tuesdays and Thursdays) and there’s also New Zealand’s only indoor velodrome. Come along Tuesday at 5.30pm for the opportunity (per hour $10) to get high on the wall on two wheels. Coaching is provided.
reviewed
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Empire
The stately old dame of Dunedin's pubs, this is a ‘must visit' if you're one of the army of Flying Nun pilgrims that visit Dunedin each year. It's not in the hot list of greatest live-music venues these days, but is still a damn fine venue, with bars on each of three floors, each providing a different vibe, and often hosting local bands (perhaps blues or acoustic) or jam sessions on the bottom floor.
reviewed
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Charleston European Tavern
Charleston, 28km south of Westport, boomed during the 1860s gold rush, with 80 hotels, three breweries, and hundreds of thirsty gold-diggers staking claims along the Nile River. The only pub left is the Charleston European Tavern, now doing double-duty as a cafe during the day and a boozer at night. It’s the base for underground, water-laden trips offered by Norwest Adventures.
reviewed
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Edge
A quartet of performing-arts venues comes under the Edge's collective management. They're all within a ticket's toss of one another, and each favours a specific style. They include Aotea Square and the imposing Auckland Town Hall, its Great Hall home of the Symphony Orchestra (www.aucklandsymphony.gen.nz) and Philharmonia (www.aucklandphil.co.nz). Nearby is the Aotea Centre and the Civic theatre.
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