Style: February 07, 2020

FEBRUARY 2020 

The FOOD issue 

Building 

a healthy 

relationship 

with food 

Booking 

your 

next 

holiday 

Niue or the 

West Coast? 

Hunger 

for Hanoi 

Why a Vietnamese 

accountant 

changed her 

career 

A life of spice 

From lessons in an Indian kitchen 

to a family of restaurants

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT 

DESTINATION 

FEATURING 

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MUMBAI EXPRESS / ADANA GRILL / KATSUBI 

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MCDONALD’S / TANK JUICE

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GIVING SUMMER A 

PERSoNAl 

toUch

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THE ULTIMATE 

SUMMER DAY OUT AT THE 

pOLO 

hagley park • 29 February 2020 

Prize Package includes: 

– four tiCkEts to thE polo 

– WinnEr rECEivEs full styling 

by thE Colombo, inCluding hair, 

makEup, shoEs and fashion 

Entry forms availablE at thE Colombo

A NOTE TO YOU 

PUBLISHER 

Charlotte Smulders 

Star Media 

Level One, 359 Lincoln Road, 

Christchurch 8024 

03 379 7100 

EDITORIAL 

Kate Preece 

Group Editor 

kate@starmedia.kiwi 

Shelley Robinson 

Deputy Editor 

shelley.robinson@starmedia.kiwi 

Kerry Laundon 

Proofreader 

Zoe Williams 

Social Editor 

DESIGN 

Rodney Grey 

Gemma Quirk 

ADVERTISING 

Vivienne Montgomerie 

Sales Manager 

03 364 7494 / 021 914 428 

viv.montgomerie@starmedia.kiwi 

Janine Oldfield 

Account Executive 

janine.oldfield@starmedia.kiwi 

Juliana Young 

Account Executive 

juliana.young@starmedia.kiwi 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Alison Lambert, Bronwyn Hegarty, 

Charlotte Jackson/Charlie Rose Creative, Gaynor Stanley, 

Getty Images, iStock, Jamalia Rose, 

Katy Husband, Rachel Vogan, Vanessa Ortynsky 

Every month, Style (ISSN 2624-4314) shares the latest in local and international 

home, lifestyle and fashion with its discerning readers. 

Perfect-bound and printed on sustainably sourced, superior paper stock for 

a lengthy shelf life, 46,000 copies are distributed to the premier suburbs of 

Christchurch, Selwyn District, North Canterbury, Ashburton, 

Queenstown and Wanaka. Available in Style stands at selected businesses 

throughout the South Island. 

Further readers enjoy us online at www.starmedia.kiwi/magazines/style 

Star Media, a division of Allied Press Ltd, is not responsible for any actions taken 

on the information in these articles. The information and views expressed in this publication are 

not necessarily the opinion of Allied Press Ltd or its editorial contributors. 

Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information within this magazine, however, 

Allied Press Ltd can accept no liability for the accuracy of all the information. 

www.style.kiwi 

Facebook.com/stylechristchurch 

Instagram: Style_Christchurch 

Food. It’s our fuel, yet we can both 

fight it and totally overindulge 

in it. It can make us feel sated or 

saturated, energised or in dire need 

of a nap. We have such a strange 

relationship with food today. 

It used to be less topical, but as 

the modern-day demands for speed 

and mass production started affecting 

how food is grown, cooked and 

delivered, we’ve had to become 

more aware of food’s journey to 

our plates. 

If I had a dollar for the number of 

times people commented on what I 

was having for lunch, I’d be shouting 

everyone dinner. My ‘best’ meal of 

the day is the final feast, when I sit 

down at the family dinner table and 

eat well. For me, this means some 

home-killed meat and store-bought 

vegetables arranged into some sort 

of cohesive dish. It might not be your 

cup of tea, but it certainly makes me 

look past the instant-noodle lunch. 

Don’t let food rule your life; it is 

just food after all. That’s what we 

learnt from nutritionist Kiera Joblin 

in this month’s wellbeing piece (page 

76) and I think it’s a lesson to note. 

Instead, enjoy the journeys that 

food takes you on, because, so often, 

like Style, they’re ones we share with 

friends and family. 

Kate Preece 

EDITOR 

WANT STYLE DELIVERED STRAIGHT 

TO YOUR LETTERBOX? 

CONTACT: zoe.williams@starmedia.kiwi 

Swap a can of food for 

a free Resene testpot! 

Bring a can of food into your local Resene owned 

ColorShop and we’ll give you a FREE Resene 

testpot (worth up to $5.80). All cans of food will 

be donated to local Salvation Army and community 

foodbanks to give to Kiwi families in need. 

So start gathering up those cans and bring them 

into your local Resene owned ColorShop. 

Limit of 7 free testpots 60-80ml per household. Maximum of 1 testpot per Resene 

colour. Food can must be at least 200ml/gm of food or more. Hunger for Colour runs 

from 1-29 February 2020 or while testpot stocks last. See details in store or online.

Make someday today. 

Exceptional demonstrator offers across the range.^ 

Why wait? Make it today. 

Ends February 29 th . Ask us now. 

^ Offer available from participating retailers on demonstrator vehicles ordered and delivered between 13.01.20 – 29.02.20. Subject to availability of 

demonstrator vehicles. Retailers will not carry demonstrator vehicles for all models. While stocks last. Visit www.mercedes-benz.co.nz/mercedays.

FASHION & BEAUTY 

66 RUNWAY RIOT 

Fresh Looks From Paris 

Fashion Week 

68 AUTUMN IS COMING 

Colours To Live In 

73 HAIR WE GO 

Give Your Locks Some 

Heat-Free Love 

81 

MOTORING 

92 THE EQUINOX 

EXPERIENCE 

Better In Black 

TRAVEL 

81 ISLAND PARADISE 

On Tour In Niue 

86 WAY OUT WEST 

The Must-Dos Of The 

West Coast 

66 

86 

COVER 

68 

RESENE YOWZA 

Feed the mind, body and soul in Style. 

Photo: Getty Images

New Year 

NEW APPROACHES 

Welcome to 2020: a new year, a 

new decade and for many, myself 

included, a chance to try new ways 

of looking at and maximizing life. 

I’ve entered this year in a manner similar to 

previous years. I’m excited about the future 

and buoyed by the opportunities ahead. 

Some of these are already in the planning 

and some are absolutely unknown, but will 

no doubt show themselves when the time 

is right (they always do). I like to stay open 

to that. As a natural optimist and perpetual 

organizer, I also like to review the previous 

year, find the lessons – whether good, 

difficult or somewhere in between – and 

then learn from them. 

So, with that in mind, here’s what is 

resonating for me as I consider both the 

personal and the professional path ahead. 

Connection and happiness. 

I’ve recently spent time looking at aspects 

of well-being and happiness (that’s what a 

holiday does for you!) and, as a result, the 

theme for our company this year is ‘Wellbeing 

and Resilience’. 

Why? Well, we know from experience that it 

can get very tough in the real estate industry, 

whether you’re brand-new or a veteran, 

and as a leadership team we’re deeply 

committed to relieving some of the stress, 

insecurities and constant disappointments 

that can accompany the profession. To do 

this, we’re enlisting the support of numerous 

professionals to help in the journey – experts 

in nutrition, sleep, financial management 

and resilience – which I think will be a 

change-maker. We are launching our team 

support program with a presentation by a 

recent New Zealander of the Year, Mike King. 

In doing the research prior to concluding 

that we need to increase our support 

framework, I came across a study conducted 

by Harvard University. This 80-year-old 

study, known as the Harvard Study of Adult 

Development (one of the longest studies 

on adult life), found that close relationships 

and connection kept people happy and that 

embracing a community helped them live 

longer whilst also keeping brains healthier. 

The study also found that the happiest of the 

group of 724 participants credited amongst 

their life lessons, a) not sweating the small 

stuff and b) letting go of past failures. 

As simple as both these lessons sound, 

neither is easy, but both are deeply beneficial 

when applied to the real estate industry – or 

many other industries, for that matter. 

So, connection, community, collaboration 

and everything these things entail will be a 

vital part of the year ahead for our company, 

as I hope they will be for you. 

If they’re not, and a new career is part of your 

New Year plans, contact me. Life is simply 

too short to be standing still or feeling 

disconnected, and happiness is too fleeting. 

Otherwise, try yoga (I'm going to!) and have 

a magical year. 

Lynette McFadden 

BUSINESS OWNER HARCOURTS GOLD 

HARCOURTS NZ INSPIRATIONAL 

WOMEN AMBASSADOR 

IN NEW ZEALAND 

NEW YEAR 

NEW CAREER 

withgold 

PAPANUI 352 6166 International & Migrant Division (+64) 3 662 9811 

REDWOOD 352 0352 • PARKLANDS 383 0406 • NEW BRIGHTON 382 0043 

GOLD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT 352 6454 

GOLD REAL ESTATE GROUP LTD LICENSED AGENT REAA 2008 A MEMBER OF THE HARCOURTS GROUP 

www.homes4sale.co.nz FOLLOW US ON...

16 STYLE | inside word 

INSIDE WORD 

TASTE 

Midnight Shanghai 

Midnight Shanghai (101/96 Oxford Terrace), a modern 

Chinese restaurant specialising in dim sum and karaoke, has 

sprung up on Riverside Market’s top floor. Garlic and spices 

panko-fried banana prawns with garlic aioli? Yes, please. 

Waffle fries. Need we say more? Dunedin’s Déjà vu Eats 

has a cheeky-looking offering in this department that looks 

mighty tempting. When you walk into the Asian street food 

restaurant (115 Stuart Street) a neon sign says ‘You are my 

favourite day dream’. Was never a truer word said about 

waffle fries? 

Proper Crisps has teamed up with proper designer, Dame 

Trelise Cooper, to present their Pink Himalayan Salt flavour in 

two seriously stylish compostable bags. Now that’s good taste! 

SHOP 

Nikki Ross Jewellery 

Nikki Ross Jewellery’s new range, The Rebirth of Cool, is a 

feast of raw, edgy delights. It evokes a certain attitude that will 

see you rocking the Day of the Dead Ring. The Tiger Pendant 

and Cheetah Cuff bracelet are standouts, while the Zircoin 

Plain Carabiner teamed with a necklace and the Cupids Arrow 

earrings make for powerhouse statement pieces. 

We had a sneak peek at a particularly delicious pink coat at 

Ivy Blu (20/166 Cashel Street, The Crossing) that will be part 

of a new label called Harlem. Fair to say there were also a few 

other things that caught our eyes, especially the Dance of the 

Knight top, a beautifully feminine high-necked lace top. We 

love that this range can be worn with a cheeky sneaker or a 

high heel. We want more, please.

18 STYLE | inside word 

INSIDE WORD 

INDULGE 

Dry & Tea 

You have an event on and no matter how much product 

you put in, you just can’t get that look promised to you by 

the YouTube tutorial. As a result both your hair and nerves 

are frayed. Off you pop to Dry & Tea. That’s right, with a 

branch now in Christchurch (3/166 Cashel Street) you can 

simply walk in, order a look off the menu, sit back and relax 

with a soothing tea offering. Yes please. 

For those of us who enjoy the heady smell of a freshly 

opened book you will be delighted at this news. The Clocks 

Bookshop has recently opened in Christchurch (12 Normans 

Road) and it is a smorgasbord of delights for bookworms 

both young and old. Be warned: you may be some time in 

this shop, so best leave those with antsy feet at home. 

FOR GOOD 

Bee the Change 

Essence of Humanity, known for its vegan plant-based 

products, is going a step further in its quest to create ethical 

skincare. It is giving 100 per cent of its surplus generated 

from sales to support people who are struggling in Africa, 

by partnering with charity So They Can. The range was 

previously only available online, but from this month will be 

sold at selected Countdown supermarkets. 

Queenstown businesses are doing their bit to help the allimportant 

bee population by supporting Bee the Change’s 

mission to educate and pollinate. Micro-brewery and 

restaurant Canyon Brewing is sponsoring three hives, located 

near an orchard at the Arthurs Point School House Reserve, 

while those backed by Yonder, The World Bar, Public and 

The Fat Lamb are adding a buzz to the Queenstown Gardens. 

稀攀戀爀愀渀漀 

䴀漀礀甀爀甀 

刀甀渀搀栀漀氀稀䈀氀愀挀欀䴀攀氀愀倀甀爀搀椀攀 

伀戀椀䌀栀漀挀漀氀愀琀

20 STYLE | events 

SAVE THE DATE 

FEBRUARY 2020 | EMAIL YOUR EVENTS TO editor@style.kiwi 

7 – 8 FEBRUARY 

KATHMANDU COAST TO COAST 

New Brighton Pier, Christchurch 

18 FEBRUARY 

THE GUILTY FEMINIST PODCAST 

Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch 

22 FEBRUARY 

ELECTRIC AVENUE 

Hagley Park, Christchurch 

MUSIC 

8 

Fat Freddy’s Drop 

As part of their annual summer road 

trip, Fat Freddy’s Drop is stopping by 

with a swag of New Zealand’s 

finest musicians and international DJs. 

John Davies Oval, Queenstown Events 

Centre, Queenstown 

15 

Gladys Knight 

With a career that has spanned more 

than 50 years, the legendary ‘Empress of 

Soul’ is set to deliver a show-stopping 

performance with her nine-piece band. 

Christchurch Town Hall 

23 

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals 

Three-time Grammy winner Ben Harper 

hits the stage in Queenstown. 

Cargo Brewery, Queenstown 

PERFORMING ARTS 

7 & 8 

Leighs Construction Outdoor Cinema 

Head on down to the picturesque 

North Quad with your rug and settle in 

for a night at the movies. 

North Quad, The Arts Centre, 

Christchurch 

12 

In Conversation with Margaret Atwood 

Man Booker Prize winner Margaret 

Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, 

takes the stage for a Q & A session. 


14-16 

Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonatas 

New Zealand violinist Justine Cormack 

and American pianist Kate Boyd perform 

Beethoven’s 10 violin and piano sonatas. 

14: Bannockburn Coronation Hall 

15: Lake Wanaka Centre 

16: Queenstown Memorial Centre 

15 

YES Power Sparks 

It’s time for the annual spectacular 

of music and fireworks. Led by the 

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, 

this year’s programme is packed with 

cultural collaborations and modern-day 

favourites. 

North Hagley Park, Christchurch 

18 

Jonathan Van Ness 

The Queer Eye star and celebrity 

hairstylist serves up “cirque-du-so-gayrealness” 

between stand-up sets. 


22 February – 14 March 

A Streetcar Named Desire 

Heralded as one of the finest plays of the 

20th century, the iconic story of Blanche 

DuBois comes to life on stage. 

Court Theatre, Christchurch 

5 March 

a-ha & Rick Astley 

The Norwegian trio who dominated pop 

charts worldwide during the ’80s tours 

New Zealand for the first time. 

Horncastle Arena, Christchurch 

SPORT 

14 

Sky Sport NZ Breakers 

The race for the top 4 is on! Don’t miss 

their last Christchurch game. 

Horncastle Arena, Christchurch 

15 

Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon 

& Trail Runs 

Ready for a challenge? Run across sheep 

tracks and high-country mustering routes 

before finishing near Moke Lake. 

Ben Lomond Station, Moke Lake Road, 

Queenstown 

22 

Generation Homes La Grande Swim 

This seven-event swim series includes a 

5km for the first time in the South Island. 

Akaroa Recreation Grounds 

27 February – 1 March 

New Zealand Open 

Watch some of the best players from 

across New Zealand, Australia and Asia 

in action. Free entry for spectators. 

Millbrook Resort & The Hills, 

Arrowtown

22 STYLE | people 

BACKSTAGE STORY 

Queenstown musician Margaret O’Hanlon recently won a Kiwibank Local Hero medal 

for her many roles in the performing arts arena. She talks to Shelley Robinson about her 

disastrous first time on stage and why she was not of ‘sound mind’ when she married. 

didn’t actually know how to talk to people very well. So, I 

gave up singing for seven years because I really didn’t think I 

was good enough and got a film degree. And I didn’t like the 

pressure. When you live in a place like New York City there is 

tremendous pressure to succeed. 

What drew you to New Zealand? 

When I worked in New York, the minimum wage was $3.45. I 

thought about how many hours I would have to work to make 

tiny little savings to maybe afford to rent. At that point, I said 

nope. I’m going to save money, and travel. 

I met people from Australia, New Zealand and Europe and 

they were so cool. They didn’t care about politics; they didn’t 

care about making a living. They were like, ‘I’m having an OE.’ 

That concept is so not American. 

Margaret O’Hanlon 

If I rattled off all the groups you are part of, I would be out 

of breath. How did it all begin? 

[Laughs] So, 30 years ago I came up with an idea that what 

we needed here [in Queenstown] was a performing arts 

centre. We took over a sporadically used council building and 

converted it to four large studio spaces that were purposebuilt 

with ballet barres, grand pianos, you name it. Having the 

proper facilities can’t be underestimated. I try to impress on 

people the analogy of sport. Like, you would never ever dream 

of developing a netball team by just giving them a living room 

to work in. And that is the kind of attitude so many people 

have of the arts. 

What was your first on-stage moment? 

It was a production of The Wizard of Oz and I was a munchkin 

– and I wanted to be the most amazing munchkin possible. I 

remember being told off by the teacher for being too loud or 

bouncing around too much! They told me I just had to stand 

there and I was devastated! From then I was very, very shy 

[but] I went to the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music 

& Art and Performing Arts [in New York] and I was a vocal 

major. I have no idea how I made it through the audition. But 

I couldn’t do my exams. So, I took a drama class and the first 

assignment we were given was to read a biography and do a 

monologue. 

I read the biography of Judy Garland. She resonated with 

me because she was extremely shy. What she used to do is 

do her interviews in clown makeup. When I presented the 

monologue, I did it in clown makeup. I got all this attention 

in terms of my acting, which I found very difficult because I 

And you met your husband in New Zealand? 

Yes, in those five months, I met Nigel. But I had the rest of the 

trip to do. It was quite heartbreaking. I was in a bind. 

But he lured you back? 

Well, it’s a really weird story. I got malaria in Lombok 

[Indonesia] and I didn’t realise it. By the time I got to 

Singapore, I was thinking I had better fly home. My father 

wanted me to come home, and then I called Nigel and he said, 

‘No, you should come here because I want to marry you.’ 

He proposed to you while you were suffering from malaria?! 

[Laughs] Yeah, he did! We went to Auckland to meet his 

mother and she wanted us to get married in New Zealand 

because she was terrified that if we didn’t, they would not let 

me back in. We decided to get married in her living room. But 

once again, good old malaria reared its ugly head. This time I 

ended up in Auckland hospital. 

When I was most delirious, I was standing there, you know, 

saying my vows, saying ‘I do’ and signing the papers! I’ve always 

teased Nigel and said ‘I wasn’t of clear, sound mind’ [laughs]. 

Why is it important to you that the Queenstown arts scene 

continues to rise up? 

I love the entrepreneurial spirit here. Queenstown is open to 

new ideas and they [the people] don’t dig their heels in – this 

is a moving-forward community. On a greater level, to me 

the most pressing issue we face is mental health. And as our 

population increases, the separation between the haves and 

have-nots becomes wider, which is very unfortunate. That 

sense of community gets fragmented. The performing arts 

bring people together. That’s where, to me, the performing 

arts are most important. While we scratch our heads about 

what to do about mental health, well, we should bring people 

together because that is really it.

DJ HEWITT BUILDERS - CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF BUILDING EXCELLENCE. 

A RIGHT ROYAL 

LIVING ENVIRONMENT 

BUILDING EXCELLENCE. 

In a competitive building 

environment, establishing and 

maintaining a positive profile and 

reputation is no easy feat. Success 

comes from delivering extraordinary 

projects on expectation, every time. 

So when the owners of this 

Regent’s Park home were about to 

embark on a new build - their fourth 

residential building project, they 

knew instinctively who to call. 

“D.J. Hewitt Builders was our 

obvious first choice”, the owner 

says. “They have a high profile and 

a great reputation. We had seen 

many of his projects and when we 

met Daryl Hewitt, we immediately 

got on really well”. 

The brief, a ‘totally usable’ home for 

themselves and their two teenage 

sons resulted in a large, lavish and 

superbly presented abode. 

A 25 year reputation that extends beyond award winning building. 

Transforming imagination into reality, from land selection, planning, 

budgeting and design to building expertise. 

Let our experience and reputation be the foundation of your next build. 

CONTACT US TODAY 

ABOUT YOUR NEW HOME OR RENOVATION. 

Phone: (03) 384 7470 

Email: daryl@djhewitt-builders.co.nz 

Set on a substantial site in 

the prestigious Regents Park 

subdivision, this generous home 

includes five bedrooms, a hotelstyled 

guest suite, an outdoor 

dining area and garaging for eight 

cars. Factor in the heated lap pool 

& tennis court and you get some 

idea of the scale and resort-like feel 

of this home and garden set on a 

2,900 square metre site. 

READ THE FULL STORY AT 

djhewitt.co.nz

STYLE | food 25 

A LEGACY OF SPICE 

Pies and chips were a popular takeaway during the 1980s in Dunedin. But a 

young couple from England decided to add aromatic food to the mix, paying 

homage to a very special kitchen in India. 

Words Shelley Robinson Photos Charlie Rose Creative 

In a kitchen in Chandigarh, India, a woman is cooking. As she 

selects spices for her garam masala from a parat, Joanna Gill, 

a young British woman, looks on. She is careful not to touch 

anything, or speak, but she watches every move mother-in-law 

Premjit Kaur Gill makes. 

A few years later, the women are in another kitchen: 

this time in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is 1988, and there 

is a flurry of activity. The kitchen sits above a dairy owned 

by Joanna and her husband Sukhi. It has a Formica table, 

linoleum floor, large stainless-steel sink and small electric 

stove. Joanna and Premjit are cooking as quickly as they can, 

with the line for their lamb curry winding through the dairy 

and out the door. Sukhi gives out free cans of soft drink to 

placate the people waiting. They will sell out within the hour. 

From these two kitchens and three people, the story behind 

Little India’s restaurants was born. Though the story spans 

thousands of kilometres and 16 restaurants, all roots lead back 

to Premjit’s kitchen in Chandigarh. 

There is a soft smile on Joanna’s face as she sits at her 

Clearwater home in Christchurch, remembering the first time 

she met Premjit. 

“It was before we got married. We were living in England 

and she gave me a sari. For me, that was her acceptance of 

me,” the quietly spoken Joanna says. 

But perhaps the higher honour was Joanna’s presence in 

Premjit’s kitchen.

26 STYLE | food 

A parat of spices is where the 

magic began for Little India’s 

founders Joanna and Sukhi Gill. 

“Few people are allowed in Mum’s kitchen,” says Sukhi, 

looking at his wife across the study, “but you were.” 

Joanna was already a chef, working at an eye hospital in 

Worcester. When she married Sukhi she was invited into her 

mother-in-law’s kitchen to learn. She would quietly observe 

as Premjit flew around the kitchen, grinding spices, cutting, 

simmering, tasting and adding. 

“Because she concentrates while she is working, she 

doesn’t like talking. I was not allowed to touch, so I would 

just observe. She could make a feast so quickly. It doesn’t 

matter who arrived when. And it still happens to this day,” 

says Joanna. 

Joanna learnt two “basic” meals – chicken curry and koftas. 

“When we were in the kitchen, she insisted on speaking 

Punjabi, so I learnt all the Indian names for the spices, which 

was a little confusing at the beginning,” she says. 

But the method worked. The magic of Premjit’s food passed 

from hands to eyes. 

In 1986, Sukhi, then an accountant, somewhat surprised 

Joanna by announcing they should move to New Zealand 

from their home in Ilford, London, after visiting his sister 

Sukhinder Turner. 

“I just knew this would be the right place to bring up kids. 

What I saw in Dunedin then, is nobody locked their houses, 

kids played in the streets together and treated each other’s 

houses as home. After living in London, I just thought it would 

be nice for our kids to have this opportunity,” he says. 

Sukhi is an exuberant man. You sense he doesn’t know the 

meaning of impossible. And so, the couple, with their two 

young children, Arjun and Sameena, shifted to New Zealand. 

While London was heaving with a smorgasbord of Indian, 

Italian and Middle Eastern restaurants, Dunedin’s cuisine at the 

time consisted mainly of chips, pies and burgers, with a few 

Chinese restaurants and a couple of fine-dining places. 

“It was like going back 20 years,” recalls Joanna with a smile. 

But this created an opportunity for the couple to introduce 

North Indian cuisine to the city. They bought a dairy and fish 

and chip shop in Ravensbourne in 1988, about six months 

after their third child, Premi (named after Premjit), was born. 

When Premjit visited with her husband, she convinced Sukhi 

and Joanna to try selling some Indian food too. 

Joanna and Premjit set to work preparing lamb curry in the 

cramped kitchen above the dairy. 

“We started on a Friday and a Saturday. The demand 

was so much we couldn’t cope and I had to give them [the 

customers] free soft drinks to keep them calm,” says Sukhi, as 

his arm waves to demonstrate the lines. 

Every week they sold out. The trio had successfully tapped 

into a cuisine that Dunedin people wanted more of – even 

though, for some, it was unfamiliar. 

“I remember asking one woman when she came back how 

she had found it and she said, ‘It wasn’t very spicy.’ I asked her 

what she had, and she had just eaten the rice. I just said, ‘Oh, 

try putting a bit of lamb with it this time.’ Because there wasn’t 

anything like it, perhaps she thought it was like Chinese fried 

rice or something,” smiles Joanna. 

Sukhi and Joanna wanted to do more. They wanted to 

open a restaurant dedicated to bringing the taste and flavours 

Sukhi had grown up with in Premjit’s kitchen to Dunedin. That 

meant true authentic recipes with no sugar and the secret 

garam masala Premjit had taught Joanna. 

Sukhi phoned his friend Manjit Gujral, who owned an Indian


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Sukhi and Joanna at theit dairy in Ravensbourne, Dunedin, where they first served Indian food; Sukhi with his mother Premjit Kaur 

Gill, who still trains all Little India chefs; The same recipes, designed nearly 29 years ago, are still being used today; Sukhi has retired from the business, but he has a 

keen interest in what is happening in the kitchen. 

restaurant in Sydney, for advice. He told him to visit and 

learn at his restaurant. 

“He said home cooking is not really commercial. You can’t 

do it on a longer-term basis due to the volume of food. So I 

would have to learn,” he says. 

Sukhi stood in Manjit’s kitchen, as Joanna had once done in 

Premjit’s, and carefully wrote everything down in a little red 

book – from the design of the kitchen and the shape of the 

tandoor to the length of the skewers. When he returned to 

New Zealand, he transferred those notes to another red book, 

this time adding in the recipes Joanna and Premjit designed 

– including that for the all-important garam masala. All recipes 

had to be worked out by sight by Joanna because Premjit never 

used them. They found a spot to lease in Saint Andrew Street, 

signing up on the spot with the owner who had the secondhand 

dealers next door. In 1991, they opened their doors. 

Sukhi and Joanna’s son, Arjun Gill, still has both red books. 

And the recipes so carefully weighed and measured by 

Joanna and Sukhi are still used today. 

It wasn’t all plain sailing though. After the initial 

“honeymoon” period that followed their opening, Joanna and 

Sukhi nearly closed the doors for good. 

吀爀愀搀椀琀漀渀愀氀䌀栀椀渀攀猀攀䴀攀搀椀挀椀渀攀 

䠀攀爀戀愀氀⼀䐀椀攀琀吀栀攀爀愀瀀礀 

倀栀 ⸀⠀ アパート⤀ 㔀㔀㈀㈀㠀㤀 

眀眀眀 ⸀ 䄀挀洀攀䄀挀甀 ⸀ 挀漀 ⸀ 渀稀


“Slowly we found that customers had disappeared. And 

at that stage it was cheaper for me to close the restaurant 

because we were heading towards Christmas. So we went 

travelling with the children around the country,” says Sukhi. 

But in March, after they switched from bain-maries to table 

service, the customers came back. 

“I think the Dunedin people felt sorry for me and said, 

‘Look, let’s go support Sukhi,’” he says with his big smile. 

“And the students, when they did their OE trips, they got 

used to Indian food. They came back and word spread about 

getting good Indian food. I don’t know how it spread. From 

there we never looked back really.” 

Creating a chain of restaurants was never in their plans, 

for the simple reason that they were too busy. But their 

customers had other ideas. 

“A couple of guys from Queenstown came in and said, 

‘Sukhi, you should be in Queenstown.’ So, we had a look and 

opened there. And then somebody said, ‘Sukhi you need to 

be in Christchurch,’ so that’s how we grew,” he says. 

And grow they did – but not just in restaurant numbers. 

As they brought over more staff from India, they grew close 

to their extended families. 

Sukhi asks his wife: “How many births have you been at 

now where they have asked for you personally?” 

“Six or seven,” she nods, “Because the women would 

come over here and not have any family, so I would be there. 

That was quite an honour for me.” 

Some staff have even gone on to own a Little India 

themselves, like Bobby Arora, who has two restaurants in 

Auckland. 

“He was 22 and came and lived with us. He crashed my 

car and blew up my kettle,” says Joanna with a laugh. 

“I used to work in the restaurant and I said something to 

him as he came through the door with a tray of glasses and 

he dropped it because he thought I was telling him off. 

“It is so wonderful seeing all his children growing up,” 

she says. 

When the business franchised in 2008, Sukhi and Joanna 

helped many of their staff finance their own restaurants. 

Today, their son Arjun is brand manager. He still 

remembers the dairy where it all began but, as you’d expect 

of a toddler, not due to the Indian food. 

“We used to get $1 of pocket money and he [Sukhi] used 

to give it to us out of the till. We would hand it back and 

buy lollies. Dad always used to say, ‘If you save it you can buy 

more,’ but I always handed it straight back to him,” he laughs, 

as Sukhi shakes his head smiling. 

In spite of the time that has passed, the link to Premjit’s 

kitchen is still strong. Arjun visits her once a year – not to 

learn how to cook though. 

“I’ve been trained in eating by my grandmother, but not so 

much the cooking. She just keeps on feeding you,” he grins. 

But Premjit still trains all Little India’s chefs, not only 

ensuring the consistency of the food is maintained nationwide 

but making sure they are “good people”. 

Arjun has listened for about an hour as his parents have told 

the story about how the legacy began – filling in any information 

they might have missed from stories he has heard before. 

Joanna and Sukhi’s son Arjun 

Gill grew up in his parents’ 

restaurant. Now, he is brand 

manager of Little India. 

When it comes time for him to answer what he feels 

their contribution has been to cuisine in New Zealand, he is 

overwhelmed by emotion. He cannot speak, but that silence 

conveys more gratitude and love than any words he could 

have chosen, as well as admiration for his parents – who took 

risks and worked so hard to bring his grandmother’s aromatic 

food to New Zealand. 

Both Sukhi and Joanna have stepped back from the 

business now, knowing it is in good hands with Arjun. But, 

understandably, it was difficult for them. The roots from all 

the Little India restaurants run deep, tracing back to that 

little kitchen with the Formica table and Premjit’s kitchen 

in Chandigarh. 

There is a painting hanging on a wall in their study. A man 

crouches on the street, with determination etched on his 

face, pounding down on some metal with his tools. For Sukhi, 

that expression means a great deal. 

“I see myself in that painting when I opened the restaurant. 

From being an accountant to being a cook – I had to take a 

bit of flak: ‘Sukhi, what are you doing?’ 

“But to me, he looks so proud and he knows what he 

is doing.” 

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Hang ‘Bernie’ 

Luu has 

returned from 

her home 

city of Hanoi 

with a tasty 

pho recipe in 

her pocket, 

designed 

just for 

Canterbury 

tastebuds. 

When Hang ‘Bernie’ Luu thinks of her first memory 

of the food of Hanoi, Vietnam, she thinks of her 

grandmother and their walk to school. 

“I always woke up late, so every day on the way to school 

she would get me a banh mi [a long bread roll stuffed with 

meat and salad] and I would eat it,” says the 28-year-old. 

Lunch rush at Hanoi Alley, Bernie’s stall at Riverside 

Market, has just finished. By rights she should be exhausted, 

but instead she has the energy of someone who truly loves 

what they are doing. She is perched on a stool upstairs, the 

only quiet spot we could find in the busy market, and rests 

her chin on her hand as her mind travels through time. 

Of course, she explains, eating street food for breakfast in 

Hanoi is part of the norm. From early morning the streets 

begin a beautiful dance of chaos as people and scooters 

swarm. Street vendors cook on the footpath – with blue 

and red plastic stools waiting for their customers – or from 

tiny shops. While Bernie grew up in the city, she is not fond 

of its chaos. But she is fond of its food. 

She has just returned from Hanoi, where she was on a 

quest to find the perfect pho (a popular noodle soup with 

meat) for her winter menu. 

Armed with the names of 10 shops, as provided by her 

friends in Vietnam, Bernie wove her way around the tiny 

alleys and thoroughfares of her home city, trying each one. 

“I was desperate to find the right pho for Kiwi people, 

and I tried so many,” she says. 

Finally, she tried one and was taken by its “light, elegant” 

flavour. With trepidation, she asked the woman who made 

it for the recipe. 

“I was so excited when she said, ‘Yeah, of course. Just 

don’t open a shop next to me.’” 

In Vietnam, she explains, there are few rules around the 

stalls. So, when a stall called Pho 24 became hugely popular, 

suddenly there were Pho 24s on every street, right next 

to each other. But only one is the true stall, and hunting it 

down is much like a curious game. 

FROM THE STREETS 

OF HANOI 

A quest to bring Cantabrians a perfect-tasting Vietnamese pho 

took Bernie Luu back to Hanoi, where she grew up. 

Words Shelley Robinson Photos Charlie Rose Creative


Bernie’s spark for cooking started just seven years ago. 

When she moved to Christchurch, aged 17, it was to study to 

become an accountant. Along the way she met husband Huan 

Nguyen, a structural engineer, and, both being foodies, they 

enjoyed trying all the menus in town. 

“But one day we ran out of food options, so I started cooking. 

My husband said my food was really good. I just thought he was 

saying that so I would keep cooking! But then my friends started 

saying it too.” 

Bernie quit her job and started cooking out of a caravan on 

Colombo Street in 2016. 

Last year, she moved into Riverside and her already significant 

following increased tenfold. She worked 120 hours in the 

first week, getting up at 5.30am and finishing at 12.30am. It 

has settled down somewhat now, but she has five times the 

business from when she operated out of her humble caravan. 

She has three staff, and Huan helps her clean for two hours 

after the stall closes. 

Coming from Vietnam, where street vendors are seen as 

“lower class”, Bernie’s career change was not received well by 

her parents. 

“They are both accountants, and it is a respectful job in 

Vietnam. If you are telling people about what your children do 

and it is selling food, it is seen as not good,” she says. 

But her love for sharing her own variation of Vietnamese 

street food outweighs any misgivings she may feel from home. 

She is proud of the food she makes and, judging by the regular 

queues for her food, Cantabrians are happy she chose us too. 

Bernie worked 120 hours in her first week at Riverside Market. 

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ORGANIC GROWTH 

When a group of like-minded people saw a gap in the market, they decided to 

produce a product focused on organic principles and superior taste. 

Words Kate Preece 

Ten minutes from the nearest 

supermarket, a 2500-hectare farm 

spreads from the Waipara wine country 

to the coast. Here, at Mt Cass Station, 

you will find some 11,000 sheep, 700 

cattle and the story of three families 

who, through a collection of chance 

meetings and shared desires, decided to 

invest in organic farming. 

The story of Wash Creek Organic 

Meats’ humble beginnings unfurls over 

cheese toasties around a kitchen table. 

The scene is set at farming couple 

Sara and Andrew Heard’s home – a 

place regularly visited by CEO Tim 

Chamberlain and office manager 

Carolanne Sixtus. 

Tim takes the storytelling lead and 

the clock is soon turned back to the 

time he first decided to test the waters 

as an organic farmer. 

In 1985, Tim’s father, after many loud 

discussions, provided him with a lifechanging 

learning opportunity on the 

family’s Leeston property. 

“He said, ‘I think we should put the 

hardest part of the farm into organics 

and you can do that, and I’ll carry on 

being a conventional farmer, and in 

five years’ time, we’ll know what to do, 

whether it’s working and if we should 

continue,’” says Tim. 

“It’s the single best decision ever 

made, because, left alone I would have 

put the whole farm into organics and 

gone bankrupt. I couldn’t have joined 

the dots to create the systems needed 

to operate an organic farm. I am 

forever grateful. And we’ve had a pretty 

interesting time – this [Wash Creek 

Farm] is pretty interesting.” 

Tim and partner Rose Donaghy 

continue to farm in Leeston, but 

you’ll find him at Mt Cass at least once 

a week. 

As the five of us take turns crunching 

through lunch, Tim explains how the 

next chapter of the Wash Creek story 

began with tennis. 

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Sara and Andrew Heard, Tim Chamberlain 

and Carolanne Sixtus at the home of Wash Creek Organic Meats. 

Tim’s brother, Matt Chamberlain, 

co-wrote a one-man play about the 

life of Christchurch’s own four-time 

Wimbledon winner Anthony Wilding 

(1883–1915). Matt took The Anthony 

Wilding Story to England – and his 

brother tagged along for the ride. 

Tim’s racket remained organic farming 

and his mission was to learn what he 

could from those following the same 

principles in Europe. 

In doing so, Tim met mixed cropping 

farmer Mark Houghton-Brown who, 

uncannily enough, had a long-term 

desire to move to New Zealand, 

potentially to buy a farm. Five years 

later, that’s exactly what Mark did, 

settling in Nelson. 

It was when the owner of Nelson 

Fresh Choice, Mark A’Court, was 

challenged as to why there was not a 

steady supply of organic meat on the 

shelves that the Wash Creek brand 

was formed. Mark Houghton-Brown 

had the certified-organic farm and the 

experience of creating his own farmbased 

breakfast cereal brand in England: 

the two Marks hatched a plan. 

“Mark had been keen on getting us 

thinking about branding and this was a 

great first start,” explains Tim. “Mt Cass 

had been going for five years, had full 

certification, and it was a logical step for 

the farm.” 

From starting at the Nelson Fresh 

Choice in 2016, Wash Creek Organic 

Meats are now found in 17 stores 

around the South Island and one in the 

North Island, while the majority of the 

9000 to 10,000 lambs are destined for 

British supermarket chain Waitrose. 

Carolanne is the driving force behind 

getting new products into the market, 

which includes seeing it served on the 

menu at Black Estate Winery. 

Back on the farm, the Wiltshire sheep 

enjoy a diverse pasture that’s rich in 

chicory, plantain, clover and lucerne. 

This “fruit salad” minimises ailments. 

Known for their hair-like self-shedding 

coat, the breed itself is a key part of the 

farm’s winning recipe. Boasting a finer 

grain in the meat, if it were down to 

taste alone, says Andrew, “Everyone on 

the farm would choose Wiltshire every 

time. And they’re fussy!” 

With three more families joining the 

business over the past five years and 

diversification that sees paddocks flush 

with crops, what started as a sink-orswim 

test in Leeston has become a 

business of ever-growing momentum.


FOOD FINDS 

From eatery updates to delicious dishes, we provide 

the scoop on the latest taste sensations. 

GO BACK TO... 

Child Sister on Manchester Street, Christchurch. 

It’s as good as ever. Pop over for lunch and try 

their freshly made hummus. Served with warm pita 

bread, it’s a delightfully light option that won’t leave 

you hungry by 3pm (not that there’s anything wrong 

with that!). Their iced lattes are off the chain as well. 

GOOD FOR YOU 

There is only one word for the avo smash 

crackers from GRE3N Superfood & Juice 

Bar (The Colombo, 363 Colombo Street, 

Christchurch), scrumdiddlyumptious. These 

gluten-free and vegan gems make us feel 

all types of happy in our body and soul. 

OPEN FOR BUSINESS 

Ally & Sid is a bright, beachy café on the corner of 

Walker and Montreal streets (replacing Park Ranger 

Central). It’s quickly becoming our go-to for quality 

coffee and a small but delicious menu, as well as 

several enticing options in the cabinet. The banana 

bread is a must-try. Combining its industrial past (it 

is housed in what was formerly a rubber moulding 

factory) with plenty of plants and splashes of white, 

pink and peach, it definitely has one of the city’s 

most ’gram-worthy interiors.


A VISUAL FEAST 

Special occasion coming up? The Cake 

Eating Company (79 Buchan Street, 

Sydenham) has you covered. Their beautiful 

cakes make the perfect treat for birthdays, 

engagements and weddings. How gorgeous 

is this raspberry cake piled high with flowers 

and with its screen-printed floral pattern? 

It’s almost too beautiful to eat. 

FOR A LIMITED TIME 

When the folks at Fisherman’s Wharf (Norwich 

Quay, Lyttelton) have butterfish on the menu, make 

sure you are one of the lucky ones to snare a dish 

because it sure sells out fast. With a beautiful herb 

crust, accompanied by gourmet potatoes, fresh 

asparagus and grilled garden tomatoes, you’ll be 

batting away hands trying to grab a bite from your 

plate. They don’t get in butterfish that often so keep 

a keen eye out and gather your crew for an evening 

of food heaven, all while overlooking the harbour. It 

doesn’t get much better than that. 

EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS 

It’s time to be transported to the streets of Guangzhou, 

the stalls of Thailand and the melting-pots of Malaysia. 

Chi Kitchen, at the Christchurch Casino, is a must for 

those who relish the fresh flavours of Asia. The authentic 

Cantonese-inspired restaurant is a great place for a 

group or a more intimate dinner. The food is crafted by 

chefs who have worked in some of the best restaurants 

in Hong Kong and China. Chi Kitchen also has a good 

selection of options for those with gluten intolerances, 

or for vegetarians. Did someone say dumplings?


IN THE PANTRY 

Stock up on biscuits, tarts and sweets from 

Penny Black Victorian Tearoom at The 

Tannery. Their seasonal goodies are always 

best shared with friends. 

INNOVATION STATION 

You’re smacking your lips in appreciation of the 

tasty beer you’ve just enjoyed. Don’t you wish there 

was a way you could take this unique brew home? 

Well, friends, those clever folk at Kaiser Brew 

Garden (1/96 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch) are 

here to deliver. They can now put your favourite 

Kaiser beer into an airtight can on-site and we, for 

one, are a tad excited. The Cannon is one of only 

two in the country, the other being in Wellington. 

The 946ml can is 100 per cent recyclable and will 

keep your beverage fresh for three days. We bow 

our heads in respect to such a marvel. 

SO HOT RIGHT NOW 

Bread & Circus is well underway and 

we’re here for it. Whether you’re heading 

along to the Spiegeltent (corner of 

Worcester Boulevard and Oxford Terrace) 

to see Blanc de Blanc (until February 16) 

or The Backstage Social Club (The Arts 

Centre) to see The Lord Of The Bubbles 

(until February 16), we know there’s 

one event topping the foodie calendar. 

Those in the know made sure to book 

in for Feast of Fools (February 1), an 

eye-opening gastronomic and theatrical 

escapade. The masked moving feast 

features unexpected food and theatrics 

– think medieval banquet meets adult 

Alice in Wonderland – and should be on 

everyone’s foodie bucket list for next year.


3 O’CLOCK 

FLAVOUR SAVIOUR 

Indulge in a slice of heaven with 

Untouched World Kitchen’s irresistible 

baked cheesecakes at 155 Roydvale 

Avenue. Made lovingly in-house, the everchanging 

flavours, from lemon to banoffee, 

will continue to excite and surprise 

your tastebuds. As beautiful as they are 

delicious, these creamy gluten-free delights 

will satisfy your dessert dreams. 

SWEETIE, DARLING? 

You just can’t seem to walk past the display at Sweet 

Societe (The Colombo, 363 Colombo Street, Christchurch) 

without equal parts of lust and joy. So don’t. Their delicate 

macarons, gelato doughnuts and cheesecakes are an 

absolute delight for every palate – and by golly do we leave 

very happy indeed. 

KIND ON THE TUM 

Those marvels at Lewis Road Creamery have been at it 

again. Their new Lactose-Free Jersey Milk is the perfect 

solution for Kiwis looking to avoid lactose, but who 

want to still enjoy the rich flavours of real whole milk. 

Sourced solely from Jersey cows, the natural enzyme 

lactase is added to the permeate-free, PKE-free milk to 

break down lactose for easier digestion. That means 

those who have trouble digesting milk can now enjoy 

the creamy taste of Lewis Road’s Jersey Milk without 

an upset tummy – now that’s something to celebrate. 

Available in supermarkets from February 10, for $4.49.

38 STYLE | promotion 

FOOD IS THE 

LANGUAGE OF LOVE 

Philip and Ann, from The Clocks Bookshop, have dug through their 

treasure trove of recipe books to bring us their top picks. 

T 

here is a certain pleasure 

that comes with opening 

a beautiful new recipe book. 

It is that feeling of possibility 

as you jot down your 

ingredients list in readiness 

for an impromptu trip to the 

supermarket. With more 

than 600 books on food and 

drink in-store, we asked The 

Clocks Bookshop to pick 

their top recommendations 

for your collection. 

Baan Kay Plunkett-Hogge 

Baan means home in Thai, and 

Southeast Asia was our Baan for 

many years. So, the authentic recipe 

for Kow Soi takes us back to Chiang 

Mai, the Kai Pa Lo puts us before a 

street cart in Bangkok. Aroi mak mak. 

Eat: The little book of 

fast food Nigel Slater 

More than 600 big-flavoured, quick 

and unpretentious ideas for dinner. 

Straightforward, delicious recipes 

from one of Britain’s best-loved 

cookery writers. 

Slow Gizzi Erskine 

Slow down, you move too fast! 

Embrace technique, understand 

the stories behind your ingredients 

and learn to savour the art of 

cooking again. 

Plenty More Yotam Ottolenghi 

Innovative vegetarian recipes that 

will tempt even the most steadfast 

carnivores. Both the pea and mint 

croquettes, and the slow-cooked 

chickpeas on toast with poached 

eggs are highly recommended. 

Simple & Classic Jane Hornby 

A newly curated collection of Jane 

Hornby’s best dinner, breakfast, 

baking and dessert recipes. Detailed 

step-by-step photos make this one 

of the most useful cookbooks on 

our shelves. 

The Clocks is a new bookshop specialising in cook books, children’s books and crime-mystery books. 

Find a book that speaks your language at 12 Normans Road, Strowan, Christchurch • theclocksbookshop.co.nz

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LET’S EAT! 

Add these little beauties to your culinary repertoire and you’ll 

have everyone lining up for seconds. 

Image: Jamalia Rose 

CAULIFLOWER STEAKS 

By Jamalia Rose 

INGREDIENTS 

1 cauliflower 

4 Tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp smoky paprika 

salt and pepper 

2 lemons 

¼ cup tahini 

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 

1 tsp chilli flakes 

¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped 

METHOD 

1. Preheat oven to 170°C on fan bake. 

2. Cut cauliflower into 5cm thick slices and place on a baking tray. 

3. Top with olive oil, paprika, and a good hit of salt and pepper. 

4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until browned on the edges 

and soft in the middle. 

5. Combine the juice of 1 lemon, the tahini and extra virgin olive oil 

and mix well. 

6. Serve the steaks drizzled with the tahini dressing, an extra 

squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and fresh parsley.


HASSELBACK POTATOES 

By Jamalia Rose 

INGREDIENTS 

1 box new potatoes 

(‘Red King’ variety or similar) 

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 

1 clove garlic 

3 10cm sprigs of rosemary 

ground rock salt – to taste 

METHOD 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 

2. Soak and lightly scrub the dirt from the potatoes. Some of the 

skins will come off with washing, but try to keep some on! 

3. With a sharp knife, cut thin slices through the potatoes, not 

cutting all the way through. 

4. Place in a lined oven tray, with two of the sprigs of rosemary. 

5. Place oil in a small saucepan and gently heat for a few minutes. 

Once hot, remove from heat. Add in one of the sprigs of 

rosemary, and the garlic, crushed or grated. Allow to steep for a 

few minutes. 

6. Using a pastry brush, brush the infused oil over the potatoes. 

Reserve half the oil for a second basting. 

7. Season with ground rock salt and roast for 30 minutes in the 

centre of the oven. 

8. Remove from the oven and baste with the oil a second time. 

9. Roast for a further 30 minutes. 

10. Serve and enjoy!


OKONOMIYAKI PANCAKE 

By Alison Lambert 

INGREDIENTS 

(makes 4 large or 8 small) 

½ small cabbage, very 

thinly sliced 

4 carrots, julienned or sliced as 

thinly as possible 

½ red onion, sliced thinly 

4 leaves kale, stalks removed 

and sliced very thin 

1 tsp salt 

6 eggs, lightly beaten 

½ cup flour or rice flour 

oil for frying 

2 spring onions, sliced thinly 

Japanese mayonnaise 

Okonomiyaki sauce 

METHOD 

1. Toss all the prepared vegetables and salt together in a 

large bowl. 

2. Mix through the eggs and flour until evenly combined. 

3. Heat a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Coat the 

bottom of the pan with oil. 

4. When hot, add pancake mixture. These pancakes should 

be thick (0.5cm) and full of vegetables. If making large 

ones, you may only be able to cook one at a time. If this 

is the case, you can refresh them in a warm oven. 

5. Cook them until golden and crispy (3 minutes). Carefully 

flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. 

6. When cooked, remove and keep warm. 

7. Serve with sauces squiggled over the top and sprinkle 

with spring onions. (Optional extra toppings include 

pork belly slices or shrimp.)

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44 STYLE | home 

HEART OF THE HOME 

For interior designer Katy Husband, the kitchen is a busy hub full of life and 

love. When redesigning, she says function and beauty need to work together. 

Stirring bubbling casseroles, licking the bowl, patching up 

bumps and bruises or offering a listening ear over steeping 

cups of tea – our kitchens are the epicentre of our homes. 

In my family, we show love through cooking and eating 

together. My mother is an amazing self-taught cook who 

seems to be able to turn her hand to a vast array of fusion 

dishes and elaborate desserts while still keeping the extended 

family pantries filled with jams, jellies, pickles and our annual 

Christmas cakes. 

Our kitchen seems to bookend our family life. We prepare 

for the day ahead with breakfast and filling lunch boxes, and 

in the afternoon it is the space where we download, digest 

and recalibrate, over snacks and then dinner. The kitchen 

island seems to work much like a train station, with little 

bodies hopping on and off barstools to access platters of 

food while parents have drinks, prepare, cook and catch up 

on daily life. 

It is far from perfect, and I often dream of my wellpositioned, 

well-proportioned and thoroughly divine kitchen. 

However, my desire for our kitchen space is for it to remain 

the heart of our home, where we can congregate as family 

and friends; and for my children, when they grow up and 

leave home, I hope they look forward to their return to the 

kitchen and they reconnect to love through cooking and 

eating, as we while away the hours together. 

This is why function and beauty need to cohabit in a 

kitchen, and that’s what you need to consider if you are 

refreshing or designing your space.

STYLE | home 45 

Assess 

It is important to assess the way you use your kitchen. 

Many are part of a larger open-plan room, typically coupled 

with dining and living areas. Ask yourself, how does your 

kitchen flow into the other spaces, and does this affect 

functionality? Access into the kitchen is important, and you 

want to minimise potential hazards like handling hot food in a 

transition zone or creating obstacles for shins (such as open 

dishwashers and freezer drawers). 

Activities 

If, like me, you feel drawn to the idea of having those you love 

gathered in your kitchen, make it your priority for this space. If 

you have children and like entertaining, look to maximise the 

length and width of your island bench and position appliances 

so you can engage in conversation. If you prefer dirty dishes 

to be hidden, create a cleaning zone in your scullery. 

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46 STYLE | home 

No rose-tinted glasses 

Be objective about the advantages and disadvantages 

when it comes to your kitchen design. Visualise how 

you and your family will use the space at busy times 

and how you like to prepare and cook. A large family 

may need two ovens; however, if you are more of a 

heat-and-eat family, perhaps the location of the oven/ 

microwave is of greater importance. 

Appliances and layout 

Locating appliances and being mindful of access and 

layout can be like solving an involved jigsaw puzzle. 

Work through concepts with a kitchen designer 

and consider checking with your builder, plumber 

and electrician for potential constraints and costs. 

Decisions such as the location of electrical sockets, 

waste outlets and effective task lighting can be made 

more easily with knowledge from those involved in 

the project.

STYLE | home 47 

Display or hide away? 

Consider what is ‘on display’ in your kitchen. Decide on 

what you would like to be seen and what you would 

prefer hidden. Does open shelving really work for you, 

and do you want your appliances to be a feature or 

would you prefer an integrated look? Are handles an 

important element in your kitchen design, or do you like a 

streamlined, seamless look on your cupboard fronts? 

Research 

Above all, do your research. Visit showrooms and 

experience different layouts, but also see materials displayed 

en masse. Don’t make rushed decisions. Carefully think 

through your colour palette and your materials, and consider 

the long-term maintenance of your preferred finishes. 

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50 STYLE | architecture 

A humble gamesroom for 

an RSA and bowling club in 

Christchurch turned into an 

award-winning project. 

Image: Bull O’Sullivan Architecture 

CREATING THE CAVE 

When an RSA and a bowling club teamed up with an award-winning 

architect, a few brews and laughs were guaranteed to spill over. 

Words Shelley Robinson 

There are a few things guaranteed to prevail at an RSA 

and bowling club: beer, banter and a barrel full of advice. 

And as a rather odd-looking building went up on the tailend 

of the New Brighton RSA and Bowling Club, there was 

plenty to be said over beers. 

New Brighton RSA secretary Garry House chuckles and 

rubs his chin as he remembers some of the comments 

from members. 

“Not all of them were positive,” he says. 

Bull O’Sullivan Architecture director and architect Michael 

O’Sullivan puts it a bit more succinctly. 

“[It’s] the problem with guys who have a lot of time of 

their hands, who have spent careers as carpenters, carpet 

layers, plumbers and whatnot – everyone is a ferocious 

expert in the field,” he laughs. 

Your sides will ache after half an hour with this duo. 

Their partnership began in 2017, when Garry was looking 

for an architect for a very special project. The RSA’s New 

Brighton Road building was decimated in the February 22, 

2011 earthquake, prompting the RSA to combine with 

the New Brighton Bowling Club. Part of the deal was 

for a games room to be built at the 21 Mafeking Street 

club. Garry, as caretaker of the precious, hard-fought-for 

insurance funds, was after the best architect he could find.

STYLE | architecture 51 

RSA secretary Garry House 

and architect Michael 

O’Sullivan shared more than 

a few laughs on the project. 

The stunning ocular 

window where 

members can watch 

bowls and the sunset. 

Image: Charlie Rose Creative 


So, he headed out to Lyttelton to recruit Michael in person. 

He found Michael welding up a drawing board at his new, 

soon-to-be award-winning, architecture studio. Michael 

remembers the day well. 

“In walked this guy that was on fire, fizzing with energy. 

I didn’t know anyone in Canterbury and in walks this guy, 

this magic man. He was the first guy to walk in the door 

and go, ‘Would you like to draw up something for us?’ And 

I was almost in tears with satisfaction,” he says. 

The games room wasn’t Michael’s typical sort of project. 

In spite of the payout, there wasn’t a lot of money to 

throw around. 

“They had bugger all. We basically scrimped and extorted 

people we knew to help get the project across the line. 

“Most of these guys [at the club] are retired and rely on 

the pension to buy their beer. You know? That’s the reality. 

But I was really taken by these guys.” 

So, Michael set to work. He wanted to design something 

worthy of those he had met. 

“It was basically building a cave for these men and 

women to go into and play billiards. Gone are the days 

of the smoke-filled rooms of Boston, Lower Manhattan 

and Detroit where billiards was where you concurrently 

organised some illegal activity and played billiards. But that’s 

not to say you can’t compress a space and make it intimate 

without the smoke and the maniacal nonsense.” 

To save more money, he admits he did things most 

architects wouldn’t do. 

“We project managed it. It is a really dangerous thing to 

do as an architect because you take on a lot of liability. But 

it was the only way they could’ve afforded to do it. We 

were begging and asking for favours from everyone.” 

Michael also built the suspended steel frame for the lights 

above the billiards table. Had they bought it, he estimates it 

would have cost $18,000. It cost Michael roughly $300. He 

also built the stunning ocular window. 

“Most conservative people would go, ‘Architects can’t 

possibly make lights, we’ll buy them instead.’ But, of course 

you can,” he says. 

And slowly, as the cave’s construction continued, 

camaraderie built up between those involved in the 

project. 

“They are bloody hilarious,” Michael says of the 

members. 

Down the end of a dead-end street in New Brighton, the 

combined club sits. The seagulls break the silence on what 

is a peaceful street. Cracked footpaths and tired car parks 

line the way to the club’s front gate, past humble homes 

where people give a friendly wave while easing their backs 

from work in the garden. In polite words, signs on the

52 STYLE | architecture 

The games room was designed to 

be ‘radically different’ to the existing 

bowling club so it contrasted. 


club’s white corrugated fence tell vandals to go elsewhere. 

A hand through the gate unlatches the entrance and the 

greens are revealed. 

A man gently encourages a bowl as it rolls down the 

green, but, before long, the bowl is getting a good telling off. 

Another bowler clucks behind his teeth and shakes his head 

slightly, while he studies the situation with arms folded. Down 

the back is a clubroom typical of most New Zealand small 

clubs, with a concrete white exterior. But there, snug as a bug 

in the corner, is the games room, a radical departure from the 

rest of the building. 

Garry is easy to find; everyone seems to know him. A tall 

man wearing a badge and an easy smile, he’s waiting in the 

small bar area where a few gather for a late-afternoon brew. 

It was done on purpose, explains Garry, referring to the 

distinct differences between the two buildings. Though, he 

chuckles, it was cause for alarm from some club members. 

“But, as we explained, to match it to the existing building 

would be quite difficult because it would always look like an 

add-on. So, what you do is you make it radically different so it 

contrasts the other design,” he says. 

Perhaps he is trying to diplomatically suggest that the white 

concrete building design is something best consigned to the past. 

Garry switches on the light, turns and grins at the reaction. 

Immediately the sound changes, as does the mood. It is 

like being surrounded by the clubhouse you dreamed about 

with your friends as a child, while you were crammed in a 

treehouse you hobbled together out of sticks and sheets. 

When Garry first saw the model Michael constructed 

to convince the club’s committee of his design, he was 

awestruck. 

“I thought, ‘Crumbs, this is different. Boy, this is a lot of 

work because all the timber in the roof is so complicated and 

circled, a real craftsman-like job.’ Just beautiful,” he says. 

He is referring to the stunning curved interior, which is 

seamlessly lined with recycled rimu. It creates a wondrous 

feeling of a home away from home. There was a practical 

aspect to the design though. 

“Michael did it like that because he was trying to keep 

the shadow of the building off the neighbours. It looks quite 

different, doesn’t it?” says Garry, as he turns to survey it with a 

beaming smile. 

The room has a kind of ethereal feeling courtesy of the 

ocular window that overlooks the men playing on the green. 

Into what should be a darkened cave-like room comes the 

beautiful hazy light of the sunset. Of course, that is not an 

accident, but more inspired thinking by Michael – which he 

elaborated on later when we chatted. 

“When the sun sets, which is predominately when most 

people are inside that space, there was an opportunity to 

pull a little bit of the sun setting into that cave in a primeval 

manner,” Michael explained. 

The thought is in the details. Michael had the foresight to 

craft a recessed shelf for elbows to be rested and beers safely 

stowed in between shots. 

“People cry over spilt drinks at that age, don’t they?” 

Garry grins. 

RSA president Bill Lochrie wanders in. He is one of the 

committee members who approved the concept – though he 

is quick to say Garry did all the hard work. 

“It would have sent me mad. He was gallivanting all around 

the countryside, dealing with the council. No wonder he’s lost 

all his hair,” he grins. Garry grins back, rubbing his head. 

Bill waves his hand around the room: “If you can’t be 

impressed with this place, well, what the hell can you be 

impressed with?” 

After 18 months, the billiards room opened last year 

and continues to impress. It promptly won the Small 

Project Architecture category at the 2019 Canterbury 

Architecture Awards.

STYLE | architecture 53 

Michael later acknowledged that the award helped 

to win over any doubters. “When the jury deemed 

it worthy of an award, everyone that grumbled and 

everyone that needed that half-time cuddle during the 

construction process all of a sudden went, ‘Oh my gosh, 

this is fantastic!’” he chuckled. 

The sun has just about set. There are a few more in 

the bar. Garry is getting ready for a committee meeting. 

Michael is popping down for a drink later too. 

As Garry offers a drink before departure he says: “You 

should bring your friends, the more the merrier. Anytime. 

Tell anyone, we love for people to pop down, they just 

have to sign in.” 

He pauses and looks around him. 

“Some of these guys are widows. It is a place where 

they can come down, have a drink and play a game. It is 

better than sitting at home alone by themselves. That’s 

why this room is important,” he says. 

Bill is sitting at a table with some friends. He glances up 

and grins. 

“You off then? Thanks for coming down.” 

A woman, with a kind of smile that envelops you in 

a hug, raises her hand in farewell. “You have yourself a 

lovely day, alright love?” 

Others join the chorus. 

It’s a club well worth belonging to, not just for its 

award-winning architecture. 

The curved 

timber 

interior 

creates a 

cosy feeling 

for members 

to enjoy. 

Image: Charlie Rose Creative 

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Style’s round-up of all the things we covet. 

Joanna Salmond 

Jewellery 

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Little River Gallery 

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56 STYLE | art 

REBUILDING HOPE 

Morgan Mathews-Hale didn’t pass her high school art class. But that hasn’t stopped 

her work appearing on buildings around post-quake Christchurch. 


ABOVE: Morgan Mathews-Hale at her Christchurch studio, which is undergoing 

renovation. Her designs appear in and on well-known Christchurch buildings.


REBUILDING HOPE 

Morgan Mathews-Hale didn’t pass her high school art class. But that hasn’t stopped 

her work appearing on buildings around post-quake Christchurch. 


ABOVE: Morgan Mathews-Hale at her Christchurch studio, which is undergoing 

renovation. Her designs appear in and on well-known Christchurch buildings.

STYLE | art 57 

Image: Geoff Sloan


Image: Ara Institute of Canterbury 

JANIE PORTER 

HOROMAKA (Banks Peninsula) 

February 1 – March 3 

Observing and reflecting. Sea and 

birds and land. Walking, exploring, 

wondering at its beauty. 

Celebrating once again 

the incredible work of our 

conservationists. 

Janie Porter’s “Dusk” 

Open 7 days | Main ROad, akaROa HigHway


Image: Ara Institute of Canterbury 

“I’m so proud our city embodies any 

kind of cultural diversity at all. To 

me it is a stepping stone to everything 

being accepted everywhere.” 

JANIE PORTER 

HOROMAKA (Banks Peninsula) 

February 1 – March 3 

Observing and reflecting. Sea and 

birds and land. Walking, exploring, 

wondering at its beauty. 

Celebrating once again 

the incredible work of our 

conservationists. 

Janie Porter’s “Dusk” 

Open 7 days | Main ROad, akaROa HigHway

Garden 

Irrigation 

Summer and watering go hand in 

hand. As temperatures continue to 

rise, watering in the right spot at the 

right time is essential. Here are some 

simple tips for keeping on top of the 

watering for the remainder of summer. 

The best practice is to water early in the 

morning or late in the afternoon; it is not 

recommended to water late at night as 

fluctuating temperatures can encourage 

fungal growth. Watering in the morning or 

around 4pm also ensures you won’t lose 

this precious resource to evaporation. 

Don’t forget to check your local council 

for any water restrictions in place. 

Consider how you are watering. Once 

plants are established, aim to water 

twice a week for longer periods of time 

rather than daily for short bursts to 

encourage deeper root growth. Teaching 

the roots to search for moisture will 

help in times of drought. Concentrate 

watering evenly around the base of 

the plant, rather than on the foliage. 

Using mulch helps to conserve moisture. 

In summer, mulch blocks sunlight from 

reaching the soil and therefore helps to 

keep the soil moist. Mulch is also important 

to help keep a consistent soil temperature; 

this is especially important with fruiting 

crops such as tomatoes and strawberries. 

Installing an efficient, simple 

automated irrigation system can take 

the hassle out of watering your lawn 

and garden for years to come. 

The type of irrigation you choose will 

depend on the area and the plants 

being irrigated. Pop-up sprinklers are 

popular for lawn irrigation, whereas 

driplines and risers are a cost-effective 

choice for garden beds. Regardless 

of the system you choose, you can 

rest easy in the knowledge that your 

garden will be getting the right amount 

of water at the right time of day. 

Get in the experts: With so much 

to consider, including the influence 

your water pressure will have on your 

irrigation system, getting the experts in 

can save a lot of time and stress. The 

Oderings Landscaping team takes all 

the variables into consideration and can 

install a personalised system that meets 

the specific needs of your garden. 

Get in touch with the Oderings 

Landscaping team to ensure you have 

an irrigation system that meets your 

budget and that gives your garden 

great coverage with the right amount 

of water. Contact us on 021 913 747 or 

admin@oderingslandscaping.co.nz.

60 STYLE | landscaping 

Photo: hsvrs / Getty Images 

BRIGHTEN UP 

THE PLACE 

These attractive plants are tough heat lovers with plenty of flower power. 

Words Rachel Vogan 

ABOVE: Gazania can grow without help, but if given a little care they will reward you tenfold.

STYLE | landscaping 61 

Often I am asked to recommend ground-covering 

plants that flower continuously, require little or no 

maintenance and require little water. It is like choosing 

the right person for a job: some people fit in easily and 

thrive in certain spots, while others flounder and fail. 

My two top choices are Gazania and Arctotis. Both 

are free-flowering, tough as nails, cope with pretty 

much any sort of soil (other than wet ones), and 

spread freely to cover up large patches within a season. 

Coming in pretty much every colour of a sunrise 

or sunset, from clean creams and whites through to 

lemons, limes, oranges, reds and plums, there is bound 

to be a colour to suit every taste. 

Gazania have a dark ring around the base of their petals. 

The flowers close up as the 

sun goes down and then pop 

open again the next morning, 

looking positively radiant 

after their night’s sleep. 

Photo: MaxDahlia / Getty Images 

GAZANIA 

These showy divas just want to perform, and will do so 

even in the poorest of soils. Their main requirements are 

full sun and a little water to get them established, then you 

can leave them to it. However, if you do offer them some 

compost-rich soil or a sprinkle of manure, they’ll reward 

you with an even bigger show of blooms – so over to you. 

Also known as ‘the treasure flower’ due to the way 

the jewel-like flowers sparkle, each flower has a dark eye, 

which looks like someone has etched eyeliner around the 

insides of the petals. The flowers close up as the sun goes 

down and then pop open again the next morning, looking 

positively radiant after their night’s sleep. 

These hardy plants cope with frost and long cold 

periods through the winter and, once established, will 

survive with only rainwater through the summer. Such 

gutsy attributes make them top contenders for planting 

along driveways, front fences and rockeries; at the beach; 

in tubs and planters; and along the front of the vegetable 

garden (as bees and butterflies appreciate them, too). 

The flowers nestle just above the foliage and start 

to appear in spring as soon as the soil warms, and they 

remain on show until the winter frost puts a halt to the 

plant’s main flowering. 

The flowers are not an option for picking though: as 

soon as they are plucked the petals close up, so this is a 

flower best enjoyed outdoors. 

The generally dark-green, sometimes bronze foliage 

provides a lovely contrast to the radiant flowers. Some 

varieties have a slight silver note to them, and some types 

have leaves so glossy they look like mirrors. There are a 

few variegated ones, too. 

Both annual and perennial varieties are widely available. 

The annual types are ideal where you want to plant out 

highly colourful seasonal flower borders and the like, or to 

use in baskets and tubs you change throughout the year. 

Choose the perennial ones for a longer-term option.

62 STYLE | landscaping 

Dark red and plum varieties really stand out against 

the silver foliage. Photo: Proven Winners 

This yellow Arctotis looks smart with its ebony black eye. Photo: Proven Winners 

Arctotis ‘Orange Flame’ is rarely without a 

flower all year round. Photo: Rachel Vogan 

ARCTOTIS 

Sometimes people confuse Arctotis with Gazania, and 

it’s easy to see why. They enjoy the same conditions, 

have similar sunset hues of flowers, and both open and 

close in the sun. 

Arctotis, however, form a much larger clump and 

tend to bloom through the winter, whereas Gazania 

drop off. Arctotis leaves are quite hairy, and this is a 

good thing as it means they can cope without moisture 

for a little longer. 

The flowers of these daisies sit a good distance 

above the foliage, adding welcome height to the plants. 

They range in colour from creams and lemons through 

to a variety of shades of yellow, burnt orange, plums, 

reds and every tone in between. The foliage looks soft 

but it is rather robust; it can vary from crisp silver to 

almost white through to darker shades of grey and 

platinum. 

Something to be aware of is that on a rainy or cloudy 

day, the flowers sulk and won’t open. It’s almost like 

they go into a state of anxiety when the rays are not 

around to coax them to open their petals. 

Sadly, this flower isn’t one for the vase either. Once 

picked, the stems collapse and the flower has no life at all. 

They are really good value to buy in the small 10cm 

pot size, as one plant in a season will triple in size, 

covering a large area. 

Arctotis are trustworthy plants for containers and 

raised planters, and they will cope in dry barren soils, 

but with a bit of compost or manure blended into the 

soil they will romp away even more quickly. 

Planted in drifts along borders, they create the perfect 

connecting element between the lawn and the rest of 

the landscape. They also cope well with salty sea winds 

in rocky coastal areas. Consider them when planting out 

banks and hillsides; once established, clumps will easily 

cover a metre or more within a season or two. 

The shimmering silver foliage provides the perfect 

platform for flowers that seem to be in situ all year 

round. But beware: once you have a few of these plants, 

you will simply want more. They are unsung dependable 

achievers that really perform. If you’re after a no-fuss 

option that flowers reliably, your search is over.

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS 

with Tim Goom 

Spotlight on talent: 

Q&A with 

Jessica Staples 

Senior Landscape Architect 

Goom Landscapes 

During her time at Goom, Jessica has received multiple awards 

for her designs including Landscape of the Year 2016/17, 

followed by a consistent run of Gold design honours every year 

since at the National Registered Master Landscaper Awards. 

As a teen what started as a suggestion by her sister turned into a career 

in landscape architecture, seeing her leave home in Napier for Lincoln 

Uni. Before officially finishing her degree, she won a prestigious award 

from the International Federation of Landscape Architects which saw 

her representing Australasia in Korea over 2 weeks. 

Upon her return, she drove straight to Queenstown to take up her first 

role as a Landscape Architect, where for 5 years she thrived working on 

resorts and high-end residential projects, getting an affinity for working 

with contours and resource consents. After becoming a registered LA, 

Hong Kong beckoned. What was intended as a 2 year stint became 8 as 

Jessica worked in multi-disciplinary architectural offices, travelling widely 

through China, India, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and South East Asia managing 

large scale residential and city planning projects. With one eye on travel 

and returning home, her final project involved working alongside teams 

for The Louvre and Guggenheim Museums in Abu Dhabi as the design 

lead for the public realm of the renowned Cultural District Precinct at 

Saadiyat Island in the Persian Gulf. Once back in NZ work opportunities 

were going to be either in Auckland or post-earthquake Christchurch. 

Jessica chose Christchurch – she says it was an easy choice. 

What is it about Gooms that keeps you going strong after 7 years in 

the team? 

I love developing site-specific creative ideas, but they don’t mean much 

if no one knows how to build them, I’m all about getting designs on 

the ground. We have such a wealth of skill and knowledge in our team 

that they always seem to be able to make my 

vision a reality. I’m lucky our team love a good 

challenge and that my clients enjoy taking that 

ride with us. 

What do you focus on in your own garden? 

My garden is postage stamp small so every part 

of it is precious – this means I like things to serve 

multiple functions. Pleached hedges to afford me 

layers of textures in a tight space. Feijoas screen 

and provide fruit. Rhubarb, chard, mizuna, 

artichokes and even cabbages give great foliage 

and I get to eat them too. I love a productive 

garden which also looks good. 

by Goom 

Any other takeaway tips? 

• Landscape – the sooner the better. Get a plan in place, early - people 

get excited about the built house and by the time they come to 

thinking about the landscape there’s nothing left in the budget. Invest 

in a landscape plan early on so at least you’re thinking about the full 

picture. You can always stage things and this way you won’t lose out 

on future opportunities. 

• Don’t underestimate how much hardscape is involved in landscaping 

– it’s as much about the hard as it is about the green. Getting the 

hardscape right is the first step as it sets up the structure for your 

softscape. Walls, paving, structures are much harder to remedy if you 

get them wrong. 

Jessica is always thrilled to focus her exceptional creative talents and 

design wizardry on helping you realise your landscaping vision. 

Call Jessica at Goom Landscapes to discuss your landscaping needs. 

The champions of 

landscape design & build. 

7 GOLD AWARDS - 2019 

DESIGN | MANAGE | CONSTRUCT 

Create a Lifespace with us. | goom.nz 

IDEATION-GOM0121

FASHION

STYLE | fashion 65 

BONJOUR! 

OUR STYLE SETTERS 

It was a fashionista’s fall feast 

this month. Designers have 

released their autumn/winter 

lookbooks, while the playhouse 

that is haute couture beamed 

in direct from Paris Fashion 

Week. Our favourites were 

Iris van Herpen, Ralph & Russo 

and Viktor & Rolf. But the night 

belonged to the inimitable 

fashion architect, Jean Paul 

Gaultier. It was his swansong 

show and he went out as his 

most elegant eccentric self, 

alongside Dita Von Teese, 

Boy George and a who’s who 

of runway stars – Gigi and 

Bella Hadid, Karlie Kloss and 

Karen Elson. What will his 

‘new concept’ look like? For 

our grand finale, we present 

‘Autumnal Elements’ – the 

latest in fashion direct from the 

designers. So, sit back and soak 

in the latest Style Fashion. 

Chloe Dress in Rose 

$780, CAMILLA 

AND MARC 

Ruby Suede 

Boot in 

Petrol Green, 

WITCHERY 

Back Yourself 

Top, Stand 

On Your Own 

Trouser, both 

in Midnight, 

MAGGIE 

MARILYN 

9ct Rose Gold and Pink 

Tourmaline Ring $1950, 

VIA SOLLERTIA JEWELLERS 

MINIMALISM PLUS 

A new boutique has arrived 

online. The Mercer Store 

(themercerstore.co.nz) 

features local favourites, 

including Georgia Alice 

and Wynn Hamlyn, but 

also international brands 

previously unavailable in New 

Zealand, such as emerging 

Australian brand Anna Quan, 

US-based Mara Hoffman 

and Brazilian designer Mari 

Giudicelli. Curated by Lydia 

Riddiford, the resort edit 

exhibits a minimalist feel, with 

a focus on creating a timeless, 

effortless wardrobe. 

Dinner Shirt Dress by 

Wynn Hamlyn. 

LEFT: Victory Jacket, $499, Victory Pant, $379, INGRID STARNES

66 STYLE | fashion 

ON THE RUNWAY 

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 

RALPH & RUSSO 

The line between haute couture and horror is a fine 

one. The most iconic collections are those that leave 

us pondering, “Is this quite mad or genius?” From Paris 

Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020, with 

prairie dresses spawned from gothic goddesses and inked 

heads, Viktor & Rolf did just that. And don’t let the calm 

pastels of Ralph & Russo fool you – their use 

of fabrics curiously illuminated their garments 

in a mesmerising way. 

SCHIAPARELLI 

ANTONIO GRIMALDI 

VIKTOR & ROLF


IRIS VAN HERPEN 

STEPHANE HOLLAND 

ELIE SAAB 

With her ode to the collusion 

of fibrous marine ecology 

and the intricacies of the human 

body, Dutch designer Iris van 

Herpen proved again why she is 

a fearless creator. Her Sensory 

Seas hybrids poured forth from 

the depths, some liquid and flowing, 

others bold and startled. Givenchy’s 

Clare Waight Keller’s collection was 

a celebration of gardens as a rich 

collector of time and circumstances, 

which saw her draw on the garden 

rooms at Sissinghurst Castle, the 

orchards of Monk’s House and 

Hubert de Givenchy’s Clos Fiorentina. 

Sculptured elements presented as 

expansive umbrella hats, sailing past 

soft hues invoking pansies and iris. A 

feast of fantasy and romance indeed. 

GIVENCHY 

GEORGES HOBEIKA


AUTUMNAL ELEMENTS 

Pleat Front 

Trouser $169.90, 

WITCHERY 

Modern Red 

Three Stone 

Ring $5700, 

FILIGREE 

Symmetry 

Top $179, 

KOWTOW 

Single Button 

Blazer $29.90, 

WITCHERY 

Horizon Dress 

in Scarlet, $799, 

Joella Trench 

$749, INGRID 

STARNES 

Freya Wild in Midnight Poppy 

Bra $89.99, Brief $34.99, 

THE FITTING ROOM 

FIRE 

Just because the autumn chill will be here soon, 

doesn’t mean you need to go into colour 

hibernation. Stride out in fiery or warm autumnal 

hues for that bold, confident look. 

Granger 

Rust $360, 

MI PIACI 

Rocky Rust 

Combo $280, 

MI PIACI 

Pleat Pant $249, Symmetry Top $179, 

KOWTOW 

Belt Jacket $200, 

RAINS

Vintage Style 

Sapphire 

Ring $9495, 

FILIGREE 


Baby Blue Stripe 

Shirt $289, 

CAROLINE 

SILLS 

Celeste 

Pant $359, 

CAMILLA 

AND MARC 

Brooklyn Shirt 

$359, CAMILLA 

AND MARC 

Blake Dimmer 

Jacket $780, 

CAMILLA 

AND MARC 

Frankie Culottes, 

KOWTOW 

Sasha Loafer $299, 

MISS WILSON 

I Lead From The 

Heart Blazer, It’s 

Me Again Bralette 

and Bobbi Boyfriend 

Trouser, MAGGIE 

MARILYN 

WATER 

Let tranquillity reign with the 

evocative use of blue. It can be 

strong or subtle; paired with 

contrasts; or embraced from top 

to toe, exploring its many hues. 

Lens Shirt, 

KOWTOW 

Ginger Heel 

$299, MISS 

WILSON 

Cassandra Dress $999, 

JANE DANIELS 

Penelope Silk Dress $349, RUBY 

Palazzo Firenze 

Ring $9800, 

FILIGREE


Arwen 

Jacket $959, 

CAMILLA 

AND MARC 

Cadillac 

Crop in 

Chocolate 

$79, RUBY 

Pear Hook Drop 

Earrings $620, 

FILIGREE 

Paloma Trouser 

$249, RUBY 

Form Dress 

$259, 

KOWTOW 

EARTH 

Become part of what supports 

you by grounding into warm 

earthy hues. Embrace textures 

and extend the palette 

with touches of autumnal 

leaf colours. 

Shirred Bodice 

Dress $279.90, 

Calla Leather Boot 

$279.90, WITCHERY 

Placket Front Mini Dress 

$139.90, WITCHERY 

Tabasco Boot 

$369.90, 

MERCHANT 

Volume 

Dress, 

KOWTOW 

Rose Cut Champagne 

Diamond $3230, 

FILIGREE 

Sublime Pant, 

$159, KETZ-KE 

Ziggy Knit Skirt $504, 

CAMILLA AND 

MARC 

Yasmin Suede $289.90, MERCHANT 

Berlin Coat in Camel $1200, 

CAMILLA AND MARC


HAIR TODAY 

The story of Vivo Hair begins with optometry. Business owners Lynden Mason 

and James Carlisle share their 10-year journey. 

How did you meet? 

James: I co-owned an optometry practice with my 

wife, an optometrist, and, as if fate had a hand in it, 

we kept bumping into Lynden, also an optometrist, 

at various events. Eventually, we discovered a 

shared love of business, and ultimately went into 

partnership together, developing 10 successful 

optometry practices across the North Island. 

So, how did optometry turn into hair salons? 

Lynden: Growth and change is a huge driver for us. 

We ran out of opportunities to grow our optometry 

business, so we were looking for a new venture. In 

2010, a business broker convinced us to take a look 

at a hair salon that was for sale, which soon became 

the first Vivo Hair Salon. Our skill set was a great 

match for an industry that was surprisingly similar to 

optometry in terms of being all about professional 

services, but with much more potential. 

Ten years on, what have you achieved? 

James: Today Vivo remains a family run, privately 

owned company, which employs 650 staff in 81 

salons across New Zealand. Because we are not a 

franchise, it means we can be flexible in how we do 

things. However, the company values of ‘Grow It, 

Love It and Own It’ keep teams across New Zealand 

on the same page, encouraging them to engage in 

delivering excellence, creativity and passion. 

What do you see as key to your winning formula? 

James: At the core of the business is an 

unprecedented training and education programme. 

The cost of the training we do is enormous, but the 

cost of not doing it is too big to even contemplate. 

This means staff can confidently stand by Vivo’s ‘Hair 

you love, or your money back’ client guarantee. 

Do you see this investment help with staff 

retention? 

Lynden: For sure. People will leave a job, but they 

won’t leave a career. It’s a natural human desire to 

love what you do. 

0800 400 300 

vivo.co.nz


HEAT-FREE WAVES 

After a busy festive season of non-stop parties and celebrations, your hair 

will have been working overtime during your holiday. Tuscany Hamel 

provides step-by-step instructions to get a soft wave without any heat or 

styling tools, giving your hair a well-earned rest. 

STEP 1. 

After washing your hair, give it 

a rough towel dry to take out 

the extra moisture. Choose 

a product that will dry into 

the hair naturally. I use MHC 

3-in-1 keratin conditioning 

treatment, as this will enhance 

the beachy textured look while 

adding moisture to the hair. 

Depending on the desired 

wave you want, some salt spray 

will help achieve a messier look. 

STEP 2. 

Take a coin-size amount of 

product, and scrunch it through 

the mid lengths and ends of 

the hair. 

STEP 3. 

Section the hair into two parts, 

lift one section of hair to just 

above ear height and twist 

it away from the face, into 

a mini bun. Leave a couple 

of centimetres of hair out of 

the bun so it remains straight, 

and clip the bun into position. 

Repeat this on the other side. 

Tuscany Hamel 

STEP 4. 

Allow your hair to naturally dry 

in this style. You can leave this 

in as you go about your daily 

routine, or while you drive to 

work. This way your hair is 

air-drying, eliminating any heat, 

which, when over-used, can 

cause damage to the hair. 

STEP 5. 

Once your hair has dried, take 

out the buns, tip your hair 

forward and give it a shake to 

break up the waves. There you 

go, you now have a beautiful 

natural wave! 

“Where Every Smile Matters” 

Experienced team provides 

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for the whole family 

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ZOOM whitening treatment 

ACC accredited 

Dental Health Counselling 

Free treatment for adolescents 

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Free treatment of children (0-13) 

with a school dentist referral 

104 Colombo Street, Beckenham | www.smileconcepts.co.nz 

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6 TREATMENTS 

TO CELEBRATE 2020 

See the new decade in with your best look yet. 

SMILE 

Get that extra boost to your 

smile with a Sparklewhite LED 

whitening treatment. With instant 

results, it will leave you feeling 

fabulous. February special $199. 

sparklewhite.co.nz 

1 

2 

3 

GLOW 

Gain refreshed, glowing skin with a 

DermaFrac treatment. By delivering 

customised serums with microneedling, 

this pain-free treatment 

helps stimulate collagen production 

and cell renewal. $199. 

champs-elysees.co.nz 

BRIGHTEN & TIGHTEN 

The 90-minute Summer Supreme 

Cooler Facial includes cryotherapy 

and skin-rejuvenating LED, with 

the powerful antioxidant boost 

of Environ skincare for a relaxing, 

results-driven treat. $149. 

lovoirbeauty.com 

4 

RENEW 

Experience a facial like no 

other with electro-sonic 

DF technology. Excellent for 

fine lines, sun damage and 

dehydrated skin. One hour 

facial, $129 (free consultation). 

acaciabeauty.co.nz 

5 

6 

MAKE IT PERMANENT 

Cosmetic tattooing makes your 

eyeliner as subtle or dramatic 

as you like and your eyebrows 

complete with a soft powder 

or feather stroke, for a more 

natural look. 

redbeauty.co.nz 

BE INFUSED 

With sound waves, antioxidants 

can be absorbed deep into the 

skin. Try a Sonophoresis Skin 

Infusion at Caci for only 

$70 (usually $120) and walk 

away glowing! 

caci.co.nz

LASER HAIR REMOVAL 

Treat two areas for the 

price of one when you 

sign up to our laser hair 

removal membership!** 

Find us in Merivale, Riccarton, 

Sydenham & Rolleston 

0800 458 458 

caci.co.nz 

* See in clinic for details on Caci’s laser hair removal guarantee. 

**This offer is only valid for new Freedom Laser Hair Removal Treatment Plans Sold 

from February 1 - March 15 2020. Second ‘free’ area must of the same or lesser value. 

For more details please see in clinic. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

76 STYLE | wellbeing 

NOT YOUR FOE 

No, you are not a bad person for eating that chocolate. Nor are you ‘good’ if 

you decline sweets for spinach. So why do we associate what we eat with 

self-worth? Shelley Robinson shares her story and offers sound advice. 

It’s a fine day. You and three of your closest are lolling 

around feeling particularly wonderful. The banter is topnotch, 

a fine mix of intellect and bawdiness. 

A delectable spread of food emerges. It is met with glee 

and then abject horror. 

“Oh, no. I’ll have to go to the gym after this,” grimaces one, 

recoiling back with longing on their face. 

“This is so naughty; I’m trying to be good!” says another. 

The host is left wondering why they bothered to slave over 

the opening of packets. 

So, when did food slide into becoming something 

associated with feelings of guilt and punishment? 

For me, it was when I was 13. I was a very sturdy farm girl, 

not to be reckoned with on the bullrush field. I could leap 

high and run fast. But I wasn’t like Emma or Jess. They were 

lovely, small and could fit neatly into a school uniform without 

blowing out the buttons across their chest. 

I was odd. Media imagery confirmed it. And so, with the 

logic of a hormonal teenager, I did a full-blown assault on the 

enemy: food. It was a powerful adversary and it would take 

all my considerable strength to fight it. Unfortunately, some 

years later it took my health. 

I was 24 when I was told that walking one step could see 

my heart give out. When the softly spoken woman from the 

eating disorder unit said that, I wasn’t listening. I was too busy 

thinking how much of a heifer I must look like next to her. 

My sister, once my annoying foe and fond of messing 

up my bed, turned out to be a lifesaver. She helped me 

understand that my attitude to food was fuelled by beliefs I 

had cooked up about myself. Ones where I was not a good 

enough person and should be punished for being different. 

From then on, I began the work of actively changing my 

thoughts towards food – and myself. 

I can now recognise when those thoughts show up and, 

instead of letting them affect my self-worth, identify the 

emotion underlying my thoughts and work from there. 

I also happened upon a handsome French chef, who 

patiently showed me how food could be beautiful. He was 

quite nice, so I decided he could move in. 

Seldom a day goes by when I don’t hear people 

condemning themselves for eating something. Nutritionist 

Kiera Joblin says this attitude can begin in childhood if food is 

used as a parenting tool. 

“If you grew up with a family member who used food as

STYLE | wellbeing 77 

a reward or punishment – like you could have 

chocolate if you ate your veges – that creates 

pathways in our brain that recognise chocolate 

as pleasure and veges as the opposite,” she 

explains. 

Therefore, if we eat it, we feel “naughty” 

because we haven’t “earned it”, she says. 

Parental influence on children’s attitudes to 

food cannot be underestimated, which is why 

Kiera says parents should not diet in front of 

children. 

“If mum or dad is eating a separate meal in 

front of their children because they are trying 

to lose weight, children will look at that, and go, 

‘Well, bread is bad because mum isn’t eating 

that.’ A lot of parents don’t realise how much 

their children take in,” she says. 

The insidious creep of media messaging also 

feeds into how we feel we ‘should look’. 

“We have little girls and boys growing 

up thinking this [those images they see on 

Instagram] is what they should look like. And it’s 

not. We don’t look like that.” 

And don’t just blame social media – it goes 

back generations, and it’s not uncommon for 

grandparents to share the same distorted eating 

views and the same ill-fitting messages. 

How to retrain your food attitude 

Acknowledge when you give food the power to affect your self-worth 

“Don’t give your power away to food. At the end of the day, food has no 

meaning, chocolate is just chocolate and it really doesn’t change the value of 

the person,” Kiera says. If you let food dictate how you feel about yourself 

and how it affects your day, acknowledge this. Please don’t then beat 

yourself up for having this view – that is just more punishment messaging. 

Celebrate your awareness. Then remind yourself food is just food and it 

does not change your value as a person. 

Consider what is really going on 

Are you actually stressed, lonely, seeking comfort or don’t know what to 

do with your life? Write it out or talk to someone about it from a place of 

honest truth. Yes, it can be uncomfortable, but empowering your selfawareness 

stops the spiral into self-shame. 

Moderate your self-talk 

Would you talk to someone else like you talk to yourself? No? Then treat 

yourself with the same love and respect you would show others. Notice the 

thought, forgive it, then replace it with a more empowering message. If you 

are comparing and criticising yourself in relation to what you see on social 

media, it is time to hit ‘unfollow’. You are unique. 

Allow yourself the time to make positive change 

In our hard and fast society, we want things to change instantly. But, says 

Kiera, if you have eaten a certain way or thought a certain way about food 

for your entire life, it can be challenging to change overnight. Understand 

that you may fall back into the same patterns, but you will get better at 

retraining your thoughts.

TM 

TM

5Top EXpERIENCES 

IN SpAIN 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

Architecture of Antoni GAudí Barcelona has been 

shaped by the unique and daring works of this great 

Catalan architect. The most famous are the unfinished 

masterpiece La Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell, but equally 

as beautiful and worth visiting are lesser known Casa 

Batlló, Casa Milà, and Casa Vicens, Gaudí’s first house. 

AlhAmbrA And moorish sites The Moors ruled parts 

of Spain for over 700 years leaving behind a rich legacy 

of art, culture and architecture. Visit the impressive hilltop 

fortress of the Alhambra in Granada, the red and white 

arches of the Great Mosque of Córdoba, and the Royal 

Alcázar in Seville - still used as a palace today. 

eAt tApAs An essential part of life in Spain, hop from 

bar to bar, order a drink and a tapa to go with it, then 

move on to the next bar for another. In some cities, 

including Granada and León, you get your tapa free with 

your drink. Tip: do a Tapas Tour on arrival, it will set you 

up to eat tapas like a local! 

mAdrid’s Golden triAnGle of Art Spain has 

produced some of the most important artists of the 

last centuries: Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Velázquez, 

Goya and El Greco. Find amazing works by these artists 

and many more in the three essential museums of 

Madrid; Museo del Prado, Reina Sofia and the Thyssen- 

Bornemisza. 

cAmino de sAntiAGo An ancient pilgrimage to the 

tomb of St James in Santiago de Compostela. Walk 

the full 800 kilometres or shorter sections, through 

mountains, plains, medieval walled towns, stone 

villages, vineyards of La Rioja, and the wonderful green 

countryside of Galicia. 

Brought to you by Singapore Airlines and House of Travel. 

For more information visit your local House of Travel store or phone 0800 713 715.

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SUM1969_SM

STYLE | travel 81 

CHARMING NIUE 

Explore the nooks of an island paradise, where the people are welcoming 

and the raw beauty of the island will delight. 

Words Bronwyn Hegarty

82 STYLE | travel 

akaalofa lahi atu” (welcome to 

“Fbeautiful Niue) was festooned 

above two smiling women in colourful 

dresses handing out guidebooks as we 

arrived at the airport. 

Ross – our host from Namukulu 

Cottages, where we would stay for the 

next 10 days – met us at the airport, 

and we followed him in the rental car 

he had organised. As Niue doesn’t 

have public transport, car is the best 

way to get around. 

On the way to the north end of 

the island, we learned a lot about 

dodging potholes. We became quite 

good at it by the end of our holiday. 

Going slowly is the preferred modus 

operandi on this tiny island and we 

soon got into the rhythm, keen to 

avoid the many sleeping or wandering 

dogs and hens with their chicks. 

The potholes tell an interesting 

story about the social fabric of Niue. 

Sadly, large empty plastic bitumen 

ABOVE: As summed 

up by this serene 

snapshot near capital 

Alofi, a trip to Niue 

encapsulates serenity 

and escapism. 

RIGHT: Our friendly 

canine companion, 

Ruby, who liked to 

check out what was 

on the evening menu. 

containers are dotted along the edge 

of most roads as remnants of New 

Zealand’s past assistance to repair the 

roads. Now the locals patch up holes 

in the road with a mix of limestone, 

easily dissolved in heavy rains, and 

coconut husks. 

Niueans take great care to keep 

the roads safe by cutting the lush 

grass along the edges. We learned 

that Niuean officials are welcoming an 

offer from the Chinese government 

to fix the roads. A memorandum of 

understanding for the Belt and Road 

Initiative has been signed, and this 

will also include renovations to some 

wharves. Some people are wary, 

while others seem to welcome the 

funding. 

At the cottages, Ruby, a beautiful 

Chocolate Lab, was waiting to greet us 

when we arrived. She kept to herself 

most of the time, but liked to check 

out the barbecue smells at teatime. 

During our time at Namukulu we 

made great use of the swimming 

pool, and it was a lovely environment 

for relaxing. The number of other 

tourists staying at any one time is just 

right and each cottage is very private. 

A bonus was the absence of ‘dawn 

o’clock’ roosters. 

So why visit Niue? I was attracted 

by the unspoilt potential of this island 

in the Pacific, and I wanted to chill for 

my birthday. 

It was the best gift ever. This 

beautiful tropical island with a very 

small resident population and few 

tourists oozes authenticity. Restricted 

access is helped by the bi-weekly Air 

New Zealand flights. The experience 

is not a Robinson Crusoe or Castaway 

kind of realism but a gradual 

immersion in the culture. 

Niue has the gentle respectful air 

of a people who love their place in 

the world. We found it easy to meet 

and chat with the locals, and also 

other tourists, at cafés, the market, 

and in the shops and villages. Visitors 

are welcomed to church services and 

to assemblies at the local schools. 

Touring with some of the local 

guides was the best way, from our 

perspective, to begin to understand 

the island and to experience this 

unique part of the Pacific. 

A highlight of the trip was the 

orientation tour we took with Keith 

from Niue Tours the day after 

our arrival. Keith’s schoolteacher 

background quickly became apparent. 

He knows a lot about the geology and 

history of the island, and his stories 

were mesmerising. 

We found out this small coral 

atoll is surrounded by cliffs and reefs. 

While no streams contribute to 

the lushness, the plentiful rainfall is 

collected in a giant caldera-shaped 

rainwater reservoir lined by volcanic 

rock and limestone, acting as a natural 

filter. Water is pumped to the surface 

and considered safe to drink. When 

the power went out several years 

ago the island was without water for 

days, spurring on the New Zealand 

government to install community 

rainwater tanks.


A royal bathing spot, Avaiki Cave is a place to discover the wide range of different-coloured corals and imagine life as a king or queen. 

Keith and Sue have been operating 

Niue Tours for several years, and they 

provided us with their helpful visual 

guide (niuetours.com). 

During the four-hour tour, we 

stopped at many of the action spots 

on the west side of the island, making 

time for walking and snorkelling. 

Keith kindly lent us gear we could 

keep for the entire 10 days. We 

thought about discovering Niue on 

our own but were so glad to have this 

introduction to Niue’s environment 

and society. 

An early highlight was Ana’ana 

Point, where we got close to the 

spectacular show of sea spray from 

the blowhole. Here we got our first 

glimpse of ancient coral fossils and the 

sharp limestone rocks that make up 

the island. 

Matapa Chasm, originally the bathing 

place of kings, was our first snorkelling 

adventure. This pool is deep, full of 

colourful creatures and great at any 

tide. The sea track down to the chasm 

is steep and rocky, winding through 

bush and opening into an amazing cave. 

‘‘An older woman fell here on one 

of my tours,’’ explained Keith, ‘‘and 

injured herself badly.’’ 

I declined his offer of trekking 

poles, feeling confident in my new 

walking shoes. 

At this chasm, cool freshwater and 

seawater mingle, providing a refreshing 

swim in the heat. We quickly honed 

our snorkelling skills and rejoiced, 

while scrabbling over rocks, in the 

reef shoes we had brought with us. 

The coral is sharp! We were warned: 

‘‘Wounds will fester in this heat.’’


When we emerged 

from the cave at 

the end of the 

bush, the view of 

the arches with 

the sea crashing 

around them took 

my breath away. 

Limu Pools is another snorkelling hot 

spot, teeming with sea life. 

Snorkelling is a buzz in Niue. At 

Avaiki, another royal bathing spot, we 

meandered inside a huge multi-hued 

cavern, snorkelling and then floating so 

we could look out to the reef and get 

a sense of what the royals would have 

seen. This pool is best reached at low 

tide, allowing views of the mass of 

different-coloured corals everywhere 

and huge sea cucumbers lolling in the 

shallows. 

Even more varieties of coral and 

fish were discovered in Limu Pools a 

few days after the orientation tour. 

This was a great spot for viewing the 

prolific sea life, and best visited at 

mid-tide. If only we’d remembered 

the GoPro. The current was stronger 

crossing the main channel, so we 

turned back and thankfully missed out 

on a sea snake experience. 

‘‘They don’t bite,’’ others said. I 

wasn’t convinced. 

Going walkabout through the jungle 

was another adventure. 

Neighbouring the Matapa Chasm 

is a track to the Talava Arches, an 

hour-long return walk. By now we 

were getting good at negotiating 

the many sharp limestone rocks and 

tree roots prevalent on all the bush 

tracks. It was hard to imagine how 

the first people of Niue walked here 

with bare feet. When we emerged 

from the cave at the end of the 

bush, the view of the arches with the 

sea crashing around them took my 

breath away. 

Niue is an island of cliffs, with chasms 

everywhere. 

Togo Chasm (pronounced ‘Tonga’) 

is a must-see place and, according to 

the official Niuean tourist guidebook, 

is ‘‘not for the faint-hearted’’. Access is 

in the south and on the less inhabited 

side of the island. It took us around 

30 minutes to walk through the bush 

before reaching the large and jagged 

limestone outcrops near the sea. 

Locals have smoothed a path across 

the rocks and added ropes, as a fall 

means lots of cuts and abrasions. The 

wooden ladder down into the chasm 

is the crowning moment. My husband 

thought so too, as he took multiple 

photos of my descent and ascent, 

probably wondering if I would make 

it. Later on, we found out our tour 

guide had helped construct the ladder, 

carrying the heavy poles to the site 

and securing them. 

At the bottom of the ladder is a 

shallow pool we had to wade through 

before reaching a lovely sandy alcove, 

where we discovered empty coconut 

husks, evidence that uga (coconut) 

crabs were living there. 

We were given the chance to hold 

and then taste uga at a cultural feast 

at Hio Café. My cringe moment was 

seeing the huge crab stuffed into a pot 

of boiling water. It did taste good. 

A local family cooked the feast in 

an umu: sea snails (whelks), raw and 

cooked wahoo (a type of fish, also 

called paala), local pork, and delicious 

layers of taro and papaya cooked 

in coconut milk. This, along with 

traditional dancing and the company, 

made for an excellent evening.


Travelling to Niue 

Flights 

Twice weekly – Friday and Monday – from Auckland. 

Accommodation 

Check the official Niue tourism site (niueisland.com) 

and the Go! Niue app (available from Apple’s App 

Store and Google Play) for information about qualityassured 

properties. 

Cafés and restaurants 

Many options are available and opening hours vary. 

The island’s Tourist Information Centre can help with 

this. Recommended places are: Hio Café to the north; 

Gill’s Indian Restaurant, The Crazy Uga, and Kaiika 

Sushi & Gourmet Cuisine (authentic Japanese food 

and pizza) in Alofi; Vaiolama on the way to the airport; 

and the Washaway Café (Sundays only) further south. 

Food and what to take 

Most imports come from New Zealand and are more 

expensive. We took a chilly bin with some goodies. As 

long as the food is properly packaged and you have 

a receipt of purchase, you should be fine. Fresh local 

produce (e.g. cabbages, lettuce, cauliflower, taro) can 

be bought from the local supermarket and the early 

morning markets that run two or three times a week. 

Eggs were hard to source.


WILD BEAUTY 

Gaynor Stanley rediscovers the quirky townships and untamed 

wild beauty of the West Coast.

Lake Mahinapua 

Take the turnoff at Ruatapu for a 

700m detour through a magical tunnel 

of rainforest that emerges at serene 

wetlands. The impressive Treetop 

Walk and 132km West Coast 

Wilderness Trail also weave through 

this exceptional environment. 

Hokitika Gorge 

Thirty minutes inland from Hokitika, 

become immersed in nature. After 

a short walk through pristine forest 

and over a swing bridge, be prepared 

for the stunning sight of turquoise 

waters and striking rock formations. 

Loop back along the partly unsealed 

road through a kahikatea forest via the 

eastern side of Lake Kaniere. 

Ross 

Highway traffic slows down as it 

passes through this quirky West Coast 

township. But why not stay a while 

in upcycled shipping containers at 

Top 10 Ross Beach, or take in the 

lake view from a Chinese pagoda and 

drive a golf ball to the green in the 

middle of the lake? Head to the Ross 

Goldfields Information & Heritage 

Centre museum and learn about the 

township’s gold rush heyday. 

It was, after all, once home to 

New Zealand’s largest-ever gold 

nugget. Unearthed in 1909 and 

weighing just over 3kg, ‘Honourable 

Roddy’ was melted down to gild a tea 

service the government gifted King 

George V on his coronation. 

Whataroa 

A blink and you’d miss this highway 

town. Prone to road washouts 

(including December’s major slip at 

Mt Hercules 22km north of town), it 

is a place where nature’s might can be 

witnessed. Join Alpine Fault Tours to 

visit the only naturally exposed major 

fault line on the globe. 

Okarito 

Okarito is the epitome of untamed 

natural wilderness. With a rainforest, 

Southern Alps views, a moody lagoon, 

a tidal estuary and pounding surf, it is 

no surprise it attracts creative souls 

like author Keri Hulme (The Bone 

People) and renowned landscape 

photographer Andris Apse. Apart 

from Apse’s gallery, there are no 

shops – just low-key kayaking tour 

operators, upmarket baches and a 

handful of permanent homes. 

RAINY DAY FUN 

See virtual reality movie West 

Coast Wonderland in Franz Josef. 

Fish or kayak on Lake 

Mapourika, just 5km north 

of Franz Josef, with Glacier 

Country Lake Tours. 

Enjoy guided nature walks 

through the rainforest to the 

glacier terminal face with 

Glacier Valley Eco Tours. 

Visit the West Coast Wildlife 

Centre, which works with the 

Department of Conservation 

to protect and recover 

precarious numbers of our 

rarest kiwis, the rowi. On a 

Tuatara Backstage Pass Tour, 

you’ll learn they were once 

the size of small dinosaurs, and 

they have a ‘third eye’ sensor 

on top of their head that 

detects light levels. 

In Search of the 

Polar Bear 

11 day Escorted Expedition Cruise | 08-18 June 2020 

Tour price from $12,595 per person twin share. (Twin with Porthole Cabin*) 

Hosted by Ian Collier, this expedition cruise takes you deep inside the 

Arctic Circle within 470 nautical miles of the North Pole. The 

magnificence of nature, encapsulated by huge icebergs and enormous 

glacial fronts is only surpassed by the deafening silence as we go in 

search of the mighty polar bear. *Special conditions apply 

Call us now for your free tour itinerary. 

Phone 364 3400 or 

Email ideas@discovertravel.co.nz 

Cnr Oxford Tce & Montreal St 

www.discovertravel.co.nz 

discovertravelnz 

Discover 

Experience. 

The Difference.


Blue Pools 

Blue Pools 

Stop just north of Makarora to 

bathe in glacier-fed and glass-clear 

pools, which are a short walk from 

the highway. 

Jackson Bay 

Drive 51km through rainforest 

south of Haast village to the coast’s 

most southerly settlement, a quaint 

fishing port. 

Lake Moeraki 

Check-in to the Lake Moeraki 

Wilderness Lodge, a stylish luxury 

lodge and eco-tourism pioneer. It 

sits within Te Wahipounamu, which 

is a UNESCO World Heritage Site 

due to its 2.6 million hectares of 

natural beauty. 

Gillespies Beach 

It is always a good day to sit and 

watch the sunset. And, according to 

locals, this beach is the place to go. 

CHARACTER PUBS 

Otira Stagecoach Hotel 

It doesn’t have a liquor licence, but those 

travelling can wet their whistle with a 

cuppa and marvel at the publican’s eclectic 

curiosities that fill every nook and cranny. It 

calls itself ‘New Zealand’s most interesting 

hotel’ and is well worth checking out. 

Theatre Royal Hotel 

It’s easy to imagine The Luminaries cast 

gathering in the restored Victorian-era 

dining room, bar and guest rooms. 

Today’s clientele is more likely to wear 

bike rather than miners’ helmets due to 

Kumara being at the end of the West 

Coast Wilderness Trail. 

Historic Empire Hotel, Ross 

This pub possibly has the most character 

of any in the country. Certainly the best 

value buffet. With a bright yellow exterior 

and a dark and sooty interior, banknotes 

from across the world have been pasted 

to the ceiling. 

Heartland World Heritage Hotel, Haast 

Famed for the antlers decking the public 

bar and its West Coast hospitality. 

DELIGHTFUL BITES 

Greymouth 

The Lifeboat NZ, Speight’s 

Ale House, Monteith’s 

Brewery, Sevenpenny (new) 

Hokitika 

Kitchen, The Hokitika 

Sandwich Company, Fat 

Pipi Pizza, Sweet Alice’s 

Fudge Kitchen 

Harihari 

Gatherer Wholefoods 

Coffeehouse, Pukeko Café 

Franz Josef 

SnakeBite Brewery, 

King Tiger, The Canopy 

Restaurant (at Te Waonui 

Forest Retreat) 

Fox Glacier 

Cook Saddle Café & 

Saloon, The Last Kitchen, 

Lake Matheson Café 

Paringa River 

The Salmon Farm Café, 

60km south of Fox Glacier 

Jackson Bay


EXPLORE IN STYLE 

AND COMFORT 

With over 150 years’ experience in showcasing the region, the Otago Daily 

Times has created ODT Journeys, a series of bespoke itineraries designed to 

appeal to those who love travel and life-long learning. 

If the keywords for your favourite 

adventures include ‘hassle-free’ and 

‘unforgettable’, it’s best you familiarise 

yourself with the newly created ODT 

Journeys. The range of bespoke 

itineraries have been designed by 

travel experts to ensure you get the 

most out of every journey. Join ODT 

Journeys’ next trip to experience an 

itinerary that combines rail, coach and 

cruise. 

ODT Journeys Southern Rail Tour 

(3–9 May) is a seven-day tour that 

takes its travellers on an exploration of 

the deep south – from Christchurch to 

Stewart Island, and back. 

Choose from a magnificent 

combination of experiences that 

include dramatic landforms, stunning 

beaches, up-close wildlife encounters, 

and learning a wealth of local history 

and culture. It’s guaranteed to be a 

memorable journey! 

Departing from Christchurch, 

travel by train and enjoy gazing 

out the panoramic windows to 

soak in magnificent views across 

the Canterbury Plains, en route to 

Dunedin. Otago’s rugged coastline 

will keep you mesmerised before 

Dunedin’s historic Railway Station hits 

you between the eyes. 

A quality Dunedin hotel becomes 

your home for three nights and your 

dining destination for night one, when 

you can get to know your fellow 

travellers a little better. 

The following day, lunch aboard 

the Taieri Gorge train as you drink in

STYLE | promotion 91 

Larnach Castle 

spectacular scenery on this four-anda-half-hour 

journey that crosses the 

largest wrought-iron structure in the 

southern hemisphere. 

There’s flexibility built into your 

Dunedin stay, with leisure time that 

allows you to explore the city’s 

historic architecture, view its galleries 

and ever-increasing collection of street 

art, catch up with friends, or just soak 

up the ambience in the Octagon. 

Alternatively, take a city tour. This 

optional day trip showcases Dunedin 

City highlights before exploring the 

majesty of the Otago Peninsula. It 

includes a visit to the world-famous 

Royal Albatross Colony at Tairoa 

Head, a site steeped in Maori history, 

as well as Larnach Castle, which affords 

unsurpassed views of the harbour and 

surrounds and is a treasure trove of 

fascinating tales. Lunch is included in 

this outing, with dinner on the cards 

for those who choose to join the 

Speight’s Brewery tour. 

On the fourth day, make your 

way through a packed lunch as 

your train journey continues south. 

Southland’s lush pastoral landscape 

will deliver you to the warm friendly 

heart of Invercargill. 

In the evening, dine at the stunningly 

crafted Bill Richardson Transport 

Museum, where everything wheels 

is on show in what is the largest 

privately owned collection of its kind 

in the world. 

The following morning, board a 

coach and travel to the southernmost 

point of mainland New Zealand. From 

Bluff, board a catamaran bound for 

the wild and wonderful Stewart Island. 

A coach tour and a scenic nature 

cruise will offer you spectacular sights, 

from both land and sea, of the island’s 

natural beauty and prolific bird and 

marine life. You will soak up clear 

blue waters and golden sand beaches 

and be gobsmacked at how this sub- 

Antarctic island conjures up paradise. 

Your catamaran sails you back 

across Foveaux Strait for an evening 

to be spent at your leisure. It’s the 

perfect wind-down after the sensory 

overload you will have experienced 

throughout the day. 

Heading north the next day, 

you alight at Oamaru. In the early 

evening, visit the Little Blue Penguin 

Stewart Island 

Bill Richardson Transport World 

Little Blue Penguin chick 

colony, where visitors are treated 

to the compelling sight of these 

flightless seabirds, after a day of 

fishing, making their way from the 

sea up the rocky shoreline and into 

the safety of their shelters. 

Your Oamaru hotel will host a 

buffet dinner, your last with your 

travelling companions. 

The final leg of your journey, from 

Oamaru to Christchurch, will be a 

chance to reflect on the incredible 

sites you have seen, experiences 

you’ve had, people you have met 

and friends you have made, all while 

travelling in style and comfort, on this 

unforgettable tour. 

3–9 May, 2020: ODT Journeys Southern Rail Tour 

bookings@dunedinrailways.co.nz | 03 477 4449 | journeys.odt.nz

92 STYLE | motoring 

BLACK OUT 

The Holden Equinox 2020 is better in Black. 

Words Kate Preece Photos Charlie Rose Creative 

When I told my Bathurst-loving 

brother that I was test-driving a 

Holden, he replied, “Drive it like your 

brother stole it.” It was tempting. The 

Equinox 2020 Black Edition, however, 

is more family friendly than racetrack 

ready. And that’s okay. 

There are four models in the latest 

incarnation of the Equinox SUV, with 

the Black Edition a notch up from 

the entry-level LT. True to form, you 

get some aesthetically pleasing black 

features in this model – grille surround, 

side mirror caps and alloys – but it’s 

not all for looks. There’s the dual-panel 

panoramic sunroof (always a crowdpleaser) 

and the HoldenEye safety 

features to make sure you stick in 

your lane, don’t rear-end anyone and 

have eyes in the back of your head for 

parking. The front seat even vibrates. 

The story goes that when a 

Blackwells Holden accountant took 

home the Equinox, he nearly crashed 

when the Forward Collision Alert went 

off and his buttocks were duly buzzed. 

The ‘vibration pulses’, as Holden 

describes them, act as an alert ahead 

of emergency braking taking over or as 

a reminder to stick to your side of the 

road. However, you can switch it to a 

beep if you find it less unnerving. 

The warning to check the back seat 

before leaving the car was new to me 

too. The Rear Seat Reminder presents 

as a message in the instrument cluster, 

literally saying: ‘look in rear seat’. It 

confused me, because my children 

were away and my cross-body handbag 

was light by anyone’s standards. 

However, the alert is not triggered by 

weight. Instead, it is activated when 

either of the back doors is opened 

and closed before the car is starting 

or while it’s running. If it prompts any 

unsettling feelings of forgetfulness, 

simply turn it off. 

The Equinox also uses its horn to 

remind you of things that may have 

slipped your mind. The ‘horn chirp’ that 

emits when you leave the remote in the

STYLE | motoring 93 

Kate wears Mona Top in White $345, Camisole Plain Knit in White $195, 7/8 Narrow Pant with 

Cuffs in Navy $529, Avant Garden Paris Cuff $325 and La Source Necklace $525, Jane Daniels; 

Hair: Peter, VIVO Hair Salon, Merivale; Makeup: Jessica, Nicola Quinn Beauty & Day Spa 

HOLDEN EQUINOX 

2020 BLACK EDITION 

car was good at announcing my arrival 

home (and disrupting the bad habit 

of leaving the car unlocked). I couldn’t 

help but think of my friend and her 

old Toyota RAV4. It emits a triple toot 

when you lock it. Handy, until someone 

important crosses the street in front of 

you. To this day, she assures me it was 

her car that honked at Richie McCaw. 

Overall, I found everything about this 

car a breeze. I had Bluetooth set-up in 

a literal minute. It was simple to drive 

and easy to get to know. There is a 

seven-inch (18cm) colour touch-screen 

display, but it’s not overcomplicated, 

which means there is less to be 

distracted by. Its turbo engine ensured 

confidence in passing on the open road, 

and the safety features consistently 

clocked what was happening around 

you – be it a car or person in front or 

beside you. 

In Son of a Gun Grey, it was a 

smooth ride around the winding roads 

of Lyttelton Harbour, a comfortable 

commuter, and a well-behaved 

companion on a longer trip out to 

North Canterbury. With those wellappointed 

black features, the Equinox is 

a good looking addition to the family. 

LIKES: 

Pure ease of use. 

Natural good looks. 

The well-thought-out rearmounting 

steering wheel buttons 

for audio control. 

DISLIKES: 

Rear Park Assist only. 

No in-built navigation system 

– though the smartphone fills in 

the gap. 

TECHNOLOGY: 

HoldenEye safety technology. 

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

VEHICLE SIZE: 

Length 4652mm; width 1843mm; 

height 1688mm 

SAFETY RATING: 

ANCAP 5 stars 

FUEL TANK CAPACITY: 

55 litres 

FUEL CONSUMPTION: 

4.5 out of 6 stars; 6.9l/100km 

ENGINE: 

1.5l turbo petrol direct injection 

4-cylinder 

Front wheel drive 

TRANSMISSION: 

6-speed automatic 

IMPORTANT NUMBERS: 

127kW, 275Nm; 0–100km/h 8.8sec 

From $37,490+ORC

PROUDLY 

BROUGHT 

TO YOU THIS 

MONTH BY 

BREAD 

& CIRCUS 

23 January - 

16 February 

Photography by 

Charlie Rose Creative

1 

2 

4 

3 

9 

LANSON ORGANIC 

WINE LAUNCH 

The House of Lanson has launched the world’s first fully 

organic champagne, Lanson Organic Brut NV, to an 

exclusive group of wine lovers in Christchurch. François Van 

Aal, President of Champagne Lanson flew in from France 

to mix and mingle with 50 Cantabrians for the launch of 

the new Lanson Green Label Champagne within the lush 

surrounds of Amazonita, on Oxford Terrace. 

5 

8 

7 

6 

1. Talitha Booth, Matt Vieceli; 2. Joshua Peat; 3. Jenn McKenzie, Andrew Jackson; 4. Lynda Vieceli, Marga Bastings, Louise Heller; 5. Laurent Valy; 6. Talitha Booth, Liam Donnelly, 

Liam Stretch, Corentin Esquenet, Jenn McKenzie; 7. Francois Van Aal, Leila McCracken, Emmanuel Gantent; 8. Nick Radford, Mel Radford Brown; 9. Flip Grater, Sade Jones. 

ARE YOU CAMERA READY? 

There’s a very good chance 

you’ve seen our work. 

But you would never know. 

Make every side your best side. 

For a personal consultation at no 

charge, please call 03 363 8810 

145 Innes Rd, Merivale 

(Corner of Rutland St and Innes Rd) 

www.facevalue.co.nz

F45 CHALLENGE PARTY 

rainers and members of F45 Riccarton joined together 

T at The Welder, where the winners and runners up of an 

eight-week challenge were announced. Members dressed up 

to celebrate their success, with prizes on offer ranging from a 

Hawaiian getaway, an Audi A4 Car or $3000 plus a year-long 

membership, worth another $2500. 

Photos: Nick McGill 

NEW YEAR, NEW TO US 

Brow artistry available now 

We are excited to announce 

specialised microblading by 

Sarah Mathieson 

Beautiful, natural looking brows 

to enhance your natural beauty. 


For appointment time, 

please call 03 363 8810 



www.facevalue.co.nz

1 

2 

SCAPE FORMULA ONE 

not-to-be-missed treat for Formula 1 fans was held by 

A SCAPE, with guests gathered at Aikmans for a night with 

motor-racing great Alastair Caldwell. Those who attended 

heard the inspirational story of a car-mad boy who grew 

up in Hamilton and ended up McLaren Formula One Team 

Manager, winning the 1974 and 1976 World Championships 

with Emerson Fittipaldi and James Hunt. 

Photos: Heather Milne 

4 3 

1. Rachel Christodoulou, Angela Stone, Lizzie Dyer, Izzy Leighs; 2. Jeremy Stevens, Alastair Caldwell, Frank van Schaijik; 

3. Carl Geldermans, Ash Sparks, Michael Fulton, Anthony Leighs; 4. John Burt, Deborah McCormick. 

LOVE YOUR SKIN 

Introductory special for 

February only 

Dermalplaning, $75.00, 

normally $90.00 

Skin analysis and advice 

and cosmeceutical 

grade peels available. 


For appointment time, 

please call 03 363 8810 



www.facevalue.co.nz

98 STYLE | win 

WIN WITH STYLE 

Every month, Style sources a range of exceptional prizes to give away. 

It’s easy to enter, simply go to www.style.kiwi and fill in your details on the 

‘Win With Style’ page. Entries close February 28. 

Rejuvenate 

Ease your body and mind with the Body Cocoon treatment 

from Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa. Relax and 

unwind with a body polish, skin replenishing mask and full 

body massage. We have a Body Cocoon treatment, valued at 

$170, as well as entry to Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and 

Spa for one person, $35, to give away. 

Wine & dine 

Are you a fan of food and flying? You can now enjoy tantalising 

fare and some of the best wine our region has to offer while 

taking in the action of Christchurch Airport’s runway, thanks 

to the new Novotel Christchurch Airport Hotel. We have 

a $100 voucher to use at the Food Exchange Restaurant. The 

voucher is valid from March 2020, for six months. 

Skin service 

Hydrate, refine and firm your skin this summer with 

Ultraceuticals Limited Edition Super Serum Set, containing 

potent vitamin A, B and C serums, Ultra UV Protective Daily 

Moisturiser SPF30 Hydrating and the Ultra Brightening Foam 

Cleanser for healthy, beautiful skin at any age. We have one 

set, valued at $435, to give away. 

In like Finn 

Finnish design brand Marimekko is known for its original 

prints and bold use of colour, and the latest collection is 

no exception. Refresh your kitchen with $100-worth of 

Marimekko ceramics, thanks to New Zealand’s exclusive 

stockist Bolt of Cloth. Discover your new favourites at The 

Tannery or online (boltofcloth.co.nz). 

LAST MONTH’S WINNERS: SLEEPYHEAD SHEET SET: Kristina Menezes, TOPFOXX SUNNIES: Judith Manson, Karyn Gibson 

NIKKI ROSS JEWELLERY RING: Deirdre Bratten, WILD DISPENSARY PACK: Louise Hancox. 

*Conditions: Each entry is limited to one per person. You may enter all giveaways. If you are selected as a winner, your name will be published in the following 

month’s edition. By registering your details, entrants give permission for Star Media to send further correspondence, which you can opt out of at any stage.

For the 

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MAKE 

ASIA 

YOUR 

HOLIDAY 

NEXT ASIA 

EVEN HOLIDAY BETTER” 

EVEN BETTER” 

From charming Hanoi with From its fading colonial charming architecture & national monuments, Hanoi with its fading 

From to charming the spellbinding Hanoi with scenery its fading to of Halong colonial the Bay architecture and bustling spellbinding & Ho national Chi Minh monuments, City scenery of Ha 

to the the spellbinding edge of the scenery Mekong of Delta, Halong Vietnam Bay the and is as bustling colourful edge Ho as Chi it is Minh diverse. City of on the Mekong Delta 

the edge of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam is as colourful as it is diverse. 

from 

from 

from 

$ 1299pp 1299pp 

Share twin, flights are additional. 

Share Travel twin, until flights 30 November are additional. 2020 

Travel until 30 November 2020 

PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES 

PACKAG 

• Guided sightseeing • Guided • Bicycle PACKAGE ride to Tra Que ALSO sightseeing village INCLUDES • 7 nights 4 star and special class • hotels, Bicycle ride to Tra 

• Guided 1-night sightseeing deluxe junk 1-night • boat Bicycle and ride 1 overnight to Tra Que deluxe sleeper village train • • 7 Halong nights 4 Bay junk star Junk and boat special cruise boat class • Sampan hotels, and 1 overnight s 

1-night 

boat 

deluxe 

trips in 

junk 

the 

boat 

Mekong boat 

and 

Delta 

1 overnight 

• 9 breakfasts, trips 

sleeper 

4 

train 

lunches 

• 

in 

Halong 

and the 1 

Bay 

dinner 

Junk 

• Economy 

boat 

Mekong 

cruise 

class 

• Sampan 

flight Delta • 9 break 

Danang - Ho Chi Minh Danang City • Transfers and transportation - Ho in private Chi air-conditioned Minh vehiclesCity • Transfers an 

boat trips in the Mekong Delta • 9 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 1 dinner • Economy class flight 

HIGHLIGHTS Danang HIGHLIGHTS - HANOI Ho Chi – Minh HALONG City BAY • Transfers - HUE – TRA and HANOI QUE transportation VILLAGE – HOI in AN private –- MEKONG HALONG air-conditioned DELTA – HO CHI vehicles MINH CITY BAY - HUE – TRA Q 

HIGHLIGHTS HANOI – HALONG BAY - HUE – TRA QUE VILLAGE – HOI AN - MEKONG DELTA – HO CHI MINH CITY 

BETTER TOGETHER TOGETHER 

BETTER TOGETHER 

$ 12 

Share twin, 

Travel until 

BARRINGTON 331 7182 I CHRISTCHURCH CITY 365 331 7687 I FERRYMEAD 7182376 4022 I CHRISTCHUR 

I HIGH LANES 335 3722 

HORNBY 344 3070 I MERIVALE 344 355 2200 I NORTHLANDS 3070352 4578 I I MERIVALE RANGIORA 313 0288 I RICCARTON 355 341 3900 2 

BARRINGTON SHIRLEY 385331 0710 7182 I UPPER I CHRISTCHURCH RICCARTON 385343 CITY 0710 0869 365 7687 I FERRYMEAD I UPPER 376 4022 I HIGH RICCARTO 

ST LANES 335 3722 

HORNBY CONDITIONS: 344 Valid for 3070 new bookings I MERIVALE only until 06 Valid March 3552020. 2200 Prices for I are NORTHLANDS per new person in in NZ bookings dollars 352 based 4578 on share I twin. RANGIORA only Prices shown reflect until 313 the 0288 2 for 106 Discount I RICCARTON March and is valid for 01, 341 2020. 3900 

08 08 & 24 August & 2020 24 departures. August Other dates are available 2020 but prices will departures. vary. Airfares are additional. Full payment Other is due within 48 dates hours of booking. are Travel Insurance: available It is a requirement of this but travel prices 

SHIRLEY 385 0710 I UPPER RICCARTON 343 0869 

arrangement that all travellers must take out a that fully comprehensive all travellers insurance for the full duration must of this trip. For take full booking terms out & conditions a please fully ask your comprehensive House of Travel consultant. tra 

CONDITIONS: Valid for new bookings only until 06 March 2020. Prices are per person in in NZ dollars based on share twin. Prices shown reflect the 2 for 1 Discount and is valid for 01, 

08 & 24 August 2020 departures. Other dates are available but prices will vary. Airfares are additional. Full payment is due within 48 hours of booking. Travel Insurance: It is a requirement of this travel 

arrangement that all travellers must take out a fully comprehensive travel insurance for the full duration of this trip. For full booking terms & conditions please ask your House of Travel consultant.

Style: February 07, 2020

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