Cornwall Park Cafe. Great vibes here, both inside and outside when the sun’s out. Tasty food and attentive service. Their Cornwall Park Grande breakfast, fries and aioli and boysenberry danish are my go-to treat meals!
Favourite restaurant for dinner with friends?
Onehunga Good Home. A quick drive down the road from the studio, it’s a reliable and quality spot to unwind over great food and conversation in a homely chill vibe setting.
Favourite place to take a visitor to?
Te Pane o Mataooho-Māngere Mountain summit. As a proud Māngere South Auckland local, this place always reconnects me and grounds me spiritually and creatively, which provides great conversation topics with visitors outlining the local histories of the whenua. The recent walkway and stair upgrades are awesome too, rewarding those making the summit points with 360 views of Tāmaki Makaurau which are stunning. Can even see the studio from the summit too.
Favourite spot to finish a night out?
Lil Abners Takeaway. The legendary staple OG food spot in Old Papatoetoe for Southsiders after a night out, their Yokum burger is the famous signature that everyone must try if ever passing through the hood.
Favourite place to get coffee?
Red Rose Cafe. Mangere Bridge township always has the chillest vibes. A round trip walk from the studio crossing over the now three year old Nga Hau Mangere Bridge to get a Mocha here equates to roughly 5K steps, so it’s usually my go to treat and exercise routine integration.
Favourite fish-and-chip shop?
Best Baits. Another Māngere Bridge joint not far from the Māngere Bridge township, their fish and chips are always tasty, fresh, crispy and well seasoned, and best enjoyed across the road by the seaside esplanade overlooking the scenic Te Wai-o-Hua-Manukau Harbour, another one of my favourite and most sentimental spots.
Favourite trail for a hike?
Camp Sladdin, Clevedon. This has become a recent fave for me, a great short loop to blow the lungs out when needed given its steep 1000-plus-step staircase through beautiful, inspiring forestry rewarding those who summit with epic 360-degree views.
Favourite venue for a gig?
Silo Park. I once performed with my old music crew The Hypnotics at a concert here on a massive stage looking out towards the Auckland city skyline which was just absolutely epic and hard to match. As an audience member, I’ve also attended some previous Auckland Arts Festival gigs here too, which were epic also.
Favourite place to find a bargain?
Māngere Markets, Māngere Town Centre Carpark on Saturday mornings. It’s the classic place to find fresh produce, clothing and all sorts of equipment and crafts at cheap prices. Best of all, though, is that the whole place is a vibe where the community comes together in an explosion of colour, music, culture, bargains and good vibes!
Black Grace kick off their milestone 30th year with THIS IS NOT A RETROSPECTIVE’ the ultimate interactive dance party at the Auckland Town Hall on March 22, with sound design by Faiumu Matthew Salapu aka Anonymouz. Joining Black Grace are Che Fu and Tha Feelstyle, DJ Manuel Bundy, Buckwheat and the NZ Trio – put on your best party outfit and your dancing shoes and get ready to get your groove on as, mark our words, this will be a night to remember.
