My Weekend: Gallerist Melanie Roger

The French Cafe. Picture / Babiche Martens

Melanie Roger. Picture / Birgit Krippner

It comes as no surprise when

Melanie Roger

tells us she begins her weekends at work. "Friday evenings we have a glass or two of wine at the gallery when many artists and friends join us," says the passionate gallerist. Roger took over the Anna Bibby Gallery in 2010, where her particular eye and over 20 years of experience saw her working with both established as well as up-and-coming artists to develop careers while endeavouring to present beautiful artwork to local and international audiences. When she isn't preparing for the next exhibition, Roger can be found on the netball courts ("I coach and manage my daughter's Year 5 team"), or exploring New Zealand's top arts and cultural spots. Take a look at a few of her weekend plans.

Mornings... Most mornings I can be found at Dizengoff in Ponsonby having a long black with friends or a meeting with an artist. On Sundays we like to try somewhere different either with or without our children. Recent favourites have been our local L'oeuf in Mt Albert, Ortolana in Britomart and Kokako in Grey Lynn. All have great coffee and some wonderful vegetarian options for me.

Drinking... With kids and work, which often involves going to specific events with often considerable amounts of wine on offer, I don't get to as many bars as I used to, but when I do my first choice is always Golden Dawn where I can be found trying something vodka based or a pinot gris from their excellent wine list.

Discovering... The team at L'Oeuf in Mt Albert are opening a new bar/restaurant next door called Chinoiserie which I am really looking forward to visiting. And I am super excited about the new Seafarers Club opening at the waterfront.

Dining... Bolaven in Mt Eden is fantastic. I am particularly keen on the vegetarian pho and the tofu spring rolls. My 9-year-old daughter has become a vegetarian this year so I enjoy sharing dishes with her. Janken in Herne Bay has wonderful organic Japanese fusion food. We also love Ponsonby Rd Bistro. For a date night we choose The French Cafe or Kazuya - both in Symonds St where the staff are wonderful and the food is amazing.

Loving... Beaches and bush walks - particularly on the West Coast or the Coromandel. Our kids are old enough now that we can have some quite big adventures as long as we pack plenty of snacks and there's a swim as part of it.

Shopping... I am obsessed with Miss Crabb silk frocks and Penny Sage jumpsuits at the moment. My most recent purchase was a ridiculously bright yellow Miss Crabb dress which I wore to the Monocle magazine and Crane Brothers event recently and was the only person in the room wearing any colour whatsoever. I also always look forward to Karen Walker, Ingrid Starnes and Kate Sylvester's new collections.

Items for the home tend to come from Flotsam and Jetsam and Everyday Needs - both in Ponsonby or Simon James in Herne Bay. We also enjoy fossicking out antique and second hand treasures, particularly Mid-Century.

Anticipating... I am looking forward to visiting Erica Van Zon's solo exhibition at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery that opens later this month, and Richard Orjis' solo exhibition at The Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui in February. I'm also really looking forward to visiting the new Te Uru Gallery that opened this month in Titirangi. I unfortunately missed the opening celebrations as I was at the Lorde concert.

Reading... Yotam Ottolenghi's new book Plenty More, with lots of pages tagged to try.

- VIVA