Urban List Guide To New Zealand

We love a good market, especially one with the word 'Christmas' attached! So hop in the car, crank up the Mariah (your secret's safe with us) and head along to one of these incredible Christmas markets coming to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland this holiday season.

Heineken have taken over Slate Hut for the summer, pouring the country's most remote at the aptly named Heineken Hut until March 2027. 

Hopsitality veterans Laura Greenfield and Raechal Ferguson know a thing or two about a great meal. Now, they're bringing their talents to Capitol for a two month pop-up. 

Welcome to the most fabulous corner of the internet—Urban List's destination for the picks of the beauty crop. This month, it's about scrumptious new scents galore, and a fair few revamps of our favourites. 

Beginning as bench buddies in matching chef’s whites, Laura Metcalf and Kelsie Culpan are the best mates behind one of Auckland’s most beloved bakeries.

We’ve brought together three of Aotearoa’s most recognisable creative voices to get a little closer to the people behind the art.

Roll up, roll up. It’s time for this week’s New Zealand food news. Hot off the press, here are all the tasty tidbits you need to know. 

Sometimes you want to get away from it all, but you also don’t want to waste valuable hours in the car as you journey your way into the New Zealand bush. That’s where the best stay less than an hour from Auckland is worth its weight in gold.

Nothing has us feeling more festive than a completely over-the-top display of Christmas lights—this is definitely a case of the more the merrier. Lucky for us Aucklanders, a decent dose of holiday twinkle is never far away.

As per usual, mighty Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is pulling out all the stops. Here’s what’s on in Auckland this week, this month, and this year. 

Dubbed the BRITPOP World Tour, it’s part nostalgia trip, part greatest-hits fever dream, and entirely designed to have you screaming “I’m loving angels instead” with thousands of strangers.

You’ve made it—the weekend’s here and she’s a vibe.

All I want for Christmas is to spend the day slaving over a hot oven and washing dishes, said nobody ever. Most of us would prefer a delicious meal cooked and cleaned up afterwards by someone else. Which brings us to one of the festive season's greatest blessings—restaurants that kindly open their doors on the 25th of December, especially for our wining and dining pleasure.

Finding a restaurant to eat at in Auckland on Christmas Day isn't always easy (the phrase 'needle in a haystack' springs to mind). Well never fear, 'cos we've done the hard yards for you and found out who's open to play host this year so you can sit back, relax and make merry while someone else does all the work.

Ho, ho, holy snowball. December is nearly here and it's time to get our Christmas party on. Is it just us, or did this year really sneak up on us?

Brimming with vineyards and distilleries, terrific food, forest tracks, beaches and swimming spots, the only thing better than a day trip to Waiheke Island is an overnighter in the best Airbnb.

The Coromandel Peninsula, home to some of the country’s most idyllic beaches, native flora and relaxed seaside towns, is the ideal place for a weekend—or midweek—getaway. Now you just need the best Airbnb to stay at.

A petite city it may be, but Ōtepoti Dunedin knows how to punch above its weight when it comes to culinary genius per capita.