Stories

Holi is widely recognised as a day to forgive, look ahead and celebrate. Throw some colours, dance to music from various DJs and enjoy traditional Indian games, cultural performances and festive Holi delicacies at Holi-Festival of Colours, a traditional Indian holiday. Grab your all-white attire and head to Hagley Park on February 29. FB/ChristchurchHoli

A selection of delightful drops to add to your summer sampling schedule. FIDDLER’S GREEN VINEYARD & BISTRO PINOT NOIR RESERVE 2018 This pinot noir was aged for 17 months in the barrel, with the last three months spent resting in a specially imported American oak barrel from Jack Daniel’s Distillery. The wine is elegant yet supple, with a silky texture, good acid balance and smooth tannins on the finish. fiddlersgreen.nz BLACK ESTATE TREBLE ROSÉ 2019 This co-fermentation of Riesling (53%), Pinot Noir (22%) and Chardonnay (12%), with a bit of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc in the mix as well, has resulted in a summer stunner from Black Estate. blackestate.co.nz PEGASUS BAY RESERVE BEL CANTO DRY RIESLING 2017 The orange zest aroma so characteristic of North Canterbury rieslings is here in abundance, and a small amount of spritzig from retained natural carbon dioxide adds extra liveliness. pegasusbay.com

You won’t find any men at Female Federation’s gyms, which are full of motivation and support so you’ll be looking good and feeling better. The belief at Female Federation is in working together to achieve a common goal – helping you to breath deeper in that yoga class and work harder when you’re in your gym sesh. These fitness gurus have top-quality gear and loads of group fitness classes. When you’re done sweating it out, you can stop by the onsite massage therapist. femalefederation.co.nz

The cool cats at Rhémy are changing things up with a female approach to leather accessories. Each unique piece is handmade and made to last, which reduces environmental impact. We love a conscious brand and Rhémy are passionate about working towards a more ethical, sustainable and transparent fashion industry – yas! All the dreamy belts, handbags and other goodies are made in New Zealand using European machines and techniques. rhemy.co.nz

Artist and writer Ruby Jones came to prominence in the wake of the March 15 mosque shootings for her illustration calling for unity. A Time magazine cover followed, and now Ruby has shared a book of heartfelt, hand-lettered artworks and messages, two of which we reproduce here. All of this is for You: A little book of kindness is published by Penguin. rubyalicerose.com

Bijou inner-city cinema Lumière will launch their exclusive Inner Circle this year. If you’re a cine-fanatic, you need to get in on this one. You’ll get loads of perks like exclusive screenings, every eighth film free and regular updates on what’s hot in new films. The theatre complex boasts a luxurious bar and ultra-comfortable reclining chairs. lumierecinemas.co.nz

Artisan small batch vapour infused premium gin is made at Lyttelton Distillery Co. It all starts with the making of their own alcohol from local grains and honey. It is delicious and full of flavour from carefully chosen botanicals including juniper, manuka, wild thyme and citrus. No artificial flavours are used. This is a gin of the finest quality. Keep an eye out for the soon to be released blackberry gin, vodka and limoncello range. This new and local brand is available at Vino Fino. lytteltondistillery.co.nz

Dunedin-born artist Frances Hodgkins’ works will take up residence at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū from February 15. Her breath-taking art is inspired by her travels, and her adventurous life can be seen in each piece. Renowned as one of NZ’s most influential female artists, Hodgkins is a trail-blazing modern painter. There will be 125 artworks on display, which feature influence from her travels through Morocco, France, Spain and Britain. “Travel was a huge influence in Hodgkins’ development as a modernist painter and a vital source of inspiration in her works,” says Director Blair Jackson. These vibrant artworks capture the spirit of the changing era that she lived in and includes early watercolour travel sketches and works in oil and gouache from her later life. You can catch the exhibition from February 15 – June 1. christchurchartgallery.org.nz Image credit: Frances Hodgkins, Wings over Water 1931–32. Oil on canvas....

Sour beers are the new thing this summer and perfect for a hot day, says Ralph Bungard of Three Boys Brewery. There are five basic flavours that we detect on our tongue: salt, sweet, bitter, sour and umami (savoury). Not all of them, however, have been using the same PR firm! Sweetness has had it all over the opposition and for good reason, because at an evolutionary level, sweetness tells us we are on to something packed full of energy – exactly the food you need when running away from lions on the Savanna, less important when sitting on the sofa! Sour taste, on the other hand, sends us an important signal that we are about to swallow some acid. Sounds bad when you say it like that, but it can indicate that we are getting some essential nutrients such as ascorbic acid, otherwise known as vitamin C. Recently, however, sour...

Brew Moon Brewing Company pour 16 of their own beers on tap with fresh and funky seasonal brews that sit alongside delicious classic styles. Oscar McCauley from the brewery tells Cityscape about their latest beer and grape fusion, which is part pale ale and part riesling juice, and what a typical working week looks like. What’s new at your brewery? In terms of production, we are scaling down our list of ‘core range’ beers and having a greater number of one-batch brews. We want both our trade and taproom customers to have a new and interesting experience every time they deal with Brew Moon, so it’s more variety and less of the same old. What’s your beer and food match for this summer? We’ve just made another of our beer and grape fusions, called Hop-over-Vine. Its 75% pale ale and 25% riesling juice fermented in a tank together. It’s fresh, slightly...

Master brewer Cameron Burgess is clued in on all things beer related and is one of the faces behind Southpaw Brewing Company. These guys know beer and have won a gold medal for their New Brighton Lager. Cameron fills us in on some interesting trends and what food will perfectly complement their award-winning ale. What’s new at your brewery? The brewery itself is new! We have only just purchased it and I am super excited about brewing on this awesome system. I’ve also got some new seasonal beers for summer including our new hazy IPA Stablemate, which sold out so fast I had to brew another, and our new Botanical Brut. What’s your beer and food match for this summer? Can’t beat a juicy, smoky cheeseburger from The Burger Joint matched with our Say Hey Kid IPA, or a spicy laksa at Level One Craft Beer & Coffee Bar with our...

Dicky Fyfe is brewing Capitan of buzzing hospitality hotspot and the only micro-brewery in the inner-city, Kaiser Brew Garden. He fills us in on what beers are coming out of the brewery in 2020 and what it's like to work in a small, tight-knit crew, who are always chasing the perfect brew. What’s coming in 2020 at Kaiser Brew Garden? Late last year we celebrated the opening of the new spiritual home for the Kaiser Brothers Brewery, the Kaiser Brew Garden. It’s a great spot upstairs in Riverside Market, and we’re loving being right in the heart of the city. We’ve got a couple of exciting styles coming up in 2020. We’re introducing a Saison especially for the Kaiser Brew Garden – this style really reflects this time of year and is about celebrating the Canterbury harvest. It’s a classic style with our New World Kaiser spin. Something different we’re bringing...

Canterbury Brewers Collective is New Zealand’s smallest tavern and is located in the hip Riverside Market. They serve up some top-notch brews and are a boutique fill station, so you'll never go thirsty. Cityscape chat with owner, Chris Ruske, about the new digs and his recommendations for the perfect summer suds. How have things been going since you opened in Riverside Market? The market has been awesome. We've had great support from our local and international customers. The various breweries that make up the Canterbury Brewers Collective have been a huge help as well. As well as being a fillery, customers can take a seat at the booth and sample a brew – that must be proving popular? The seats at our bar have been really popular. Many of our guests are international travellers. They sit and have a beer and share their stories of their trip through New Zealand. Your...

Watching The Gentlemen Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) is back with a vengeance and a pitchfork in the ground! An English drug lord wants to cash out of his weed business to a bunch of Oklahoma’s dynastic billionaires. The marvellous script (co-written by Ritchie) has the stamp of High Noon and Quentin Tarantino all in one. Hugh Grant is a screamer playing against type. He thinks he has all the chips in this poker game but nobody told Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell or Jeremy Strong. A Hidden Life It’s been a long time between drinks for oblique helmer Terrence Malick to summon the chutzpah of Days of Heaven and Badlands. His latest, A Hidden Life, based on a true story, is set in a little paradise in Austria where invading Nazis force a conscientious objector, Franz Jägerstätter, to arrive at a stark choice – to break his silence...

If Dolphin Friendly aren’t on your radar, get them there, stat! The uber-cool Christchurch outfit bring psychedelic rock vibes and will have you singing along to their catchy tunes in no time. They’ve opened for banging Aussie bands Lime Cordiale and Skeggs, plus Kiwi legends Shapeshifter, too. Their new single ‘Find Me’ has just dropped and it is full of good vibes. Lead singer Sam Mander says, “It’s basically just a summer banger that came to inception one night over a couple of tins in the garage, and with some fine-tuning we thought it had the potential to get people frothing”. Known for their high-energy onstage and messages of sustainability and “unf*ck the world”, Dolphin Friendly are kings at sweet and intimate shows. Catch them at Soundsplash Timaru on January 17 or Electric Avenue on February 22.FB/dolphinfriendly

The power of ‘search’ has delivered Icehouse and its lead singer, Iva Davies, a slew of young fans to swell its concert audiences. Iva tells Cityscape how hard it is to pick a set list to please everyone, and his favourite thing about popping over the ditch for a visit. Are you enjoying being back on the road with Icehouse? Indeed. We’re in a rather luxurious position in that we don’t play grinding, demanding schedules now so every time we play it’s a bit of a novelty. I was the one who initiated the discussions about playing in New Zealand. We always have a great time in New Zealand, it’s such a beautiful place. No doubt things are a bit more restrained on tour this time around? We were never a completely mad band although I must say that at one point on one of our tours there was an all-points...

The team at The Avo Tree are passionate about supplying Kiwis with the best avocados the Bay of Plenty can produce. Owner-director Thorley Robbins shares some tips on how to eat them at their best, and how you can get them delivered all year round. What drew you to growing avocados? I was brought up on a small avocado orchard, so essentially I was born with the trees in the backyard. As a company we don’t grow our avocados. We buy them from a large number of boutique lifestyle growers spread across the western Bay of Plenty. Generally, this results in a fruit that is less intensively farmed, which usually means less spraying and quite often no sprays. You are obviously fans – what do you love about them? Everything! Its nutritional goodness is arguably unrivalled. Combine that with the taste and texture and you have the perfect food! Its unique...

How lucky are we to have such fantastic wine country right on our doorstep? Canterbury’s vineyards make for the perfect summer get-away, either for a day or longer. Hop aboard as Cityscape tours the terroir. LONG LUNCH Several wineries in the Canterbury region have elevated their cuisine offerings to the point where they are known almost as much for their food as their wine. There’s not a lot that can beat a languid al fresco session over some top drops and outstanding fare out in the beautiful Canterbury hinterland! Draw straws for sober driver, then head for: Black Estate Crafting characterful drops, Black Estate is a family-owned and operated winery, tasting room and restaurant. Savour the sumptuous combination of fine, locally sourced fare with their exquisite wines while drinking in the equally impressive vistas across the rolling Waipara hills. Their expressive winemaking process is reflected in their spectacular seasonal dishes, which...