Stories

We round up three great reads, shows to bingewatch, new albums to treat your ears to and a couple of decent podcasts to enlighten. Bingewatching Fear the Walking Dead This spinoff from the oh-so-popular programme The Walking Dead follows the story of two families who must band together to survive the undead apocalypse. It’s kind of a prequel that shows the beginning events of the zombie apocalypse pre-Rick. Season five has just dropped on Neon, so if you haven’t seen it before, there’s plenty to catch up on and keep you entertained. After Life Starring (and created by) super-funny man Ricky Gervais, this British black comedy-drama will have you hooked from the first episode. It follows Tony, whose life is turned upside-down after his wife dies. It's a funny but at times sad look at his life after these events. Season two dropped on Netflix on April 24, so buckle up...

Whether you’re a bookworm or just looking to pick up a good read to escape the perils of trash TV, Cityscape has pulled together our top 20 reads.  1 / The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson  Not your typical self-help guide, you’ll be giggling and make some realisations along the way. Chapters include ‘Don’t Try’, ‘Happiness is a Problem’ and ‘You are Wrong About Everything (But So Am I)’. This is a reaction to the self-help industry and what Mark Manson sees as a culture of mindless positivity that isn't helpful to most.  2 / Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth  If you like Bridget Jones’s Diary then you’ll love this one. Shining a light on the misadventure of maturity, Adults is totally relatable and will have you chuckling. The story follows Jenny McLaine, a 35-year-old columnist who appears to be living the perfect life – that’s just on the surface though. There’s a common theme...

Hi Christchurch, it’s us here at Cityscape. You’ve done so well through Level 4 lockdown, staying home and social distancing so we can keep everyone safe and get the city back up and running sooner. But lately, something has slipped. We’ve seen the pictures of crowds on Sumner beach. Groups of people congregating on corners, at the end of driveways and in parks. Yarning. Smoking. Spreading those bubbles out wide. Even the supermarkets suddenly feel different. You’re losing your respect of personal space, and it’s all getting a bit ‘lax out there. Christchurch, it’s time to sort your shit out. Things haven’t gone great for our city since Covid-19 arrived. We’ve had a spate of tragic deaths, and we need to do everything we can to stop any more from happening. Now isn’t the time to let the guard slip. Now is the time to double down and wipe this disease...

Looking to be inspired and keep learning? You can get your culture fix from some of the best art galleries and museums in the world through their virtual tours, giving a detailed view of the treasures inside. If you’ve missed out on travel plans, always wanted to check out these iconic museums and galleries or are just in search of something beautiful to look at, we’ve got you covered. Take your bubble on tours of the world’s best galleries and museums from the comfort of your couch. Start at Christchurch Art Gallery – they’re also regularly updating their Facebook page with live talks and music videos. On their Instagram page (@chchartgallery) you’ll discover some beautiful inspo and a super-engaged community of like-minded people – a great way to stay connected! You can build your own exhibitions through their website, too – great fun for stuck-at-home kids (and adults). christchurchartgallery.org.nz Hop over...

Pour a glass of your favourite pinot (Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir is our pick), put your feet up, pop on a facemask and your favourite tunes and relax, because you deserve it! Here’s our picks of the best ways to pamper yourself at home while the salons are closed. If your hair needs a revival, the team at True Grit has you covered – these guys are still shipping and have a range of fab products to have your hair silky smooth and stronger than ever, ready for your next salon visit. Their range includes hair masks and serums, perfect to leave in while you smash out some housework. truegrit.co.nz, truegritstore.com Hands feeling a little dry with all this hand washing, or is your face suffering with the change in season? Nicola Quinn Beauty & Day Spa has what you need. You can pick up plenty of goodies for your skin...

It’s OK, honestly, we’re all guilty of it. You’ve been bingewatching shows online and lounging around. Maybe you’ve done some housework and baked a sourdough. Just make sure you don’t waste this wonderful opportunity to learn something. From a new language to a hobby or upskilling, there are lots of ways you can keep your brain active and impress those around you (and yourself!).   Language Buenos Dias! Bonjour! Konnichiwa! Tēnā koe! Maybe you’re planning for a holiday when all this blows over and want to learn the local lingo, or you just want to find more ways to crank up your brain and connect with those around you. Check out these ways to get you on your way:  1 / Babbel is the crème de la crème of language learning sites. They have an app and you can learn online, with 14 languages to choose from. Each course starts at...

Keeping active is so good for your mind, body and soul. While going to the gym or on a long run may be out of the question for now, we’ve discovered some cool companies that are bringing the fitness goods to your living room. Grassroots Yoga & Health are the home of inspired hatha yoga, taught with skilful alignment, awareness, intention and heart. They recently posted their first 40-minute session on their Facebook page (@GrassrootsYogaChristchurch) to help keep you moving. It’s a simple and sweet one – experienced yogis can expand on these poses, or if you’re new to the practice you can easily simplify the moves. Veronica, who is at the helm of this awesome business, is working on a virtual studio as we speak so stay tuned! grassrootsyoga.co.nz Les Mills On Demand brings you the best, authentic Les Mills workouts anywhere, anytime and on almost any device. The service...

Stay social and talk to your friends, play games with people from afar, and whare your work with office buddies who can’t currently look over your shoulder. As we all adjust to working from home, you will probably find yourself missing some of the little things about your place of work, such as chats over the watercooler or the benefits of your stand-up desk. At Cityscape we’re most sad about missing out on our morning tea and catch-ups, but we’ve adjusted and are using these cool apps to stay connected. Facebook Houseparty is the new kid on the block and can fit up to eight people on the screen at a time. It’s a great way to stay connected, especially if you have a medium-sized team, or just want to catch up with some friends – you can even play games together through the app. Zoom has become an essential tool...

The best home-made meals start with top-quality ingredients. These delis all offer something a bit different, and we love them for it. Cashmere CuisineThis award-winning boutique butchery specialises in top quality cuts. Every order is like a work of art. All meat is free-farmed and sourced locally. cashmerecuisine.co.nz Grater GoodsPlant-based butchery and deli. You can order the ingredients from the shop, or go straight to the deli menu for vegan soup, toasties, burgers and desserts. gratergoods.co.nz Cured NZIf you’re crazy about salami you’re going to love this Christchurch business with a range of tasty artisan salami to spice up your meals. cured.nz

In this series, we let you know some of our favourite places to pick up some food or get deliveries around Christchurch. Here are Cityscape’s recommendations for pizza, pasta, lamb and spicy Portuguese chicken. Pedro’s House of LambPedro’s does one thing, and does it right: whole lamb shoulder, slow baked with rosemary and garlic, and served with scalloped potatoes. pedros.co.nz SpagalimisThe oldest restaurant in Christchurch is carrying on strong making pizzas for click & collect and delivery. spagalimis.co.nz Base PizzaClassic and modern pizzas with great vegetarian and vegan options available. Limited delivery and pick up slots available, so get in fast! basepizza.co.nz Café ValentinoA Christchurch classic, serving up woodfired pizzas to go. A favourite spot among visiting celebrities – but for now they’ll have to get takeaways like everyone else. cafevalentino.co.nz Francesca’s Italian KitchenThis successful Wanaka restaurant has been operating a Christchurch branch for a few years now, serving top-notch authentic...

With Level 2 under way, we're getting used to having our real barista-made coffee fix back. There is a lot to choose from in Christchurch, so here are some of Cityscape’s favourites. MiroMiro is famous for its brunches and lunches, which thankfully are available to order online. Also check out the fresh juice menu! miro.nz Coffee Skills MobileThis operation feels like it was built to cater during a lockdown. Coffee Skills has three mobile coffee vans that bring daily orders direct to your workplace. coffeeskills.nz The Caffeine LaboratoryPlanning a romantic date at home? This very tasty café on the corner of New Regent Street is delivering meals for two. caffeinelab.co.nz Little Pom’sThe wildly popular café attached to the wildly popular Pomeroy’s Pub is serving up coffee and scones to take away. littlepoms.co.nz MomentMoment sources its fresh produce from local suppliers, supporting fellow small businesses. Eat local! momentcafe.co.nz Unknown ChapterThis roastery and...

You could join the queue of 50 cars for a quick and nasty drive-through burger fix, or you could make the smart call and order an awesome burger from one of these gourmet joints. BurgerFuel // The Bastard Ingredients: 100% pure grass-fed beef, melted cheddar, bacon, raw grated beetroot with chia seeds, mango, smashed avocado, salad, tomato relish and free-range aioli. One of the originals on the menu at the first BurgerFuel store. The Bastard is like a pizza with ‘the works’ and once people got over the polarising mango and beef combo, it quickly became one of the most popular burgers on the menu. burgerfuel.co.nz The Burger Joint // The Bomb Ingredients: 100% pure NZ beef, bacon, cheese, egg, beetroot relish, lettuce, onion and pickles. From a menu of sumptuous choices, including kimchi and a delicious grilled eggplant vegetarian option, The Bomb stands out. It’s been on the menu since...

In this series, we let you know some of our favourite places to pick up some food or get deliveries around Christchurch. Here are our recommendations for Indian, Japanese and fusion restaurants. The Dish The Dish boasts so many Asian-flavoured delights that you may have to do some serious study before ordering. Or just take a stab at the menu, it’s hard to go wrong! thedish.co.nz Nom Nom Kitchen This South East Asian restaurant has a selection of super flavourful dishes with plenty of gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan-friendly options. nomnomkitchen.co.nz Coriander’s A Christchurch Indian institution, with three restaurants around Christchurch there’s bound to be one convenient to you. corianders.co.nz Mumbaiwala Styling itself as an Indian street kitchen, Mumbaiwala has all the classic dishes you’d expect, and some delicious unique twists. mumbaiwala.co.nz Tomi Japanese For fresh Japanese takeaway food, you can’t go past Tomi. We recommend getting a Bento Box for a...

Sometimes home baking just takes too long! Cityscape is here to help with some of our favourite places to pick up some fresh breads and pastries. Good Honest Products Good Honest supplies bread to some of Christchurch’s top eateries, and you can get your hands on it straight from the source. You can also pick up some baking supplies and fresh pizza dough. goodhonest.nz Grizzly Baked Goods Grizzly is famous for its sourdough bread, and its bakers pride themselves on taking the time to get things right. No shortcuts here! grizzlybakedgoods.com Bohemian Bakery Bohemian products are available at New World Redcliffs, or to collect directly from the bakery. You can also get a Saturday delivery if you order by Wednesday. bohemianbakery.co.nz Vic’s Bakehouse Pick up a bread box, bagels and coffee from Vic’s in Ferrymead, or get baked goods delivered to your home. vics.co.nz Bellbird Bakery An award-winning purveyor of breads...

If there’s one thing we love, it’s supporting small, unique and cool businesses around New Zealand. A new website called SOS Business has just launched to give people a way to keep buying from their favourite shops. SOS Business is a not-for-profit website set up during the Covid-19 lockdown to make buying vouchers easy. The idea is simple: why not take the few dollars you would normally spend on a daily coffee and buy a voucher from your local café? You can give vouchers to friends and family who are looking forward to a bit of freedom, or keep them yourself as a reminder that you’re going to need a treat when all this is over. The cash goes straight to the businesses now, so they can pay their staff and bills and be ready to rock when they reopen. Businesses you can support include hundreds of cafés and bars, barbers,...

This Asian fusion salad designed by The Dish is an Autumn treat with hot salmon and fresh fruit. Substitute in a green apple if you can’t get your hands on a mango. Serves 2. INGREDIENTS MEAT 150g Salmon, skinless and bonelessSea salt, to taste DRESSING 50g palm sugar (or white sugar)30ml fish sauce½ tsp chilli flakesJuice from ½ lemon SALAD 4 mandarin pieces150g grated mango (or green apple)1 pinch of coriander1 spring onion, sliced¼ red onion, sliced2 tbsp peanuts, crushed4 to 5 leaves baby spinach METHOD Grill one side of the salmon on medium heat. While it's cooking, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on the uncooked side.Flip the salmon to grill the other side. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on the upper (cooked) side.Put palm sugar, fish sauce, chilli flakes and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Mix until palm sugar dissolves into a liquid. (Hint: you can microwave...

Yes, that’s right. Things are on. This very weekend you can attend a West End musical, live Kiwi music concerts, go to the movies, or throw a cocktail party, all without leaving your bubble. Cityscape has your guide to making the most of this weekend’s entertainment offerings. THEATRE The Phantom of the Opera, Saturday April 18 to Sunday April 19 From Saturday 8am you can stream one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most famous musicals. Set up your own home theatre complete with a haunted Box 5 and dress up or down as you please - we’ll be trying out the bowtie and trackpants look to get in the mood. The Show Must Go On! is streaming a different Lloyd Webber musical each week along with behind-the scenes footage. It’s all free, but if you want to contribute something, the channel has links to some recommended charitable organisations. youtube.com/theshowsmustgoon LIVE MUSIC Better...

One of the cinematic hits of 2019 was Knives Out, a dark murder-mystery comedy in the vein of Agatha Christie. Now, perfectly timed for the lockdown, comes the film’s digital release. Knives Out has rapidly become a favourite with critics and punters alike. Typical of director Rian Johnson’s work (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), there’s many a knowing wink between director and audience as he simultaneously honours and subverts the conventions of an Agatha Christie-style ‘whodunit’. Even the location, a suitably gothic old mansion, has been compared to a Cluedo board, with lots of scope for eavesdropping and silent exits. The heavily plotted script is a ripper but it’s the quality of the all-star cast that brings it home. The ensemble includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer. There’s a fair bit of scenery-chewing at times...