Stories

So many acts, so little time – the buskers are in town from January 23. To help you choose from the action-packed programme, Cityscape brings you our top 10 picks. Blanc de Blanc A cabaret show like no other, Blanc de Blanc brings acrobatics, vintage glamour and titillating acts that will infatuate and delight you. This high-end spectacle will have you wowing. Modern Māori Quartet They’re suave, seductive and smooth as silk. Prepare to be spellbound by the Modern Māori Quartet, who channel the revival of ‘rat pack’ showband entertainment of bygone eras with a proud heritage of Māori traditions. Frickin Dangerous Bro Bringing classic Kiwi humour to the table, this cocky comedy trio will bring together their well-crafted writing, poor acting skills and hilarious wit. Expect a unique, multi-cultural and funny point of view. Buskers Brewery Tour Less of a performance and more of a tiki tour of the city’s...

Cityscape checks out the best of the fests this season – we’ve got the deets on the city’s top dates, those worth hitting the road for and those to take to the air for. Tap our top picks – a mix of eats, beats and culture to keep your summer (and autumn) pumping. Bread & Circus – World Buskers Festival You thought the 2019 edition of the World Buskers Festival was insane? Think again, because the 2020 edition is tapped to up the ante by unleashing a wealth of local and international talent when it takes over the city for a massive 24 days. The extravaganza will play host to a smorgasbord of heavy-hitters on the entertainment scene. Where: Various central-city venues.When: January 23 – February 16.Why: Epic performances from some of the world’s top buskers.Info: breadandcircus.co.nz North Canterbury Wine & Food Festival Make a beeline for the North Canterbury Wine...

There is a yoga class to suit everyone. To help you find yours, Veronica King of Grassroots Yoga examines the various practices and what they involve. There are many different ways to practise yoga and meditation. Each practice has its own effect and impact on your wellbeing. Depending on your stage of life or how your life is at any given time, there is a yoga practice to support your needs. If you’re a beginner, look for a beginner’s class or course. These teach the basics and can lead to a lifelong practice, but if you start in a class that feels too hard, you are likely to give up or worse, cause an injury. Most yoga classes are described as either ‘alignment’ or ‘flow’ based. Alignment is a more static practice, with attention on the finer details and longer holds. Flow-based classes are fluid and dynamic movement. Generally they will...

DP Herbals’ Deirdre Panapa turned from nursing to being a clinical herbalist so she could offer clients a more holistic treatment. What is a clinical herbalist? There are many types of herbalist practising throughout the world with their own unique focus. A clinical herbalist or medical herbalist uses plant-based medicine, therapeutic supplementation, diet and lifestyle to help affect positive change in a person’s health. What drew you to it as a career? Prior to being a clinical herbalist I was a registered nurse. It gave me a very good grounding in anatomy, physiology, clinical reference ranges and medications. However, after 20-plus years I was ready to move on to a more holistic approach. You offer live blood analysis, or Hemaview – what are the benefits of that? I have been doing live blood analysis for many years now and I am always fascinated at the depth to which you can look...

Life coaches Nancy Barclay and Nenah Milne are the perfect team to help mothers and daughters navigate the treacherous teenage years. Few relationships can be as fraught as that between mother and teenage daughter, and yet it is also one of the most important for the mental wellbeing of both. Helping to rebuild those relationships is what drives life coaches Nancy Barclay and Nenah Milne. They’re not mother and daughter but they may as well be – Nancy is an experienced life coach who works with teenagers and parents and has four children who are teens or have been through those years. Nenah is a 19-year-old qualified life coach who works with teenage girls. Being so close to the age of her clients means they relate to her and listen to what she says. Nancy and Nenah’s own relationship began when Nenah was studying towards her life coaching diploma through the...

Her own life story is testament to the power of dreams. For kikki.K founder Kristina Karlsson, the challenge for 2020 is to empower others to join her in living their best life. How did you formulate your mantra of ‘Dream Do Enjoy Share’? Our purpose at kikki.K is to inspire and empower people through beautiful Swedish design to live their best life every day by dreaming, doing, enjoying and sharing. I believe it all starts with dreaming – if you could do anything in your life, what would you do? ‘Do’ is all about taking action to make those dreams come true. ‘Enjoy’ is about enjoying every day and re-energising so you can dream big and take action on those dreams. ‘Share’ is all about sharing your gift with the world. There is always someone you can share your magic with, someone who is starting out in life, someone who needs...

Société Publishing’s latest limited edition is an eclectic collection of encounters, stories and people from around the world. The Consider Journal is designed to be a place of refuge from your busy schedule. Art director Julianne Liebeck explains the thinking behind the concept. What is the inspiration for The Consider Journal? The Consider Journal is really a collation of people, places and things that have inspired us. We’ve been lucky to come across these people along our travels or have been introduced to them, and so we just wanted to bring them together – with the intention being self-reflection and exploration. How does it differ from other magazines? It’s a tricky thing to put The Consider Journal into a particular box (which is how we like it). We’ve called it a journal, and terms like ‘book-a-zine’ have been thrown about as well! It’s completely free of advertisers, and unlike a lot...

It’s the start of a new decade, and after a tough 10 years there’s a lot to look forward to. Here at Cityscape, we have adopted the 5 Ways to Wellbeing as a kaupapa, or set of principles, underpinning our editorial direction for 2020 and beyond. We want to help our readers find ways to connect with each other and the wider community; be active by finding a physical activity they enjoy; take notice of the world around them and how they are feeling; keep learning by trying something new; and give by volunteering or joining a community group, or just doing something cool for a friend or stranger. In this issue we take a deep dive into the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and look at ways to put them into practice. We also check out some of the city’s businesses and clinics that can help you on your path to...

Property developer Lilly Cooper has been the driving force behind several major city projects, including hip boutique retail centre The Colombo. She tells Cityscape what she has planned for 2020, and how a health scare has given her a new perspective on life. You made your name in Christchurch as a property developer – what have been some of your more interesting and challenging projects? Moorhouse Ave Countdown – that’s because supermarkets are notoriously hard to build. The Colombo in Sydenham was challenging – we went unconditional on purchasing it the day before the first earthquake. And Hotel Montreal as well – the five-storey building sank into the ground from the earthquakes and we needed to completely lift it. Do you have any projects on the cards for 2020? Yes, my peony project! I have purchased a very large paddock of the most beautiful pink peonies, which will have thousands of...

Budding musicians have a new path to a career in music through SOLE Music Academy, which opens the doors in February on its new studio in Addington’s historic Woods Mill building. SOLE’s founder, Sacha Vee, will use her experience breaking into the music industry to help her students get ahead and avoid the same pitfalls. You’ve gained quite a following in Holland after taking part in The Voice of Holland – how was that experience? The Voice was an awesome entrance into Europe but it wasn’t the best part! It was all the collaborations that happened after. My biggest following is actually in Poland due to my multi-platinum collaborations with hip hop artist O.S.T.R. We won Hip Hop Album of the Year in Poland in 2017. What brought you back to Christchurch? I’m a Christchurch girl! I’m returning home after three years in Wellington studying my Masters in Music Therapy, and...

The sun is shining and polo season has arrived, and oh-so-cool The Colombo are getting right amongst it. Lexus Urban Polo will take over Hagley Park on Saturday February 29 and the sport of kings is the perfect day out with your besties. The Colombo have got your back with this fab event, because they’ve got a killer prize pack up for grabs – Yas! If you stop by the Sydenham digs from January 13 and enter your details, you’ll go in the draw to win a day at Lexus Urban Polo for you and three buddies, a dress (up to $400 value) at one of the primo Colombo stores (Annah Stretton, Collective, Identity or Repertoire), plus some stylish shoes from Andrea Biani, a facial from Embrayce, hair by Black, and makeup by Kara – how good?! thecolombo.co.nz

Get active, connect with friends and family, and enjoy Christchurch’s myriad delights this summer. All the ingredients for a sizzler are right at hand. WALK IT OUT With the Port Hills in our backyard, we have a smorgasbord of fantastic walks and hikes to choose from. Get amongst Mother Nature, drink in the stunning scenery and get your heart pumping with a few of our top picks. The granddaddy of Christchurch walks is an oldie but a goodie – the Bridle Path between Christchurch and Lyttelton is a great alternative to driving through the tunnel, and there’s always the promise of brunch to get you to the other side of the hill. Another track that’s popular with fitness fanatics but a little less strenuous than the Bridle Path is Rapaki Track. You’ll be rewarded with expansive views over to Quail Island on your way up and the city and coastline on...

A sleek interior and excellent design complement a menu bursting with flavour and dietary options at Montreal Street’s The Dish. Choices, choices – the extensive menu at The Dish boasts so many Asian-flavoured delights that we were going to have to do some serious study before ordering. Would it be the fresh oysters with chilli jam and crispy shallots? The Peking duck roti sliders with plum sauce, pickled cucumber and iceberg lettuce? Grilled salmon salad with chilli jam sauce, mango salsa, lemongrass and mint? Or roasted half duck with house-made sauce, spinach and pumpkin puree? Choosing was going to be thirsty work, so we ordered a drink each from the extensive selection of wines, craft beers, ciders, cocktails and non-alcoholic choices. We opted for a glass of the Rongopai Chardonnay, from Hawke’s Bay, and a bottle of Boneface Brewing’s Hoptron APA. As it should, the beer arrived with some poured into...

Taking the ultimate party starter to the next level, cocktail maestro Simon Kerr’s pimped-up variation of the classic espresso martini adds vanilla bean-infused top shelf vodka, salted caramel and primo coffee for a celebration of pure decadence. Fixin’s 60ml vanilla bean infused Belvedere vodka30ml Monin salted caramel syrup30ml L’affare coffee 3 coffee beans (garnish) Method Fill a martini glass with ice and leave to chill. Fill a Boston shaker with ice, add all ingredients and shake hard. Strain liquid and discard ice. Return liquid to shaker and dry-shake hard to create a crema. Empty the martini glass and double strain contents into glass, then garnish with three coffee beans.

Kiwi legends Dragon are bringing their hits to Christchurch in January for the Great Kiwi Beer Festival. OG and bassist Todd Hunter reflects on the highs and lows of a life in the service of the rock gods. What is the current lineup in the band? Mark Williams plays guitar and sings as only he can. Pete Drummond plays drums impeccably, plays keyboards, sings harmonies, wrangles Ableton loops and filters all at the same time. Bruce Reid is our Canadian guitar slinger. The sounds he can wrench from his Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar are neither country nor gentle. You seem to be enjoying being back in front of an audience again? We love playing and to that end we play every weekend of the year bar a few for family things. Our total focus is on being a working band. It must be a wonderful feeling being drowned out by the...

Legendary Kiwi band The Mutton Birds will reunite for the Great Kiwi Beer Festival in Hagley Park on January 25. Don McGlashan tells Cityscape excitement is building and so is the set list. You’ve described reforming as being like putting on an old coat you haven’t worn for a while – how’s the fit? Good so far. We won’t actually start rehearsing till Alan the bass player arrives from the UK but people are already suggesting songs for the set list and ideas are flying back and forth. Excitement is building! Will the Christchurch gig be the first by the reformed band? No, it looks like there’s a Dunedin show before the Christchurch one, so when we get to you we’ll be match-fit, hungry and ready to leave everything on the stage. Do any of you actually like muttonbird, or tītī? If yes, what’s your favourite way to eat it? Not...

Fresh (in vampire years) from killing it in vam-com What We Do In The Shadows, Deacon the Vampire has a bloody good World Buskers Festival show lined up to suck in a legion of Christchurch fans. Tell us about your journey to becoming a vampire. No! That’s what my show is for. Come to the show, lazybones! But I will tell you how I innovated the marketing of cardboard boxes. It’s totally my invention: a full set of differing sized cardboard boxes all inside each other like a Russian doll. It was a genius innovation in the 1800s. We’ve heard you’ve been searching for an old girlfriend – how’s that going? Urgh! Don’t ask! Those things one finds so endearing at first, like her drunken belligerence or her spontaneous hot-headedness, do slowly lose their rosy lustre over time. What’s it like living with a garlic intolerance? Fine. “See garlic – avoid...

Comedian Chris Parker will be mining a rich vein of family embarrassments for his World Buskers Festival show. Not that you would call it family-friendly though. What can we expect from your show, Iconique? I can’t help but laugh at this question. It reminds me of my parents every year asking with dread about what awful, embarrassing aspect of our family I’m going to talk about on stage this year. Truth is, so many stories about my family. There are also a few songs and a lot of my giant hands flapping around on stage. This show is high impact. You’ve listed Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton and Patti LuPone as icons of yours – will this show pay tribute to them? I’m not sure if this will pay tribute to them, but I’m seriously trying to harness some of that magnetic star energy they have. If my presence is...