We came here because one of my regular brunch companions goes past this newish cafe and thought it looked worth investigating.

A beach suburb turns up a surprisingly decent dining out option.

Grand. The proof of that is of course in the food.

New Zealand is yet to finalise the way it classifies its wine regions.

I'm beginning to consider the possibility that I don't like my friends.

An established restaurant gets its core ingredient mostly right but seemingly at the expense of others.

Tech news from around the world: Milk machine; robotic mobilisation device; Bodymetrics Pod; PhotoDNA and talking through stone.

Britomart has become quite a night-time destination in the past five years, with some heavy-hitting operations open in the area.

A world expert believes New Zealand is an ideal spot to make quality sparkling wines.

Tumbling tresses, midnight-pool eyes, alabaster brow. None of these features in the debut novelist's publicity photo should be held against her.

New wine venture Tiki pays homage to the wisdom of tangata whenua.

We came here because we'd heard good things of this newish cafe.

Those who are nervous about speaking in public usually have the perfect way out. They simply don't do it.

It's good to be prepared. When the sun does start shining there are rooftop bars and garden pubs to make the most of the blue sky and clear evenings.

An Auckland icon in a prime locale doesn't quite make the most of its assets.

A big bar with a big reputation, the big question on my mind was whether 1885 would live up to it.

It's a bit of a hoot that the word "delicatessen" comes from the Germans.

The person who is not religious reading this former believer's journey to a lack of faith can be tempted to ask: "What took you so long?"

We came here because we'd heard the Pumphouse theatre's cafe had changed hands and it was a lovely day to enjoy the lake.

A relocated Christchurch restaurant worth celebrating.

Auckland is bursting with eateries keen to attract a younger clientele.

The message about locally sourced, seasonal ingredients has been hammered so repetitively that you almost wish a restaurant offer winter greens from Uzbekistan in February. Almost.

It would be hard to imagine a more downbeat heroine for an historical novel than Minnie Dean.

The memoir can be a difficult genre to deal with, for author and reader alike.

There are some 500 items in this fascinating selection of Frank Sargeson’s letters — a number that nevertheless represents only about a quarter of the more than 6000 which survive.

It's always a funny experience going into a bar that doubles as a cafe.

We came here because Divan has an all-day breakfast menu so we could pretend it was morning as we sat down to our first meal.