Don’t drop the ball on the biggest, and last, night of the year.
New Year’s Eve. It’s one of the most anticipated and intimidating events on the social calendar.
It’s a date that creeps up in the middle of an already packed social calendar and one that comes with pressure
Pick any of the eating, drinking, dancing or merrymaking opportunities below and be rewarded with a night that actually lives up to the hype.
Gilt
Whether you’re looking for a casual first stop, or a celebratory night-cap, Gilt is amping to welcome anyone into the Chancery restaurant with champagne or martinis flowing from 11.30am. Those in a more lingering mood can enjoy a special four-course sharing menu for $175 per person, featuring the brasserie’s signature dishes like Sicilian crudo, grilled tiger prawns, tomato schnitzel and Wagyu sirloin.
Culprit
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Advertise with NZME.Inner-city bistro Culprit is ending 2024 on a wistfully positive note, putting on a Best Of 2024 menu that combines a series of standout dishes they’ve served throughout the year. Selected highlights from the 12 treats that will be served are a seared steak tartare “cheeseburger” served at the Walters Prize evening at the Art Gallery, an Oaxaca-inspired fish dish that was concocted after chef Kyle Street travelled to Mexico in May and Des Harris’ Biscoff-A-Misu, that featured on the Alumni 3 event menu. Remaining reservations for the $150 per person menu with champagne on New Year’s Eve proper are extremely limited, but the team is giving more guests a chance to enjoy it by also offering the menu on Friday 27 & Saturday 28 for $125pp.
Oyster Inn
Over on idyllic Waiheke, The Oyster Inn’s annual New Year’s Eve Party is an unwinding night of delicious food, music, and festivity set against a backdrop of sweeping views across Oneroa Bay. Celebrate early or late into the night - there’s a 5pm $160 per person sitting with a glass of bubbles and a three-course menu to enjoy as you soak in the sunset, or a later 8pm seating at $190 per person which adds a course to the menu and includes a second toast as the clock strikes 12.
Kingi
A top-notch seafood-focused degustation in a buzzing atmosphere may be one of the most lust-worthy final meals of the year. That’s what Britomart restaurant Kingi is promising with its $85pp three-course sharing-style lunch that’ll see you devouring antipasti to start followed by yellow belly flounder, served whole. Later on, a four-course shared dinner for $159pp features, among others, Te Matuku Bay oysters to start, kina on toast and a Cloudy Bay clam tagliatelle.
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Onemata
There’s a lot on offer at the Park Hyatt’s harbourside Onemata restaurant. From 8.30pm the upscale Wynyard Quarter destination will welcome guests for a special black-tie New Year’s Eve dinner involving a mood-setting cocktail and glamorous canapés on arrival (think caviar and duck pate eclairs), a lavish four-course dinner menu featuring indulgent ingredients such as crayfish and Wagyu scotch with truffle béarnaise sauce. A cheese table and petit fours end the memorable meal, just in time for the outlook across the Viaduct Basin to light up with fireworks. Tickets are $385 per person.
Trivet
Last month Viva’s dining out editor Jesse Mulligan predicted Trivet’s sunny, conservatory-style dining room would come into its own come summer and the New Year’s Eve offering at the Pacific by way of France restaurant suggests he was on the money. Across an early ($139 per person) and late ($169 per person) seating chef Wallace Mua will plate up a parade of gourmet bistro dishes that showcase his culinary prowess. Look out for the trevally oka with coconut, chilli, taro and mango, as well as a house-made tagliatelle with shellfish, garlic, chilli, coriander, Chatham Island kina, and parmesan. Also not to be missed: the flatbread and toasty coconut butter that Jesse raved about.
Onslow
With a garden terrace that hosts an uninterrupted view westward towards the Sky Tower, Josh Emett’s Onslow is perfectly positioned for a magical end to the year. The dining experience at the ticketed New Year’s Eve dinner looks to be just as elegant. Fittingly, there will be a flute of Ruinart Champagne awaiting your arrival. The event is so anticipated the late sitting has already sold out, with the $190 5pm four-course extravaganza set to follow suit.
Advieh
Another of Jesse’s favourite spots is out to delight diners right up until the bell rings on 2024. Advieh took our Best New Restaurant in Viva’s Top 60 Auckland Restaurants, which makes it a winner of a spot to close it out. The house restaurant of the InterContinental Hotel has a menu inspired by all things Middle Eastern, with ingredients featuring the best of the New Zealand food bowl and that’s what they’ll showcase with their $199pp set menu for groups or two or more people to enjoy. Share, among others: Chopped wagyu beef with smoked egg yolk, fermented chilli and sturgeon caviar, Sirloin with Tora Bay kina butter, sorrel and lemon, Persian ‘wedding rice’ with barberries, pistachio, summer herbs and warm pistachio cake with Otago cherries, pistachio butter, yoghurt icecream.
Rooftop at QT
Wynyard Quarter isn’t one of the official Parisian quarters, but you’ll be forgiven the confusion come December 31 when Rooftop at QT transforms Le Moulin Rouge style for an adults-only party to toast la Saint-Sylvestre. Expect a raucous evening heady on French influence, from the food to entertainment. Tickets, starting at $110 per person, cover entry plus an hour of free-flowing Perrier-Jouët Champagne and canapes from 8pm before a special menu of French-style cocktails kick things up a notch from 9pm. Level the night up further with a VIP booth or sleepover option.
Somm
Located on Princess Wharf in Auckland’s central city, wine bar and cellar door Somm is right among the action. What is it bringing to the party? In its own words “good food, great vibes, and all of the bubbles”. The food comes via the a la carte menu sharing plates and simple snacks - expect cheese platters, charcuterie and antipasti, as well as hot dishes like crispy fried chicken and braised short rib, while the bubbles is specially priced G.H.Mumm Champagne – $20 a glass, $100 a bottle. Cheers to that.
Bivacco’s New Year Affair
Breezy Viaduct venue and eatery Bivacco will transform into a haven for house-loving adults with Nice’n’Urlich headlining a bill of entertainment touted as the “best music, atmosphere, service, and people to share it with.” Tickets are $150 and include a glass of Moët et Chandon on arrival.
Esther
Downstairs at QT’s restaurant Esther chef Sean Connolly has put together a wholly celebratory menu for $130 in which every bite provides a reason to cheer. Spirits start to raise with a flute of Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut Champagne on arrival, followed by a four-course feast that’ll serve up their famed puff bread and saganaki, a bucatini amatriciana, line-caught snapper with crab bisque and a decadent chocolate torta amongst other spectacular delights.
Sunset Rooftop Bar
Watch the sun go down for the last time in 2024 from 10 floors up at Sunset Rooftop Bar. As well as drinking in expansive views, ticket holders will receive a glass of Moët & Chandon to toast to another year around the sun, while DJs including Bevan Keys, Murry Sweetpants back-to-back with Paris is Burning and Brydie Tong set a celebratory tone. Apricot-tinged Sunset Spritz cocktails and bites such as spiced lamb sliders with tamarind chutney ensure merrymakers end the year feeling on top of the world. Tickets from $79.
Queens Rooftop & Wineshop
Queens, the rooftop bar and eatery perched on top of Commercial Bay is operating as usual over the festive period (closed only on Christmas Day) which means there’s plenty of opportunity to take in the jaw dropping 270-degree view of Auckland. Swing by from 11am until late, raise a glass to the year just gone and try prize your eyes off the vista long enough to check out their fresh summer menu.
Latin Power
Salsa, mambo, merengue and rumba your way into 2025 at the Latin Power NYE Latin Festival which takes over Wynyard Pavillion this year. Organisers of the annual knees-up say they are “going HARD”, this year so don’t forget your dancing shoes. They’ve lined up more than 10 Latin DJs to ensure revellers dance away the entire whole night, and year. Those taking a break from the multiple dance floors can check out food trucks, or head out to the seaside outdoor area to catch the countdown.
ASB Classic
A day spent in the sunny stands, taking in the on-court action of the ASB Classic is one of the most pleasurably civilised ways to round out 2024’s sporting calendar. The WTA women’s tournament gets underway on December 30 with an exceptional women’s field boasting players such as Madison Keys, Elise Mertens, Lulu Sun, Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka. In between matches, there’s plenty of elegant entertainment on offer with The Serve delivering a suite of stellar food and beverage opportunities. One not-to-be-missed sight takes place in the salon-style Maison Mumm marquee - the renowned champagne brand’s “Tap Tap” sabrage moment sees a shower of free-flowing Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne sent high into the sky over as the neck of a jeroboam is tapped with a sabre.
Bar Albert
It’ll be an exclusive affair at Bar Albert, the captivating bar located on the 38th floor of the Voco hotel. Exit the elevator to a perfectly chilled serve of Champagne Louis Roederer Collection Brut and enjoy a glitzy selection of canapes while you mingle with well-heeled friends old and new. Tickets are $240.
Auckland Sea Kayaks
For a truly unique way to see in the new year in the City of Sails, consider taking to the water. Auckland Sea Kayak’s special New Year’s tour paddles out from Westhaven at 8pm, giving you a tranquil vista of the nighttime magic, with the vibrant city lights mirrored in the harbour waters as you reflect on 2024 and paddle towards 2025.
Vector Lights and Sky Tower Fireworks
The Vector Lights on the Harbour Bridge will lead into the countdown to 2025 with a pre-show that this year is inspired by the “Auckland is Calling” Tomokanga, reflecting the 19 iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau and the weaving together of people, land and sea. The spectacular light show will illuminate every 15 minutes from 9pm until 1am, syncing with the Sky Tower at midnight to usher in the new year with a jubilant fireworks display. On Victoria Street the Sky Tower will have a laser show from 9pm until 11.50pm that pre-empts the moment all eyes go to the sky and Auld Langs Syne rings out.
More festive fun
The Dish: 8 New Openings To Have On Your Radar, Plus More Delicious Food News. What’s going on in food? Johanna Thornton has the latest in new openings (there are eight!), events to book and exciting collaborations.
Viva’s Comprehensive Guide To Swimwear For Summer 2024/2025. Need new togs? This is the ultimate swimwear guide for this season.
Dr Libby: How To Channel A Sense Of Calm During The Holiday Season. Want to feel energised with inner calm for the festive season?
Celebrate Little Luxuries With These Practical Presents Under $50. What can you buy loved ones for under $50? Plenty! Consult this gift guide for the little luxuries that they will cherish.
