December/January #19

Happy holidays, dear readers, and what a ride 2024 was. We’ve brought you this month’s issue a little late, but full of cheer, and with a lot of festive good wishes, whatever that means for you.

Christmas markets, a cinematic stage version of Fleabag, the Franklin Road lights. And our 2024 Scuttlebutt: where is Nicholas Down now? Did the Cherry Blossom people sell their property? Is a shipping container art? Some of you love scuttlebutt; some of you can take it or leave it. Sometimes we use it as a vehicle to talk about serious things around town. As this year wore on, we found ourselves doing that more and more. Well folks, there’s a local election next year folks, so before we dive in, let’s reflect on the Hamilton stories that make us us. And yes, we’ve linked to it separately so you don’t have to scroll past it to get to Adam’s gig guide.

And because we’re a town that shuts down and clears out in the summer months, we’re combining our December and January issues so we can focus on tending the barbecue, getting stuck behind camper vans over the Kaimais, dodging conversations with a crazy cousin at family Christmas events, and chasing a toddler around on the lawn.

It’s been a big year for this plucky little newsletter, and we’re going to spend some of our time off reflecting on the year past and future plans and aspirations. To help with this we are running our first ever readers survey, because we’d like to get to know you better, and we’d like to hear how we’re doing. So if you’ve got a spare moment, we’d love for you to fill it out for us. All respondents will go in the draw to win a $100 voucher at Amphora.

Wishing you all the very best as 2024 draws to a close, and we’ll see you in February. In the meantime, drop your hot tips and recommendations via hello@thewaikatodraft.com or slide into our Insty DMs.

Feature: A Year in Scuttlebutt

We look back at our favourite items from the Scuttlebutt section in what turned out to be an eventful year.

Feature: The cambridge distillery co.

We all had lockdown projects that kept us sane, but not everyone has been able to make the transition into an award-winning boutique business. But Olympic-gold-medal winning coach James Coote presumably has discipline in droves. We knocked on his distillery door to learn more about his craft.

What’s on

IRL, including Markets

It’s that time of year. This weekend, December 7th, is the Extravaganza in the Park, Elliott Park, in Hyde Ave. What was originally a one-of 10 years ago has turned into an annual Christmas staple. This year they have a banger planned with hāngi (which always sells out early), Chloe the unicorn will be taking rides; there’s bouncy castles and mini-cars, and more than 140 stalls from which to shop local for Christmas. 

There’s the Tamahere twilight market, where you can buy your dermatologist's life partner’s dog walker’s handmade soap. 

The Riverbank Lane Market is also today. 

Gourmet in the Gardens continues. 

We have quite a few readers who work at Waikato Hospital: Celeste, the Rudis foodtruck, is at the bottom car bar December 3 - 20 (a little birdie told us they had to take a few things off the menu to comply with the “heathy eating” policy of WPH, but the almond croisants are still here, so who knows.)

The museum reopens! Their summer programme includes the Astronomy Photographer of the Year: 

The Black Caps play England in the third test match on December 14-18. They’ll also be doing a signing session December 13, 3.30pm at Centreplace.

Not until February (Feb 21 to March 2 to be exact), but we got our first look at the Hamilton Arts Festival this year. It includes Nathan Haines and friends, a queer punk pirate take on Shakespeare, and lots of musical offerings in the various nooks and crannies of the Hamilton Gardens. Keep an eye out for our February issue for more coverage closer to the time. 

And don’t forget the Franklin Lights Christmas lights. 

Did you know that Hamilton still had a high school doing night school classes? Fraser high runs a large number of short (6-8 weeks) courses in a wide variety of subjects, whether you want to learn how to do small business accounting or learn to weld there will be a course for you. The cooking courses are a special treat, taught by a selection of cooks keen to share the joy of their home nations cuisine.  While other courses teach languages, photography, crafts or even bee keeping. Enrolments for term one 2025 are now open, and fill up by Christmas. Contributed by Shawn Walsh. 

Music

By Adam Fulton

December 6th Pocket Money | The Yard, Raglan | Tickets

For those that missed Pocket Money last month in Kirikiriroa (looking at almost everyone here, including myself) the band were described as "great" by one attendee, and you have another chance to experience greatness, with added travel time!

December 13th & 14th Hamtown Smakdown | Wintec Hub | Tickets

The annual meeting of some of the oldest, and youngest in New Zealand hardcore returns to Wintec, proving that they can in fact make money from the arts. Many great bands (21, to be exact) across two nights, including but not limited to my personal favourites: Carthage from Tāmaki Makaurau. Local weirdo, sludgy metalcore act Salvage and Brainwave from Poneke.

Schizophonics (USA) | Harbour View Hotel, Raglan | Tickets

Frequent visitors to these shores, San Diego 'husband-and-wife rock duo' will be performing as a trio at Raglan's old Harbour View Hotel. For fans of rock and roll, or the tension that can only arise from the unique interpersonal dynamic of touring as a married couple and a bassist.

Movies

By Jason Marshall

The silly season is nearly upon us, and what better way to escape relatives (or just the summer heat) than by stepping into a movie theatre for a couple of hours?

Te Awamutu stalwart the Regent Theatre is running special screenings of beloved holiday classics like Elf, Gremlins, The Holiday (Congrats millennials, you’re old enough to have an entry in the Christmas movie canon now), a Home Alone double feature, and of course, everyone’s favourite seasonal movie, Die Hard*. They also host a slew of special secret santa screenings on Christmas Eve, including a sing-a-long session with the Te Awamutu Brass Band.

*(There’s fierce debate online about whether this is a Christmas movie or not but if you can think of a movie that better encapsulates the spirit of the season than one where someone endures a spouse’s office work do, even though her colleagues are terrible, and goes to some length to help them out, I’d love to hear about)

It’s easy to forget that before Fleabag conquered the streaming world and the zeitgeist circa 2016 (Weren’t a lot of us a certain kind of aesthetically neurotic back then? And, here’s my theory, there just isn’t a lot of appetite for it after everybody went insane in very non-aesthetic ways for portions of the pandemic?), it was a one woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. National Theatre Live: Fleabag is a recording of the West End run of the stage version - stripped down, minimalist, but still as emotionally raw and painfully funny as the full TV adaptation. December 19 at the Lido. Trailer. Tickets.

What we put in our mouths this month (WWPIOMTM)

We managed to fit quite a lot in our mouth this month. 

We were on the road stopped at Raglan Roast where you’ll get a ginormous rectangle of pizza for $11 a slice. One weekend last month, having missed McDonald’s breakfast, we indulged in Mr Twist: the hungover half of us got the big breakfast bagel, while the fresh one got the bruschetta cream cheese. Both were happy. We were ready to try Good George again and nabbed the alcoholic lemonade. It was fine.

Alpha Street Kitchen

Serving up modern bistro classics on a sunny outdoor deck, on our first visit to Alpha Street Kitchen (sorry Richard, we’ve been meaning to swing by for ages!) we sampled the sumac spiced chicken and the burger. We’re increasingly flexatarian these days but absolutely love some of the more meat forward menu options, like a Wagyu picanha with jumbo prawns and the eye fillet with hand cut chips and crayfish butter.

Rainforest Malaysia (Rototuna)

We’re ever on the look out for independent eateries that aren’t in Hamilton East, and Rainforest Malaysia isn’t just the best Malaysian in town (with some good competition in there - our previous loyalty lay with now sadly departed Lazart, but we are big fans of Penang Street Food up the north end of Victoria Street), but is one of the best places we’ve ever eaten in this town. The Hainanese chicken rice is perfect (we’ve tried to make this at home and ended up with sad boiled chicken - a dish best left to the professionals). If you load your fork up with this, sambal and cucumber we are talking the most perfectly balance forkful of food in the city. 

Amphora

One of the highlights of our year has been a low key evening spent slowly making our way through a bottle of the new Beaujolais Nouveau drop, along with cheese and saucisson at Amphora (at Made). More recently, and because it was someone’s birthday, we started with a glass of the petit chablis ($25), transitioning thereafter to to the $13 tap rose. Both were excellent, and enjoyed on the deck with the duck liver pate in the late afternoon sun. 

Shanghai

Did you know Shanghai, the recentish arrival to the Skycity Hamilton, offers a lunchtime yum cha menu? As always, everything we ordered was at a consistently high standard, but what left us the most gobsmacked was an impossibly pillowy steamed pork bun. Soup dumplings also thoroughly recommended.

Reggie’s - is it any good?

We have been to Reggie’s probably more times than we should really admit. We sampled the prawn spaghetti with crayfish bisque, the meatballs (make sure you get some focaccia on the side to soak up that sauce!). We’ve had the lamb ragu; many of the pizzas (they’re all good but special mention to the zucchini). The squid is exquisitely tender. Our only complaint is that on one occasion we had to leave all but about 3 bites of tiramisu on the table because of the lack of non-pizza take away boxes at the time, which we understand is no longer the case. So yes, we thoroughly researched this one in the name of science and it's very, very good. 

A few hyper-local gift ideas

The Duck Island ice cream scoop. The Hayes Common t-shirt, or tote. Local artist Keirryn has immortalised many Kirikiriroa landmarks. The Found x Loryn Spicy Tote. There’s also the Pekapeka-core tshirt from Go Eco, the funds of which go to helping save and education people on our bats. We are really spoilt for choice in this town for local pottery. Lauren Wu is a favourite of ours - here, or at the Framing House. 

Keirryn Hintz, a teacher at Knighton Normal School by day, immortalises Kirikiriroa’s local buildings in her other time. Her latest print is of the Wonderhorse entrance, a certain door some of us know too well. Prints available in the Larder at Made or via Instagram.

For booze, well, may we recommend anything from the Cambridge Distillery. We walked away from our recent interview with the Knocknaveagh 1862, but for a festive vibe you could try their limoncello. 

Perfume is huge at the moment - and the more niche a producer the better. If you want a perfume made here in Kirikiriroa, here is it. 

Expleo sauces - best browsed in store either in Te Awamutu or at Made. The Rudi’s sourdough starter kit. 

And then a word about Gift certificates - there are few situations we would suggest swapping your real money for fake, expiring money. Except gifts with local, independent businesses.

And two in Hamilton spring to mind:

A gift certificate for your loved one’s hairdresser is always a good bet, but someone you know is between hairdressers can we recommend Tenielle Gillies at Flyger? She cuts a bob you could sharpen a kitchen knife with. 

If you’re after a massage or beauty treatment, may we recommend The Villa. Karina came highly recommended to us a couple of years ago, and we haven’t used anyone else since.

November #18

It’s one of those Friday evening Drafts, breezing into your mail box, carried on a spring breeze.

This month: a Hamilton East Historical Cemetery tour. Round the Bridges. The Triumphant return of Ancient Tapes. 7 Days Live comes to town. And a Japanese Drama filmed in Raglan hits Netflix.

Enjoy x

Scuttlebutt

Self-appointed man about town Richard Swainson felt bad about rough sleepers for half a second, then came home to find somebody had taken a shit on his doorstep, and he tried to make it all sound Dickensian in the Times.

For the second year in a row, Hamilton is the fastest growing city in Aotearoa, its population rising 3.1% since 2023, which equates to about 192,000 people (welcome - sign up for our newsletter!). The Waikato is the second-fastest growing region (second to Auckland). 

If you go onto the Reggie’s website, and try to make a booking, it says walk-ins from November 9 and bookings from November 11 (which it won’t let you make). A regular groupie of theirs, who's seen the space taking shape, says this can’t be right. But soon. 

The new and improved - and safer - bus depot has a proud new erection: and they couldn’t have done it without your help! (You may remember Louise Hutt and her boosted campaign for Paul Darragh's Progress Pillar - a sculpture which depicts LGBTQI+ history, originally shown as part of the Boon Street Art Festival, to purchase the artwork for the city. Longtime readers may remember we’re made this erection joke previously.) 

We love multimodal logistics hubs, they’re our favourite type of logistics hub. A proposal to build one adjacent to Hamilton Airport has been unveiled, along with plans to extend the runway to accommodate large cargo aircraft. Tamahere NIMBYs are going to be really calm and reasonable about that, we’re sure.

The Heaphy Terrace/Boundary Road roundabout is one hectic roundabout, even when you’re in a car. And it’s right across from both the Jamia Mosque, which is a place of worship for more than 40,000 Hamiltonians and next to an early childhood centre, and not that far away from Claudelands and the accessible payground - and crossing the road there is a nightmare. It was the proposed site of raised pedestrian crossings, 90% of which is being funded by central government CERF scheme, so long as it’s completed by June 2025. But the plan was challenged in council last week - despite having been floated at prior briefings to council (that were poorly attended by councillors.) But in a council meeting late last month, where it was the only item on the agenda, there was a last-minute majority vote to redesign it.

The Hamilton City Council has put an additional $6.5 million into the regional theatre.

Music

By Adam Fulton

Family Band, Broadcast State, Ancient Tapes. Last Place, $15, November 9.
Family Band's show at Last Place back in May was subjectively the best show that occurred in Kirikiriroa in 2024. By some divine grace we can all relive the experience this coming Saturday. The Tāmaki trio (for fans of Shellac, Codeine, Unwound) will be joined by local post-punk outfit Broadcast State, and the triumphant return of Ancient Tapes.

Pocket Money, Last Place. November 16th. Tickets.
Tāmaki power-pop trio brutally mashing elements of Morrissey and 2010's indie rock on stage right here at Last Place.

Serpette (Aus), Katorga (Aus), Paroxys (Aus), Hoon. Mesoverse $15, November 22.
What a lineup! Three bands from Naarm crossing the musical boundaries of freak punk to crust and thrash. Joined by relative local newcomers Hoon. Early show (guaranteed to be finished by 10pm)

Spotlights (USA), Last Place, November 23, tickets. Place.
New York's doomy-shoegazers Spotlights play Last Place, joined by our own Landlords and Tauranga outfit Threat Meet Protocol.

Movies

By Jason Marshall

Your dad’s favourite DVD finally got a sequel, with Gladiator 2 arriving on November 14. Handsome lads Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal star. Trailer.

You’re trapped in a house. It’s Hugh Grant’s house. What would’ve been a 1990s dream, turns into a 2024 nightmare. Heretic releases November 28. Trailer.

The Misty Flicks Film Festival kicks off once again on November 22nd hosted by the Regent Theatre in Te Awamutu. The festival encompasses a showcase of work from local filmmakers, workshops, and networking opportunities for those in the film industry. A full programme is available here. Last year we met with Paige Larianova to talk about the Regent Theatre and the Misty Flicks Festival.

Theatre

Our theatre editor Louise Drummond is still on maternity with her gorgeous new baba, but Waikato University is doing a production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. If, like one half of your WD editorial team, you came to unironically love Gilbert and Sullivan thanks to Sideshow Bob, this one’s for you.

Around Town

Get a group together so you can solve the queueing time/food consumed coefficient, Gourmet in the Gardens returns this month.

Stay tuned for the real opening date of Reggies.

Feeling stressed and need to break some plates about it? Hamilton has a new rage room in Te Rapa - for $40 you smash up 20 glasses, one television or microwave, or additional large items to buy separately. Our printer/scanner unit may end up here someday, if it doesn’t start behaving.

Teddy Bears Picnic at the Gardens November 9.

Round the Bridges is November 17 with kids’ distances, 6 km and 12 km courses. Participant entries are sold out, so head along and check out the race - the route spans both sides of the river, between Fairfield and Cobham bridges.

Local historian Lyn Williams is doing a tour of the Hamilton East Heritage Cemetry November 9 at 2pm, where you can learn about the graveyards “architects, artists and artisans”, including a quite few historical Hamilton figures. Hopefully a bad boy or two in there. The Times also ran a piece here.

These tamariki are already better at kapa haka than I’ve ever been at anything. Go along to tautoko at the Te Whare Haka o Tainui brings the Tainui Waka Primary Schools Kapa Haka Festival 2024 to GLOBOX Arena, Claudelands on Friday 8 November and Saturday 9 November. Koha entry.

Seven Days is filming one of their live events Get Ready to Laugh - 7 Days Live, also at Globox arena, Thursday 28 November. Tickets.

And on November 14, Japanese drama Beyond Goodbye hits Netflix, and much of it was filmed in Raglan. We can’t vouch for the show, but we do sure look beautiful in the trailer. Tip of the hat to the folks at Waikato Screen for making it happen.

What we put in our mouths this month

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Rawhiti Village, in the rapidly changing Frankton, is now home to Du Pain & Du Pain, by Belgain owner and baker Daniel. You can get the usual fresh bread selection (sourdough, a very good rye and raisin), and yesterday’s bread is 25% off if. Their croissants are also very fine [see above for the cross section], and the raisins of their pain au raisin have been soaked in rum overnight. 

We embarked upon a home-grown tomato situation this month in continual disappointment of supermarket tomatoes - and bought our seedlings from Pop Up Seedling, run by 9 year old Kirikiriroa resident and gardening prodigy Aaliyah. Well keep you posted.

We had a recent dinner-ish party and the standouts were an apple tarte tatin, an Ottolenghi butter bean salad (which I bill as “a high end version of the old KFC bean salad”).

We’re obsessed with Vietnamese coriander chili sauce, or Nuoc Mam Ngo, introduced to us during a recent visit to Rice Rice Baby - we found a good recipe here. We haven’t written about RRB very much, but we’ve always found them to be a good time.

October #17

We’re under no illusion this newsletter strikes a bougie tone a lot of the time - especially when it comes to food and eating out. But with austerity front and centre in both local and national politics, I have been thinking a lot about how we measure the value we get from spending in public services, because I think that gets lost in the conversation purely about cost cutting. For example, if you have a child or children, and you wanted to maintain a really good bookcase - that could cost you hundreds and hundred of dollars. Or, you can have a library card. Perhaps you don’t have children, but you swim. Think those are too bespoke? Do you know how much it would actually cost you to get rid of your rubbish if we didn’t all go 1/165,000ths, and individually paid a company that expected to turn a profit? (Auckland Council recently got rid of a bunch of public rubbish bins, only for social media to light up with comments along the lines of, why are our parks and streets now so filthy?) 

So, I’ve been thinking about this a lot, about how there needs to be some line-by-line coefficient or ratio for various bits of public spending - eg a dollar spent on refuse actually saves the average household, say, five bucks, and see if it would change the way we think about expenditure, and help us to think more communally again. (Or, maybe it wouldn’t.) I also think about how a little newsletter like this fits into that ecosystem - because for all the IG posts of orange wine, we also try to include family events that are free or low cost, or include stories like the new Hamilton Council Food Map (see Scuttlebutt). We get more and more submissions every month - please keep them coming to hello@thewaikatodraft.com 

We also have our first Draft baby! Our theatre editor Louise Drummond welcomed her daughter Charlotte Ella last month, and we are thrilled. And so we take a little break from our usual theatre listings, but have plenty besides.

Scuttlebutt

We have covered Andrew Bydder before, the Hamilton Councillor who in June told Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan to “get off your fat arse”, calling Waipā council staff “r******d, s*****c c***” in a public submission online. This was found to be in breach of the council’s code of conduct. This man, representing our city, doesn’t even live in Hamilton. And he will tell the public he’s “going rogue”, while telling the council that, for the record, “I am genuinely sorry for any hurt caused to the public”. There were complaints from the usual corners about the money spent on these proceedings. Seems to us that the best way to have avoided that spend was to have been for Bydder to have been collegial in the first place. Anyway, that’s enough words devoted to him.

As we mentioned above, the Hamilton Council Food Map launched this food map this month, pointing users towards free or low cost kai. Originating from the Kai Collective (a covid initiative from another era), it’s brought together more than 40 community contributors under the one umbrella. If you know of any paataka kai, food banks, community fruit trees or community gardens that aren't featured they’d love to hear from you: kaimap@hcc.govt.nz

Hayes Common crew Lisa and Brent Quarrie talked to RNZ about the difficulties facing the hospitality sector. 

Many of us had noticed the uptick in increasingly circumferential abortion protests around Waikato Hospital, really since our abortion law reform. So well done everyone who made the new extended safe zone happen.

We also have a lot of readers that work at the hospital, and as some of them wrote to us because their subsided half-priced bus fares ran out this month, and will not be renewed. (The hospital employs more than 6,500 people, more people than the population of some towns). Which is a shame, least of all for patients who are already running late due to increasingly rare appointments at cost-pressured clinics, because of parking.

And the Gardens have officially brought in their $20 cover charge for out of towners. The big push for locals to get the Garden’s Pass seems like a faff - we just want to rock up with our power bill, please. 

We got invited to a private function at Reggie’s (Mr Pickle’s new boozy pasta place upstairs at Made) in November, and they attached a menu - specifically for the event in question, and so we didn’t think it fair to include it here, but it was everything we’d hoped for.

We’re very into shoots of local regrowth, springing up where chains have failed along Grey Street. The retreat of Bird on Wire opened up a spot for local Salam Afghan food, which we’ve mentioned before and will mention again. Now with the demise of Lord of the Fries we’ve been watching with interest and are eager to try the Thai place that has risen from its ashes.

What’s on

IRL

More cross pollination within Made: Little ‘Lato and Neat are doing a five course degustation pairing gelato and spirits. October 23, tickets $75. Meanwhile Amphora x Pasta Paradiso on Monday nights continue, with a changing menu each week. 

Barbie is the School Holiday Garden Place movie this Saturday, October 5. Free, but weather dependent. Bring a blankie. Mr Twist will be open for business. 

The Hamilton Collectable Market has a bit of everything, and is happening October 19 at the Barn at Claudelands - Gate 3 Brookland Road. Bring cash - eftpos is limited. 

November 2 (just before we publish our next newsletter), is the Hamilton Urban Wine Walk - see here for the list of venues including Mr Pickles, Last Place, Madam Woos - each one representing a different wine maker. All within staggering distance of each other. 

The bilingual play Where our Shaows Meet, developed with funding form the New Zealand Sign Language Board and on tour thanks to Creative New Zealand. It’s is a mix of “physical storytelling, live instrumental music, New Zealand Sign Language, and spoken English” - pitched at d/Deaf and hearing audience members. At the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, October 26. 

The Northern end of Wi Neera Walkway in Raglan is now open. 

And then October 14, Mystery Creaks Ceramics is holding an event Craft to Chaos, an evening of “creativity and fun” outside their Made store, with “interactive making experience”. We’re not sure what that means, exactly, but there’s also food afterwards. If you’ve even seen one of their seconds’ sale (the line goes out the door and around the corner”, you’ll know they can really pull a crowd.

Halloween

For Halloween, don’t forget a trip to American candy store International Foods in Pukete. We’ve heard the odd complaint about the expiry dates: but can this stuff even go off? Where’s your sense of adventure? Exscite, at the Waikato Museum are also doing a Kooky Spooky Crafts spesh - also October 26. Their entry is now riverside, incidentally, due to construction. 

Art

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Signals! Solutions, a solo exhibition by frenetic artist Jack Hadley, opens at Laree Payne Gallery, this Saturday 

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Opening today is Kahurangiariki Smith’s exhibition, What if my best friend was a Taniwha? At the Ramp Gallery, Wintec, until October 26. The collection including video games, 3D renderings, toy dinosaurus, as Kahurangiariki explores her whakapapa to Ngati Rangiwewhi and her two taniwha - Pekehaua and Hinerua.

Gigs

By Adam Fulton

Reef Brazendale & the Backstabbers. October 11. Last Place. Tickets.

Reef Brazendale, drummer and vocalist for Ōtepoti punk outfit the Dud Uglys, is touring a selection of his own tunes alongside his backing band the Backstabbers. His Bandcamp page leads to nowhere, but I wouldn't expect a significant departure from the Dischord records inspired output of his previous bands.

Bad Taste and Ripship. October 18. Last Place. Tickets.

Bad Taste a Pōneke project, featuring rapper Young Gho$t and beatmaker Alphabethead, a slightly hazy combination of atmospheric dub and UK hip hop. Also a duo from Pōneke, Ripship play an almost disturbingly lucid brand of psych rock, quite unsettling.

Foundation Fest. October 19. the Local, Te Rapa. Tickets.

Cementing Kirikiriroa as the cultural capital of NZ Hardcore, foundation Fest brings together a slew of genuinely quite excellent hardcore and punk acts from across the country. Including but not limited to Dredge, Martial Law, Standover, Pressure and Gravel Pit.

Dougfest. October 25 & 26. Last Place. Tickets.

Two nights of music spanning that vast chasm between the eggpunk stylings of Cootie Cuties, and the melodic post-hardcore Barracks.

What We Put In Our Mouths This Month

I want to eat seasonal, but I struggle in winter. But from this month it gets so much easier around now. For those of us who love it, asparagus is here! Which also means baby potatoes, and then strawberries aren’t fair away, and then stone fruit. And corn. And really, really good tomatoes. Which always makes our household miss the farro cherry tomato pick and mix - so if someone knows a local alternative please let us know.

We have been eating a lot of herby quiche and tarts - with courgettes, asparagus, and we are lucky enough to have an old friend supplying us with fresh, free range eggs. And we have elotes corn recipes at the ready. 

We are eating a lot of goats cheese - on the above, and by itself with crackers. The Provençal soft goat cheese, a delicious soft puck of garlicky and herby goodness, by Cranky Goat of Blenheim, is available alongside a great range of cheeses from the good buggers at Expleo.

We made a six hour slow cooked pork shoulder ragu with pappardelle from Vetro. We’re really loving the fresh pasta options there and it can really elevate a dish.

We got an email from a reader singing the praises of The Crust on Collingwood Street - we’ve featured them before and we don’t mind doing a re-do. Our reader made a similar comment to the one we did: this place has no ambience, at all, but the pizza is sensational and perfect for take out.

We have yet to actually catch the Amphora x Paradiso Monday night pasta. But we did cheat recently and went and got Paradiso pasta on a Friday lunchtime, and then walked down to Amphora, and ordered a glass of wine, which is not painful at all. We could drink whatever wine sommelier Kieran Clarkin serves us, and regularly do, but also recently enjoyed the Peddlers Gin from Shanghai he’s carrying in a GnT.

We also have this funny habit of catching the changing Mr Pickles menu just as it leaves? Like we go there, it’s fucking sensational, and then the next day I check IG and it’s Mr Pickles telling me the menu is changing. And mean to return the following week.

The chocolate mousse from the NYT. Literally fail safe.

September #16

Kia ora dear readers, can you believe it’s September already?

We’ve been enjoying the sunshine and warmth over the last week and a half or so, in between the bouts of torrential rain.

This month: String quartets over the landscape of Te Pahuu, a new ghost bridge, a concert and whisky tasting for the Scots about us, and we take a back seat with a flying doctor.

As usual if you want to reach out and let us know how we’re doing, or want to drop us some hot gossip, shoot us an email on hello@thewaikatodraft.com or slide into our Insty DMs.

Scuttlebutt

The council will keep its Maaori wards - which triggers a referendum on retaining them or not, at the next local body elections in 2025.

Waikato Hospital has been in the news for long waits and staff shortages - particularly at the junior doctor level. But apparently, the problem is that we’re spending too much money. Our general advice is to try to avoid getting a major illness in the short to medium term future.

We have a new bridge Te Ara Pekapeka - what a little beauty. There’s more below in the feature.

Hamilton teenager Alexandria Endres played in the World Billiard Championships. Can you imagine how many men in the audience who reckon they’d win against her?

North & South wrote a piece in the print edition, featuring Louise Hutt and Karl Martin-Bouton of The Green, with an obligatory line about people “unironically” loving Hamilton.  

Lastly, we’d noticed town is quieter town is on Friday night - this month we headed into town after the Memoir Panel at Hamilton Book Month (with panellists Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku, Emma Espiner, and Craig Hoyle - all of whom were excellent), dashed across to Last Place and then to Wonderhorse afterwards. On our way home we got picked up by local aunty and famous uber driver Shelley (with the shortbread). Aunty Shelly agrees and says the young folks are getting turnt on Saturday nights - which makes for a great date-night night without having to deal with a crowd or being confronted by your rapidly advancing age.

Features

The Flying Doctor - We take flight with doctor and British import Hannah Price, and talk about the Waikato Aero Club’s long history, and applying the lessons of aviation to medicine.

Te Ara Pekapeka Bridge - A Review - Weighing in on Kirikiriroa’s newest bridge.

What’s on

IRL

The Hamilton Civic choir wrote to tell us about their Slàinte Mhath - and we were glad they did. The entire evening raises a glass to the Scottish Diaspora at the Cambridge Town Hall September 21, starting with a choral concert, followed by a whisky tasting and a quiz (tickets to these are sold separately), and with prizes for the best dress. Ach aye, yes please.

Matamata - a Texas Pete’s pop-up is coming to you September 4- 7, at the carpark at 91 Firth Street.

Brought to you by Go Eco and Hospice Waikato, Let’s Get Thirfty is back for another year at the Meteor. September 5-7. Bringing clothes from Hamilton’s best thrift stores together to the one spot, adding to the thrill of the hunt but taking away a little of the travel admin. $20 per person, with a 5-bag maximum. Students $10.  

Convergence, the big annual shindig from the Waikato Role Playing Guild (that’s tabletop roleplay - the kind with dice, you horndogs) is running September 7-8 at the Distinction Hotel and Conference Center in Te Rapa. They welcome both old hands and fresh faces looking to try something new. 

The longest running untutored life drawing group in Hamilton happens every Friday for $20, at St Peters Cathedral.

Cambridge Record Fair at the Town Hall September 6th 4-7pm

Pirongia throws a good little party - and their annual craft day is September 29. Just remember this is when smart people start their Christmas shopping (we start on December 22nd)

Music

By Adam Fulton

NZ String Quartet. Soundlounge, Te Pahū. September 6. Tickets.

Who can honestly say they have watched the New Zealand String Quartet perform overlooking the vast pastoral landscape of Te Pahu? Nobody can, but that will all change on September 6th. 

Kirikiriroa Hardcore night. Mesoverse. September 14. Door sales.

The 2nd instalment of monthly hardcore nights organised by Crunch DIY. Martial Law, Cease and Desist and n00bies Hoon. 

Troy Kingi and the Cactus Handshake. Last Place. September 20. Tickets.

Widely recognised as Rotorua’s answer to Sufjan Stevens, Troy Kingi brings his latest band to Hamilton a for a night of “Desert Rock”. [This gig is sold out at the time of writing, so approach a scalper maybe.]

Theatre

By Louise Drummond

Firebringer: A New Stone Age Musical, Meteor Theatre, 10-14 September, 7.30pm. 

Readers familiar with Team Starkid will know everything they write is hilarious. (A Very Potter Musical is the musical parody Harry absolutely deserved.) Firebringer: A New Stone Age Musical has a great cast and to summarise really quick: a tribe of early homo sapiens who worship a duck deity, but then fire is invented and stuff gets complicated. Top notch.

Eli Matthewson: Night Terror and Kirsty Webeck: I'll Be The Judge of That, Meteor Theatre, 27 September, 7.30pm (Eli) and 9pm (Kirsty)

Actually a comedy evening, and with two separate shows from comedians at the top of their game. Eli talks about that one time his boyfriend tried to kill him in his sleep, and Kirsty talks about dating farmers and her mysterious run-in with a concert band, amongst other things. You can choose to just see one of the shows, or you can see both and even get a promo code discount if you book through The Meteor's website.

Glamilton Drag Show, Meteor Theatre, 28 September, 8pm.

Kirikiriroa's fabulous drag scene comes out for another gorgeous night of raunchy, glittery fun. I am due to be giving birth that week, but honestly, if it wasn't R18, I'd so just pop some earmuffs on the baby and bring her along because it's going to be awesome. And where is she meant to get her drag fix now queens have been run out of libraries?

Movies

By Jason Marshall

It’s a quiet-ish month for movies releases, but here’s a couple that we’re excited about.

Look at me, I’m Sandra Dee! Te Awamutu’s The Regent hosts a sing-along screening of Grease, on September 13. Trailer. Tickets.

The visually striking Disney musical deep dive into Colombian folklore, Encanto, is being re-released in Te Reo with a limited run at The Regent and Event Cinemas Chartwell. Screenings September 13 (The Regent) and September 14-15, 23 (Event Cinemas)

What we put in our mouths this month (Or, WWPIOMTM)

Firstly, we’re feeling pretty smug because we nabbed a December booking at The Green. We’re trying not to be insufferable about it, in fact. Bookings were all snapped up in the course of an hour or so, but if you missed out last time, January’s bookings open up on Monday September 23rd at 6 pm. Bring your A game on this one, and potentially rely on the skills of a younger relative who secured Eras Tour tickets.

We’ve started decanting our wine - previously I’d assumed it’d be wasted on my usual mid-low-price-point cheerful plonks. Then I was given a carafe, which I started to use for arseholey-aesthetic reasons, but now I’m hooked because I realise it can save an average drop and make it taste $20 more expensive. Cheap wine is exactly what you should be decanting, is this writer’s uninformed reckon. (Incidentally we also know of a reader who has been known to run cheap chardonnay through their Soda Stream, for DIY bubbles. We have not sampled this method.)

Our favourite Polish person made us Bigos, which is one of those if-you-know-you-know dishes. A stew of sauerkraut, meat, and veges which we’ve never seen appear on a restaurant menu here in Aotearoa.

We got some Father’s Day biltong from @Food Culture (That’s not a social media handle, they’re actually called that) which is made in house. We had a royal sampler and it was all great but the stand out was the droëwors.

The Duck Island salted pistachio is extremely good and is apparently flying off the shelves.

We attended the Mayor of Mustard pop up at Last Place and were blown away by the brisket, wings, and pulled pork. An absolute must attend next time they’re in town (or catch them in Raglan if you can’t wait)

We’ve been introduced to Tea Ceylandia in Garden Place, by a dear Sri Lankan friend, and had it twice this month via delivery. Described to us as like very authentic Sri Lankan home cooking, it is worth ordering in advance as it can take a while (but is worth the wait). The Kotthu roti (which is a national dish) is a stand out, as is the deviled chicken, the chicken fried rice, the chicken parotta and the fish rolls. We’re looking forward to dining in some time soon.

August #15

Kia ora nerds! Boy, did you love our little guest spot from Poppies bookstore. Well, August is Hamilton Book Month, so have at it. Otherwise, this month we’re talking about a local maniac who’s fled to the desert, Roundabout News seems to have been replaced with a monthly hot item in Parking-Gone-Wild news, a gripping one-woman stage show depicting a tumultuous legal career hits the stage, and the Mr-Pickles-Pasta-Place is coming soon…

As always, send us your hot tips, unprintable gossip, and rare bird sightings to hello@thewaikatodraft.com or slide into our Insty DMs.

Scuttlebutt

Robyn Gallagher asks, who exactly are these Aucklanders with Hamilton holiday homes? Look, we love this city, but c’mon.

Voter turnout in the Hamilton Kirikiriroa Māori Ward by-election has been dire, with less than 6% of eligible voters casting their ballots so far. Postal voting has now closed, but physical polling places are open until Wednesday 7 August, so get after it!

Have you kept up with that local maniac and loudmoth, Nicholas Down? The Hamilton EV owner was previously very critical of the Covid response (“woke dribble”), whose Facebook ads featuring dog whistle antivaxxer slogans were enough to get him in hot water with the Advertising Standards Authority. In January, the “EV Evangelist'' was caught on CCTV and fined for dumping a trailer-load (!) of rubbish after being denied his request of free entry to the Lincoln Street tip. But the real schadenfreude came the following month, when he filed for liquidation in February, at a time when EV sales around the country plummeted after the incoming government scrapped clean car subsidies (which is sad - they went from one in every four car sales to one in 26). Well, now his liquidators have hired a PI to track him down. Is he in Dubai? Is he driving around Frankton? Is he squating somewhere in the jungle, a Colonel Kurtz figure? Is he ruining the vibe in some nutcase anti-vax Discord server? Who knows! Also full credit to Mike Mathers for his continued reporting, and to the sub editors, for the opening line “He’s Nicholas Down, but is he out?”

In more parking news - an elderly woman is safe after reversing her car into one of Waikato University’s lakes. Reddit user Atlas_XXVIII, who dove in along with campus security to come to the driver’s aid, commented that he’s aware it was the least disgusting of all the lakes on campus, having looked at it during a first year environmental science paper.

Photo via Reddit user garfieldsfatass.

Lord of the Fries went into receivership including its recently opened Hamilton East branch, after an unsuccessful bid to push falafel out of the deep fried vegan treats market. Place your bets on what will go into the spot. In our family we like to play fantasy football with these things, so we’re spending a lot of time imagining tacos or a tiki bar.

Rumour has it that the Italian joint run by the good folks behind Mr Pickles will start setting up shop in their space at Made next week. We have no other confirmed details, but it’s certainly opening some time soon.

Tirau is a little outside our parish (although we do always enjoy grabbing a pie from The Baker if we’re passing through on our way to Over the Moon) but the region’s premier roadside comfort stop is currently divided over plans to open a Burger King and drivethrough Starbucks.

Also, we had a tip about when the Peacocke Road Bridge is opening, but apparently it’s often kept secret because you all go bananas for it, and it leads to crashes. But we’re told it’s looking like late August. The very end of August.

And we’ll leave you with the spotting of this rare white tūī. Thanks for sharing, Maciej Kisiel!

IRL

It’s Hamilton Book Month! Highlight include the fiction panel (August 2) with Emily Perkins, and the Memoir Panel, which includes friend of the pod Emma Wehipeihana (August 9), and a poetry workshop with New Zealand Poet Laureate Chris Tse (August 17). 

Irish stand-up comic and panel show bulwark Ed Byrne plays Claudelands on Saturday August 10.

Annyeong! Waikato Institute of Education is launching a Korean language course.

Waikato Museum is now closed for renovations, scheduled to reopen with a fresh new look in December - the ever delightful to kids of all ages Excite remains open throughout.

Don’t call it a Lego show, it’s the Hamilton Brickshow™ 2024! August 10-11. 

Last month we also went to the Hamilton Inline Hockey Club (on Wairere Drive) for their Friday night public skate sesh - open to all ages and abilities. It’s good clean fun - with lots of parents and kids, while young people striking out on their own making eyes at each other. Plus it’s cheap - $8 entry and $2 for skate or rollerblade hire (sizing runs out early). 

Gigs

Adam Fulton, our music guy extraordinaire, is taking a break this month. We’re aware many of you read purely for his picks but don’t worry, he’ll be back next month! Our relatively uninformed reckons: Makeshift Parachutes are playing at Last Place August 16 (tickets). If you’ve got an infinite well of darkness, August 10 is Goth Night Hamilton at Last Place with Wellington post punk duo Breaches as well as DJ sets from Passion Crypt, Gravedigger, and Black Wax.

Movies

By Jason Marshall

M. Night Shyamalan seems completely impervious to box office failures (it’s probably somewhat helpful as a commercial artist if one of your parents is a billionaire), and he’s back yet again with another intriguing premise that he likely won’t stick the landing on - what if a daddy-daughter pop concert night is a entirely a law enforcement sting to catch a serial killer? And daddy is the serial killer? Trap sees another outing from once upon a time heartthrob Josh Hartnett, who’s been having a bit of a moment lately after killer appearances in Oppenheimer and Black Mirror. Trailer. Releases 1 August.

It’s once again time for Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival, kicking off at the Lido on August 21. Our picks for the festival:

• Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupu Te Ara. Profiling Te Reo heavy metal pioneers Alien Weaponry, this documentary follows them on the road at home and abroad. August 24. Tickets.

• Paris, Texas. The 1984 Wim Wenders classic neo-Western existential crisis road trip, family alienation, amnesia saga has had a 4K restoration. August 28 and September 1. Trailer. Tickets.

• Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. Sensitive boys inherently love dangerous women. Described as “Amelie for goth girls,” this quirky romantic comedy is already becoming a cult favourite. August 30 and September 3. Trailer. Tickets.

Studio Ghibli heads rejoice! A slew of Hayao Miyazaki classics are seeing a theatrical re-release this month, with My Neighbour Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and The Wind Rises set to screen at The Regent on the weekend of August 24 and 25. Tickets.

Theatre

By Louise Drummond

Prima Facie, Meteor Theatre, 1-3 August, 8pm. I've seen this fabulous play performed at the Hamilton Gardens Festival earlier this year and raved about it, and I'm looking forward to catching this iteration. It's a powerful piece of solo theatre and I've heard nothing but good things about Cassandra Woodhouse's interpretation of it. Recommended for ages 15+, content warnings.

Hunchback of Notre Dame, Clarence St Theatre. 1 - 10 August, times vary. As plugged last month, the Hunchback is still happening in August. It's getting fabulous reviews and it sounds like Hamilton Operatic have outdone themselves again. I can't wait to see it next week.

The Coven on Grey Street, Riverlea Theatre. 22-23 August, 7.30pm. Carving in Ice Theatre is presenting a staged reading of James Cain's play, loosely inspired by the witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth. It's a smart and funny script set right here in Hamilton, and the Carving in Ice actors will no doubt do a fabulous job bringing this to life. Rehearsed readings differ from full performances because the actors still have the scripts, but by about 5 minutes in you don't even notice. Carving in Ice have a long history of bringing really interesting pieces to Hamilton as rehearsed readings, so it's lovely to see them perform something from a homegrown Kirikiriroa playwright.

Be More Chill, Meteor Theatre. 23-31 August, times vary. Bold Theatre strikes again with another smart musical, this one is a sci-fi tale set in high school that focuses on one lonely outcast and his tiny AI supercomputer. Bold Theatre always produces high quality shows and this one should be sharp as heck - and funny too. 

What We Put In Our Mouths This Month (WWPIOMTM)

God, we hope we’re using Neat right - we’ve now been there much much more as a retail destination than as a bar. We always seem to be always blustering past sophisticated drinkers on my way to the fridge, in my work clothes with an ugly tote bag. Most recently we’ve had the Liberty Divine Wind lager (a Japanese style lager), a dry crisp drop that paired excellently with fried fish. It’s also worth noting their wine selection covers a range of price points (starting around $20), and as always we’re very devoted to Le Tribute olive lemonade.

Merci beaucoup to Amphora who brought a continental offering to the Made food court with some excellent raclette for Bastille Day. 

And while we’re talking Made eateries - everyone talks about pretzels when it comes to Mr Twist, but their breakfast sandwich absolutely bangs. The sausage patty, egg, and cheese combination will defeat a mild to moderate hangover.

**

After having watched too many episodes of The Bear last month, we made beef short ribs from Expleo. We’re also big fans of the Tamarind Chilli & Lime spatchcock chicken, $23 this month.

**

And then one half of your editorial team (40F), who’s always been very good at eating but never enjoyed cooking much, has been obsessed with Nara Smith. I think if you realise it’s just as much not real as much as anything else on social media, it clears the path to enjoy her Tiktok as the cooking channel it essentially is, with her dulcet tones and incredible styling. Like, did you even know you could make your own Fanta? And so I found myself, inspired, once a week or so, making that chicken stock with carcasses I’ve had in the freezer for 6 months, and then making the risotto of my dreams the following night. Or turning the office citrus pile into zesty spicy cordial. I know that striving for completely “pure” unprocessed food becomes the restriction, but I do enjoy that her content never, ever, mentions any caloric limitation whatsoever  - fats, carbs, whatever. None of the building blocks of food are ever vilified. I love that so much.

And if anyone can help me find a local version with the vibes of the Gustaf Westman plates, I will love you forever. 

July #14

The Founders Theatre is coming down, coming down, coming down.

Jane Goodall, naughty councillors who’ve watched too much Succession, another new hotel and apartment block. Gigs, including the end of the Yot Club in Raglan. The cat show - with lots of weird cats! We went to Sage. (That’s Sage, not Thyme, as we’ve found ourselves explaining to people.) And Poppies Bookstore gives us their top 5 winter reads, including for kids on school break, and the emergence of a genre we’re going to dub ‘evidence-based self help’.

As always send us your top tips, brunch intel, feedback and suggestions to hello@thewaikatodraft.com or slide into our Insty DMs.

Scuttlebutt

The actual, real life, Jane Goodall was here in Kirikiriroa. At the zoo! Which makes sense. There wasn’t that much about her visit publicly available ahead of time, which was a shame - we would have bought tickets to anything she was speaking at, which seems a missed opportunity for fundraising for something important. 

In March, a new riverside, high end hotel was announced for the CBD, by the Templeton Group. Last month, a $100m, 191-bedded Pullman was announced for the Mistry Centre on Ward Street. As readers will know we try and support local and independent whenever we can. But we’re also here for a battle of the hotel bars, especially if they deliver good views of the river. And please let one of them have a) a good pool with b) service drinks poolside. 

Before we leave real estate; we’re as guilty as anyone of not giving Tainui news the prominence it deserves. They’ve just got consent to build an apartment block on the corner of Victoria and Ward St. Although I’ll miss the stats on the temporary fence.

Sometimes scuttlebutt writes itself - see: “Hamilton city councillor writes expletive-laden rant to neighbouring council”, from RNZ. Andrew Bydder now has a total of 24 code of conduct complaints against him. As we’ve reported before, these complaints cost the ratepayers a lot of money, which is ironic as they’re instigated by a guy who loves banging on about council overspending.

Lastly, a 92 year old reversed his car into Elizabeth Georg Hair Design in Dinsdale, and everyone was okay. Within hours, Zibido Hair had offered them their unattended salon space that weekend so they could still see clients. We love to see it.

What’s on

IRL

Amphora are doing complimentary aperitivo with their pours between 4 and 6pm weekdays, which sounds like the perfect after work wind down to us. They are also doing a Raclette for Bastille Day (weekend) from July 12 - 14th, details. 

Speaking of Bastille Day, Alliance Française hosts a party on July 13 at Sky City, promising live music, a French buffet and a cancan show. Bonne fête nationale, everyone! Tickets.

It’s the last-chance-to-see for a few exhibitions at the museum: a selection of modern art from the Chartwell collection, the six extinctions museum for kids (and adult dinosaur lovers). They’re also doing a number of movie screenings alongside entry for the latter - notably Night at the Museum (PG), July 16. 

Go see some weird cats somewhere other than the internet, with the Hamilton Cat Club annual 2024 show, this weekend July 7 at the Tamahere Community Center. 

Film

By Jason Marshall

Is it a sequel? Is it a reboot? We don’t know, and honestly it sounds like a film studio robot put it all together: Let’s do a new version of the beloved 90s storm chaser road flick, Twister, but put current reigning hunk Glenn Powell in it and get Oscar nominated director Lee Isaac Chung (of the soulful, heartbreaking A24 drama, and love letter to immigrant parents everywhere, Minari) on board. What we do know is Twisters is sure to contain bad weather and some sort of gadget flow into a tornado as it rampages through a town in the midwest. July 11. Trailer.

Director Yorgos Lanthimos (of last year’s excellent Poor Things, and purveyor of profoundly unsettling films like Dogtooth, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer) returns with Kinds of Kindness, an absurdist black comedy anthology. Emma Stone, Willem Defoe, and Jesse Plemmons star. July 11. Trailer.

Echoing 90s crime thrillers with horror aesthetics like Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, Longlegs sees a rookie FBI agent detailed to the case of an on the loose serial killer with an interest in the occult. July 18. Trailer.

Music

By Adam Fulton

Yot Club Farewell show. Yot Club (Raglan), July 6. Tickets. 

Possibly the most fitting band to send off the Yot Club the DHDFDs, who will be joined by Hermordroid, Illicit Wah Wahz and Hoick Stunt Clown.

Take Hold. Mesoverse (All ages), July 6. Tickets.

The second and final Kirikiriroa EP release show for Tāmaki Makaurau melodic hardcore outfit Take Hold. Joined by Qualms & Cease and Desist.

Paige Julia. July 6. Last Place. TIckets.

Possibly the first ever jungle show at Last Place.

Synthesis of Self. Mesoverse (All ages), July 13. Tickets. 

A night of slightly theatrical metalcore and less theatrical hardcore. Synthesis of Self, Cease and Desist, Nuclear Blunt.

Vagina Dry. Nivara Lounge. July 19. Tickets.

Tied with Kirikiriroa's own Dog Cock for least poster-friendly band name, fuzzy punk trio Vagina Dry (Ōtepoti) play Nivara Lounge.

Menzies. The Yard (Raglan). July 27. Link.

Menzies only have two singles out and they are both radically different, but also both quite good in a meander-y and very "kiwi" way. Featuring a bunch of well established and talented Pōneke musicians. Worth the risk and the drive out to Raglan.

Theatre

By Louise Drummond

Nurse Georgie Carroll: Sista Flo 2.0. Clarence St Theatre, 6 July, 7.30pm. Tickets.

A one night only comedy show from a touring star of Britain's Got Talent 2023. Nothing is darker than medical humour, and nurses are honestly the darkest (okay, I'm basing that on my sister, but I'm sure it applies across the board).

Kingdom of Night. Meteor Theatre, 9 - 19 July, times vary. Tickets. 

It's school holiday time again, and with that comes the children's theatre shows. This one is locally written, which I love, by Courteney Mayall and Scott Granville. It tells the story of two adventurers needing to defeat an evil wizard. Recommended for ages 5-13 years.

Badjelly the Witch. Clarence St Theatre, 11 July, 11am. Tickets.

Spike Lee's Badjelly is an absolute classic and always a good time. This one has a bit of a twist, with Glow Show adding puppetry and science to the mix, so even if you've seen a Badjelly show before there should still be something new in the mix this time. Perfect school holiday option.

Whiti. Meteor Theatre, 20 July, 6pm. Tickets. 

Part of the Matariki ki Waikato Festival, this is a one night only event celebrating the talent of local rangatahi, both established and up-and-comers. If you feel like listening to some beautiful voices, then this is definitely worth your time.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Clarence St Theatre, 27 July - 10 August, times vary. Tickets.

Hamilton Operatic's major show for this year is the classic Victor Hugo tale. It's based on the music from the Disney animated film, but the plot differs from the movie and is closer to the original book, so it's not appropriate for little ones. Should be an amazing night full of powerhouse talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

What We Put in our Mouths this Month

As one-time Aucklanders, we love an Asian supermarket. We headed to Garden Fresh in Rototuna and found a great selection of fresh (and cheap) fruit and veg, seasonings and sauces, weird and wonderful snacks, and frozen dumplings and noodles. For our money, it’s Hamilton’s best Asian grocer.

We celebrated Matariki with some dear friends over a long and relaxed breakfast of migas tacos, served with chorizo, black beans, guacamole, and bucketloads of pour over coffee. This video by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez is a great primer on breakfast tacos and how to make flour tortillas.

We’re late to the party, but finally had a chance to eat at Sage. We’ve stopped in there for a drink before, and found the ambiance in the bar area somewhat lacking - we couldn’t put our finger on it exactly, maybe it was the lighting or lack of music, but it felt like a bit of a dead space. Thankfully that vibe didn’t carry over to the dining area, which looks out over the leafy oaks of Steele Park, like a high end treehouse. As we’ve written about previously, we’re big fans of chef’s choice menus and putting restaurants in the driver’s seat for the evening, so we went for the ‘Eat Wisely’ ($82 pp) menu option; it was all excellent, but were especially taken by the soy cured salmon (with spring onion fraiche and bagel crumb) and the duck breast with red cabbage and almond cream. We added on oysters to start, as well as dessert from the dessert cart, and of course drinks. We love love love that they cycle out plates with every course. We love oysters, but we don’t want their juice over the rest of the meal.

Top 5: Winter Book Club

We asked Alison Southby from beloved local bookstore Poppies, in Casabella Lane, what’s flying off the shelves at the moment: from self help and neutrodiversity, to Stella Greg’s latest young adult fiction set in Ngāruawāhia.

1. Lioness, by Emily Perkins. Winner of this year's Jan Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockham NZ Book Awards.

2. A Life Less Punishing: 13 Ways To Love the Life You've Got, by Matt Heath. Experts from neuroscience, philosophy, biology and psychology helping you deal with gnarly emotions such as anger, loneness and stress.

3. The Missing Piece: A Woman's Guide to Understanding, Diagnosing and Living with ADHD, by Julie Legg (who lives in Ohaupo), who was diagnosed at age 52 and dovetails her own experience with the latest research.

4. Nine Girls, by Stacey Gregg, a young adult adventure; a treasure hunt set in Ngāruawāhia and featuring the Waikato Awa.

5. And another one for the kids - Astrochimp, by David Williams, where chump the chimp is thrust into a space-opera with the 6 - 10 year old reader in mind.

June #13

Kia ora! Our apologies for being 24 hours late this month (our first time in 13 issues), but we got waylaid by some family stuff. We are enjoying the Friday evening vibe, though.

Sure, Fieldays. But Matariki! A gift registry for the Meteor! French cine-mwah. Excitingly, Hamilton gets a new comedy club.

I was reminiscing about the Matariki Dish challenge recently - in particular 2018 this eel dish from the excellent (and dearly missed) Dough Bros on Victoria Street, which sadly closed the following year. The event has been picked up by other regions, but started in Hamilton well before Matariki celebrations were “mainstream”. Run by Waikato Food Inc, it disappeared from view when they folded peri-covid, and just as it became an actual public holiday. I can imagine some arguments against it, but I always think of it as being a little before its time, introducing many to the idea of Matariki, food and harvest as being intricately interlinked. (Please do write in with your thoughts, hello@thewaikatodraft.com)

We hope you’re eating well for Matariki, readers. Perhaps from your garden? Happy new year folks x

Scuttlebutt

More council shenanigans. The big story in the last week has been the attempt from 5 councillors (Tim Macindoe, Geoff Taylor, Ewan Wilson, Mark Donavan, Andrew Bydder and Kesh Naidoo-Rauf) to shrink the council, by merging the two wards into one and by having 10 councillors instead of 14 (currently six per ward and two Maaori ward councillors). The pay of councillors comes from a static pool, so reducing the number of councillors doesn’t save money, it merely increases the salary of each councillor. While that’s obviously not the motivation for the move, if anything, dear reader, you should be asking for more councillors to get a better return on your investment. (Also, bold of Cr Taylor, given his attendance record.) The review to consider all this would cost $100,000, and may change nothing.

Te Huia kept its funding and will complete its 5 year trial as originally intended. Their numbers bounce around a little bit - but their April numbers saw a bump to 9, 200-odd, proving there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

We have been following the Cherry Festival/Stuff/Gary Farrow defamation saga with quiet enthrallment, for fear of saying… the wrong thing? Now it’s over, and Stuff and journalist Gary Farrow were awarded $54,970 in costs from Waikato Cherry Tree Festival organisers and couple Cherry Anne Cao and Paul Oulton, who incidentally are selling the property that formerly hosted the festival and have posted a video that suggests that you (yes, you!) could buy it from them, which they explain while pivoting in a circle and looking like Dr Who villains.

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Architecture awards were held last month, and the University of Waikato building The Paa (Arichtectus, Jasmax and Design Tribe) was an absolute standout. Undergrad Waikato University sources tell us that they have non-functional or spotty wifi on campus at best but they are glad there’s a pretty building on site.

Last month we included a story about the removal of the glasshouse gardens at the top of the garden - and the story said they were being removed as they were underused and inefficient. One of our dear and loyal readers Shawn wrote in to say that there was a little revisionist history going on here - the glass houses were shuttered in favour of a new road layout and – because every Hamilton story is eventually a parking story – carparks. 

Today’s Waikato Times’ main headline: free parking in the CBD to continue (car bros, we’re so back!)

The bus depot is getting a refresh. 

What’s on

Gigs

By Adam Fulton

June 13th HŌhĀ, Half/Time, Crime Hospital. Last Place. Tickets. Two acts from Õtepoti, art-rock duo HŌhĀ (Night Lunch's Liam Clune and Riot Gull's Madison Kelly) alongside Clune's exploration of "music" in Crime Hospital.

June 15th Zinefest Afterparty. Mesoverse. A night of poetic stylings from Martial Law and non-musical poet David Merrit.

June 16th Discovery (Daft Punk tribute band). Yot Club, Raglan. Tickets. Possibly the only tribute show that will feature in this gig guide, but there is a very very tiny possibility that a Daft Punk tribute band could actually be the real Daft Punk and it is worth considering.

June 22nd Take Hold ep release show. Last Place. Tickets. The first of two (2) EP release shows in Kirikiriroa for the Tāmaki Makaurau post-hardcore outfit Take Hold. Joined by ColdXWar (Pōneke), Two Skinner and No Reason.

IRL

Food

• Mr Pickles have their new menu up and running: the surf and turf that immediately caught our eye. In terms of upcoming events, their dicey x mr pickles night June 26 looks like a banger, showcasing wines from the two Otago dudes who comprise Dicey. 5 wines with sensible pours for $75, or $140 for “more wine than is appropriate”. Get a matched feed for $150. No dietary requirements will be accommodated, the bookings brag. Tickets.

• Local food rag Nourish is moving and they’re having having a second-hand cook book sale June 16.

Matariki

Image by Jo Bryce who will be at this year’s Zinefest.

• Hamilton Gardens are holding a market, June 22.

• The central library is holding an origami workshop June 23, from 1pm. 

• The Fairfield Project hosts a Hauptau Dawn Event on June 28.

• June 28th the Hamilton Astronomical Society are holding a lecture on the history and astronomy of Matariki from 7.30pm. Tickets.

• A full listing of what’s on offer is at Matariki Waikato, and you can register your own event.

Other stuff

• There’s been a lot of upheaval in the publishing industry lately - but the Kirikiriroa Zine festival turns 10 this month! Running Saturday June 15 - check out their facebook page, which might just be the last bastion of sanity on that zombie website. Stalwarts Bryce Galloway (Incredibly Hot Sex With Hideous People) and David Merritt will be there, and we’re excited about Rimu Bhooi. The festival’s workshops leading up the Saturday market day are always a highlight - a kids one with Wyatt Dawson June 13 (Thursday) from 3.30 to 4.30pm. (Kids that are under 14 must be with a grown up). 

• As always, the Zinefest afterparty. This year it’s at Mesoverse 7-11pm. Martial Law will be playing, plus some band known as TBC. (See Gigs section).

• I think of Fieldays like a grown up rural science fair with some food. It runs June 12 - 15. Precincts are out and “hubs” are in.

• Oui! Oui! It’s the Aotearoa French Film festival, and the Hamilton programme can be found here (see our film section for our pick).

Theatre

by Louise Drummond

June is an often quiet time for theatrical events. So we take a break from our usual listings to draw your attention to the Meteor’s 10th birthday gift registry. This piece originally made reference to the absolute shafting of both the Meteor and the Clarence Street Theatre originally got in a recent round of council funding - only for their funding to get reenstated today (based in part on community feedback), which is fantastic news. But times are still very difficult for the arts. Their registry has everything from fancy $5k lights to gaffer tape and audio pins for less than $20. You could even buy them a month's supply of toilet paper or a bucket of dishwashing liquid. It's all here.

If we want our fair city to have any kind of artistic expression then we have to support it at the grassroots. Let's not let another of Hamilton's absolute gems go the same way as our beloved Ernest bar.

Movies

By Jason Marshall

The French Film Festival Aotearoa 2024 kicks off nationwide on June 5, with Hamilton screenings of a wide range of French films taking place at the Lido throughout the month until June 25th. Our pick of the festival, The Sitting Duck, sees the first lady of French cinema, Isabelle Huppert, portraying whistleblower Maureen Kearney - a union organiser at the French state nuclear energy company, who goes public after stumbling upon a wide ranging web of shady backroom dealings, with terrifying and brutal consequences for her and her family. Tickets. Trailer.

How many movies can you stretch out of a single reggae song? Four, as it turns out. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Guaranteed to have car chases and gunfights. Although, let’s be honest - probably nothing quite as good as the final set piece from Bad Boys II. The real tragedy of it all? If they’d refrained from calling the previous entry Bad Boys for Life, this could’ve been released under the much catchier Bad Boys 4 Life. Missed opportunities abound. Trailer.

The thinking persons’ heart-throb, Mads Mikkelsen, returns in a period drama that’s part-palace intrigue epic and part-Western from The Promised Land from director Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair). When a retired soldier receives a royal warrant to build a settlement on a piece of swampland in 1750s Denmark, he knows a ticket to high society will surely follow - if he succeeds. “As a portrait of human will, the engulfing depredations of nature, and sheer terror and retribution, The Promised Land stakes its claim with admirable gravitas and visual finesse,” writes Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post. Trailer.

Lol, there’s a new Comedy Club

There’s a discourse that starts when something new opens up in this town. It goes something like, is Hamilton ready for an [x]? Well, the night we dropped into Last Laugh, which just opened on Victoria street, the cozy new comedy club on Victoria Street, it was a Friday just as the Chiefs were kicking off against the Hurricanes. It was full. We do a Q and A with owner and comedian Tom Lucus, here.

What we put in our mouths this month

(or, because that’s such a mouthful, WWPIOMTM)

We been to Neat, twice. It’s takes the expertise and experience of Wonder Horse and launches it into the retail space. It’s very pretty.

From Vetro: we’re very charmed by these sardine-themed chocolates.

We made a whipped feta.

We have a complicated relationship with Winner Winner (one of our editorial team was denied salt there once, with a bit of a scoff, and has never forgiven them). But their recent banoffee pie was excellent and starting to approach Sweet Mother’s Kitchen vibes (iykyk). More pie cabinets in the city please.

We had the Chicken 65 from Royale Indian Road on Cameron Road. (Add it on to their lunch special.)

We had a pretzel and a pretzel dog from Mr Twist, and endorse both. They had a child working the register on King’s Birthday and she did a great job.

We’re very enamoured with the, honestly adorable, portable banchan that came with our takeaway order from Minsokchon on Ward Street.

May #12

Welcome to the oh fuck, it’s May already issue of the Draft.

It’s actually our first birthday this month, and dear reader, it is also something of a slow news month. We’ve always said the Draft should be discerning and that means it’s as long as it needs to be; sometimes that also means the Draft is as short as it needs to be.

But whether you’re an old faithful or one of our newer readers, we’re sure are glad to have you, and love all your feedback. And tell your friends - we’d love to have them too.

For another month, we’re working on a working lunch spesh spesh - Where are you going now up the north end of Victoria Street, now Lazat has closed? What do you do when Nancy’s Dumplings closes early? Where’s the best mid-week lunch time curry? Best cheeky pie? All suggestions will be vetted by the team as usual. And while spots in the CBD and Hamilton East are of course valued, extra pixie points for those tucked away in suburbs that don’t usually get a lot of coverage. So send us your favourite weekday lunch spots via hello@thewaikatodraft.com, or in our Insty DMs.

Scuttlebutt

Gluten revival

Our favourite type of scuttlebutt is hospo scuttlebutt (the nice, exciting kind), and we had a tip a few months ago about the Mr Pickles crew applying for a liquor licence for the Made complex. We were delighted further when we heard it was going to be Italian. Or, Italian-ish.  

“I guess we're still figuring out what it is,” Mat Pedley wrote to us via email. By “we” he means his teams (across Mr Pickles, Last Place and Everyday Eatery), as well as those behind Wonder Horse and Neat*. But in a nutshell, they are promising, “Gluten heavy dining, grape heavy drinking. So - dope pizza, house made pasta, boozy cocktails, delicious wines.”

And at the risk of sounding like their press release, for all the coeliacs there will be gluten free options, and a substantial focus on takeaways as well as the bar and restaurant side of the business. Opening date: “Soon-ish?” he says. 

*Annoyingly for us, but inconsequential to the venture itself, cocktail godfather Alex Hudson announced Neat mere hours after we’d hit send on our March issue. Which then seemed too old for inclusion by the time April rolled around. But examine our July 2023 issue and you’ll see we included the unsubstantiated, unverified early rumours about Alex’s takeaway cocktail venture in Made. As I say, we love our hospo Scuttlebutt. 

Don’t get mad, get even

Support queer art with Councillor Louise Hutt’s boosted campaign to buy the Progress Pillar in Garden Place. Originally commissioned as part of the 2024 Boon Sculpture trail, making it a permanent fixture feels like the right thing to do in an Aotearoa where drag queens are getting harassed out of public libraries by Destiny Church weirdos and incel morons.

We’re not the only ones who have noticed the increased presence of anti-abortion protestors (exclusively men, funnily enough!) outside Waikato Hospital recently, especially since the safe area amendment to recent abortion reform. So a big thank you to @prochoice_frontline for organising a weekly Wednesday counter-protest.

We’ve also been hearing whisperings for a while about Auckland-to-Hamilton commuter train Te Huia’s endangered status, with one inside source saying they’d be astounded if it is still in existence by the end of the year. Recall: It’s always exceeded its passenger targets, and has added extra services with demand. The Waka Kotahi NTZA board is reviewing the service this month as part of a planned two-year review, and many are worried it won’t be allowed to finish the five-year trial period as planned. If you’d like to support the service you can email transport minister Hon Simeon Brown, local MPs Tama Potaka and Ryan Hamilton; and there is a public meeting Saturday May 4th at the Ramada at 2.30pm.

The rest…

I’ve always really appreciated the greenhouses at the top of the gardens, but they’re going as they’re expensive, inefficient, and don’t pull. 

Sunair have announced the return of their services out of Hamilton - their six-seater twin-engine Piper Aztec can whisk you away to Gisborne, Napier and Whangārei during the week.

In Fast Food Franchise News: The sleuths at the Hamilton subreddit have revealed the future location for Louisiana fried chicken giant Popeyes (It’s going to The Base). A Pita Pit looks set to open sometime soon on Grey Street, for people who turn down Subway on the grounds that they’d like something bland-er.

What’s On

IRL

Scottish-born Kiwi artist Craig McClure is showing his show Thought Crimes at Wintec’s The Ramp gallery 2 May –25 May.

Film

By Jason Marshall

May the Fourth be with you! Star Wars Episodes IV, V, VI and I, II, III are playing in marathon fashion at a number of cinemas this Saturday and Sunday respectively. So if you’re a Star Wars fan, a disillusioned Millennial who wants to give the prequel trilogy another shake, or just want to get a loved one out of the house for as many as six (and possibly more) hours, check it out. Hoyts Metro, Hoyts Te Awa, and the fine folk at Draft favourite The Regent are all taking part with varying screening times over the two days.

Theatre

By Louise Drummond

Cosmic F*ckery, Meteor Theatre. 8-11th May, 7.30pm. Tickets.

Another piece from local writer Melaine Allison, this was shortlisted for the B425 playwriting award. The concept revolves around a world just like ours, with one exception: magic is real. So when you mix drugs, witchcraft and the chaotic gods of ancient Greece, you get a lot of havoc.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Riverlea Theatre. 11-25th May, times vary. Tickets.

Hamilton Musical Theatre tackles Sondheim's gory classic. Extremely fun and extremely ridiculous story, and some very catchy songs to boot. Don't follow it up with a pie.

Dirty Work, Clarence St Theatre. 16-18 May, 7.30pm. Tickets.

Acclaimed theatre group Indian Ink is back with their biggest show ever - this one featuring a cast of almost 30. Focused around an office cleaner and the rest of the office employees, the story is a bit of a mystery but apparently features some great songs. Indian Ink has a history of really impressive and beautiful work; this show will continue that tradition.

The Rug, Meteor Theatre. 17 - 25th May, 7.30pm. Tickets.

Basically, imagine Stone Age cavemen getting jealous of another Stone Age caveman's rug and trying to keep up with the Joneses by getting an even better rug. Ridiculous. I love it. I'm in. Plus there's original songs!

We Have Boys At Home, Meteor Theatre. 29 May - 1 June, 7pm. Tickets.

Worth it for the title alone, which really tickles my funny bone, this play is the latest piece from local writer/director Conor Maxwell. The whole concept involves a play-within-a-play and what can go wrong when you're writing autobiographical pieces. Hijinks will ensue.

Music

By Adam Fulton

May 10th Brainwave and Lucre. Last Place. May 10. Tickets.

Wellington hardcore bands Brainwave and Lucre will be making a stop in Hamilton, alongside youth group Cease and Desist, Drop Off Point and Last Place house band for 2024, Martial Law.

Family Band. Last Place. May 11. Tickets. Tickets.

New Tāmaki Makaurau post-punk trio Family Band play Last Place. FFO Shellac, Arcwelder, Rodan

That's it! The arts clearly already suffering cost cutting measures.

The Mother’s Day Plug

This is one of those local businesses we’ve always loved and spent our own money with (a reminder, we don’t do advertorial), and someone asked me recently for an independent spa/massage/beauty place in Hamilton. So Mother’s Day felt as good a reason as any to include Karina’s Firth Street spa, The Villa Room, and this is one of the few occasions we’ll advocate swapping real money for a gift certificate. 

What we put in our mouths this month

Crack Chicken, of course, brings the heat with their fried chicken. But they’re no slouch on other offerings. On a whim we ordered their Bulgogi Cheeseburger, which blends a pair of Korean seasoned smashed patties, a sweet and sticky barbecue sauce, on an impossibly pillowy bun. A new favourite for the burger tournament bracket.

La Rosa Latin Pastries has become a bit of a Saturday morning ritual for us, and we literally can’t get enough empanadas. It’s a very difficult Sophie’s Choice decision to pick a favourite, but after much reflection we think we like the chorizo one the most.

We finally made it to Tongkun for a quiet mid-week lunch, after finding the place fully booked every evening we tried to visit (we’re thrilled for them!). We were equally delighted by the honest-to-goodness real bucket of charcoal recessed into the table, the fried chicken buffet, and the beef rib fillet. Manager John told us their meats marinate for 72 hours in a marinade brought in from Korea. Do take note that a Korean barbecue lunch makes for a wholly unproductive afternoon, where you’re happily ensconced in the sort of food coma that only grilled meats, beer, and rice can bring on.

April #11

This month we talk shipping containers (or is it art?), kava cafes, Charlie Chaplin, an end of Ramadan feast, and local stalwart Mr Pickles.

As always, send us your tips, gossip, and local discoveries to hello@thewaikatodraft.com or slide into our Insty DMs.

ScuttlebutT

Matt Stark says our footpaths suck. And he’s right. But just wait until he hears about the state of our everything else [insert your pet hate public infrastructure issue here].

We’ve been transfixed and perplexed by the ongoing saga of David and Barbara Yzendoorn’s shipping container installation piece. Is it art? The Environment Court ruled that it is. And now they want to install a public toilet. After neighbours objected to their application to build a multistorey duplex, the Yzendoorns installed the piece (or, shipping container, if you prefer) last year to symbolise their frustrations with the resource consent process. As you can imagine, opinions in the neighbourhood are mixed. Is this a triumph of lawfare over NIMBYism? Is it just IRL trolling? I started this paragraph thinking it wasn’t art, but now I kind of feel like it is - art provokes, after all.

Waikato Times’ reporter Sarah Morcom has a last hurrah with the Founders Theatre. 

There’s a new Kava cafe in Huntly, opened by professional wrestler Tok Fale - the TuiTui Voa Kava Cafe, modelled off similar establishments he’s seen in Hawai’i.

We’re in for a fancy new hotel; we’re crossing our fingers and toes for a genuinely good hotel restaurant, maybe even a spa, and a pool overlooking the river, with drinks served poolside. 

River Riders now offers accessibility-friendly e-trikes for hire.

Councillor Andrew Bydder bragged at a recent council meeting that he and Geoff Taylor are having a contest to see who can wrack up the most code of conduct complaints. (Each complain costs a minimum of $700 to invitation, and then costs rate payers $5,000 to mediated, if required. We note that Cr Bydder splits his time between banging on about ratepayer money being spent frivolously and launching into profanity heavy tirades to council staff.)

While on the topic of the council - this year is one where the council revises its 10-year-plan. If you like or dislike the way this city is headed don’t forget to submit - feedback closes 12 April. 

You might’ve caught Jesse Mulligan’s rave review of Mr Pickles, declaring that it isn’t just good by Hamilton standards, but would easily make a top 50 listing of Auckland restaurants. More on Mr Pickles, and our recent great night there, below.

Keep an eye out for a crowdfunding campaign to keep Paul Darrah’s Progress Pillar, which was just one of many impressive erections you may have seen around the city as part of the Boon Sculpture Trail, in March. 

What’s On

IRL

Women’s sport continues to ascend - Seddon Park hosts two ODIs as the White Ferns take on England on 4 April (the day we’re sending this out - you might still make it!) and 7 April. Tickets.

Our top pick of April events has to be Eid al Fitr (which finishes on either Thursday or Friday - it depends on the moon) on Saturday April 13, from 11am to 5pm, at the Claudelands Showgrounds. It will feature food stalls representing more than 35 cuisines from the various ethnicities that make up the Hamilton Muslim community. 

Poet Nadia Freeman is performing her work The Girmit at the Waikato Museum, 21 April 2024 (from 4 - 5 pm) - a missive told through poetry and electronic music, she tells the story of her ancestors and indentured labour from India to Fiji. You can read a little background, here, from RNZ. Tickets.

If you’re loving the current bright and slightly wild floral trends at the moment - pick your own flowers with Tomtit Farm, on Saturdays from 9am - 1pm. Rush and you’ll catch the dahlias. Follow the sign on Webster Road, Matangi. 

ANZAC Day commemorations take place at the Cenotaph in Memorial Park at 6 am and 10 am on the 25th.

Music

By Adam Fulton

Heavy Easter. April 5. Last Place. Tickets.

A night of proggy psych, featuring Psygon, Static, Du Trois and Shotgun the Couch

Repairs album release. April 19. Last Place. Tickets.

Longstanding Tāmaki Makaurau noise-rock trio Repairs celebrate their album release, alongside Empress and Halcyon Birds

Home Brew. April 20. The Factory. Tickets.

One of Aotearoa's most cherished contemporary hip hop acts grace the stage of the Factory as part of their nationwide tour

Dartz. April 20. Last Place. Tickets.

Possibly the best known of Last Place house bands Dartz celebrate their LP launch, alongside Martial Law and Speed Dating

Another Fucking Problem. April 26. Last Place.

New Tāmaki Makaurau hardcore band AFP (featuring members of Dial, Exit Fear, Human Resource) play their debut Hamilton show. Alongside Kirikiriroa's only stadium crust act Easy Off and newcomers Martial Law.

Theatre 

By Louise Drummond

The Borrowers, Riverlea Theatre. 6-20th April, times vary. Tickets.

You may have seen the live-action film, or you may have seen the Ghibli film Arrietty, or you may have read the book as a kid. Either way, most will know that the Borrowers is about a group of tiny people who live under the floorboards of a human house. It's a great story that I'm sure the kids will love, and I personally love seeing the creativity of the set design and props crew with concepts like this.

Madagascar the Musical, Clarence St Theatre. 12-14th April, times vary. Tickets.

If you've seen the Dreamworks movie, you'll know the plot and you'll know it's a good laugh. This will be a great show to take the kids to as a celebration of surviving Term 1. Just make sure you can handle repeated renditions of your kids’ "I like to move it, move it" afterwards.

Chaplin the Musical, Meteor Theatre. 13-20th April, 7.30pm. Tickets.

As you may have guessed from the title, this is the story of Charlie Chaplin in musical form. The cast and crew behind this show are fabulous; a great option if you want something a bit more grown up after the school holiday shows.

The Sun and the Wind, Meteor Theatre. 24-26th April, times vary.  Tickets.

This play, written by Tainui Tukiwaho, was shortlisted for the Adam NZ Play award in 2022, and has received excellent reviews for its run in Auckland’s Q Theatre, described as "an ode to whaanau and connection".

Helios, Meteor Theatre. 27th April, 8-9pm. Tickets.

A contemporary retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Helios – the sun – and the fall of Phaeton. This is a performance from the UK award-winning group Wright&Grainger, who have won all sorts of awards from Fringe Festivals worldwide, so it's great to have them perform in Kirikiriroa.

Movies

By Jason Marshall

Anyone else feel old whenever a Skins alum headlines a major movie? Just me? Dev Patel makes his directorial debut and stars in Monkey Man, a gritty underworld crime thriller whose tumultuous production sounds almost as precarious as anything seen on screen. “Possibly the most ferocious mainstream action movie since The Raid,” writes Phil de Semlyen in Time Out. Trailer. April 4.

Writer-director Alex Garland (of the mind-bending Ex Machina and the profoundly underwhelming, nonsense-strewn Netflix-released Natalie Portman vehicle Annihilation) returns with the frighteningly plausible Civil War, depicting an America where social divisions have escalated all the way to sedition and armed conflict. Kristen Dunst, Wagner Moura and Jesse Plemens’ always unnerving face star. Trailer. April 11.

Late night TV always seemed like a difficult gig to me, doubly so when you’re broadcasting live. So it must really throw a spanner into the works when your show gets hijacked by the literal devil and he wants to talk about how the host got famous. Late Night with the Devil is a spooky-looking found footage horror tale that seems to have nailed the look and feel of 1970s TV, and poses the question we’ve all wondered: What if Johnny Carson had to fight satan? Trailer. April 11.

You’re a tennis prodigy and the hottest girl in the world. Your career comes to an abrupt halt due to injury. You end up taking a coaching role, but fall in love with both of your students. At least, I think that’s what’s happening. Zendaya stars in Challengers, from director Luca Guadagnino (of the sumptuous Call Me By Your Name). Can it dethrone Match Point to become the champion of the sexy tennis love triangle subgenre? Trailer. April 18. (Sneak peak Ladies Night screening at the Regent on April 17, tix $30 inclusive of a drink and an ice cream.)

What we put in our mouths this month

You don’t really need a newsletter like ours to tell you about Mr Pickles, who’ve been slinging great food and cocktails with a river view, since 2018. It’s one of those places where everything’s so consistently good, that it’s hard to know what to order. So we opted for the tasting menu ($75 per person, or $90 pp with dessert), and our expert server brought us everything we’d been eyeing up, alongside some pleasant surprises. We’re total control freaks, but here’s a vote for putting the professionals in the driver’s seat.

March #10

Roll up for March! We’ve got: Dolly Parton for Women’s Day. Drag, tutus. The hot air balloon festival turns 25! Heritage locomotives. A sushi train. New Korean barbecue and some vegan banana pancakes! We’ve got Swiss kraut rock, and Sydney Sweeney as a pregnant nun.

Our theatre editor Louise Drummond was on RNZ last month to talk Hamilton Arts Festival - Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa and cool goings on in Hamilton generally.

Welcome, new readers! And congrats to our ticket winners for the festival; we hope you had fun at your respective shows.

As always, send us your tips, gossip, and local discoveries to hello@thewaikatodraft.com or slide into our Insty DMs.

Scuttlebutt

We’re going to have to structure this month’s Scuttlebutt as a bit of a compliment sandwich, so we’ll start with the fun stuff first. 

Former Hamiltonian, now one of those people secretly running Auckland, Richard Betts wrote for The Listener on how we are cool now. 

If you missed Prima Facie at the festival, you might enjoy our own local compelling legal drama – posted without additional comment. 

Made is open Tuesdays now. We hope that someday soon the mess hall will stay open later so we can badger the Amphora crew for wine recs into the wee small hours (or at least until 11 or something).

Now, the more serious bit: We felt compelled to say something about the absolute lack of good candidates in last month’s Hamilton East byelection. The voter turnout was an abysmal 18.6%, and even amongst our generally political engaged circles, many chose not to vote due to the candidates on offer, which is a real shame, but understandable. One thing that was striking to us browsing the booklet of candidates - how many sounded like they really fucking hate local government, but then emphatically pitched for your vote. Other than that being silly and depressing, well, we wonder if that’s sensible? Given tightened central purse strings, do we really want to help them shrink the role of local government, which affords a little autonomy and agency over our own projects and priorities, and where the dollars get spent in real proximity to the voter?

(Also, running for council, and then running for central government shortly afterwards, thus vacating your seat and forcing a byelection seems kinda wasteful of everyone’s time and money, but hey, what’s the famous quote about getting the government you deserve?)

Local government is confusing and often mundane - most councillors would likely agree with that. But it’s important stuff and affects us all on a daily basis. Opting to shrink the power you do have is not the same thing as being prudent. Hamilton in recent years has felt like it's flourishing - one of the things that inspired this newsletter, and we hope that continues. But all of us may have to work on that together.

While we’re still on this filling - Councillor Louise Hutt has detailed, articulate account of some of the abuse – both online and real world – she has sustained on the job. It was picked up by the Herald as part of a wider story on the same themes. 

The Spinoff wrote about the Lambton ward by-election, which could be a copy + paste tale of the dynamics playing out in many Aotearoa New Zealand cities currently, including ours, where a clash in the motivations and values between two amorphous groups conceptualised in the piece as Old Town and New City, are shaping local politics.

Now, if you’ll excuse the continued sandwich metaphor, to the top bun: We’re very excited at the opening of Tongkun, a new Korean barbecue place on southern Victoria, and we’ve heard great things about it. The split level building seems to have been a bit of an elephant graveyard over the years when it comes to restaurants, especially upstairs, which Tongkun now occupies. With the consistently excellent Tatsuta downstairs (For our money, Hamilton’s best Japanese restaurant), we hope this marks a bit of stability and prosperity for the beleaguered old complex. (Can anyone confirm if that karaoke bar downstairs is still running? We are uncertain.)

What’s on

IRL

The Hamilton half-marathon takes place on March 17 (undoubtedly ruining St Paddy’s Day for somebody out there) with the starter pistol at 0800 hours - it’s not too late to enter, including their 10km and 5km races which leave a little later. The five bridges swim on the same day, from 10am! It’s in its 85th year! With the current, that’s about a 3km swim. They both leave from the Gardens, so forget about getting a park there on that day. We did a back of the envelope calculation, and you’d need to run the former with 5 minute 27 second splits per kilometre to do both races. Go on, that’s only 11 kilometres per hour.

The main game in town this March is Balloons over Waikato, running from March 19 to the 23. Innes Common has see something like 130,000 visitors over the 5 days in years prior. It’s the current iteration’s 25th birthday. Spotting some balloons aloft on weekday mornings is always a highlight of our March madness commutes.

And then that weekend, because of the Nightglow, the Hamilton farmers’ market will be at Innes Common rather than the usual Claudelands barn.

At Laree Payne Gallery, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy’s solo exhibition Rhythmical Relations is running until March 16th, displaying pieces from her work over the last eight years. 

Image: Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, The Listening, 2020-2024, Oil and pigment on aluminium, brass. 600mm H x 400mm W x 152mm D. Image courtesy of the artist.

All aboard!

Contributed by Malcolm Giles

Train enthusiasts! Or, if that’s too strong for you, the train adjacent and train curious! On March 10 you can ride a lovingly restored steam locomotive riverside to Ngaruawahia and back, out of Frankton station. (You can also join the service at Rotokauri station opposite Te Awa The Base.) Originally built in 1915, steam locomotive WW644 will be pulling heritage coaches, chug-chug-chugging along the riverside journey we so quickly forgot since the State Highway 1 expressway went in.

Tips for the modern traveller and uninitiated: travel on a steam locomotive is slow, so you’ll have plenty of time on the afternoon trip to socialise and enjoy the view. Bring snacks. Travel on a steam locomotive is also noisy - the little engine will be working hard on this trip, with several railway and road crossings, so prepare for an auditory trip back in time to when steam locomotives filled the air around Hamilton with chuffing and whistling.

Theatre

By Louise Drummond

Hope you all got to see a show or several at the Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora Ki Kirikiriroa. I saw a bunch and they were absolutely fabulous. My three year old son got to experience his first sunset symphony, and at the end of one piece he jumped up, clapping, and yelled, Tthat was awesome!" I don't know how anyone could receive higher praise than that. Artists inspiring our future artists.

Anyway, here's my picks for the rest of March.

Sirens of the Silver Screen, Meteor Theatre. 6-7th March, 7.30pm. Tickets. The drag scene in Hamilton is excellent, and this show combines the art of drag with some powerhouse musical performances from classic movies like Hocus Pocus, Sister Act, Titanic, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Personally, my favourite part is hearing the queen names - Miss Manage, Miss Givings and Miss Demeanour tickle my punny bone immensely.

Tutus on Tour, Clarence St Theatre. 14-16th March, times vary. Tickets. If you like ballet but social media has killed your attention span, then this is like a highlights reel. This year, the Royal NZ Ballet are touring the full-length Swan Lake in May; Tutus on Tour performs teaser excerpts. You get all the most famous pieces from the ballet, including my favourite parts: the Cygnets quartet, which is beautiful to watch and the tune is catchy as heck, and the Black Swan pas de deux, which is peak athleticism and I accept no debate. You try doing that many fouettés.

One Way Out, Meteor Theatre. March 15-16th, 7pm. Tickets. The Meteor is known for its dedicated support for local writers and artists, and here's another great example. Local playwright Emily Costello has written a two-person play about relationships, friendships, love and grief, and it's directed by another local playwright, Melanie Allison. I'm sure it'll be a gem.

Music

By Adam Fulton

Blue Divers (Australia). Last Place. March 7. Free show.

Wondrous ambient noodly instrumental group from Wollongong play a free/koha show at Last Place. Reminiscent of The Dirty Three's Mick Turner and American primitivist Mason Lindahl.

Shonen Knife (Japan). Yot Club, Raglan. March 8. Tickets.

Possibly the longest running power-pop trio from Osaka will grace the immaculate stage of the Yot Club with their presence.

Scorched Earth Music Festival. The Local, Te Rapa. March 8. Tickets.

A comically cheap ($8 presales!) metal fest in Te Rapa, featuring 6 bands with suspiciously legible logos: Monolith, Chasing Titans, Unwanted Subject, InTheirImage, Afterlight, and Act Of Vengeance.

Hyperculte (Switzerland). Last Place. March 22. Tickets.

Swirling, hypnotic, krauty art-rock from Switzerland sitting somewhere between OOIOO, Boredoms and Animal Collective. Joined by Glass Shards and Late for Life Drawing.

Film

By Jason Marshall

Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes last year, the directorial debut for Molly Manning Walker, How to Have Sex follows a trio of young woman on a party-filled trip to Crete for what should be the summer of their lives. Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent writes, “Described by its director as loosely autobiographical, How to Have Sex is built around a subtle but devastating rug-pull that exposes the culture of sex and consent in the same way F Scott Fitzgerald put the Jazz Age on blast in The Great Gatsby.” Trailer. Releases Thursday March 7.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, the Regent have two screenings (6:45 pm and 7:00 pm) of the 1980 classic comedy 9 to 5, which tackled sexism in the office and the gender pay gap in a way that its contemporaries seldom did. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote in his 2018 retrospective, “Thirty-eight years on, this tale of misogyny, kidnap and rattling typewriters is a boldly progressive piece of film-making.” Trailer. Tickets. Friday March 8.

For all of you looking to resolve some Catholic school trauma (I’m not totally sure that this is the way to achieve that), It girl and audience favourite Sydney Sweeney is back in theatres again with Immaculate, a spooky-looking psychological thriller about a pregnant nun at a convent where things aren’t quite what they seem. Fellow White Lotus-er Simona Tabasco also stars. Trailer. Releases Thursday March 21.

What we Put in our mouths this month

Auckland import and purveyor of rotisserie chickens Bird on a Wire has closed their Grey Street location, which was a surprise, but excitingly local original Salam Afghan Food has sprouted up in its place. We have ordered takeaway and dined in – it’s all excellent, and we particularly recommend the charcoal grilled whole chicken, the mixed kebab platter, and the spinach and leek stuffed Bolani bread.

Sometimes we tell you all the basic bitch things. For all their fancy flavours, we’re returned to the Duck Island vanilla ice cream recently, especially with all the amazing fruit in season. We have, for example, a neighbour’s passionfruit vine that’s practically jumped the fence and made a run for ours - and we’ve been practically cracking it on top of a bowl like an egg. Over summer we had some very ripe strawberries and made a like a sauce - together they served like really high end, elevated McDonalds sundae and it was fucking amazing. 

God we love a good cafe co-located with an attraction. I’ve been meaning to go to Everyday Eatery (run by the fine folk behind Cream) for yonks, but going to the zoo is not an everyday occurrence for us, and we have not. The breakfast sandwich for lunch is a solid option, there’s a decent range of gin (and beer and wine).

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We usually think of CBD favourite Anne Fern on Knox Street as a weekday lunchtime kind of place, offering excellent coffee and cabinet food, but don’t forget that they’re open Saturdays too from 8 am to 1 pm - and are now slinging weekend vegan banana pancakes, which are $12 a plate.

We kinda missed the sushi train on Worley Place - the owners of Sushi Chew Chew told us they’re been there a year. A year! We were a bit disappointed with some of the fried items from the menu, but loved the sushi on offer, especially the range of tuna options.

Expleo are doing casserole packs again this winter, through both Te Awamutu and the Made location.

Hayes Common were well and truly due a menu refresh - and it’s here. We miss them in the evenings, but their Neighbourhood Eats are still a thing, and Thursday March 21 they are doing a Latin theme. $95, or $130 with drinks pairing. 

Lastly, regular readers will know Ernest has been one of our favourite spots in the city; we were very sad to hear that, in its current form at least, has shut its doors after going into liquidation. We hope they reopen soon and look forward to supporting them.

February #09

It’s February and it’s still hot and lazy, and the city is still waking up; but on the other hand, there’s this local by-election, there’s an arts festival, and finally you can get a good cup of coffee again as hospitality opens up again. 

In particular, make sure you check out our theatre editor Louise Drummond’s picks of the Hamilton Arts Festival: this kind of stuff is one of the reasons we started this newsletter.  Because you can pick up a programme anywhere, but if you want recommendations on what’s likely to be very good, then read on, Macduff. 

Otherwise! We have the first in a short series reviewing this city’s best bars in their quieter moments. It’s outdoor cinema season at Seddon Park, as well as our picks at the movies for those in search of aircon and shade. Celebrate Waitangi Day at the museum, and a new Filipino supermarket in Cambridge.

Also it’s a leap year! Enjoy your extra day of February darling readers and we’ll see you in March.

Scuttlebutt

We manifested this. In roundabout news! (Please send us any and all roundabout news and opinions that you come across.) 

We’ve lovingly made fun of the city’s penchant (read: overuse) of the word precinct before… so the invitation of the month has to be for the opening of the Hamilton Gardens Visitor Entry Precinct. (It’s an information booth, essentially.) 

Hamilton zoo Sumatran tiger Kirana welcomes two baby girl cubs.  

Oh err…just look at the new station at the Auckland end of Te Huia. With the service up for review in June 2024, it’s use-it-or-lose-it-time, people.

An inner city bus stop is being moved for $700,000. The most frequently reported aspect of this story is that it is outside a Peaches and Cream sex store. But it also should be mentioned that the new location will have some decent seating, which actually seems more important. An earlier version of this newsletter mistakenly said the price had increased from $500,000 - the price was always going to be $700,000.

Kowtow fabs rejoice! They’re now being carried at Found.

Voting is underway in the Hamilton East by-election, with polls closing at noon on Saturday the 17th of February. Learn about the candidates here. 

Not particular to Hamilton, but relevant everywhere, the New York Times considers why we don’t think rationally about inflation. 

Bus services are increasing! From February 5, across the city, there are 102 new services.

There’s a change in curbside recycling coming (and on, there’s no bigger red bin, nor a weekly pick up). In line with a nationwide change, radically, only the locally recyclable plastics can go into your bin. Which is types 1, 2 and 5 - so start checking your plastics. Even better, check them at the supermarket, and reduce your waste at the other end of the equation.

People are still bursting their aneurysms about in-lane bus stops, like that being built on Hukanui Road. (Funnily enough it’s also the same people upset about the previously aforementioned roundabout.) But be skeptical of any local body candidate that links them to council waste, or tries to conflate it with the upcoming rate rise - it’s mostly funded by central government. For bonus non-sequitur points, try link it to the fixing of pot holes, too.

The Transport Choices Programme, a pot of about $300m dollars from Waka Kotahi, was designed to fund infrastructure that encouraged alternative modes of transport like walking, cycling, and public transport, with money coming from the Climate Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Hamilton City Council’s share of that pie was about $37m, which was to contribute 90% of the funding for 28 projects, leaving the council footing the remaining 10% - a bargain for badly needed infrastructure that makes our city much more inhabitable, including (yes), for cars too. 

In September last year, councils were asked by Waka Kotahi to find 10% savings across their projects, which now seems fairly quaint. In October, Waka Kotahi put all this funding on hold pending some direction from the new incoming government. Now, that funding has been cancelled. At the street level this translates to the cancellation of projects across the city that either established new cycleways or linked up existing ones, with each other and to places like the railway station. The Hayes Paddock reconfiguration is gone, as is the Killarney Road separated two-way cycle lane.

You can read the full list of projects going head, and those scrapped, here. 

And finally, this seems a no brainer, but a lot of people this year were asking if in these parts, we should still be calling it “Auckland” anniversary weekend.

What’s on

Theatre (namely the Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora ki kirikiriroa)

By Louise Drummond

There are well over 30 shows happening at the Hamilton Arts Festival Toi Ora ki Kirikiriroa in late Feb/early March - music, theatre, dance, comedy, cabaret, films, food, escape rooms, and a bunch of family-friendly acts to boot. Some shows, like the annual Sunset Symphony, are free or koha. There's too many great shows to list here, so I've limited this piece to my six top picks for theatre. To check out the many other awesome shows and to book tickets, go here and see what grabs your attention.

Cheehoo! Jandals To Jazzhands. Rhododendron Lawn, Hamilton Gardens. Friday 23 February, 8–10pm. A mix of musical theatre and traditional Pasifika culture, this piece stars local talents Jessica Ruck-Nu’u and Iosia Tofilau, who have recently returned from an international tour of Shrek: The Musical. These two are absolutely worth a watch, especially when directed by Benny Marama, who is absolutely killing it with his cultivation of young talent in Kirikiriroa. BYO low seat or rug, coz it's on the lawn and you want to be comfy.

Merry Wives of Windsor. Festival Hub, Hamilton Gardens. Sunday 25 February 5pm, Saturday 2 March 5pm, Sunday 3 March 5am. The Summer Shakespeare tradition continues with another clever comedy. This is always an absolute highlight of the festival (I say this having been involved with several in the past), and the 5am (yes, you read that right) dawn performance is a surprisingly popular and oddly beautiful shared experience. It's koha, so just show up with a few dollars to drop in the bucket at the end and you're good to go.

The Tempestuous. Medici Court, Hamilton Gardens. Wednesday 28 - Thursday 29 February, 6.30pm. After touring her awesome Jane Austen and Charles Dickens-inspired shows worldwide, Penny Ashton is back with a Shakespeare-inspired solo musical. If it's anywhere near as funny as her previous shows, you'll be guaranteed a fantastic time.

Songs For A New World. Modernist Garden, Hamilton Gardens. Wed 28 February - Friday 1 March, starting times vary each day. Local legends Bold Theatre Company are bringing us another powerful musical. Their previous shows, especially That Bloody Woman and Assassins, have been outstanding, so I'm pretty confident that this one is also going to hit it out of the park.

Prima Facie. Clarence St Theatre. Thurs 29 February - Saturday 2nd March, starting times vary each day. A one-woman show about a lawyer who finds herself at the mercy of the legal system after one horrible night. The script for this show is absolutely incredible (it won the 2023 Olivier Award for Best Play), and I'm really looking forward to seeing this performed. (CW: themes of assault.)

Beautiful People. Mansfield Garden, Hamilton Gardens. Friday 1 March, 5.30pm and Saturday 2 March, 7pm. The NZ premiere of an award-winning play that tells the story of two elderly people facing ageing and death. That sounds super depressing, but it's actually a dark comedy, and the reviews are insanely positive, even the one from the Evening Standard that says the show is "like being kissed and hit with a fish in rapid succession." Consider my interest extremely piqued.

Film

By Jason Marshall

There’s no better place to find respite from the dog days of summer than inside a movie theatre. It’s a quiet month of releases, but there’s a few movies that we’re really excited about.

Nobody crafts tales of the lonely, alienating, horny, terrifying passage from girlhood to womanhood quite like Sofia Coppola. Or so women have told me. Priscilla is an adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s memoir, Elvis and Me depicting their first encounter and subsequent life together, and apart. The King’s estate wouldn’t licence any of his music for the film, so you know it’s not going to pull any punches. Releases 1 February. Trailer.

Nobody puts Baby in the corner! But maybe they should, she’s only 16 years old. The Regent are doing a one-off screening of everyone’s favourite Swayze joint, Dirty Dancing, on February 16th. Tickets.

Master of alienation Jonathan Glazer returns with 2023 Cannes Grand Prix winner The Zone of Interest, a Holocaust drama unlike any other that contemplates the Arendtian concept of the banality of evil. “Glazer has achieved something much greater than just making the monstrous mundane — by rendering such extreme inhumanity ordinary he reawakens us to its true horror,” writes Raphael Abraham in the Financial Times. Releases 22 February. Trailer.

I can’t hand on heart say that I really understood what Dune was actually all about, but it was captivating and visually breathtaking. Delayed by last year’s SAG-AFTRA strikes, Dune: Part Two finally lands this month and seems sure to bring the blend of Frank Herbert weirdness and Denis Villeneuve fastidiousness that made the first film such a banger. A rogues’ gallery of very cool actors including Charlotte Rampling, Léa Seydoux, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken join the already absolutely stacked cast. Releases 29 February. Trailer.

Sunset Cinema returns to Seddon Park on February 29th, with a screening of beloved 90s golf comedy classic Happy Gilmore on the stadium big screen. Food trucks, a bar, and cheap tickets are promised but you’ll have to BYO chair or picnic blanket. Tickets.

Events

Kawhia hosts the Move Your Tinana Music Movement and Kai Festival, on Saturday February 3rd.

Keen to see some sick manus? The Hamilton qualifier leg of the Z Manu World Championship takes place on February 3rd and 4th at Waterworld.

Waikato Museum - Te Whare Taonga o Waikato hosts a Waitangi Day Festival with a full day of events on February 6. Details.

British stand up and Mock the Week regular Russell Howard performs at Globox Arena on  February 8th. Tickets.

The first run of the year at the Hamilton Model Engineers, February 10th, has a Valentine's Day theme, from 5 - 9pm.

The 2024 Paeroa Highland Games and Tattoo takes place on February 10th, and promises massed pipe bands, Highland dancing, something called the Axeman Carnival, and Steampunk Tartan. Tickets. 

Kabayan Asian Store, a Filipino run Asian supermarket in Cambridge, celebrates its opening on February 10th.

The Black Caps face South Africa at Seddon Park for the second test, from February 13 to the 17th. Tickets.

The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter holds an open day on February 18th.

What we put in our mouths over summer

With everything shut over the break and forced to fend for ourselves over summer (and before you write to us, we thoroughly endorse hospitality getting a break), we reverted to simple, uniform, largely deli-based eating.

When it’s hot and I want a sandwich, I always think about the jambon fromage at La Voie Francais in Auckland, that used to be a 20m walk from my front door when our family lived in Mt Roskill. There’s nothing revolutionary about it - it’s the same jambon fromage you could get in a billion places across France. I’m not ashamed to tell you that there’s a sort-of-fancy baguette that’s new at Countdown (sorry, Woolworths) that’s not bad. Look – we always try and plug the little guy, but ultimately we all go to the supermarket. Vetro, thank god, was open (although their baker did get a break). And so the uniform eating became the previously mentioned baguette with cheese (Ventro’s provolone gets an especially special mention), and various combinations of fresh tomato, left over Christmas ham, cracked pepper. Sometimes mustard. But never all of those things at once.

We also sampled Vetro’s frozen pizza dough - two balls for around the $5 mark, which are excellent, and also pair well with summer laziness.

We’re also mad on the “chilly red” and started putting selected red wines in the fridge - see our profile of local sommelier Kieran Clarkin (who runs Amphora) for better advice than we can give about how to chose what tipples to do this with. 

High Bakery & Cafe, of Silverdale, do a barbecue brisket and cheese pie that we absolutely loved. 

Also cheese wise - Expleo butchery in Made carries Over The Moon cheese to Hamilton East, saving us a trip to Putaruru. We’re making our way through some saggy camembert that would do you well on a picnic to any of the upcoming festival events.

And can Hamilton East support another bakery? Let’s find out! Viands of Kihikihi is coming to Grey Street.

We also remain some of the only people who haven’t tried Sage yet, but we are hearing good things. We’ll report back in March.

FeatureTTES

Modern Manners: Hamilton Gardens entry fees

In a significant departure, our world-class attraction that is the Hamilton Gardens is bringing in an entry fee for out-of-towners, with the view to fund new and future expansions. In some ways, in the neoliberal world, it seems astounding it has been free for so long, especially given busloads of tourists are frequently charged by touring companies to stop there. In other ways, it’s always been nice to take visiting friends from out of town down there, waltz in and out, and being able to do so unimpeded feels so accessible, noncommercial, and democratic.

Still, be sure to hear grumbling about the price, and whether it’s worth $20 anyway, from locals to whom the fee doesn’t apply. But what can you do for $20 these days? Nothing. Have you been to a garden centre lately? Plants are expensive, which is also to say nothing about the expertise that must run that place.

Hopefully their expansion plans include more public transport options and pedestrian access across the fiendishly busy Cobham Drive, and much more disability friendly access.

The profile: Kieran Clarkin, Sommelier of amphora

Somellier Kieran Clarkin, who grew up in Kirikiriroa, has moved back home from Melbourne to open wine bar Amphora. Situated at the entry point of the mess hall in Made, you’ll see him loving pouring his ever evolving selection (Greek wines are his specialty), and expertly redirecting all those that want beer to Hapi down the end. Q and A, here.

An empty Earnest

In the first in a short series, we muck around in this city’s hottest spots when they’re luxurious quiet and empty.

December (and January) #08🎄

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas, and happy holidays darling readers. 

We come to you with a slimmed down December-January edition of the Draft, because the offerings are light, and we’re taking January off. Go to the beach, have a picnic, and watch out for us again in February. 

What we lack listings for the next couple of months we make up with in Scuttebutt. And boy, we did put even more than usual in our mouths this month. 

We also spent quite some time on this month’s local Kirikiriroa gift guide - which we decided on well before gift guides became entirely ubiquitous, particularly on TikTok. I don’t know about you, but it’s made Christmas feel more truly capitalist than ever before. But given your bucks are getting harder and harder to come by, and we hear time and time again that people want to support local businesses - we stuck to our guns with the intention of giving readers an entirely local offering of thoughtful gifts.

Mostly, we’ve stuck to that - I say mostly, because to pull off something like that, you really have to define what is local, anyway? We have, at times, snuck in a Melbourne designer stocked in Hamilton East, or a Hamilton business who produces in China. But everything is available in town and contributes to Kirikiriroa businesses for entrepreneurs. 

Lastly, Laree Payne shares with us her art buying tips. And we stole some tips on how to support the local hospo scene from Auckland’s Lazy Susan facebook page. 

Take care out there Hamiltonians - thank you for your support this year, and we’ll see you in 2024.

Scuttlebutt

The jetty on Wellington Street Beach, curiously on Jellico Drive, is pāwhati. Massive recent fluctuations in the river levels this year have taken its toll, and the jetty has been condemned. The council is planning $1.7 million upgrade. 

Did you know you can walk through a life-sized partial replica of the Rangiriri Pa, which is now open for public tours?

We have a perennial joke in our two-desk office about starting a section in this newsletter called On the Cutting Room Floor - essentially joke stories that didn’t make it. Many of them are centred around Hamilton’s vague local obsession with roundabouts, for example: Hamilton’s best roundabouts. Hamilton’s worst roundabouts. Five traffic light intersections we wish were roundabouts. What’s growing on Hamilton’s roundabouts? A listicle, the gardens of Hamilton’s roundabouts - ranked. So you can imagine unfettered delight when our first-equal favourite Hamilton or has-vague-ties-with-Hamilton writer Robyn Gallagher (she ties with Aimee Cronin) tweeted this:

(It’s the Hillcrest intersection between Cambridge, Hillcrest and Morrinsville Roads, and it’s still awful. The carpark to the bottom right of the photo presumably belongs to the New World.)

We are playing another little game amongst ourselves: spot the ChatGPT-written copy in restaurant or Uber Eats descriptions  - and this month’s winner is newcomer Lyonaise Fern on Grey Street, whose website copy is a bewildering deluge of adjectives that manages… not to say very much. Runner up is Submarine of Ward Street, whose Uber Eats menu similarly offers paragraph-long treatises on sandwich contents.

An Angelsea Street bus stop (the one next to the sex shop) is to be moved at the cost of $700,000. Your uptight uncle won’t know which part of that he’s going to rant about at Christmas lunch, but he’s got a couple of weeks to settle on a narrative.

Former Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe is running for the Hamilton East Council seat left by local fluoride sceptic boy genius Ryan Hamilton, and the smart money is on him running for Mayor in 2025.

Then there are, of course, the rates. The cost of living crisis hits councils as well. There is a chronicity to this problem - in the last 20 years, the books have been balanced only twice. Also important context - our rates are $1000 cheaper than comparable cities according to our sources. Councillors on the whole (excepting two - Southgate and O’Leary) voted for ripping the band aid off with a 25.5% rates hike next year, followed by rises of 12.9 and 8.7% over the following two years - which will be put to the public. This will balance the books over three years and save about $3m in debt-related costs. But, it still makes for grim reading and is likely to trickle down to renters. Financial crunches are hitting local government all over the place, and this podcast episode from The Guardian (although it is more UK-centric, it’s pretty broadly applicable here) is a great primer on why.

Feature: Holiday Gift Guide

What do get the busy eight year old who already has a legally listed company? Steal inspiration from the slightly-more-corporate-than-they-care-to-admit Hamilton East boho, who annoyingly has pretty good taste, and who will think nothing of dropping $200 on a really mint picnic. We give you plenty of options for your gallery hooping big sis type. who loves a dirty martini every night at six. And lastly gifts for your brewing enthusiast relative who you know wants beer or something beer-adjacent, but would rather die than receive anything from a certain, now ubiquitous local brewery.

Everyone on the page is from a Hamilton business, and a lot of it is made locally too. Our first annual holiday gift guide is available here.

Feature: Artistic Licence

We talk to Laree Payne about how to start building an art collection that’s personal and specific to you, so that you continue to love the pieces on your walls for years, and possibly decades, to come.

What’s On

Music

By Adam Fulton

The Cavemen, Bloodbags, Cthulus December 9. The Yot Club, Raglan.

An evening of Garage, Rock and Roll and Surf tunes.

A Last Place Christmas with Eddie and the Dreamers, Swizel Jager, Offal Pit Stiletto, Martial Law. December 16. Last Place.

Last Place variety show, spanning the musical spectrum from jangly pop to Hardcore Punk.

Off! (USA). January 7. The Yot Club, Raglan.

Hardcore punk supergroup Off! grace our rural shores with a plethora of local supports.

Hamtown Smakdown. January 19-20. Bill Gallagher Centre, Wintec.

Annual all ages punk and hardcore festival returns to the Gallagher Centre over two nights. Lineup TBA.

DUUN. January 26. Last Place.

Debut Kirikiriroa show for the Tāmaki Makaurau stoner group DUUN.

Film

By Jason Marshall

Next year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Godzilla film with the eponymous radioactive lizard, often an allegorical embodiment of existential fears about nuclear war and nuclear energy, having appeared in 37 movies since the original. Godzilla Minus One takes the series back to its roots in the devastation and turmoil of post-war Japan. “As much a lavish period drama about a country rediscovering a sense of national worth as it is an epic kaiju spectacle,” writes James Marsh in the South China Morning Post. Releases 1 December. Trailer.

A riveting political thriller that has been lighting up the Korean box office, 12.12: The Day depicts the chaos of the days following the assassination of President Park Chung Hee, as factions of the Korean military vie to seize power. Expect a prodigious amount of cigarette smoking and backroom conspiring. Releases 7 December. Trailer.

A24 have been killing it with their releases over the last few years, with films that have been heart warming, heart breaking, existentially terrifying, and heart warming, heart breaking and existentially terrifying. Next cab off the rank is Dicks: The Musical, a gloriously profane musical helmed by Larry Charles (director of Borat, and the best Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes) and featuring Broadway stalwarts Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally and a bunch of songs about (you guessed it) dicks. Releases 7 December. Trailer.

Like many other terminally online movie buffs, I was extremely sceptical about Wonka given its premise (Another character origin story reboot? Boo!) and what I thought was an odd looking trailer, and predicted it would cause the Timothée Chalamet market to crash in an unrecoverable tailspin, at least the release of Dune 2. But the first reviews are out, and critics seem to love it. Releases 14 December. Trailer.

Welcome to the party pal! If you’re one of those people who think Die Hard is a Christmas movie, then the Regent Theatre have got a special screening for you. December 20 at 7:00 pm. Tickets.

Gen Z, according to a recent study, have a strong dislike of romance and sex scenes in movies and TV shows, and entertainment industry pundits have long pronounced the death of the romcom - can the combined starpower and sex appeal of Glenn Powell and Sydney Sweeney beat the odds and take us back to the 90s in Anyone But You? Find out in cinemas on Boxing Day. Releases 26 December. Trailer.

What we put in our mouths this month

Absolutely everything that sommelier and owner Kieran recommended at Amphora. Not sure what to order? He knows what you want, even if you don’t.

Things we tried (and loved) this month on his behest: the “chilly red” - the Marathon Downs Little Red 2022, served cold at $15 a glass. We also tried the A Thousand Gods Giara 2021, which he pitched as a “skunky little sauvignon blanc”. And at the top end, try the Gaia Thalassitis, a Santorini Assyrtiko normally sold by the bottle but if you’re nice to the staff, $25 a glass, which is divine.

We wrote of our excitement about Crack Chicken ahead of Made opening and finally got to try it - it seriously delivers.

What can you be doing to help local hospo operators?

Those who have lived in recent-Auckland may know or subscribe to foodie Facebook page Lazy Susan, run by experienced food writer Anna King Shahab. It boasts 35,000 devoted readers, and is popular amongst restaurateurs and patrons alike. 

Recently, after the closure of award winning restaurant Inca, one poster asked - what more can I be doing to support hospo, when more than just natural selection is at play? What followed were a number of tips and suggestions, mainly from the restauranteurs in the group. 

Some are obvious - such as death to Uber Eats, obviously, and gifting vouchers to your favourite spots. If you make a booking, especially if it is a large group, chrissakes - show up. (The kitchen will have prepped for it.) 

Others less so, for those that don’t know the biz. It doesn’t always have to be a full meal, replied on commenter - if you’re working from home, go for that drink out at the end of a week day, which is counter intuitive for those of us who feel the pressure to order a full meal if you’re taking up a spot. 

Restaurants are often busy Friday and Saturday night, and when money is tight, people often reserve going out on these nights intuitively. Don’t forget week nights, some offered, especially if you’re ordering small (one half of our editorial team spent a long time living in Copenhagen, where they have the concept of the “Little Friday”, aka, Thursday, which our household has taken to heart.) Restaurants often have specials on these nights too, because one extra busy night a week for a place can be the difference between breaking even and insolvency. 

Lastly, spread the word when you have a good experience. Follow your favourite bars and restaurants on social, and when you have a good meal there, post. Conversely, if something’s disappointing, get in touch with the restaurant personally to discuss what was below par before heading to social media - a good establishment likes the opportunity to put things right. 

You can read the full thread, here.

November #07

In one of those damned-with-faint-praise sentiments, it’s often said that one of the best things about our city is our proximity to other places. Raglan, the Mount, the Central Plateau if you’re a skiier. I think one of the really overlooked parts of that equation are Hamilton’s smaller satellite towns. Cambridge, Te Aroha, and Te Awamutu - which houses the 92 year old Regent Theatre.

Up until recently, the same enigmatic owner had run the cinema for 51 years. There’s a new pair of hands at the projector now, and they have lots of plans - including fostering the local filmmaking scene - while also trying to be true to its history and loyal, discerning clientele. You can read about their plans with our profile of manager Paige Larianova this month.

Of course, we would also dispute that the “best” thing about Hamilton is that everything else is close by, in the same way that you can appreciate the sweet location of an inner city apartment, without mistaking it for character in and of itself.

When I first started telling people about this newsletter, someone at work said, unironically, why don’t you make it like Coffee News but for cocktails? I knew what she meant and I kinda liked it. We went to the pub last week while waiting for a take away meal, and honestly, 40% of the drinks being lifted off the bar were pretty little cocktails, in a joint where no one would have been caught dead drinking one 10 years ago. And no doubt, this is a world wide trend, and influenced by powerful marketing forces. But at the same time, the story of cocktails lounges in a previously tavern-soaked Hamilton (starting with Wonderhorse, to having 3 - 4 bars for really excellent cocktails venues) could also be argued to be a measure of the revitalisation of the CBD, and Kirikiriroa, itself.

So, we’re asking the serious cocktail-related questions. Will this summer be the death of the Aperol spritz? Sure, you’re drinking gin now, but are you ready for the tequila wave? Should you buy a luxury cocktail measure, or a thousand dollar swizzle stick? Do you really need a muddler, or is the end of a rolling pin okay? We answer your burning questions.

Otherwise, yes - we’re coming up to Christmas, but don’t forget Diwalli. We have some Drag, we have Adam’s gig guide, including a Palestine benefit concert, and theatre inspired by 1990s video game Oregon Trail.

For next month, we are bringing you what I believe the marketing kids call a “hyper local” gift guide. We will have cheap things, splurg-y things, eco things (if that’s not an oxymoron), crafty things, and the best gift certificates for services in town. If you want to let us know about your own locally made goods, or ones your swear by (if they’re a vendor on facebook, or own pop up at markets, even better) we’d love to hear from you at hello@thewaikatodraft.com

Scuttlebutt

Nothing like an election to simplify some pretty nuanced issues - eg, government debt is bad. Jonathan Milne at Newsroom takes a look at council debt, particularly in regards to water infrastructure in the wake of Three Waters, with a special mention to Hamilton.

There’s a new pedestrian and cycle bridge planned between Grantham Street and Parana Park. Long story short: it was meant to be fancy, but now it’ll be an austerity bridge. - fair enough, perhaps?, but Natasha Hansen of the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund (IAF) says that doesn’t mean it will be an eyesore. I think we’ll all be the judge of that.

How’s this for a charm offensive? Auckland mayor, media darling, and noted fuckwit Wayne Brown was hosting the Waikato Regional Council (WRC), regarding Te Huia, when he told the delegation: “Junk this and put on two free buses”. Then he got his facts wrong - patronage numbers and the extent to which the fares are subsidised. Todd Niall has done some excellent reporting (and debunking), here. Te Huia will be running a third service on Thursdays and Fridays from February next year. 

This didn’t get reported enough: Te Huia regularly release patronage data, and during the week of free fares in August after being relegated to the naughty corner for running red lights, the service was taking 600-800 people a day on the Wednesday through Saturdays services.

From the archives, here’s an old profile from the Spinoff, from 2018, of our new Stark property overlords.

It was reported, back in April, that Fonterra was not planning to renew the lease on its it’s London Street HQ, in the WFH era. But earlier in October our dairy overlords confirmed they’ll be morning to the corner of Knox and Anglesea Street, keeping all that valuable foot traffic in the CBD.

The prodigal Hamilton night markets are returning back to Barton Street, after many years at The Base. Perhaps another indicator of the reviving health of our CBD, as many around the country.

Especially for all our readers who are displaced Aucklanders: the Spring Metro is epic and their best issue in years. They too have a cocktail spesh, and they have a date night spesh too (we did one a number of months ago, here). It’s decidedly po-Co, grappling with the search for late night shenanigans against a somewhat dystopian hospitality backdrop. 

Lastly, we keep joking at our editorial meetings about starting a section called, Grumble, grumble… I don’t like change. The new ACC building on Collingwood Street has very few car parks by design, and instead of using other means staff are hogging car parks right up to and around the lake. We also had lols at someone on Reddit is complaining about roadworks on a roundabout, and the new in-lane bus stop on Pembroke Street - but both posts appear to have been deleted, and of course, a certain kind of unimaginative Hamiltonian is complaining about the car parking at Made.

Melville Skate Park gets a new toilet block and it looks fantastic.

Over on Reddit, user InterestingnessFlow talks about Victoria Street’s wiggly line of paving stones.

And lastly, demolition is starting at the Founders Theatre. There have been a few campaigns to save it - we wish they’re just keep the 1960s fountain outside as a hat tip.

Feature: Cocktail Spesh

There are early evening cocktails, and there are one more for the road cocktails and there are elegantly simple cocktails that flirt with being a single straight liquor (like the old joke about Winston Churchill whispering the word vermouth into his martini), and there are ridiculous cocktails with paper umbrellas in. We explore our favourite Kirikiriroa purveyors of cocktails so you can also cultivate an air of sophistication by at least pretending to think about it before your order you drink. 

Feature: Passing the Torch

If you’re spotted a difference in Te Awamutu’s iconic Regent Theatre recently (either because you’re a regular or you’ve noticed their Instagram), you’d be right. In 2022 its longtime owner-operator Allan Webb retired and ownership was passed to a charitable trust. We sat down with manager Paige Larianova to talk about the change in the air and what it takes to run a film festival.

What’s on

Around town

We’ve had the magnolias, the cherry blossoms, and now the roses are out. There’s the Pacific Rose Bowl at the gardens, but our pick is for the Te Awamutu Rose Festival November 3rd, followed by a walk around the town’s gardens. 

Gourmet at the Gardens is back from November 5th, on the Rhododendron Lawn at the Hamilton Gardens. Texas Petes will be there, Baltao Filipino food from Howick, Durban cuisine, good old Fritz’s Wieners bratwurst, Nepalese dumplings. You can also hire an e-bike for the ride in from either Cambridge or Ngaaruawahia, with a package from $85 which includes a shuttle back, from River Riders. Every Sunday, from 4pm. Get a group together and get your optimal queueing strategy sorted now.

Stolen Girlfriends Club are holding a pop up sale at Globox Arena on November 3rd to 5th.

Celebrate Diwali at Inness Common with the Waikato Indian Cultural Society- it’s the first time in their 33 years it will be held at the lake. November 11, from 4 to 8pm.

If you’re a bit sporty - the Waitomo trail run has a number of distances and difficulties for walkers are runners. Or if you’re a bit more of an inner city person, stick close to home with the Round the Bridges on November 12th - it starts and finishes in Garden Place - so plenty to chose for a pint afterwards as well.

Are you, like us, total philistines who only know orchestral music if it comes from a movie? Well we’ve got the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra event for you, with NZSO performing the work of John Williams at Globox Arena on November 12th.

Get to the chopper! The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter Trust hosts an open day on November 19th.

Anita Wigl’it hosts a night of Drag Bingo at the Waikato Museum on November 24th.

Found and the Super Creative podcast invite you to take a long, three-course lunch with them at Mr Pickles, over an interview with award-winning interior architects Liv Patience and Toni Brandso of Material Creative. November 19 from 11.30am, $220 a head.

Music

By Adam Fulton

Greg Franco's Rough Church (US). Nivara Lounge. November 9.

Fuzzy psych pop from LA's Greg Franco, joined by the Fuzzies and the Changing Same.

Brandon De La Cruz, Nicholas Joseph. Fossick. November 10.

A joint release show of sorts between Portland/Kirikiriroa's Brandon De La Cruz and Te Pahu's Nicholas Joseph, joined by Halcyon Birds for an evening of jangly indie rock and dulcet folk

Happy Valley. Mesoverse. November 10.

Pōneke screamo revivalists Happy Valley, joined by Tāmaki Makaurau's Jiahu Symbols and locals Cease and Desist

Magic Factory. The Yard, Raglan. November 11.

Rock'n'roll party big-band Magic Factory from Tāmaki Makaurau, joined by surf rock group the Cthulus and Vincent HL.

Cosmic Psychos (AU). Yot Club, Raglan. November 18.

Australian stalwarts of punk rock, joined by Dick Move and Grown Downz from Tāmaki Makaurau.

Medical Aid for Palestine benefit show. Last Place. November 25.

Star studded lineup of Unsanitary Napkin (Whanganui), Easy Off, Attrition, Boilermaker and Nicholas Joseph, running through every subgenre from funeral-country to blackened crust.

Theatre

By Louise Drummond

The Trail to Oregon. Meteor Theatre. November 7-11, 7.30pm. Elder millennials will be having conniptions at the mere title of this show, because you know what’s coming. That’s right, snake bites and dysentery. Yes, it’s based on the classic video game, and yes, it’s hilarious. You even get to vote on who dies. 

MA’ARA, IĒNA PASIFIKA. Meteor Theatre. November 13, 7pm. MA’ARA is a showcase of short pieces by new writers, brought to you by the IĒNA PASIFIKA, a new initiative for Māori and Pasifika youth to develop their own stories. It’s great that Kirikiriroa has opportunities like this for local young people, and the work that comes out of it is bound to be extraordinary.

Footloose. Riverlea Theatre. November 18 - December 9, 7.30pm (plus a 2pm matinee on the 19th). Time to cut loose. If you’ve seen the film you know the plot of this one, but there’s new songs as well. Bound to be a very energetic evening, and one of the last big local musicals for the year.

Royal Battlegrounds Grand Finale. Meteor Theatre. November 26, 7pm. The Tron has a vibrant drag scene, and this show is the cream of the crop. Competitors have been battling it out all year, and this is the final showdown to see the best of the best and crown the ultimate champion. Remember to dress up as glam as you can, it’s part of the fun.

Film

By Jason Marshall

As mentioned in the feature this month, the Misty Flicks Film Festival showcases a range of local shorts, features and documentaries as well as workshops and networking events for filmmakers. Tickets and full schedule here. Friday November 24 to Sunday November 26.

You may remember Cat Person, the 2017 New Yorker-published short story by Kristen Roupenian that went viral for its gritty, boots on the ground portrayal of the myriad horrors of elder Millennial dating. That’s now been adapted as a film starring the excellent Emilia Jones (of CODA fame) and Nicholas Braun (Succession’s Cousin Greg!). Trailer. Releases Thursday 2 November.

Get ready to dance in the aisles, the iconic 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense gets a re-release this month. It’s going to be a real treat to see this on the big screen. Trailer. Releases Thursday 2 November.

New Zealand’s foremost Paula Bennett impersonator, Tom Sainsbury, directs and stars in Loop Track, a psychological thriller about a man on the edge of a nervous breakdown who goes tramping. In the bush, things go from bad to worse. Trailer. Releases Thursday 2 November.

This year Tiktok taught us that men are constantly thinking about the Roman Empire. But what about the Napoleonic Wars? Ridley Scott’s historical epic Napoleon charts the rags to emperor rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) and his turbulent relationship with Joséphine Bonaparte (Vanessa Kirby). Trailer. Releases 23 November.

What we put in our mouths this month

If you’re able to catch them during their short opening hours and rugby match closures, Waikato Udon is absolute treat, serving noodles handmade on site daily. We sampled the Kama Butter Bacon Udon, a new addition to the menu that’s like carbonara but better.

With the weather warming up, we’re keen for light fresh flavours in the lengthening evenings and Panzanella, a Tuscan bread and tomato salad layered with basil and a shallot vinaigrette, hits in all the right ways and has fast become one of our summer favourites. This recipe by the always dependable Kenji Lopez-Alt incorporates a mad and inspired method of salting tomatoes and retaining the liquid for incorporation into the vinaigrette. What the recipe doesn’t call for, but we always insist on, is chucking in bag chunks of fresh mozzarella.

Tucked away as it is on Cameron Road, we had kind of forgotten about Royale Indian. On a recent visit we were reminded just how good they are, and blown away by the bang for your buck offered by their $14 lunch special.

We loved Grey Street Kitchen’s Chirashi bowl, combining kimchi fried rice with a bunch of other delicious stuff. No photos as we scoffed it all immediately.

The coffee at Grey Street Roasting Co. was so good it left us in stunned silence throughout what was supposed to be an editorial meeting. Honestly, we just sat there agape like the food critic at the end of Ratatouille. So, do check it out.

October #06 👻

We’ve made the deliberate choice not to run any election content this month, but we will always interested in how and why Hamilton’s a so-called bellwether*, and what that says about us, really? Paradoxically, the greater Waikato (Te Pahu in fact, if you want to get even more granular) has produced both Helen Clark and the subject of our nostalgic feature this month, the McGillicuddy Serious Party. We knocked on leader Graeme “Laird” Cairns’ door for a chat, only to find other journalists had been there recently too. In search of the light relief this election, we ask him and former Times satirical columnist Joshua Drummond whether conspiracy theory parties have stolen all their would-be material.

We also took a tour around the soon-to-open MADE development, complete with high vis vests, and we tell you our picks and the bits we’re most excited about. Plus ahead of Halloween we visit the specialist American candy store you didn’t know you needed, let you know where you can catch The Exorcist on the silver screen, and all the details on the Festival of the Weird’s Zombie Walk.

And as always - haere mai to our new follows. This has also been coming for a while… despite our attempts to keep everything short and snappy, our emails are getting long (thanks in part to our excellent and growing contributors). We remain first and foremost aggregators, but for our features/featurettes, we will be linking to the full story hosted under the features tab on our website. Which will also give you another way to browse (and share) our longer and original bits of content.

As always, we love to hear from you, hello@thewaikatodraft.com. Show us your tips, etc…

And we’ll see you on the other side of October.

- Sylvia

*The Bellwether was one of the early, alternate names floated for this newsletter.

Scuttlebutt

There’s a new bus service: the Meteor, will along run on the East-West axis of the city - starting in Rotokauri, through Frankton and the CBD, then out to Ruakura via the University. It drives past, but doesn’t stop at, its namesake theatre. It replaces the 2 Silverdale and 8 Frankton, and joins the Comet and the Orbiter as the other celestial bodies around town, with “The Rocket” planned for Rototuna. Maybe it’s just us, but the similar space-themed names get a bit confusing - however, we are advocating for a rebrand of the Night Rider as the Moonraker.

While on transport, in-lane bus stops and associated pedestrian and cycling infrastructure are planned for Horsham Downs Road, for which 90% (yes, you read that correctly) is to be paid for by Waka Kotahi (via the emissions trading scheme). This came under threat this month at a council Infrastructure and Transport committee meeting. In a rare move, East Ward councillor Mark Donavan tabled a revocation motion, to scrap the lot. It failed, and you can read about how everyone voted here.

Good George tried to beat the Warriors to trademarking the fan-phrase “Up the Wahs” and did so by about a week. Then, they quietly removed their application and bowed out of making their Up-the-Wahs beer, which went viral last year and close-to sold out. We hope all beer companies are as gracious about intellectual property as our local brewing friends. 

And lastly, the annual favourite kids’ Duck Island Flavour Creators contest winners were announced last month. The winners were Ezra Page-Clarke, age 7, of Mt Cook School who won with her entry French Breakfast, and Simone Kelly, age 10, of Wadestown school, with Grannies Breakfast. (Don’t @ us about apostrophes - she’s 10.)

Our own daughter, age 3, entered an apple and playdough entry, which did not place.

“Jim Bolger was never going to retaliate. We made a mockery of Winston Peters... we were merciless! But he never retaliated. And he never sent goons around to beat us up”

— Graeme "Laird" Cairns, McGillicudy Serious Party founder

Feature: Why so serious?

This month, with a decidedly unfunny election still dragging on, we look at the Waikato-grown McGillicuddy Serious Party and talk to its founder Graeme “Laird” Cairns.

We also ask Josh Drummond where satire is meant to go, exactly, when conspiracy theories are spouting falsehoods stranger than the truth, that then wind up in the mainstream?

What’s on

Grab your dirndls and lederhosen, and get ready for the oompa band, Good George celebrate Oktoberfest 2023 on October 7th. Tickets $45, inclusive of your first drink.

Alternatively, enjoy some outdoor cinema with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, playing at Garden Place on the same night, weather permitting. 

The One NZ cybersecurity roadshow will be holding a session on October 11th. Hosted by Seven Days alum Jeremy Elwood, the roadshow aims to communicate cybersecurity best practice to small and medium enterprises. (Perhaps our hospital might like to attend?)

The University of Waikato hosts a panel discussion with the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, Harinder Sidhu, to discuss climate change, the Pacific, and regional security on October 11th at 12 pm.

Michelle A’Court hosts She’ll Be Right, a showcase of women comedians, at Nivara Lounge on Thursday October 12th.

Love melted cheese? Alliance Française hosts a raclette party on October 14th. Tickets.

It’s the second MX Mooloo Drag Pageant, with special guest judge Yuri Guaii (RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, season two) at the Meteor on October 14th. Tickets.

Kirikiriroa Poetry Slam, supported by the City Library, Saturday October 21, from 7pm. 

Head out for the Raglan Oyster Festival, Sunday October 22, with live music and signature Raglan chill vibes. Also on offer fresh flounder and white bait fritters. 

The Yamaha Rollos Marine Bridge 2 Bridge Waterski Classic runs from October 27th to October 29th with competitors racing from Grantham Street boat ramp all the way out to Ngaruawahia and Taupiri. It’s a waterski race? We’re not sure we entirely get it, but the footage of last year’s running looks pretty badass. Our pick for a viewing point is the Flagstaff foot bridge.

Running a community group or project but need funding? The Waikato Community Funding Expo takes place on November 1st, from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. (We don’t typically feature events in the next month but our November issue isn’t out until the following day.)

The Festival of the Weird, October 27 to November 5, encompasses a range of art and theatre events. Our picks are the zombie walk starting in Garden Place on October 27th, and then the cyclopedia guided tour of fun and weird facts about Hamilton on November 5th.

Made

Just this week the news finally broke - Made has gone from opening soonish, to locking in November 4. We were lucky enough to take a tour around the premises last week. Everything looks great but we’re most excited about:

• First and foremost, Melbourne sommelier Keiran Clarkin (and writer! He has both been featured and written for Melbourne’s Broadsheet, and contributed to the Pantograph Punch), is opening wine bar Amphora, offering sustainable tap and glass pours focusing on organic and handmade wine. Clarkin’s CV has a number of strings to its bow: wine educator, restaurant manager, and sommelier roles at a number of hatted Melbourne restaurants.

• Hāpi, serving a selection of craft beers and cocktails, importantly is also offering a karaoke room and a golf simulator - which sounds like a great start to any Friday night.

• Crack Chicken, by David Lee of Parnell’s Simon and Lee (as well as Little King, Dear Jervois, Major Sprout and The Candy Shop in Newmarket - you can read this profile, by Eat Lit Food’s Albert Cho, here). Essentially, he’s one of the big innovators in Auckland over the last few years. We’re told he was one of the first to sign up for Made, which is exciting for Hamilton.

• The Green, as readers may know, has been up and running for some time. Chef Karl Martin-Boulton has a set, evolving, seasonal six course degustation menu, for up to eight diners at a time. You must book - on Saturdays, even weeks to months in advance.

• For new readers, we’re longtime fans of Expleo butchery and excited to see them in Made - we’ve written about them before, here.

Nicola Farquhar, Envoy, 2023, Oil and acrylic on linen with acrylic on canvas attachment. 300mm H x 300mm W + attachment. Image courtesy of the artist. 

Art

The Laree Payne Gallery (who just returned from representing Sarah Smuts-Kennedy at Sydney Contemporary) is showing POLYPODY this month. Catch the object based work of Jack Hadley, alongside the paintings of Nicola Farquhar, until October 21. 

Theatre

by Louise Drummond

Improv Combat, by Allsorts Theatre. Meteor Theatre, Sunday nights 7pm, October 1, 8, 15, 22. Everyone always describes improv as like Whose Line Is It Anyway – because honestly, it's basically impossible to describe improv comedy to people who haven't seen it before, because every performance is different. The teams at Allsorts are consistently hilarious, and perfect for those new to the genre.

The Little Mermaid Jr., by National Youth Theatre. Clarence St Theatre, 6-8th October, 11am & 2pm performances. In case you're wondering – this is the Disney version (as opposed to the Hans Christian Anderson original), with all those gorgeous songs. Performed by over 50 young actors from across the Waikato, this will be full of some great talent. Perfect holiday fare.

Popcorn, by Hamilton Playbox. Riverlea Theatre, 7-21 October, mostly 7.30pm, plus a couple of matinees. A satirical thriller, be prepared for plenty of murderous moments and adult themes. The author, Ben Elton, was a writer on Blackadder, so you know it’s good. Think Quentin Tarantino or Natural Born Killers and you'll get the vibe.

Hospital Revue - Virus Ridiculus, by Te Whatu Ora Waikato (Health New Zealand) Clarence St Theatre, 19-20 October, 7pm. For the first time in ten years, Waikato Hospital is back with a fantastic skit show full of songs and parodies. Everything is performed by health professionals, who are taking the leap onto the stage to raise money for True Colours, a non-profit that supports children with a serious health condition. Should be a great night for a greater cause.

Ladies' Night, Clarence St Theatre, 22 October, 4pm & 8pm. Ladies' Night is about five Kiwi blokes down on their luck and needing cash, who turn to stripping. Described as "Magic Mike with a double shot of Kiwi humour", I think you'll know immediately if you're in the target audience for this one, *ahem*. Rated 16+.

Triple-T Bro-case, Meteor Theatre. 21 October, 7pm. A double feature, both written by local talent Benny Marama - and the pick of the month. The first, a short play called Chair Bro, and the second, an excerpt of a longer piece in development called 'akakino. Following these pieces, Marama will be joined by Antony Aiono, another local shining star, to perform songs from their show Spot The Difference. This show is definitely my pick of the month. Benny's stuff is always outstanding.

Music

by Adam Fulton

Cootie Cuties, Mikaela & Static. Yot Club Raglan. October 6. Tāmaki Makaurau pop-punk group Cootie Cuties play Raglan as part of their Splash the Fash tour.

Strung Out (USA). Last Place. October 7. Classic Californian punk rock, celebrating 30 years of banding.

Unrestful Movements/Dead Simple. Nivara Lounge. October 7. Unrestful Movements' Glen Wilson with his newest band Dead Simple, playing the hits of Unrestful Movements. Early 80s Wellington post-punk.

Dick Move (above). Last Place. October 13. Album release show for Tāmaki Makaurau punk band Dick Move. Joined by the Recently Deceived and Edible.

Jenny Don't & The Spurs (USA). Last Place. October 31. Country rock'n'roll from Portland, Oregon featuring members of Pierced Arrows and Wipers.

Film

by Jason Marshall

Unlike last month, there are actually releases to talk about in October.

Although we’re a bit sceptical of Hollywood’s recent attempts to reanimate old horror franchises, we were very freaked out by the trailer for The Exorcist: Believer. At time of writing there is a review embargo in place, so it’s hard to know whether it’ll deliver in the end, but Halloween is the time to take a chance on a horror movie. Trailer. Releasing Thursday 5 October.

Prefer the original? Need a young priest and an old priest? Te Awamutu’s Regent Theatre are doing a one-off screening of the 4K remaster of the film that started it all, The Exorcist - Director’s Cut. Trailer. 7:30 pm, Friday 6 October. Tickets.

A favourite of this year’s NZIFF and the winner of the Palm d’Or at Cannes, Anatomy of a Fall is a bracing psychothriller and courtroom drama. When her husband dies under suspicious circumstances at their secluded home, and with the only witness their blind 11 year old son, writer Sandra (played by the haunting Sandra Hüller) prepares to prove her innocence. Or not. Trailer. Releasing Thursday 12 October.

Did you emerge bloodied and defeated from the online riot over Taylor Swift tickets earlier this year? Us too. Fear not, the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film depicts three performances at Inglewood’s SoFi stadium. Trailer. Releasing Friday 13 October.

The film we’re most excited about this month, Killers of the Flower Moon marks the return of American auteur Martin Scorsese. In a spellbinding true crime thriller set in 1920s Oklahoma, the once impoverished Osage tribe find themselves unexpectedly wealthy after the discovery of oil on their land, and are suddenly the targets of a campaign of horrific violence that came to be known as the reign of terror. Xan Brooks of The Observer calls it, “sinuous and old-school, an instant American classic; almost Steinbeckian in its attention to detail and its banked, righteous rage.” Trailer. Releasing Thursday 19 October.

What we put in our mouths this month

On the way into the CBD one can spot, in particular, men in aran knit jumpers walking home with loaves of bread wrapped in brown paper from Rüdi's. We have now sampled the pain au ham and cheese, the babka, the almond croissant, and the softie. It’s all excellent. Next on our hit list is the Kranksy Dog Log.

We will return to the Beerescourt precinct in another issue, but we had been meaning to try the empanadas at La Rosa Latin Pastries for yonks and did so this month - they did not disappoint. We especially loved the chorizo empanada. Parking is a bit of a nightmare, but don’t let that stop you.

At home, we’ve been cooking a lot of fish in parchment paper recently, which is perfect with so much citrus around at the moment, a bit of cheap plonk, and anything else you have lying around (capers, olives, shallots, etc). With asparagus and baby potatoes coming into season, that’s like 30% of your dinners for the next bit sorted. Here’s a fish en papillote recipe we liked.

It’s a hidden gem that homesick American expats already know, but new to us - International Foods offers a range of American and Mexican treats in Te Rapa. With Halloween looming, what better excuse than load up on some novelty sweets? We tried a range of candies with names like Sour Smog Balls, Lil’ Worms Warheads, and a Reese’s Nutrageous bar which we can only describe as being like some kind of weaponised Snickers. But our pick of the bunch was a nameless and unbranded tamarind and caramel lollipop, which had a salty and spicy kick on top of that sweetness.

We stopped into Ernest for a whiskey sour and a negroni. More about cocktails next month.

And in last month’s Best of Hamilton spesh, we were taken for task for not having a best pie section. Actually, we just needed to do more sampling before putting our name to it. We continue to munch our way around the pies of Hamilton and will report back…

September #05

Sharing your hidden gems is always slightly dangerous (and probably no more so than in a medium-sized city) - if the masses swamp your favourite shoe-repair guy, while you can be happy for all involved, on a purely practical level is can just leave you waiting longer for a resole. So it is with genuine gratitude we thank everyone for giving up their treasured Kirikiriroa secrets for our Best of Kirikiriroa Spesh - particularly friend-of-the pod Anita who gave up her facebook-based authentic Malaysian home cook, which is very good of her.

Part of living well and being a Totally-Together-Grown Up is knowing where to get things altered, or take your dry cleaning, or having a good insurance broker. And we have the best of those too.

In other news, Made begins to open up and we’re very excited - we talk to the butcher with a cult following in Te Awamutu, Shawn Nicholas, about moving into the development. Also - a Crown Lynn market, vintage Steven Braunius, and Hamilton on film.

Along with our new subscribers, we say hello and welcome to Free FM. They had us on their breakfast show a couple a few weeks ago, and you might see a little more of us working together.

Scuttlebutt

The voting closed just prior to our deadline, but watch the same four-to-five Kirikiriroa eateries (we joke because we care) battle it out for the Waikato Hospitality Awards on September 17 at the Claudelands Events Centre.

The editor of the The Waikato Times, and stalwart of the media industry, Peter Tiffany has retired.

Our outgoing National MP in Hamilton East David Bennett leaves Parliament this term, and claims “They say you aren’t a true University of Waikato student if you don’t have a David Bennett pen.” The articles goes on to say “the electorate was also the only University seat National had consistently held since 2005”, but do note (and there is no shame in this) that currently the Honourable D Bennett is a list MP.

Like any Hamiltonian, we love excellent bridge content. The Kirikiriroa Metro substack has admirably ranked our bridges.

Pitching up to Hayes Common in the early afternoon and grazing and drinking our way to sunset and beyond had become something of a ritual birthday celebration in our circle of friends this year. But in response to challenging times, Hayes Common - who have always looked after their staff well - are no longer doing evening service. Understandable, but they will be missed. (Their evening events continue.)

Oh no - we reported, like many others, about the Avalon Bakehouse Cafe’s bacon and egg pie winning its category at the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards for this year. It was a mistake, and the award really meant to go to Taste Café of Avondale. The true baker of the pie, Sok Heang Nguon, spotted his signature pie-top on the winning photo. Hey, if the Academy Awards can announce the wrong winner, so too can the Bakels. We’ve tried the B&E at Avalon Bakehouse and it’s pretty great.

The Spinoff breaks down the craft beer economy in the light of Epic liquidation and Brothers Beer’s voluntary liquidation last month, and what it means for big-boutique beer brands, such as Good George. While we’re here, the newly opened Good George Napier Taphouse rang a local knitting group, who had booked a table later in the week, to say their needles weren’t welcome “because it wasn’t the vibe they were going for”. They have apologised and the two have resolved the matter privately.

This very good piece, from the New York Times, talks about the breakdown of the theatre subscription model, which might be worth a read ahead of our own regional theatre, due to open in 2024.

Heritage librarian Perry Rice writes about this vintage photograph of Frankton’s rail yard.

Now you can cry all the way to our new blood bank! Read about what wonderful medical miracles happen to your blood after donation.

We took Te Huia for the first time this month. We were going to write about it but then we remembered Steve Braunius’ Sunday Star Times column, on what was then the Overlander (now the Northern Explorer).

Oh, and Made will be open proper soonish. We heard Labour day, but if that’s wrong you didn’t hear it from us. There are still spots available.

We’ve mentioned Te Awamutu butcher Shawn Nicholas from Expleo before - so famous he got a shout out on Shortland Street. "We couldn’t believe it,” says Shawn. “We had no idea how they knew about us.” Expleo will be moving into the Made development, which is super exciting - initially as a stall, but a full store is in the works. Their produce will be making its way fresh from TA every day. We featured his blood pudding before, but the lamb kofta also deserves a shout out.

What’s on

We’re not sure about Hamilton being the “undisputed mural capital of Aotearoa”, but then again we also didn’t quite appreciate we have more than 60 city murals lining our fair city. Local non-profit Boon are very passionate about it, and are running street art walking tours around the city every Saturday in September, to usher in Spring. All the money is going back to supporting the art and artists. $30 for adults and a precise $19.20 for students.

Sip and sew workshops is an exciting new business with good buzz already. Run by Sarah (a lifelong sewer with a teaching degree), it offers project-based sewing workshops where, unlike the intermediate-school-”home economics”-version, you also get a glass of bubbles thurst in your hand on arrival. Upcoming workshop projects include tote bags, eye masks, skirts and cushion covers. They also they have gift certificates available.

Dads, and lovers of Dad jokes, rejoice! Seven Days Live comes to Claudelands Event Centre September 8: that’s this Friday at time of writing!

And a NZ Vintage Pottery & Crown Lynn Market will be in the barn at Claudelands, September 30. Bliss.

Decibel wines are presenting five of their wines at Mr Pickles September 13th - $150pp with a five-course meal, or plonk only at the bar for $50pp. Booking essential.

Last, but not least, the NZ Cherry Blossom Festival runs for three weekends from the September 23, at English Cherry Tree Manor on Matangi Road. Instagram-ready backdrops abound. Their website also suggests pony rides.

Film

by Jason Marshall

We’re struggling to find any noteworthy new releases arriving in cinemas this month.

So, instead:

Hamilton plays itself in the 1985 post-apocalypse sci-fi cult classic, The Quiet Earth. Directed by Geoff Murphy (of Goodbye Pork Pie and Utu fame), the film follows scientist Zac Hobson (played by the always-brilliant Bruno Lawrence) waking up to find deserted streets, abandoned cars, and dead radio airwaves. After efforts to search for other survivors, he reluctantly concludes that he’s the last person left alive on earth. Thought provoking and affecting, The Quiet Earth examines isolation and the meaning of human connection, while musing on scientific hubris. The film depicts urban desolation and unclaimed spaces in a way that will excite fans of The Omega Man (and its later remake I Am Legend) and 28 Days Later, but altogether is a sparser and more contemplative experience.

Midway through the movie there’s a series of sequences taking place in and around Hamilton, and although it’s never directly named as such, the scenes are littered with references which ring true to local ears - with particular mentions of “searching both sides of the river”, and name dropping the corner of Mansel Ave and Hillcrest Road. Other scenes give us good 1980s glimpses of Waikato University, the hospital, and the lake. The filmmakers seemed to have had the run of the area around Alexandra Street, with a number of scenes shot there - culminating in a confrontation in the middle of (a much grassier) Garden Place.

Come for the beguiling sci-fi weirdness, stay for the shots of Hamilton circa 1985.

The Quiet Earth is available for rent and sale via NZ Film On Demand.

Music

by Adam Fulton

Don McGlashan & Motte, The Yard Raglan, September 7. Renowned singer of songs Don McG and most wondrous & hypnotic violinist Motte.

Swallow the Rat album release tour. Last Place , 22nd September. Post-punk trio from Tāmaki Makaurau. For fans of Wire, A Place to Bury Strangers & Big Black, joined by Empress and Orbjks.

There's a Tuesday, The Yot Club Raglan, 22nd September. Undulating indie-pop from Otautahi.

Te Henga Collective, Last Place, 29th September. Noodly, dubby reggae from Tāmaki Makaurau, joined by local hip hop duo No Exit to Grey Street

The Changing Same album launch, Last Place, 30th September. Flying Nun alumnus Matthew Bannister launches Go to the Movies, by his latest outfit the Changing Same. Joined by the Doubtful Sounds from Pōneke, and the New Existentialist from Tāmaki Makaurau

Theatre

by Louise Drummond

Monsters, The Meteor. 7-8 September, 7.30pm (with a 1pm matinee show on the 8th). The Wintec third year Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts students’ end-of-year show. This one is inspired by 1980s B-grade horror movies and involves a mad scientist's experiments going awry. Sounds very funny and, I'm sure, packed full of fabulous performances from people-to-watch.

The Cat in the Hat, Clarence St Theatre. 15th & 16th September, various times. A great one for all ages, with a couple of daytime performances on the Saturday. Will give the kids something to talk about for that last, endless week of school.

The Manic Monologues, The Meteor. 19th-23rd September, 7.30pm
Carving in Ice Theatre is back for Mental Health Week, with a series of monologues about different aspects of mental health conditions. The company is known for their high-quality work, and I'm sure this show will be no exception given the powerful subject matter.

Tehor II, by Naomi Azouley

Art

The National Contemporary Art Award 2023 is on at the Museum until November. You can also vote for the people’s choice award, which closes October 24.

Feature: the best of Kirikiriroa spesh

Best of Facebook Eats

The Facebook marketplace is a strange ecosystem all to itself - and in some parts of the world, was the hospo underground during lockdowns.

Best Malaysian Uni Sally kitchen on facebook. This sacred writ was passed on to our friend from her Malaysian boss. A different menu is released each week - preorders need to be made by Tuesday, and are picked up on the relevant day.

Have you tried a Cambodian donut, or noun kong? Chewier and crisper than the American style, they feature a lot of sesame and poppy seeds, with fillings of mung or yellow bean with coconut cream. Srena Sok, in Te Awamutu, makes to order via facebook, or text her on 021 029 35381.

The usual hospo stuff

Best Burger hands down the smash burger at Last Place. Best cocktail the gummy sour cocktail at Mr Pickles: delivers just the right amount of novelty on the classic sour flavour profile. Best kebab Turkish Express on Heaphy Terrace - our only beef is that unless you live in Fairfield it’s probably not on your way home from town. Special mention, also, to Sumac Turkish Kebab at Five Cross Roads. Best pizza we’ve mentioned The Crust before, but let us single out the quattro formaggi with provolone, parmesan, gorgonzola and mozzarella. Best ice cream I mean doy, it’s Duck Island, but a string of flavours have really knocked it out of the park recently - beginning with their feijoa yohgurt and lime in autumn, followed by their apricot, rosemary and labneh over winter, and now their marmalade and earl grey favour, which will bring your British friends to actual tears. Best vegetarian dish A special mention from our music editor Adam - the best fried cauliflower dish in the city is at Rice Noodle Master on Victoria street. Best korean fried chicken K kitchen in Dinsdale. They also nail a delicately diced coleslaw with a big fat dollop of mayo on top. Also in the Dinsdale takeaway precinct is Ciao Ceylon; the best authentic Sri Lankan food in Hamilton.

Upkeep

Best shoe repair space Merv, from McCammon and Co shoe repairs on Galloway street, is, sadly for him, a Christchurch Earthquake refugee - but we’re lucky to have him. Down a little driveway, he has a little studio outback - where mountains of leather and trimmings sit behind the counter. In a recession, in hard times, he reminds us, people get stuff fixed - and currently he is busy. If he can’t save a pair of boots, a handbag, or whatever - he strips it for their parts in case he can graft it onto another repair job (thus, the mountains). He also carries a small collection of knitting and leather booties for babies, dog neckerchiefs, and does key cutting too.

Best dry cleaner Vogue Dry Cleaners in Frankton.

Best clothing alterations Several recommendations came in (including from high-end fashion boutique True) for Susan Rowland, on Victoria street right next door and upstairs to the Time Out. Many people in the city only trust her for their alternations.

Best graphic designer You already know the work of Alan Deare of Area design - he’s behind Lucy’s bread marketing, and Duck Island’s branding (which has scooped him more than one design award). He works on small business and high-end art projects alike.

Best framing place Friend of the pod Laree Payne, of the eponymous gallery in Riverbank Lane complex, uses both Framing House in Hamilton East (in Lovegrove Lane), as well as Sarah Marston of Framing Workshop, in Silverdale. If you’re ever couriering art, or anything fragile or urgent, Laree uses Pack and Send and says asks for Kurt.

Best Hairdresser Of course Fabrik, again in the Riverbank Lane complex, do excellent cuts and colour - we all know this. I don’t know about you, but a good home salon always feels like a true find to me - and it was a shame when Poppies, in Melville (we found them via a rec' from the Farmers MAC counter) closed as those involved pursued other projects. Dede and Daph, in Frankton, fills this niche, excellently.

Best post shop - we had definite criteria for this one: ample parking, low wait times, best magazine wrack. The NZ Post Shop Glenview Centre fill all the criteria - and with the new bus hub (now! more disability friendly! after a total fuck up!) all the more accessible via a number of means.

Best daycare The Park on Naylor Street, which came to us via a friend who specialises in early education.

Best insurance broker Steve Freeman, of Financial Independence, is actually based in Tauranga - but qualifies for our list in this po-co, virtual-friendly world. As he nears retirement, increasingly he refers business to his colleague James Jenkin, at the same firm.

Best panel beater: Again, a recommendation from our music-writer-at-large, Adam, who says he sent more people to Restoration Panel Works in Frankton than anywhere else, for anything else, in Hamilton.

Best gym and swimming pool Across the road from the prison-yard of Les Mills, Fastlane fitness is like it’s grown up, more sophistocated cousin. The pool, certainly, avoids all the fuss (and generally children) of Te Rapa or Melville, and their strict swimming cap rule keeps the water pristine.

You seldom have to wait for a lane.

August #04

What makes a city feel like a city? It’s the ability, if you wanted to, to dry your duvet at a laundromat at 2am. It’s having a pharmacy that’s open til late. Or maybe it’s waiting less than 15m for a double decker bus, with a paperback folded into your trenchcoat pocket. Or, the ultimate test, is it having enough of a mainway so that now you have laneways?

If you’re single and dating, all you might be interested in is heading out the door with a handful of back-up conversation topics in your back pocket and knowing that whatever way it turns, you’ve got options. I met my boyfriend on a tinder date at Lazat, and the walk from upper Victoria Street to Wonderhorse, where we decided to take our night next, were the most blissful, exhilarating, easy 20 minutes of my life. Both of us have lived in bigger, more built up cities - but all that matter that night is that there was a place to go to next.

We all know the Wonderhorses, the Ernests, and the Duck Islands - all of which are reliable date-night fodder. But one of our single readers asked us for date ideas that weren’t a certain ice cream store (as much as we love it). And so we have a date night special - not just for singles, but all sorts of different interludes. We reckon we’ve got at least six weeks’ worth here, and after that you’re on your own; at least until you meet someone new and then you can roll the dice all over again.

In other news - the film festival, a Lego symposium (sorry, we mean, “Brick Show”), and the previous late-night favourite Riverbank Lane gets an early riser. And if you’re a little bit sporty we have American Footy, and the Dart Masters.

To all our new subscribers that have joined us over the last couple of issues - welcome! As always, send us your tips, tricks and picks to hello@thewaikatodraft.com.

Date Night Spesh

Hello Rosie’s vegan donut

Best sporty date: Callum Brae Pitch and Putt. More than minigolf but no where near an actual real golf course, it’s fun and not a big commitment if you don’t click with the person or if you turn out to suck at golf. We’ve heard that people bring along own drinks there, which sounds perfect on a sunny day.

Best guys/girls night: Shanghai in the Sky City complex. Zhejiang and Sichuan classics done well.

Best view of the river: Sure Gothenburg is beautiful, but have you see the balcony at Bowl and Social? Reasonably priced pints and surprisingly solid bar snacks available.

Best wholesome date: Rüdi’s (as we said earlier, are taking the old Duck Island’s place in Riverbank Lane) run sourdough workshops - they’re all sold out for now but keep an ear to the ground for more, especially given their new digs.

Best Vegan date: Hello Rosie in Casabella Lane.

Best smarty pants date: Poppies book store. Ask for Infinate Jest, or maybe some Joan Didion, in a loud, performative voice. Next door to the above.

Best Wine Bar: Lol, just kidding, we still don’t have one yet.

Best date night transport: Lime bike, obviously. You can flirt with the bell.

Best off-piste dumpling house: We might have to return to Dumpling King, in Silverdale, in another issue, because their dumplings are the business. Cheap, plentiful and an extremely moreish.

Best eat big date: Korean BBQ at Family House. Appetites are sexy and nothing quite breaks the ice like a beer, a soju, and a tableside grill.

Best to-go date: Crust is serving some of the best pizza in the city, but, alas, has precisely zero ambiance. Not to worry - grab a pizza and take it to one of the many secluded spots around the city, including the slopes around the water tower up high by the lake, or behind The Little Bull, by the glasshouses at the gardens, or one of them many park benches along the river.

Best other lake: The university grounds are beautiful and underrated. There’s no a whole lot else there unless you catch something at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts. A winner if your crush likes fancy music.

Best cinema: The Tivoli, in Cambridge, with a licence to booze and plenty of pretty.

For the morning after: Easy. Browsers, with coffee at Café Kopi.

Scuttlebutt

After – what was that? short weeks? – in the naughty corner for running red lights in Auckland (which readers will know Aucklanders regard as a sport), Te Huia thankfully is allowed back into the Strand again, from August 7.

A free pizza is just a netgun away as Dominos brings out drone pizza deliveries for Huntly. “If we can do it in Huntly," said SkyDrop founder Matthew Sweeny, “we can do it in any suburban location in New Zealand.” Invest now, perhaps?

Did you go to a Women’s World Cup match? You should have. But we found the post-match offerings in short walking distance pretty disappointing - we wanted a pint after a great time at the Vietnam vs Portugal game, but The Healm had already stopped pouring and Speight’s Ale House was completely shut.

This man has a veritable tropical orchard in his Hamilton backyard.

The Avalon Bakehouse’s bacon and egg pie has taken out top honours at the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards.

We’re quite taken by the Old Hamilton & Surrounding Districts Facebook page - it does what it says on the tin. Packed with old photos of Hamilton and its surrounds (and, curiously, lots of photos of old gas stations) with cameos from the Waipa Delta, the old Garden Place, and some of Hamilton’s best brutalist architecture on display.

The Meteor is looking for new trustees for its board.

And lastly check out the Kirikiriroa Metro substack; a cheat sheet for Hamilton city planning.

What’s on

Music

by Adam Fulton

Soft Bait

Heavy Chest LP release. 11th August. Last Place. Reverb laden indie pop from former Pōneke outfit, now based in Melbourne.

Soft Bait, KMTP, The Sour. 12th August. Last Place. Extremely refined post-punk group Soft Bait from Tāmaki Makaurau as part of their mid-winter tour. Joined by KMTP and The Sour.

Video Nasty, Static. 17th August. Nivara Lounge. Abrasive and chaotic grunge from Tāmaki Makaurau 3 piece Video Nasty as part of their nationwide tour. Supported by Static.

Film

by Jason Marshall

Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) kicks off on August 9th with screenings at the Lido until August 29th.

Our picks for the festival:

Reality. A dramatisation of the arrest and interrogation of US intelligence whistleblower Reality Winner, Reality sees a breakout performance from Sydney Sweeney. Screenings on the 21st and 22nd of August. Trailer.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline. A climate change polemic built like a heist thriller, How to Blow Up a Pipeline follows a disaffected crew of activists with an explosive solution to a nearby oil pipeline. “A matter-of-fact portrayal of the palpable anger emanating from a betrayed generation,” writes Clarisse Loughrey of the Independent. Screenings on the 12th, 16th, and 17th of August. Trailer.

Past Lives. A slow burn romantic drama about two childhood friends reconnecting after twenty years apart, Past Lives has been charming critics since its US release, with Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post calling it “a film that expertly holds back wellsprings of emotion, until it unleashes a deluge.” Screenings on the 11th and 12th of August. Trailer.

Greta Lee and Teo Yoo in Past Lives.

Outside of the festival:

The long awaited new Wes Anderson flick, Asteroid City, opens on August 10th. We’ve heard mixed things about it, but we’re still excited.

Theatre

by Louise Drummond

All I See. Saturday 5th August, 7pm-8pm. The Meteor. This is the unmissable show of the month. Cian Parker is amazingly talented, known for the amazing stories she tells. She's just returned from touring this piece in the UK and Serbia. All I See is a dance/theatre show performed by Cian and Mihailo Lađevac that tells the story of two bereaved friends who bond over their journeys of grief.

Hairspray. 12-26 August, 7.30pm (and some matinees). Riverlea Theatre. Most people have already heard of this 1960s Baltimore-set musical, thanks to the John Travolta movie, and judging by the cast (led by the very gifted Hannah Doherty), this is going to be a very fun night out!

Randy Feltface. 13th August, 7pm. Clarence St Theatre. A puppet who has performed in London and New York and been nominated for Best Comedy at Edinburgh Fringe is looking for your vote in politics.

Urban Hymns. 30th August - 2 September, 7.30pm. Meteor Theatre. A vibrant NZ play originally written by Mīria George for the Young and Hungry festival gets an outing, performed by the talented local crew of TAHI TA'I TASI. Urban Hymns tells the story of Joseph, who has suddenly been made redundant from his petrol station job in the middle of a recession. TTT's past work has been really impressive and their advocacy of Maori and Pasifika work is such a vital part of our theatre scene.

Food

The Cuisine Good Food Guide for 2023/2024 features a few Waikato favourites - Hayes Common, Alpino in Cambridge, and Mr Pickles. You can read it for yourself on August 7th.

Events

Keen to try out American football? The Hamilton Hawks are holding a muster on August 26th.

Alternatively, the Dart Masters are on at Claudelands on August 4 and 5.

The Hamilton Brick Show is on August 5 - 6, from 9am to 4pm, bring your little, or big, Lego lovers.

Hey, Sprechen Sie talk? The Waikato Goethe Society hosts their monthly German Talk event at The Helm on the last Wednesday of every month.

Contributors: Sylvia Giles, Jason Marshall, Adam Fulton (music), Louise Drummond (theatre), Jacob Sparrow (art director)

July #03

Well, importantly it’s Matariki, and obviously, and it’s the FIFA world cup. At the cinema, expect hot blondes and atomic bombs. We have two gigs out in Raglan that will leave you wondering why you don’t go out there more often for music. Where to get the best black pudding in the country. And there’s a hooking workshop at the library… whaaaaaat? Not really, but read on.

Have any tips for us? Flick us an email on hello@thewaikatodraft.com.

Scuttlebutt

The 20-minute city concept (now, that’s a precinct) has captured the wild imaginations of conspiracy theorists who’ve projected dystopian fever dreams onto an urban planning concept, and equate walkable neighbourhoods with living in an open air prison. This, from Feburary, is a good explainer from Jonah Franke (at Stuff) or read University of Waikato professor of environmental planning Iain White’s own op ed here.

Meanwhile last month at a meeting about 20 minute cities held by Hamilton Citizen and Ratepayers Association, and attended by Counterspin Media and an assortment of folks you could variously describe as the worst dinner party guests you’ve ever encountered. The meeting descended into anarchy; deputy mayor Angela O’Leary and councilor Mark Donovan fled the insanity after the mob presented them with a writ of execution and attempted to conduct a citizens arrest, which was after about 10 minutes. It is notable that councilor and National Party Hamilton East candidate Ryan Hamilton stuck around to talk about his record of voting against vaccine mandates.

What’s on

This origami workshop is at the museum, courtesy of the Waikato Japanese Community Trust.

Ice skating is on at Chartwell square for the holidays from now until July 14.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Hamilton on July 22nd with Zambia v Japan. For a full listing of matches and other events click here. If you aren’t attending the local matches in person, or want a matchday atmosphere for out of town games, go and watch the matches with food, drink and entertainment at the Claudelands Events Centre from July 20 to July 23rd. Our pick would be July 21 for the Philippines versus Switzerland match at 5pm, followed by glitter and make up session with local Queens.

Rototuna gets a new library built from scratch. But wtf is shirt latch hooking, and should you really be doing that in a library? Find out at this rug workshop at the Central branch.

Florists! The Waikato Horticultural Society presents Life in Floristy and Horticultre with Kate Jacobson—past patron of the NZ Society of Professional Florists - that’s at the Wintec classroom at the Hamilton Gardens.

Finally, for the thrill of a good bargain find, check out the Lions bookfare at Peachgrove stuff (July 6-8), and the Kidz Korner Toy library toy sale July 22.

Matariki

Deserving of its own section - and we’ve of the belief that the Waikato will become one of the places to spend it.

Te Parapara - New Zealand's only traditional Maaori productive garden at the Hamilton Gardens – is running free guided tours July 8-9, where you can learn about traditional, heirloom gardening techniques. You should book.

Ngaa Paki o Matariki 2023 is going to be the epic amalgamation of kapa haka, oratory, and art by Tainui rangatahi. There will also be stalls! They are expecting over 10,000 visitors, and may just be the biggest Matariki event in the country.

Meantime at the Zoo, until July 17, they are essentially running a Matariki savenger hunt - kids can find posts representing the seven stars, learn about their significance, and go into the draw to win a annual pass for two adults and up to four (four!) children.

Dr Oliver Macloud is discussing the geological mapping of Pirongia, the largest basaltic volcano in the North Island July 2. Make a paper koowhai 4-5 July when you take the kids to Exsite.

Music and gigs

compiled by Adam Fulton

Boom Boom Kid

Guardian Singles LP release tour. Last Place, 14th July. The perfect post-punk/power-pop band.

Calla: Last Place, 15th July. Intriguing operatic, electronic pop from Ōtepōti, sitting somewhere in the realm of Bjork, Joanna Newsome and Portishead.

Boom Boom Kid, The Yot Club Raglan. 15th July. Fuzzy, poppy punk from Argentina.

Jazmine Mary release tour. The Yard, Raglan, 28th July Most wondrous alternative folk from Tāmaki Makaurau. Jazmine Mary recently sold out two shows at the Wine Cellar.

Hans Pucket. Last Place, 29th July. Catchy guitar pop from Pōneke.

Film

Are you team Barbie or team Oppenheimer? Both films, with somewhat different vibes, open July 20th.

Great Scot! Te Awamutu’s iconic Regent Theatre are hosting a screening of Back to the Future on Friday July 7th at 7:00 pm.

Horror fan? Ever wanted to conjure wishes with an embalmed hand and then reap the terrifying consequences? Haven’t we all? Talk to Me has been generating a lot of buzz on the festival circuit, with the Australian horror romp garnering a 97% rating on Rotty Ts. Hoyts Metro have an advanced screening on Friday July 14th at 7:00 pm ahead of its wider release on the 27th.

See you at the movies!

Theatre

compiled by Louise Drummond

Fantastic Mr Fox; Riverlea Theatre, July 1-15, at 7pm, with 2pm matinees on Saturdays. Roald Dahl's much-loved story about a sly fox who triumphs over his human, curmudgeonly neighbours.

Te Awa: The Untold Pakiwaitara of Kirikiriroa The Meteor July 11-13, 10.30am
Carved from gifted stories from iwi and hapu with a connection to the Wintec marae Te Kopu Mania o Kirikiriroa; this is a 40-minute kids show also boasts the kind of polish afforded by a season touring around the rohē.

The Shit Kid; The Meteor July 13-14, 7.30pm. Shortlisted for the 2022 Adam NZ Play award, this is a tale of dressage and sibling rivalry, written and performed by Sarah Harpur (Kāi Tahu).

Wonderland Glow Show; Clarence St Theatre July 18, 10am & 11.30am. A ‘kiwified’ bilinguinal version of Alice in Wonderland, told with ultraviolet puppetry.

Closer, presented by One Question Theatre; The Meteor July 19-22, 7pm. Patrick Marber's classic '90s drama about a complex web of lust, relationships and deception spun by its four characters - realised in this production by an amazing cast.

Food and drink

Celebrate Bastille Day at Hayes Common where they’re basing their monthly neighbour eats event around it; with a three course meals and wine matches available.

While we’re excited about imports like Lord of the Fries to Hamilton East, so far the Made line looks Waikato originals and that’s exciting. We hear the development has been pushed back again to possibly September, and may only partially open. But there’s more to be excited about including a spirits store from the people behind Wonder Horse and Last Place that will also include takeaway cocktails. Great for by-the-river picnics, or when Gourmet at the Gardens starts back up.

Many of you will know of Te Awamutu butcher Shawn of Expleo. But have you tasted his black pudding? Get it delivered, or see them in person where they encourage you use your own container.

Contributors: Sylvia Giles, Jason Marshall, Adam Fulton (music), Louise Drummond (theatre), Jacob Sparrow (art director)

June #02

The fog’s really settled in now, but don’t let that stop you. This month we have Fieldays (obviously), the French Film Festival, Zine Fest and its afterparty; and dammit, Janet, if local darling The Rocky Horror Picture Show isn’t turning 50.

And if you’re new here: welcome! If you missed our last newsletter, the archive can be found here.

Have any tips for us? Flick us an email on hello@thewaikatodraft.com

Scuttlebutt

What do we all make of the Waikato Times paywall? It possibly makes this newsletter a little less clickable.

Meanwhile journalist extraordinaire Kirsty Johnson (we’re excited to see what she does next for RNZ) tweets on the mating dance of the Waikato: 

Te Huia numbers are now in full flight, as the service celebrates its 100,000th passenger. The Waikato Times asks: is Hamilton poised to eclipse Wellington and become Aotearoa’s fourth largest city? Maybe. It’s complicated.

Who can we blame for the perplexing decision to redo Pembroke street… so that it remains precisely the same as it always has been with no cycle lane? Baffling. Meanwhile, further downstream, the Glenview bus is not up to spec for people who mobilise with a wheelchair - but they’re fixing it.

Buy a seat at the new Waikato regional theatre, which hopes to be debt free at opening in 2024. Katiee_owennn on TikTok reviews Hamilton op shops (among other things). Because I asked nicely, Hamilton City Councillor Louise Hutt (whose also recently penned a piece for Ensemble on the politics of her work wardrobe) shared her knit pattern library with us. 

What’s on

Film

The French film festival kicks off this month at the Lido with a gala opening night (tickets $35). Highlights include:

The Origin of Evil: a woman’s reunion with her estranged father is interrupted by a power struggle for the family’s immense wealth, in a tangled thriller that has garnered comparisons to Succession.

Notre-Dame on Fire is a gripping boots-on-the-ground portrayal of firefighters trying to save Notre Dame cathedral during the 2019 fire.

And otherwise, it’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s 50th birthday this month (which I’m sure we won’t be allowed to forget). The Operatic Society have got this: June 29 they’re hosting a special screening at the Lido, complete with pre-match function, complimentary curated prop bag for audience participation, an award for best dressed and, naturally, a photobooth (because pics or it didn’t happen). All for exactly $34.05.

Theatre

By Louise Drummond

Horis In Space, presented by TAHI T'AI TASI. Meteor Theatre, 28th - 30th June at 7pm. Horis in Space is about finding meaning beyond the stars and finding your place among your whānau and friends. It’s the year 3023 on the planet Aotearoa, and avid classic video game enthusiast Kauri Roads meets an alien named Allen. Written by local Hamiltonian Michael Kerei (Tainui) and directed by award-winning playwright Benny Marama.

The Big Night Out; Meteor Theatre, 9th June at 7.30pm. A mid-year celebration from the talented students of the Wintec Te Pūkenga Music and Performing Arts degree. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to catch some of the brightest up-and-coming stars in the Kirkiriroa performing arts scene, in this one-night only event.

Downtown Musicals Jr, by the Hamilton Operatic Society. Meteor Theatre, 11th June at 4pm. The ‘Downtown Musicals’ Jr. sessions aim to provide a platform for rising theatre performers, aged 9 to 17, to help them gain experience and confidence singing in front of audiences. The Jr. sessions are wheelchair accessible and family friendly.

Music

By Adam Fulton

Synthetic Children, GTKB release tour. Last Place, 1st June. Synthetic Children is a solo act, performing eclectic electro/jungle/house, while GTKB are an instrumental “emo shoegazy rock” four-piece, with at least a one-member overlap with First Move. Both acts are from Te Papaioea.

Nervous Jerk album release tour. Last Place, 3rd June. Posi pop-punk from Ōtautahi. Supported by Melanie (noodly guitar stuff) and Static.

Zinefest Afterparty. Last Place, 10th June. Featuring Half/time, Static, Essa Ranapiri, and our pick-of-the-bunch P Wits – a mix of American primitivist guitar stuff and ambient drone.

Miscellaneous things

Cycling in Kirikiriroa in winter means fog and wet roads, so bring your analogue bike along to the Bike Hub for a tune up, in the Go Eco car park, Frankton, from 10am-12pm every Thursday to Saturday. Bring your kids and gumboots to Arbor Day (June 3) at Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park for their busiest planting day of the year. That evening, head indoors for comedian Guy Montgomery (Worst Idea of All Time podcast, Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee), who is doing a set at the Meteor June 3, for $30 - which seems far too cheap these days. And you’ve done the Hakarimata steps on a Saturday morning, but have you tried it after dark where you can see glowworms?

Fieldays

One word, and only one d - for those that have moved to town since we last had a real Fieldays, pre-covid. If you didn’t quite realise, Fieldays was this month (14 - 17 June 2023), you’ll know all about it by the time it starts. You can catch regional buses free of charge form Raglan, Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Paeroa, Te Aroha, Morrinsville, Huntly, Taumarunui, Te Kuiti and Tokoroa to the Hamilton Transport centre, and hop on the free bus to the event itself. Or, you know, use the helipad or arrive by boat from Tamahere like a totally normal person. Other highlights, even for townies, include the tractor pull and excavator competitions (plus there’s a lil’ mini digger kids can have a go on). And of course it’s also really a food festival in disguise. 

And guess what the modular unit of the Fieldays exhibitions is? That’s right, they are precincts.

Eating and drinking 

Our sources tell us the Made Market has been delayed and we are now taking August at the earliest.

We speak from recent experience when we say oysters, fries and whatever you’re drinking at Earnest is a great way to start your evening out.

For an evening in, we made a huge pot of mussels recently, which remain cheap – from Seafood Bazaar in Te Rapa. They also deliver Tuesday through Saturday.

Wonderhorse’s Whisky club meets this month on June 21. You can email your inquiry to alex@wonderhorse.co.nz

Contributors: Sylvia Giles, Jason Marshall, Louise Drummond (theatre), Adam Fulton (music)

May #01

Kia ora and welcome to our first, and May, edition of Waikato draft.

In a country full of summers, Kirikiriroa is an autumn. When the leaves start to fall, suddenly it matters much less that we lack the beaches that all other NZ cities boast. Autumn means fog, hot air balloons, stacking firewood. It means limes, feijoas, and people collecting chestnuts by the river. 

And as usual there’s plenty to see, eat and do… this month: why you should be taking notice of Hamilton’s high school theatre, revisit the 1980s Gallagher kidnapping, and the h-town wiki what it said about our music seen in the 00s – plus five of its epic pages.

What’s on

Film

British horror classic The Wicker Man, with Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, is playing at the Hamilton Film society on May 8, at the Lido. Note: you need to be a member: details are at www.hamiltonfilmsociety.org. Also note: this is not the 2006 Nicolas Cage film of “not the bees!” fame. Hopefully they’ll consider that madcap Cage caper for its own special screening. 

Music

From next month…

Art

Those who know Hamilton’s coffee heritage trace it all back to The Vienna — run by WWI German-Jewish refugees Kurt Philips and his wife Trude. Kurt’s sister Margot, who was often seen waiting tables there, became well known in her own right for her Waikato landscapes. Her work is showing at the museum from May 12, until September. The Laree Payne Gallery has a solo exhibition by Laura Williams, titled From Arsenic to Found Grace (below), from Wednesday 3 May, or join them on Saturday 6 May from 11-3pm for coffee and donuts with the artist.

Laura Williams, Bonfire of the Vanities, 2023, Acrylic on board. 450mm H x 300mm W x 70mm D. Image courtesy of the artist and Laree Payne Gallery.

In person

Someone at the Hamilton City Council sure does love the word precinct — that’s how they’re describing a new shared entrance to both the zoo and the underrated Waiwhakereke Natural Heritage Park, which also has a new viewing platform. “Precinct” is also what the Gardens is calling their new development — although it really just looks like a new visitors’ centre and retail shop, but whatever. If they’re using the word to evoke a conscious lack of vehicle access, then that’s great. In the same neighbourhood as the zoo, the Astrological Society building got a new lick of paint. How much or why this matters at night we’re not sure, but good for them. They have their usual monthly public night May 3. Go, and peer into their high-magnification Total Perspective Vortex.

Lastly, the Waikato Role Playing Guild have a Morrinsville event they call, charmingly, Dice in Districts.

Theatre

1. Hamilton Operatic Society: Downtown Musicals. May 2, 2023, Nivara Lounge. Ham Op's Downtown Musicals nights, each a themed session, are a platform for up-and-coming theatre talents, those wishing to try something new, or people getting back into performing. This month performers will bringing their favourite comedic musical theatre songs to the stage for A Comedy Tonight. 

2. Love Belongs, performed by Fraser High School. 3-5th May, Clarence St Theatre. Hamilton's high schools are bursting with talent and their products are amongst the best in the city. (Recently, Hillcrest High School’s Pippin and Waikato Diocesan’s A Midsummer Night's Dream were both absolutely incredible). Fraser High's performance of Love Belongs is bound to be another example of talented high school theatre. 

3. Penny Ashton's Promise and Promiscuity. 6th May, Meteor Theatre. "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of a theatre script must be in want of an audience." Penny Ashton parodies Jane Austen in this sharp and sparkling musical; an absolute laugh and a half. For the past ten years Penny has been touring the world with this show, and it shows. It's sharp and polished, and witty.

4. Dakota of the White Flats, performed by Red Leap Theatre. 10 - 13 May, Meteor Theatre. An adaptation of the novel by Philip Ridley, Dakota is a fearless 13-year-old, who lives in a bleak housing complex next to a polluted canal. With her best friend Treacle, a huge secret propels them across the water to the Broken Glass Fortress on Dog Island. Described as a "high-action, pulpy punk noir", it combines comedy, horror and live music, and is recommended for age 11+. 

5. Young Frankenstein, performed by Hamilton Musical Theatre. 13 - 27 May, Riverlea Theatre. Who doesn't love Mel Brooks?! This adaptation of Mel Brooks' successful film tells the story of Victor Frankenstein's grandson Frederick. With the help of his sidekick Igor, Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestor.

Compiled and written by Louise Drummond

On the web…

Hamilton Zoo’s record-breaking Sumatran tiger Mencari has died – a grand old dame at 23. Remind yourself of the strange chapter in Hamilton’s history when, in 1987, Jenny Gallagher was kidnapped with the demand of a $1m cash and $500,000 worth of uncut diamonds. Consent for two local solar power farms has been fast-tracked. You should also care about our neighbours at North Waikato’s Spring Hill prison - one of three facilities where ongoing Covid restrictions mean it’s been three years since prisoners had visitors. We’re enjoying friend of the pod (and former Nexus editor) Joshua Drummond’s Substack where he takes self improvement and “does journalism to it”, improving both it and us. In case you missed it, don’t chuck lithium batteries - commonly in vapes - into the recycling. All batteries can be dropped off for free to the Lincoln St Resource Recovery Centre. Who hasn’t thought about shimmying in the motorcycle parking when you nip in Duck Island? (But, don’t.) And the new ACC building on the corner of Collingwood and Tristram Street, built by Tainui Group Holdings, opened at the end of April.

Long[er] Reads

Modern Manners: feijoa edition

Autumn brings mountains of feijoas - and very quickly you just can’t even give the stuff away. So begins the ritual of staff room feijoa dumps - brought in in an unmarked bag in the early morning, remaining unclaimed when it starts to rot in the bottom. I did something similar when, in the original lockdown, my MIL sent us some of her grade A feijoas in the actual post. Some of them got forgotten about in the kitchen for months and were discovered after we moved out. Floor boards were softened. Don’t be that dick.

If you are the kind of person that likes feijoas but lacks a tree, those with surplus soon start circling, as if your name has been circulated on some kind of dark web somewhere. If you have a hint of the people pleaser about you or hate to see fruit go to waste you will soon have a problem. Learn to say no. There are plenty of freejoa roadside stalls and this seems win win for everybody.

And what of foraging? Only take what you need, leave no trace; don’t enter private property, even just a little bit. In the case of fruit overhanging the footpath from someone’s house - feijoas are fair game. If it’s a passionfruit, chuck it over.

The H-town wiki: a brief history

Google any aughties Hamilton music trivia and you’re bound to come across the h-town wiki. An incredible rabbit warren and chronicle to the Hamilton music scene, from the heady days of the “artists’ dole” (ahem, I’m sorry, the Pathway to Arts and Cultural Employment (PACE), which ran from 2001 to 2012), and when radio stations had a voluntary quota of 20% local music content.

One of its founders, Dan Satherley, says that actually two or three people really came up with the idea at the same time, around 2006, to fill a vacuum created by the demise of the contact/UFM/generator complex in 2003. (One of which is University of Waikato Associate Professor Ian Duggan - you can read about his musical extracurriculares  here).

“I don't think I was the only one, from memory, but having already started/been involved with other online things - like the egroup/YahooGroup email list in 2000, and then htown.co.nz [an online forum he ran from 2003 with a guy who's online name was “drift”, and who’s real name he’s since forgotten]… I guess I was the most likely to actually bother to do it.` Satherley also “80% ran” Hamilton zine Clinton from 2000 - 2001, which also faithfully documented the Hamilton music scene at that time (its back catalogue can be found, you guessed it, on the wiki), and worked for both UFM and then Generator (both, in that order, were iterations of what used to be contact fm, the original University of Waikato student radio station).

Satherley says there was nothing especially difficult or unique about what they were doing; just a willingness to set up and contribute to projects like the zine, the wiki, and the forum. “It honestly surprises me there weren't equivalents in other cities around New Zealand. All it took was having an idea, a willingness to act on it, and then someone who had the technical chops to carry it out, which by 2006, wasn't that hard anymore.

“None of us were so technically minded as to know how to even change the logo [of the wiki] - as you can see, 17 years later it's still the default image,” says Duran.

Peter Smith, who for a time was the bassist for Wellington band Family Cactus, often found himself in Hamilton because of his then-girlfriend, but specifically remembers the h-town wiki and how it captured the vibe of the scene; how it was different to Auckland and Wellington. “It made it seem like there was a positive, inclusive community in Hamilton. It didn’t really seem to matter that much who you were or what music you were making, people just liked that you were making music in Hamilton. Dynamo Go? Rad. Mobile Stud Unit? Awesome. Katchafire? Sweet.”

“It had an endearing combination of self-mythologising and self-deprecating,” he continues. “If your band had only played one show of covers? You could have a page, and you probably did… While Auckland and Wellington bands were probably writing their own pages on actual wikipedia, quoting Cheese On Toast reviews calling them ‘the new Strokes’ or whatever.”

Returning to Duran, perhaps some of motivation for the h-town wiki was a proverbial middle finger to these other scenes. “I think maybe the reason we went so hard was we had this impression that others saw Hamilton as a musical backwater,” he says, “and we wanted to prove them wrong. Auckland bands would come down often and get their arses handed to them by local bands, and we were wondering why our bands weren't getting coverage in the magazines. And by the early/mid 2000s most of us were online, and it was virtually cost-free, so we went for it.”

And unlike the myspace of the day, it’s all still there for our present-day enjoyment, and is infinitely more readable as a companion to the era. Duran continued to post to htown.co.nz even once he’d moved to Auckland, although this is the year, he says, where he will finally have been living in Auckland for longer than he was ever was in Hamilton (he moved here age 7). “As Datsuns producer Scott Newth once told me, you can leave Hamilton but you'll never get the stink out… I'm pretty sure my old Fender guitar amp in the garage has a UFM sticker on it,” he says, “and a 'student debt $5 billion' sticker, which shows its age..”

The five greatest H-town wiki pages

1. Issue 19 included a thinly-veiled takedown of UFM management of the day

2. “Borne out of everything from patriotism to derision, there have been a number of songs inspired by Hamilton.” They are compiled here.

3. Hamilton circle jerk was a long-running Hamilton event where Hamilton bands would cover each others’ songs. A later attempt to renamed it Harden up Ow was hopeless; the original name just stuck. 

4. Jed, whoever he is: “Cantankerous driving force behind Truckers Move America and The Sadie Hawkins Atom Bomb, and guitarist for SophieXEnola. Relocated to Wellington in a fit of pique.” We are all Jed.

5. RIP the Wailing Bongo. We still don’t understand their hack whereby they could serve alcohol to 18-year-olds prior to the law change, but sacred heart girls of a certain vintage will remember it well.

Contributors: Sylvia Giles, Jessica Begovich, Jason Marshall, Louise Drummond

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