Weepy & Sentimental.

Hello,

I love the end of the year. Everyone gets all sentimental and weepy; you start feeling these little seedlings of anticipation around what the next year is going to be like; and there’s a bit of permission to slow down. I also haven’t lived in the same country as relatives since I was very young, so the “family stuff” is perhaps less complicated (every Christmas I see a story on the news about dealing with extended whānau, which truthfully sounds extremely stressful, sorry if that is relatable to you). Me? I am enjoying the quiet – just pohutukawa, jacarandas, and the sound of pushing back all responsibilities for a blissful two weeks.

December, the bookend of 2025, has also brought the closing of two institutions of Malaysian cuisine in Tāmaki: Sri Pinang on Karangahape Rd and the original Selera on Khyber Pass. They’ve probably introduced more non-Asian Aucklanders to the food of my home country than any others combined, and I could not thank them enough for their service – the pioneers of a market that now happily sustains dozens of Malaysian restaurants. You are most appreciated by me, personally, despite the fact you’ve definitely empowered a generation to confidently mispronounce rendang at full volume. My eternal pet peeve. Ruh-en-dung, not ren-dang. In particular, thank you to Ange Siew of Sri Pinang, who is always the brightest thing inside the restaurant. Admittedly, not hard, because it is very dark in there. Regardless, the regulars always come back, for Angie. Restaurant Personality of the Decade. Kam sia!

I have to admit, I am not immune to the sentimental and weepy layer that mists over Christmastime. Right now, I am feeling sentimental about Cringe. Committing to the weekly cadence of examining my life as it stands in context to the city, and then examining the city itself, its events and openings and closings and people and flaws and dirt and trees and whatever else we’ve written about in the last 16 newsletters, has been, actually, really fun. It has been so fun! Thank you for reading and subscribing. 

This is the last Cringe newsletter for 2025, but we will be back in January. And next year, we would like to be extra cringe: more guests, more Topics of Interest, a few… events? Is that too cringe?

Love,
Jean

P.S. Shout out to the city’s Jacarandas who are having an amazing December. Little purple flowers everywhere and putting 2025’s Pohutakawa to shame.

OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

Cringe favourite GOJO ETHIOPIAN EATERY is opening a new restaurant at 474 Queen St on Saturday with a $34.99 all-you-can-eat buffet. It looks like it’s taking over the space just up from Le Garde-Manger where the Filipino rib place was, across the road from the Queen St Myers Park entrance. Please go and support them, because that strip can be punishingly slow and has claimed many a victim. 

Peter Gordon was on Facebook this week, excited about a new bar that has opened up down the road from him in the Wynyard Quarter called BEAUMONT.

There’s a new Açai bowl place in Newmarket with a fro-yo type self-serve setup called SHIBBYS on the main drag, close to Peter Alexander. They have Pistachio Papi on tap, which is not really enough to stimulate any sort of excitement for yet another new açai place (something called “YogoBay” is also opening next to Fitzroy Deli on Shortland St, if that is something which excites you).

Yet another fancy tea place on High St getting fitted out this week, CHAHALO, who have one location in Wellington. If you visit during their soft opening this week they’ll give you a discount and an unsettling FRIDGE MAGNET. 

In more fancy-drinks-on-High-St news, a coffee and sushi place called Mermaid has just opened with a long menu of elaborate-looking iced coffees for $8.

Thanks to the people that emailed about That’s Amore – if you were worried, they are not closing, just moving down to Fort St near Ima’s. However, the traditional Christmas bloodbath is on and more places are closing: Sri Pinang and Khyber Pass’s Selera (see intro), Metro’s Best New Restaurant of 2025 Moe Palae Myanmar Restaurant, and Splore, which will be ending its run after this summer’s event. Also Acecco Supermarket, the great snack store in the old Yoyoso on Queen St has finally succumbed to the Watercare perma-hoardings blocking them from the street and that space is now empty. Rough year.

CRINGE REC: Get delicious fish and chips + prawn toast from CATCH AND CRISPS in Wynyard Quarter on a sunny evening, then park up at one of the many water-side locations nearby. We ate ours on the steps near Browny’s Pool, which yielded some light spray from the splashes of kids jumping in on the side. Salty.

MERI KIRIHIMETE! HAVE YOU CONSIDERED… donating to the CITY MISSION and/or the SALLIES? They work tirelessly to combat food insecurity and to assist Auckland’s unhoused population, which has DOUBLED OVER THE LAST YEAR. The situation has been made even more acute by a $79 million dollar cut in government funding for homelessness support this year, and an 800% increase in the rate of emergency housing applications rejected between early 2024 and mid 2025. Unsurprisingly, these policy changes have left the charitable sector with an even bigger job than usual at this time of year. Thanks for helping to support the people that live in our city this holiday season.

FRIDAY 19TH

SCREAM BY TULIPS
Big Fan, $15
An all-ages release show for Scream By Tulips’ first-ever single. With support from Back To The Hillside, The First Child and Fatal Insomnia. There will be a giveaway on the night and 3rd prize is 2 cans of Monster Energy Drink (first prize is a custom guitar).

SETS AND SAILS
Double Whammy, $35
I don’t know what it is about House Music which DEMANDS promoters label their event ‘Auckland’s Premier House Party’ but it’s always sitting there under the name of the event. Surely it’s not possible that every single one is better than the last? This particular Auckland’s Premier House Party has Kepler and Dan Snowden from the UK alongside Ben M, Cash, Connor Tomoana, Knox, Mitzy, Momo, Riggy, Scotte, Tango and Traction Lizard from NZ .

OPEN CHRISTMAS PARTY
Open, Free
Annual, reliably messy, Christmas event with DJs Luke and Joel.

COUNTING CROWS: HAVE YOU SEEN ME LATELY?
Neon
A documentary centered on Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz in the period between the not-that-great band’s first two albums, which will hopefully answer the questions we have around how he managed to rip through the A-list of 1990s female celebrities like he was the measles. 

SATURDAY 20TH

MELANIE BRACEWELL & JAMES MUSTAPIC
The Classic Studio, $15
Two of the nation’s best comedians in the extremely intimate surrounds of the wee upstairs room at the Classic. I’m a little bit concerned that the tight confines will lead to a greater chance of being victimised in some mean-spirited audience participation bits, but on the flip side there will be fewer people there to witness your shame if they make fun of your pants or something. Proceeds go to Women’s Refuge.

DAFFODILS, AWNING, DROPPER & CLEMENTINE
Double Whammy, From $8.50
Big, end-of-year fundraising show for Public Service. Both Awning and Dropper have new albums out, so should be in high spirits.

SOULTI & TALI
Ponsonby Social Club, $15
Joint EP pre-release for electro-pop newcomer Soulti, and single release for D&B very much not-newcomer Tali.

CRISTOPH EL TRUENTO & FRIENDS
Whammy, $17
Downbeat show with the ‘& Friends’ in this instance being Dubhead, Carlotta & Leon Oki. Trying to work out what this event was led me to THIS which is wonderful.

SUNDAY 21ST

RECORD RIOT 
Whammy, Free
Vinyl sale accompanied by DJ Baby Danzig, 1-man-electropunk-band Distracted and ‘drum/bass hectic punk band’ and winner of Cringe Band Name of the Week, Heavy Flow.

TUESDAY 23RD

DAYBUS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Goblin, Free
If your problem with jazz is that there are just not enough instruments involved, then I have good news for you: an 18-piece jazz band doing their absolute best to stay tight while playing Christmas tunes that I refuse to believe they could have rehearsed more than once.

THURSDAY 25TH

MIDNIGHT MASS
St Patricks, Free
One of the Cringe Top 5 Catholic Masses of the Year, but you’ll need to show up early to get a pew. If you miss out, they tend to overflow to a screen outside and it’s just not the same. 

THE HOUSEMAID
In Cinemas
Quite strong Hand That Rocks The Cradle energy coming off this thriller starring Amanda Seyfried and internet punching bag, Sydney Sweeney. It is, however, directed by lifelong purveyor of light comedy Paul Feig, so I’m wondering if it will be tonally a bit brighter than all that. If you’re able, I wholeheartedly endorse the movies at the end of your Christmas day. It’s extremely peaceful and air conditioned and you don’t have to deal with anything while you are there.