ROBBIE NICOL

In this Herald on Sunday series, we ask well-known Aucklanders about their favourite spots in the city. This week, comedian Robbie Nicol takes us on a tour of his top places.

Favourite beach?

As a general rule, it’s tricky to get me to a beach. I normally avoid wearing shorts, hide in the shade, and wait for summer to be over. But! I did go to Waiheke this year with my girlfriend and we went for a walk to a nearby pub that was supposed to be 20 minutes away, and ended up being 55. At one point we took a wrong turn down a pedestrian walkway and stumbled on to a nude beach. We saw a naked man hug a fully-clothed woman, and considering that’s the only beach I’ve been to in the past year I do unfortunately have to say that’s my favourite beach.

Favourite brunch spot?

A brunch at Kind in Morningside is always a treat. On a weekday afternoon it can seem like the sort of cafe that is exclusively for work meetings between people who haven’t met yet, but that’s actually a compliment about how respectable it is to schedule a meeting there. On a Saturday morning it’s the perfect place for brunch with friends.

Favourite restaurant for dinner with friends?

I don’t have a lot of money because I work in comedy, which is something that we have all decided correctly, as a society, doesn’t have much value. So, I will say that my favourite restaurant is the last restaurant I went to. VT Station gave me the incredible joy of pani puri. They filled little dough balls with coriander mint water that exploded in your mouth and it was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. They also helped us through the process of using a Prezzy Card, which I found deeply intimidating. Go there. They’re nice and it’s good.

Favourite place to take a visitor?

Whenever my parents visit Auckland, I always try to make the Auckland CBD seem better than it is. You’ve gotta take them through Albert Park to Toi o Ta¯ maki and then guide them carefully down to Lorne St and out to the waterfront without ever accidentally showing them Queen St. It’s a dangerous game, but if you can pull it off, then you can make Auckland seem like a pretty nice place.

Favourite spot to end a night out?

No matter where I start a night out, I somehow always end up at the Wine Cellar on Karangahape Rd. The seats are falling apart, they serve full imperial pints, and you will run into friends leaving a gig that you didn’t know was on. It’s not a place to take your parents or a first date. It’s a place to sink piss with your friends and put the world to rights. We need those places, and they’re hard to find in the Auckland CBD.

Favourite place to get coffee?

I just recently left the Morningside area, so I can now reveal that I was lucky enough to have three cafes directly opposite my old flat. There was the most affordable one, the one with the best aesthetics, and the one with the best food. If you are ever visiting Sandringham Rd and you stumble across three cafes in a row, you’ll know those are three I’m talking about and you can choose which one you think is which. So, this isn’t a helpful recommendation so much as it is a fun game you can play with your friends.

Favourite fish-and-chip shop?

I thought it would be okay to ask my Twitter followers for advice on one question, and this is the question I’ve chosen. @nzmrichards has confirmed that the best fish and chip shop in Ta¯ maki Makaurau is the Village Fisheries in

Ma¯ ngere. This is probably the one recommendation that you should actually listen to.

Favourite trail for a hike?

A full hike is off the table for me, but I will climb Maungawhau on a sunny afternoon. What’s good about climbing Maungawhau is that you will see

American tourists dressed as though they are doing a full hike, and that can make you feel like you’re doing more exercise than you are.

Favourite venue for a gig?

I don’t think you can go past the Powerstation for a great night out. I remember going there after the first lockdown. It felt like we’d all collectively achieved something amazing and we were blissfully unaware that there were more lockdowns to come. The Beths were playing. It felt like everyone in Auckland was there and it was so exciting to be in a big crowd of people enjoying life.

Favourite place to find a bargain?

There is no better deal in Ta¯ maki Makaurau than $5 Wednesdays at the Academy Cinema. Sadly, the Wendy’s on Queen St is now closed, but there was a time that you could go to the Wendy’s on Queen St and get a Mates Rates chicken meal, before heading round the corner and seeing a feature-length film, all for 10 New Zealand dollars.

Due to inflation that meal is now $7, but the $5 Wednesday movie is still going strong. If you haven’t been to the movie theatre lately, you owe it to yourself to get a bus into town and see whatever is playing at Academy on a Wednesday in the main theatre. At the very least it’s nice to have an excuse to turn your phone off for an hour and a half.

● See Robbie Nicol in Late Night Pilot May 8-11 at Basement Theatre, and hosting The Great Comedy Debate on May 17 at SkyCity Theatre.