Receptionist’s new Queen Street coffee shop, Auckland
Originally starting life as Receptionist Safehouse, a tiny hole-in-the-wall coffee spot on Lorne Street, Receptionist is now in a minimal metal store on High Street – and has recently opened a second location on Exchange Lane off Queen Street. The new iteration has striking floor-to-ceiling tiles, and they’re still serving a selection of pastries, including the signature almond croissants. Exchange Lane, 95 Queen Street, Auckland.

A marvellous weekend market at Mabel’s, Wellington
This Sunday, spacious Burmese restaurant Mabel’s is holding the third iteration of its Community Hall market and hosting many independent makers for you to browse. Pick up a new wardrobe favourite from Otsu or Sully’s, some homeware from Best Wishes, handmade mugs from Mug Mates – and much more. The Mabel’s team will also be selling home goods sourced on a recent trip to Myanmar, and there will be drinks and food from a new German pop-up called Kamille. 10am–3pm, Sunday Oct 29. 66 Tory Street, Wellington.

Oysters for $2 and $12 cocktails at Candela’s new aperitivo hour, Auckland
K’ Road Spanish restaurant Candela has a very enticing new aperitivo hour running from Wednesday to Saturday. Between 5pm and 6pm, you can get oysters for $2 each, $5 tapas, $12 cocktails, and either a pét-nat or Estrella for $10. It’s a date.
155 Karangahape Road, Auckland. Wed to Sat, 5pm–6pm.

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Fine-dining wine bar Atlas is now Plonk, Wellington
Located on Customhouse Quay, Atlas was a degustation restaurant that also prided itself on its wine selection – over 400 international and New Zealand bottles, the vast majority organic or biodynamic. A couple of months ago, it closed its doors after almost four years and has now reopened as Plonk. It’s operated by the same people – Yu Group – with food still by Conor McDonald and James Pask (who were also at Atlas). The vibe is completely different, though: much more casual and approachable, with raucous branding and an a la carte menu ranging from snacks to heartier fare. They’ve also started a gig rotation with various local DJs coming through. 35 Customhouse Quay, Wellington Central. @plonk_winebar

Kingi’s sea-saving chopping board collaboration
It doesn’t sound like they’d be chic from the headline, but The Hotel Britomart’s restaurant Kingi has partnered with plastics recycler Critical and non-profit organisation Legasea to create a collection of stylish chopping boards that aim to shine a light on the impact bottom trawling and commercial fishing has on the ocean’s ecosystem. They’ve recycled fishing nets and other plastic waste to create chef-grade chopping boards in different colours and patterns that almost look like close-ups of spraying water. Thanks to the individual process of creating each board, no two are the same. Find them here.