AUCKLAND

The two-storey, heritage-listed fire station on Williamson Ave is now home to a new pub, the Grey Lynn Firehouse, with pub classics downstairs but head upstairs if you want to go a bit posh and check out the cutest rooftop deck. New at SOHO Cellar Door on Waiheke, chef Sebastian Vargas (left) of Harvey Eatery is serving a Mediterranean-influenced menu with Middle Eastern and Latin touches. Fran Mazza and Aaron Carson, the clever brains behind award-winning Grey Lynn restaurant Ada, are set to open a new offering, Agnes, in Birkenhead.

ROTORUA

From the team behind Yamato, a Japanese restaurant that has served authentic cuisine in Rotorua for over 20 years, Yamato To Go (left) is a new takeaway concept inspired by everyday food culture in Japan, offering sushi, matcha, coffee and desserts – think convenience made with great care.

KĀKAHI

We’re glued to Instagram, desperate for news of Ni, the new venture by Jeremy Rameka and Natalie Bulman. Opening details are scarce yet, but we do know that it’s tiny, seating just six diners at a time in a renovated railway cottage in Kākahi, near Taumarunui.

WELLINGTON

Gibbons Hotel (left) on the corner of Dixon and Taranaki Streets is a new pub bringing a fresh spin to the classic Kiwi local, with a focus on seriously decent food, sport on screen and easy-going energy.

QUEENSTOWN

Monte Christo Winery (main image at top) has a new cellar door in a restored historic building on Coal Pit Rd along the Gibbston wine trail, to complement its original estate in Clyde. Corey Hume has joined Rosewood Matakauri as executive chef – with a distinguished background in luxury hospitality and fine dining at Mount Cook Lakeside Retreat, The Rees Hotel and Blanket Bay Lodge, we’re looking forward to what is next. Coronet Ridge Resort is Queenstown’s newest five-star luxury hotel perched above the Shotover River, giving endless views of the Remarkables – as well as the top-notch accommodation and dining experiences you’d expect, it even boasts a Roman-style spa.