Janine and Charles Williams's Auckland

Charles and I have lived together in South Auckland for 20 years as a couple, and I’ve lived here all my life. The Papatoetoe Markets are a Friday night injection of South Auckland at its best, packed with delicious food, noise and culture. We love the multicultural atmosphere, the loud music and the smell of different dishes in the air. This is the way to get a quick taste of South Auckland at night. And for the ladies, it’s all about the awesome cheap nails - you can get some desert AND your nails done for $45.

We are self-confessed sneaker addicts, lol. If you’re into graffiti and hip hop and street culture, sneakers sort of go with the terrain. Britomart is home to Adidas and Nike stores and often the place to go when a new sneaker is released. Also Loaded on High Street. There are sneaker drops and then there are exclusive sneaker drops, where people will line up overnight or for two days outside stores like Footlocker. It’s a real fashion vibe with all these people who are into sneakers walking around and looking at people’s feet.

The developers of the Wynyard Quarter have been working with mana whenua to reflect Māori stories, history and narrative. My iwi was able to put forward artists that represent their tribal affiliation, and I’ve done quite a lot of work in the area, which is a huge honour. The Grid AKL building is amazing. If you look at the building, you wouldn’t think it was an artwork, but working with the developers, we have created glass, door and timber ceiling designs. At night, you can also see a maramataka (moon) projection on the footpath.

Nature and native birds feature a lot in our work, which is our way of visually talking about being Māori. Tōtara Park in Manurewa is one of the natural havens of South Auckland. If you’d never been, you probably wouldn’t know it was there, but the bush walks are captivating with kauri, pūriri, rimu and tōtara trees, that are home to kererū (woodpigeon), tūī and pīwakawaka (fantail). There are also picnic tables, tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool. Charles is into ultra marathon running and he loves to train here and do the stairs.

Tamaki Drive Coastal Path goes from Takaparawhau / Bastion Point to Mission Bay. It’s a favourite running spot for Aucklanders and a perfect place to get views of the city and Rangitoto Island. Takaparawhau is an ancient pā site and the Ngāti Whātua Ōraākei marae. There’s also a memorial to the Māori land protests. Waitematā and the Hauraki Gulf are the moana (seas) that my iwi connect to, so when I stand here and look into the sunset, I’m thinking of my great-great grandparents who would travel here by waka, gathering kai (food). If you’re not on the fitness / training buzz, you can just walk to Mission Bay for an ice cream.

Mangere Bridge is a junction point, just on the edge of central Auckland in Onehunga, and next to Manukau harbour and all of the motorways. Locals will stop in here to grab coffee, go to the beach or just hang out. It’s a special area because all the food businesses are locally or family owned. It’s not overly gentrified and has a nice local atmosphere. Te pane o mataoho / Mangere Mountain and shoreline are wonderful to walk around and take in the ocean breeze.

Over the years, this Chinese restaurant in Kingsland has been the place for birthdays and moments together for us and the art collective we’re a part of, TMD crew. It’s noisy and yummy and central, and a place to gather together around a big round table. Some of our favourites are the spicy hapuka with long green beans, Peking duck and mixed roast pork. Their sweet and sour sauce over the pork is so tasty.

This one is a bit of a recent discovery. Our teenage daughter was keen to go for the king crab and buckets of crab legs - it’s great that our kids have a bit wider palate now. The Crab Shack is right on the wharf and looks out to the harbour. They do nice happy hour deals with chicken wings and oysters.

This is a really cool social enterprise in the middle of Otara. There are colourful containers on the pavement that open up into a little food market. Small, local, Pacifika businesses serve keto food - low sugar, low carb. I grew up in Otara and it’s so nice to see Pasifika caterers making health food options in South Auckland, right across the road from the McDonalds. We keep an ear out for what they’re doing and will sometimes go online to pre-buy a chocolate keto pie or some snicker donuts. It’s difficult to believe they are low sugar.