Introducing the Insider city guide: How to a perfect spring day around Aotearoa

1 September 2026
By Fashion Quarterly

From leisurely brunches to the best shopping spots, our contributors share how they'd spend the perfect spring day in Queenstown and Hamilton.

Zoë Gibbs pictured.

There’s no better way to discover a city than through the people who know it best. For our new Insider City Guide series, we’re asking some of New Zealand’s coolest creatives to map out their perfect day, sharing the coffee spots, boutiques, restaurants and local secrets actually worth knowing. First up, we head to Queenstown and Hamilton for two very different takes on the perfect spring day.Zoë Gibbs, PR & creative director at Messé | Queenstown

Morning coffee: Wolf Coffee Roasters, Arrowtown. We're spoiled to have this brutalist, cult little roastery on our doorstep - serious coffee & interiors, with such a warm chatty local culture. You'll likely run into someone you know, setting the tone for the whole day.Breakfast:Bakehouse, Ayrburn. Whether I'm sitting down with…

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Fashion Quarterly Winter 2023 Cover
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