How Auckland’s High Street precinct has become a magnet for Asian foodies

Auckland's High Street precinct was once synonymous with fashion, with the country's leading independent designers displaying their boutique wares in pokey spaces in the area's heritage buildings.

In recent years, however, the cobbled laneways to the east of Queen Street have become a magnet for a new wave of Asian eateries that have sprung up along Lorne Street in the south right through to Shortland Street at its northern tip.

Older Auckland residents who socialized in the city centre in the 1980s and '90s are almost sure to have a High Street memory.

Once the epicentre of the city's apparel scene, the area was home to cutting-edge streetwear boutiques and zeitgeisty fashion designers, shaping what style meant in urban New Zealand for decades.

One relic from that era is Strangely Normal, a vintage menswear label founded in 1977 that is known for its 1950s-inspired clothing.

The label's founder, 72-year-old Michael Cox, began selling clothes at the Cook Street Market before opening his first store on Hobson Street in 1979.

Cox moved to the current O'Connell Street location in 2006, where he still greets customers and remembers the district's golden years.

"When I was a teenager, I used to come and buy clothes," he said. "I would go to Vulcan Lane.

"There was a store called His Lordship's. They used to do very mod-looking shirts and trousers. I used to go there and shop - that's like 50 years ago."

But with many of the area's iconic boutiques and labels - Zambesi, World, Kate Sylvester and Karen Walker - having long since moved on, Cox said High Street was no longer what it once was.

"There used to be so many different labels here," he said. "Karen Walker was next door, where the coffee shop is now.

"I don't think High Street is as interesting as it used to be."

Cox said his business had been hit hard this year, having been battered by the economic downturn, the lingering effects of the pandemic, the disruption from the City Rail Link construction and ongoing parking issues in Auckland's city centre.

He had thought more than once about moving on but, each time, he chose to stay.

"I had two ladies come in today," he said.

"One customer lives in Nelson and she was in Auckland, she just came in to buy her partner a shirt … that's his Christmas present," he said.

"There'd be a lot of people disappointed if they turned up and we weren't here," he said.

"I don't know if I'm going to be here in two years. But, at the moment, we'll stay."

Another long-standing menswear retailer holding ground in the High Street precinct is Crane Brothers.

Founded in 1999, the brand is known for its meticulous approach to men's tailoring.

The fashion outlet recently renewed its High Street lease for another 25 years.

The store sits on High Street, inside the century-old Hotel DeBrett building, a heritage landmark that has quietly witnessed the district's many evolutions.

Owner Murray Crane said while High Street had evolved, with many established boutiques relocating to Britomart, Commercial Bay and Newmarket, it remained the right place for him to build a business with staying power.

"High Street is always evolving, it's always changing," he said. "It goes through stages of being fully tenanted and then a little bit empty, and then new people come in and open, start new businesses.

"It's still a good kind of vibrant area, it's still very creative. It always has its own energy."

Crane said Auckland's fashion landscape had also shifted over the years from a centralised hub in the city centre to a more dispersed scene across the wider city.

"When we started here, there was no Commercial Bay, no Britomart," he said. "It was a lot more centralised.

"But the fashion industry has changed a lot in New Zealand as well," he said. "We've seen an influx of international brands and big brand retailers. So it's definitely a bit more spread than what it used to be."

Crane said the retail sector had been hit hard by the pandemic and continued to face challenges in the city centre, from parking shortages to shifting foot traffic.

However, he remained confident in his vision to build a label that will be recognized for generations to come.

"We're trying to build something that has ... longevity," he said. "We'll be here for a long time."

As Auckland's downtown population changed, Crane said he had noticed a welcome shift in his customer base - particularly the growth of Asian clientele.

"We're quite niche with our clients, because we generally deal with men aged between a certain age," he said.

"But we've seen the Chinese community and the wider Asian community shop with us more and more.

"It's become a strong part of our business. We really like that diversity."

The diversity and vitality of today's High Street have also attracted a new generation drawn to its distinctive character.

In recent years, a wave of Asian eateries has infused the historic precinct in with new energy and flavour.

Bubble tea - the sweet, tea-based drink that originated in East Asia and is typically made with milk, black tea and chewy tapioca pearls - has surged in popularity across Auckland.

Several brands, including Hulu Cat, Meet Fresh, Gong Cha,and Machi Machi, have opened outlets in the city centre.

CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice, a global bubble tea franchise founded in Taiwan, opened its third Auckland store on High Street in 2023.

Candy Li, the store's director, said she chose High Street because Auckland's city centre was where her journey began as an international student 14 years ago.

"I'm a first-generation immigrant," she said. "When I first arrived on Queen Street, I remember standing there and thinking, 'When you're here, you really do have that ambition to work hard and make something of yourself'."

Li said the bubble tea market in Auckland had grown rapidly since 2017 and had now become a mainstream drink for many New Zealanders - another reason she decided to start her own business.

She said the changing demographics of Auckland's city center had also contributed to the rise of Asian eateries in the area.

"The target customers for bubble tea are teenagers, high school students and college students," Li said.

"This precinct is close to two universities - the University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology - that bring a lot of young customers to my business."

Li said that several boutique clothing stores near her bubble tea shop had closed since she opened two years ago, a trend she attributed to the economic downturn hitting the high-fashion market particularly hard.

Frank Fan, owner of the Chinese hot pot restaurant Pandaroll Running Pot, agreed.

He said the restaurant, which opened in October on Lorne Street, was inspired by Japan's sushi train concept. It serves fresh vegetables and meats for hot pot on a sleek conveyor belt, offering diners a creative and affordable experience in Auckland's city center.

"The rotating hot pot fits the current economic environment quite well," he said. "It's not fine dining - it costs only about $30 per person. We opened in the city center to target students, and it's a very suitable business model for the moment."

Fan said that while hot pot is a common dish in Asia, it had gradually gained acceptance among New Zealanders.

About 60 percent of his customers were Asian, with the remainder being European, he said.

Speaking about opening a Chinese restaurant in the city centre near High Street - once the heart of Auckland's fashion scene - he said he was pleased to represent "fashion" in another creative form - through Chinese food and culture.

"Fashion isn't just about clothes and jewellery - it's also about things like food and freshness," he said. "I think New Zealanders would love to see new things opening up here."

Taier Sichuan Cuisine, a Chinese restaurant franchise specialising in sauerkraut fish, opened its first New Zealand location in September on Auckland's Lorne Street.

Ronnie Kang, the restaurant's co-founder, said the city centre felt far quieter now compared with 15 years ago, when she was an international student.

She said that was one of the reasons she wanted to bring a well-known Chinese restaurant brand to Auckland.

"The Chinese community is familiar with us," she said. "We want to bring Chinese customers a taste of home and a sense of belonging."

"We also want more locals to get to know this new Chinese restaurant brand," she said.

Kang said that although the restaurant had only been open for a short time, foot traffic had exceeded her expectations, particularly during the first month.

"On our busiest day, we served between 600 and 700 customers," she said.

"We want Auckland's city center to thrive again," she said. "We hope our restaurant can help bring even more life to the city."

Crane said Lorne Street could one day evolve into Auckland's Chinatown, a development that would benefit the city's economy.

"I'm not such a big fan of all the eateries," he said. "But what we're starting to see now is more of a nighttime economy too."

"High Street's not just about what's happening during the day," he said.

"It's also very vibrant in the evenings. Whether it's Korean barbecue, bubble tea or Japanese [dining], there's a lot of food offering here.

"You've got a coffee culture during the day and a food culture at night," he said.

"Which is good, we just need to get the balance right between retail and food."

Cox agreed.

He said that while Asian diners might not be the key customers for his vintage clothing shop, the growing number of eateries opening in the High Street precinct had brought new nightlife, color and energy to the city centre - something he welcomed.

"The city has to move into its next phase," he said.