New Brighton Good Life Guide: Matt Morris, The Urban Monk

Honestly, my favourite time in Brighton at the moment is The Penguin Arms on a Tuesday evening - open mic night. There is a small but reliable crowd of enthusiastic supporters, which feels like a kind of extended whānau. If pints have been involved, I have been known to stand near the mic myself and sing (sorry about that!). It’s a low-key time and one of the most wholesome and whole-hearted moments of the week.

Down in Brighton’s West End (where we are), there are some treasures - the main one being Marshall's Health & Natural Therapy. Where would I be without their potions and lamps?

I don’t get much time to go on walks at the moment, but I particularly love walking home from the shop to South Brighton, either along the beach or the river. I crave quiet time, and it is so beautiful around here. It’s amazing to have two such incredible and very different spots to walk so close to each other. The river walk has been great this season partly because of the abundance of pine bolete mushrooms, which have nicely supplemented our meals. Thanks, nature!

I do the rounds when it comes to eating out, but I’m especially keen on Three Donkeys, Burger Joint, Chanakya and South of India. As a vegetarian, I tend more towards the last two because they have amazing vegetarian menus. Three Donkeys is fabulous, a super special experience with incredible food and a great team working there. I also appreciate (greatly) the presence of Southpaw at the Burger Joint (as well as the tasty burgers). And Chanakya is such a gem. We are lucky to have them in our neighbourhood as I am pretty sure they are the best at what they do in Christchurch. And there are loads of options for me there. 

The most incredible gem in our corner of the world is the New Brighton Community Garden. Catherine, Lin and the team are spectacular and bring so much beauty, joy and a sense of purpose into our community. I don’t get down there enough, but I am completely blown away by what they achieve every time I do. It’s super cool that we are now taking our veggie scraps to the garden to be composted and turned into excellent food for our people. I think places like these are so crucial for building resilience skills into the DNA of our community, and I’d love to see more!  

Sometimes I drop across the road to the Kitchen if I just need some time out to catch up on writing. It’s comfy, quiet, warm and sunny, and I reckon it has a nice vibe. But if I want to process things, He Puna Taimoana is obviously incredible. Soaking in hot pools looking at the sparkling ocean? Heck yes. 

I’m really into the Community Fridge and Pantry at St Faith’s. What a brilliant idea, showcasing the generosity in our community. I’ve mentioned the community garden. But I’m also inspired by an initiative spearheaded through ChristchurchNZ, bringing some local businesses together to think about simple improvements we can make to the area. There’s more on this coming - but it’s so great that people will give up their time to make a place better. That’s inspiring to me.

My favourite shop in Brighton is Home & Castle. I am constantly amazed at how they have EVERYTHING I ever want, even the most random things.

It feels pretty flash having a café as high quality as Dune just down the road from us! You can see how much love they put into everything they make - and it shows, with a massive buzz going on whenever they are open. It’s so amazing having this place open in that part of Brighton, and it is a brilliant daytime complement to Friday nights at Common Ground when the food trucks are on. Grateful to everyone who puts so much energy into making these things happen!