Wyndham Street, Back in Form

Wyndham Street has always been one of Auckland’s gathering places. Many Aucklanders of a certain vintage, myself included, will have a story that begins at Crow Bar. Infamous after parties, a game of pool, a haze of cigarettes, and more philandering and indiscretion than anyone would care to admit. The good old days. The street has never lost that spirit. An established core of bars and restaurants has kept it alive, with Culprit and Curio among the best of them, both serious about food and drink and full of character.

This month the street gains another reason to visit. The Wyndham Club opens at 26–32 Wyndham Street, and it joins good company.

The team behind it is a good one. Kirk Bayvel and Ned Gow bought the building in 2025 to restore a heritage property. They found ceilings tall enough for golf simulators, and the idea grew from there. Golf with Golfzon technology, social darts, music curated by Ned, and Tempo, a restaurant led by Matt Ross of Candela and Sfera. The interiors are by Studio South and CTRL Space.

A confession. I have no desire to play golf in any shape or form. I have the patience for a hand-finished buttonhole, but not for four hours chasing a small white ball. Nor do I have the physical aptitude. After decades of watching men try on trousers, I know the swing is a cruel test of any waistband. Mine included. Golf does offer two models of a man, though. There is John Daly, cigarette on the tee and a long night behind him. And there is Ben Hogan, immaculate and severe, who dug his game out of the dirt one practice ball at a time. My prior Wyndham Street experience definitely swings in favour of the former. Happily, the Club seems to understand men like me. There is a restaurant, a bar and a darts booth, and nobody needs to know my handicap.

They describe the approach as “casual excellence”. I like that. It is a fair description of good hospitality, and good tailoring too.

What pleases me most is the intent. These are people putting their own money into heritage fabric in the CBD. In plain terms, that is a vote of confidence in the city. They want to build an institution, not just a venue. Somewhere people come back to because they know they will be looked after.

We have traded in central Auckland since 1999. We have seen the city at its best and at its most neglected. The CBD does not come back to life through strategy documents. It comes back through people who restore buildings, open their doors and give everyone a reason to come in and stay.

Welcome to the neighbourhood. I will leave the golf to others and look forward to a late night. As Wyndham Street has always done.

@thewyndhamclub