This festive season, Santa is setting up shop at an alluring new destination, bringing festive cheer to Aucklanders as SkyCity transforms into the city’s newest Christmas tradition. With the closure of Smith & Caughey’s iconic Santa’s Enchanted Forest, families searching for a magical holiday moment need look no further than the Sky Tower, where Santa’s Magical Wonderland awaits.
From the 15th of November through to Christmas Eve, the Sky Tower’s ground floor is transformed into an enchanted forest, complete with twinkling lights, softly falling snow, and whimsical characters ready to spark delight. Ascend to Level Seven, and you’ll find Santa himself, welcoming families with a warm smile, a festive bauble gift, and a keepsake photo of their visit.
And, at SkyCity, the festive experience stretches well beyond Santa’s chair. Interactive installations keep little ones entertained at every turn, while the Scotty Sky Tower show promises a fabulously festive performance for kids and parents alike. Sweet tooths will marvel at SkyCity’s gingerbread house display — an edible reimagining of Auckland’s landmarks, handcrafted by SkyCity’s exceptional pastry team. Add to this the precinct’s larger-than-life nutcrackers, hundreds of decorated trees, and Christmas-themed dining and hotel offerings, and you’ve got an immersive celebration to rival anything the city has seen before.
Tickets start from $35 and are expected to sell quickly, so families are encouraged to book early to secure their spot. Whether it’s your child’s very first Christmas or a new family ritual in the making, Santa’s Magical Wonderland at SkyCity offers a chance to step into a festive storybook, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Whether you’re marking a personal milestone or choosing a meaningful gift, art is a worthy investment. Here, gallerist Elle Föenander shares her advice on artists that resonate through different life stages.
Föenander Galleries is a contemporary art space in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, dedicated to showcasing thoughtful, concept-driven work from both emerging and established artists across Aotearoa and beyond. Since founding the gallery seven years ago, Elle Föenander has been the driving force behind its curatorial vision and artist relationships, and has built a trusted reputation among collectors.
With a deep understanding of both artists and collectors, Elle is perfectly primed to guide those looking to collect — or gift — art at key milestones in life: the 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. Drawing on the gallery’s evolving collector base and her own experience, here, she shares insights into how to mark these moments with works that resonate across a lifetime.
Collecting in Your 30s
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“Your 30s can be a time of self-definition: professionally, personally, and aesthetically. Collecting or gifting art at this stage reflects curiosity, emerging taste, and an appetite for discovery. Many collectors in this decade are drawn to bold works that offer immediate visual impact or speak to themes of identity, transformation, and belonging. There’s often a sense of alignment with artists of a similar generation, a shared energy, ambition, and cultural lens. Emerging talent is often accessibly priced, and collecting can become a journey taken in tandem with the artist’s career.”
Densley textured surfaces which celebrate the materiality of paint, these considered works offer recognisable subject, but playful approach the finite and transient beauty of life.
“Sensibilities can broaden by your 40s. What once felt unfamiliar may resonate. There can be a deeper sense of commitment to home, to values, to story. Art collecting in this decade often becomes more contemplative. Works that unfold over time, reward repeated engagement, and hold personal or philosophical weight tend to appeal. Material sophistication and conceptual depth come into focus. Collectors may feel more confident in taking risks, embracing large-scale painting, sculpture, or mixed media — while refining their own visual language.”
Expansive paintings and installations that explore memory, longing, and metaphysical space.
Discerning (III) by Lottie Consalvo, 2025, acrylic on linen, 300 x 200mm from Föenander Galleries
Collecting in Your 50s
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“In your 50s, collecting can become deeply personal. Choices are shaped by lived experience, and often by the desire to live surrounded by what resonates most. Art at this stage can become part of your legacy, something to reflect with, to live alongside, and perhaps to pass on. Works are often chosen for their endurance, emotional richness, or spiritual weight.”
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