Auckland's Ponsonby Road now has a new gay bar. Chandelier, next door to SPQR, closed its doors last week, and has now reopened as ‘Witch'. Owners Vaughan Aaronjohn and Peter Lamb describe the venue as ‘a sophisticated gay bar', open Wednesdays to Saturday evenings. The distinctive chandeliers are still intact, but the interior has been given an all-white paint job. “I think there's room for somewhere else in town that's a little bit more upmarket,” explains Aaronjohn. “A place where you can feel good about going to.” NZAF research recently showed that 45% of New Zealand out gay men lived in Auckland's central suburbs. “Since that research came out, it made sense for us to open a gay bar,” says Aaronjohn. “We're promoting ourselves as a straight-friendly gay bar.” ‘Witch' first opened last weekend, but its official launch party – ‘Lash' - will be held on Friday 13th October. Ref: GayNZ.com (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Tuesday, 26th September 2006 - 12:00pm