Every good high street needs a play side. The errands get you there, the cafes keep you fed, but it's the fun that makes you linger ... the shop you lose an hour in, the room you get locked in on purpose, the game you swore you'd only play once. West of the railway, that side of the WestSide has been quietly levelling up. Five stops make the case.
The New Player
The big news first: Hobby Lords opens on 24 July, bringing in-person gaming to the WestSide for kids and adults alike. Their mission, in their own words, is to create the perfect haven where hobby enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the world of trading card games, board games, role playing games, tabletop games and more.
Anyone who grew up on Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Warhammer or D&D knows the difference a real local game store makes. It's not the stock — you can buy cards anywhere. It's the tables. The Friday night drafts, the league nights, the kid learning to shuffle next to the veteran with the twenty-year collection. In-person gaming needs a room, and from 24 July the WestSide has one.
You can buy cards anywhere.
You can't play them anywhere.
That's what a local game store is for.
The Sugar Rush
There's a particular joy in watching someone find a lolly they haven't seen since 1994. The Lolly Shop trades in that joy daily. And the Nordic sours deserve their own mention — salt liquorice and sour strips from the part of the world that takes sour seriously. Not for the faint-hearted. Absolutely for the curious.
The Locked Room
Down the strip, Beyond the Box Escape Rooms runs the WestSide's puzzle scene — the kind of fun where the door closes behind you and the clock starts. If you've never done an escape room: you and your team get locked in a themed room and have to solve your way out through puzzles, codes and hidden mechanisms. It's teamwork under pressure, and it's addictive. Three rooms are open now, all pitched at "challenging" and all $35 per person:
Saving Christmas (3–8 players) — Granny is hosting Christmas this year; the only problem is she's a little absent-minded and has messed up a few vital things. The turkey, the lights, the stockings...! Can you save Christmas in time?
Sherlock (3–7 players) — you've been sought out by the legendary detective himself to finish what he started. Long story short: Moriarty is going to strike again, and this time the stakes are too high not to take it deadly seriously.
Three rooms means three different group sizes work — a tight trio for Gregg, the full whānau for Saving Christmas at up to eight. Escape rooms are one of the few activities that genuinely work for a birthday, a team-build, a date, or a rainy Saturday with teenagers. Book ahead; good time slots go fast.
The Studio
Tā moko isn't body decoration — it's whakapapa made visible, and the choice of artist matters enormously. The appointment-first approach at Awa Ink is exactly right for the work: a conversation before a commitment, time to talk through the design and its meaning, and a studio culture built around manaakitanga. If you've been carrying the idea around for a while, the phone call is the right first step.
The Arcade
There's something very WestSide about a contemporary gallery deciding the best way to show digital art is to let people play it. Gallery-goers who'd never click an NFT marketplace link will happily lose twenty minutes to a pixel game on a big screen — and that's the point. Art you play beats art you scroll past.
The Level Map
Put it together and the play side of the WestSide now covers a full afternoon and every age bracket: cards and tabletop at Hobby Lords from 24 July, a lolly bag from The Lolly Shop for the table snacks, a locked-room mission at Beyond the Box for the group that wants a challenge, PixelArcade at The Line for the drop-in gamers, and Awa Ink for the mark that lasts a lot longer than a high score. FunWest isn't one thing — it's a whole inventory.
The Quick List
- Hobby Lords — Opens 24 July. TCGs, RPGs, board games, tabletop. If they don't stock it, ask — they'll try to get it in.
- The Lolly Shop — 245 Heretaunga St W. NZ-made lollies, Nordic sours, bulk party lots, personalised lolly bags.
- Beyond the Box Escape Rooms — Three rooms open now: Gregg in the Box (3–5), Saving Christmas (3–8), Sherlock (3–7). $35pp, challenging.
- Awa Ink — Tā moko specialists. By appointment: 021 267 6137 or Tamanuhiri@gmail.com. Whānau welcome.
- The Line Gallery — 318 Heretaunga St W. Now a PixelArcade: four NFT-artwork games, free to play in-gallery or at pixelarcade.art.
This is an editorial piece about WestSide businesses, not a booking or purchasing recommendation. Opening dates, prices, player counts and availability are correct at time of writing (July 2026) — check with each business directly for the latest. Every directory listing carries their contact details.
West of the railway, the fun has levelled up. New player joining 24 July. Insert coin.