the wellingtonista

Grid time

2006-06-02T14:12:00.000+12:00

I've been so busy the last week, for reasons that Hadyn can explain better than I, that I've got a bit behind on my Gridskipper reading. In fact, I totally missed the fact that not only did Wellington beat Baku in the "Pitch Your Burg" contest, we now have our first official Gridskipper post! It has all the obligatory Wellytown references, including Fat Freddy's Drop, the 'Canes, Waitangi Park,

Wellingtonian Wally of the Year: nomination #1

2006-06-01T10:46:00.000+12:00

Might we nominate the two adults who thought that taking eight pre-schoolers for a walk through the Terrace Tunnel as 'Wellington Wally of the Year'? Yes, we might.[photo courtesy of taniwha]

Wir darn darn darn auf der Autobahn

2006-05-30T13:29:00.000+12:00

Okay, so that's a lame song-lyric pun, but you try coming up with something wittier when you've just spent 48 hours chained up in fluffy handcuffs and you're writing a post about a craft fair called "Craftwerk". Since this is from the people who brought you BitchCraft, it's not the usual raffia mafia and dodgy doilies: expect more along the lines of Cleavage Girls buttons, knitted posters for

Coupled

2006-05-30T09:05:00.000+12:00

It's been a bit quiet up here at Wellingtonista Towers over the last few days, mostly because our two most recent and prolific contributors - Haydn and Tom - have been working flat out on their entry for this year's 48 Hour Film Challenge.Their hard work has has resulted in 'Coupled' - co-written by Hadyn and starring Tom, and which will screen at 5.45pm tonight (Tusday 30 May) at the Regent

So. Very. Tired.

2006-05-25T11:19:00.000+12:00

This weekend has many things on. I suggest trying them all and seeing how you go. Watch the Super 14 final (featuring our own, beloved, Hurricanes) while boogieing/shaking/pogoing to Disasteradio/Rhombus/The Eggs. Oh and while you're at it, come up with a random short film on Friday night and have it written, shot and edited by 7pm Sunday.I'm not going to be so ambitious. I'm just going to be

Connan & the Mockasins @ Slowboat

2006-05-24T13:41:00.000+12:00

The 'next-big-thing' out of Wellington (if you haven't heard that before, then you heard it here first) Connan & the Mockasins have just released their debut EP 'Uuu, It's Teasy', and are celebrating with a free instore concert down at Slowboat Records tomorrow (Thu 25th May) from 5pm.For those who have yet to witness the true glory of Connan in full flight, imagine a skinny white guy with a big

Luxxury

2006-05-19T14:10:00.000+12:00

Well, it's all on tonight. If you're not exhausted after seeing the rugger at not-the-Cake-Tin, listening on National Radio to performances by unlikely permutations of small animals, hearing the pipes calling at the Opera House or seeing some obscure up-and-coming band at what I think is still called Indigo, then Sandwiches has a party night for everyone. Electroluxxe is billed as "

The Hunt Brings Us Life

2006-05-19T12:04:00.000+12:00

More NZ Music month goodness is upon us, with the release of the Phoenix Foundation's Samuel Flynn Scott's solo album - 'The Hunt Brings Us Life'.Those of us lucky enough to receive sneak preview copies were also amused by the very excellent accompanying press release courtesy of 'Prof' Russell Brown, which we recommend you go to and read in its entirety over at Public Address. If only all

Do you LOVE NZ Music?

2006-05-19T10:30:00.000+12:00

Given that it is NZ Music Month and then taking this brilliant post by the Kung Fu Monkey, I give you a "mash-up".NZ song titles that could also be porn films! [I limited myself to one song per group/artist where I could] 10. Love You Like I Should9. We Gon' Ride8. Deb's Night Out7. Bursting Through6. She Will Have Her Way5. Can't Get Enough4. Soviet Airhostess 3. Can I Play with Your Giant

Super 14 Semifinal

2006-05-19T08:49:00.000+12:00

Look out Wellington! There's a Hurricane Warning!!!::Sigh:: Any one else sick of that pun? Well at best (yes best) it will only be around another week. Tonight at the Caketin the Hurricanes will repeat what they did last week and beat the Waratahs.Maybe you are one of the lucky individuals who got a ticket in the nanosecond that there were tickets available. I'm not. I will be watching from the

gene pool deletion in progress

2006-05-19T03:23:00.000+12:00

.flickr-photo { }.flickr-frame { float: right; text-align: center; margin-left: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } gene pool deletion in progress, originally uploaded by maxcherry. Couldn't help but draw more attention to this particular photo, spotted in the Wellington Flickr Photo Pool today. Says maxcherry, the photo-taker...nothing wrong with

If the Earth were a Sandwich...

2006-05-18T09:17:00.000+12:00

...our sandwich partner would, give or take a few miles, be Salamanca, Spain. We're not sure if this is the rationale behind the naming of the Kelburn road that shares the name (a quick Google reveals that Lord Wellington fought a famous battle there - in Spain, that is, not up Kelburn way - in 1812, so most likely), but, either way, it's nice to think that we share a tenuous geographic tie with

Miserable Jafas?

2006-05-17T12:03:00.000+12:00

Today's Dominion Post carries an insufferably smug article headlined "The lonely misery of living in Auckland". Like all good journalism these days, this story is based almost entirely upon Google: in this case, the news that a Google Trends search for the word "misery" shows that Aucklanders search Google for this word more often than inhabitants of any other city.While I agree that living in a

The Bacon Sarnie Experience

2006-05-16T10:05:00.000+12:00

A good name for a band don't you think? Right then, back to my lifelong obsession, the hunt for the Great Bacon Sarnie.I missed the food show. And I'm not scared of being cuddly. So I invite all our readers to tell us where the Best Bacon Sarnie can be had. In Wellington preferably, but the Wellingtonista ARE prepared to fire up the Wellymobile & travel for a truly spectacular Bacon Sarnie

Overseas experience

2006-05-12T08:44:00.000+12:00

This weekend, if you can tear yourself away from free bacon sarnies and aren't too busy having a bit of a look-see behind the scenes of Wellington's art powerhouses, pop into the Overseas Passenger Terminal to get a glimpse of its proposed transformation.There will be a public open day on Saturday from 10am to 3pm, featuring plans, drawings, presentations and a scale model. You will be able to

In which we bring you breaking news

2006-05-11T09:36:00.000+12:00

Something's going on in Wellington. Bus drivers in Hataitai were only taking money for one section from passengers, warning them they'd have to walk the other section any way. Four trolley buses are parked along Cambridge Terrace with their hazzard lights on. At least four more buses are parked along Courtenay Place. There were mutterings over the bus radio about traffic. This is all we can tell

Eat and eat and eat some more

2006-05-10T10:05:00.000+12:00

At last those of us who are not sportingly inclined have a reason to visit the Cake Tin, and what a reason it is! The annual food show is upon us again, and I hope you've been training. There really are few things that match drinking large amounts of tiny little cups of wine and beer, then stumbling upon free bacon sandwiches, drinking some more and then coming across more bacon sandwiches. It's

Extra Wellington Phoenix Gig

2006-05-09T09:11:00.000+12:00

From: Samuel Flynn ScottDue to popularish demand the Phoenix Monkeys will play one last Wellington show before we head overseas....Tell your friends and foes and fellows and Danny AiellosThe Phoenix FoundationCabaret/ChowSunday The 14th of May$20 door sales from 8.30 pmI hear that if you are able to catch a Phoenix, Hope Bros will cook it for you.

Giblets, grooves and the guards themselves

2006-05-05T11:53:00.000+12:00

Many Wellingtonistas have already discovered the goodness that is Kazu: an oasis of dark wood, mind-bending rice-based beverages and unmentionable innards on sticks, tastefully hidden away from the Courtenay hordes. In the unlikely event that beef tongue and chicken cartilage aren't enough to tempt you up the staircase, Radio Active's The Jewel School will be blending their downbeat grooves with

NZ Music Month at the Library

2006-05-04T11:23:00.000+12:00

Wellington Public Library is getting into the spirit of NZ Music Month with a series of free concerts of the course of this week.Our pick of the bunch is the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, featuring the talents of Flight of the Conchords Bret McKenzie and local songsmith Age Pryor, as well as an ever-expanding number of equally talented ukulele-wielding players.They're playing on

Bus(t) a move

2006-05-04T10:12:00.000+12:00

So, as part of the big shiny Metlink rebranding, they're going to change zones and prices, and they'd like you to have a say. Wondering what this means and how it might affect you? Well, if you're under 18 or over 65, you might get 50% off your fares, provided you show a photo ID. That's nice and all, but as this particular Wellingtonista understands it, if, however, you happen to live in

Scribes of Ra vs The Eggs

2006-05-03T12:08:00.000+12:00

Happy NZ Music Month everybody.Here is one of the many many gigs on around our fair city celebrating this wonderful time of year:Gig: SCRIBES OF RA ENCOUNTER THE EGGSWho: Scribes of Ra and the Eggs, special guests: Deva Mahal, Lisa Tomlins and Olmecha SupremeWhere: Indigo Bar, Cuba St. Wellington. New ZealandWhen: 13th May 2006. doors open 9pmHow Much: $20 +bf from Real Groovy and 3 wise men. R18

Armageddon - down to the event centre...

2006-04-28T15:15:00.000+12:00

Wow! Want to meet... Kaylee from Firefly? The very hot Ivanova from Babylon 5? One of the (original) Dukes of Hazzard? and the General Lee? Not to mention this person (no idea who, but I think you'd like to meet her, no?All you have to do is dress up like your favourite sci-fi character, and head on down to the Event Centre this weekend. OK, fancy dress is optional. I think.Armageddon Pulp

Be nice to the nerds

2006-04-28T15:12:00.000+12:00

This weekend the Armageddon Pop Culture Expo rolls into town.It should be a big one this year with a special appearance by the General Lee.Have your photo taken with the General Lee at Noon both event days for only $25.00 or @ 10am each morning, John Schneider (Bo Duke) will be attending a special photo session, cost of $25.00 with John or $45.00 with john and the General Lee.I had my

Hail to the...

2006-04-28T15:10:00.000+12:00

The Chiefs are in town to take on the Hurricanes on Saturday. I just saw Marty Holah, Mark Ranby and David Hill having coffee at del Caffe, so keep an eye out for others and try to make them feel welcome.The game is sold out so we'll probably be watching from Hope Bros again if anyone is keen. It should be a rip-snorter of a match

Nicest City in the World

2006-04-28T10:00:00.000+12:00

Our post on Wellington's 12th placing in the recent Mercer HR Quality of Life table has had the pleasant side-effect of catapaulting Wellington (and the Wellingtonista) to the top of the Google rankings for a search on 'nicest city in the world'.We'll take Google's word over Mercer's any day.

The Library Elf

2006-04-28T09:23:00.000+12:00

Here's a handy online service for those of you who use Wellington's excellent Public Libraries. Create an account over at Library Elf, enter your library card details, and they'll create a customised RSS feed that tells you what books you've got out that are nearing their return date. Very handy for those of us who manage to lose the paper issue slip somewhere between the library exit and

Wellington Film Society for May

2006-04-27T15:09:00.000+12:00

Whoa... it's May already & I have neglected to mention the wonderful Wellington Film Society even once this year!So... without further ado, here is what is coming up next month. In the words of the illustrious president, David Lindsay...Hi All,May sees the conclusion of the Jean-Luc Godard retrospective, made possible by the generous support of the French Embassy and Creative New Zealand. As in

Test your knowledge

2006-04-27T12:17:00.000+12:00

I'm writing questions for a work Quiz Night that we're going to be having tomorrow, and decided that it would be good to have a 'Courtenay Place and its surroundings' round, given the location of this particular branch of the Wellingtonista. How well will you do at answering these questions in the comments, without googling, looking out the window or reading the previous comments? I'm guessing

the odyssey of Mr Reasonable

2006-04-27T12:07:00.000+12:00

Local blogger Mr Reasonable plans to combine his whizzo geek toys and dangerously obsessive love of coffee into an caffeine fuelled odyssey of live blogging from cafés in the besuited end of town:I am going to visit a different Wellington Cafe every day next week, order a decent Latté, take a photo of said lovely drinky, upload the photo of the cafe and the coffee, and write a live tasting

On the Grid

2006-04-24T09:08:00.000+12:00

It's official: after a hard-fought campaign, Wellington has beaten Baku to be included on the rounds of the "decadent travel guide" Gridskipper. They're looking for tips, recommendations and "kiwiphilic thoughts", so feel free to send in your rants and raves about the coolest, dodgiest and craziest things going on in town. Things like itinerant fractal artists, Pukeko pies, Dirty Thirties

Now hear this!

2006-04-24T07:06:00.000+12:00

The official NZ Music Month Launch 2006The BleedersDeja Voodooand Cherry's GemstonesSunday, April 30th at 2pmWaitangi Park, Wellington(Town Hall if wet)

Are you game?

2006-04-21T13:24:00.000+12:00

Next month, there will be an unusual collaboration between urban gourmets and huntin' shootin' fishin' types. The Fish & Game NZ Wild Game Bird Food Festival, which runs from the 8th to the 28th of May, encourages hunters to bring their prey into participating restuarants where their catch can be transformed into gourmet dishes. The participating restaurant, Hope Bros, already has quite a

NZMM: Wellington Rocks!

2006-04-20T08:21:00.000+12:00

Waitangi Park is set to become a concert venue again for the opening of New Zealand Music Month. And naturally, it will be free.Last year Shihad nearly destroyed the carpark beneath Aotea Square with its free concert.On Sunday April 30 the park will rock to the sounds of...well, they actually haven't said yet. It could be local heroes Fat Freddy's Drop or Phoenix Foundation or both. [Specualtion

Big night out for some

2006-04-19T14:47:00.000+12:00

The Rolling Stones came to town last night.Did anyone go? Can we get a review in the comments section?It was much better than the Auckland gig, which people are apparently complaining about.Good to see the 40, 50, 60+ age groups out, retaking the night. Pretty soon they'll be taking over Sandwiches!

More Awards

2006-04-13T13:25:00.000+12:00

On the heels of Wellington's 12th placing in the "Best city in the world" rankings, comes another accolade for our harbour capital. Two websites based in Wellington are up for Webby Awards!The website for Te Papa's Maori Showband exhibition picked up a nomination in the Cultural Institution category.And the website for the recent New Zealand International Arts Festival is nominated in the Events

Bunny boiling

2006-04-12T11:07:00.000+12:00

Shadows grow longer, leaves turn to russet and fall to the damp earth, and an autumnal chill settles upon our fair city. So what better time to celebrate the new life and fruitfulness of spring?Yes, Easter is upon us, so we should prepare ourselves for serious contemplation of the greatest miracle of all. Chocolate.The good people at Truffle are always ready to help celebrate the abundance of

Wellington: the world's 12th nicest city

2006-04-11T12:45:00.000+12:00

A new survey published by Mercer Human Resource Consulting rates Wellington as the 12th best city to live in, based on the quality of living offered to residents. Auckland comes in a very respectable 5th, with the rest of the top 12 filled out by Zurich, Geneva, Vancouver, Vienna, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Bern, Sydney and Copenhagen.American cities don't get a show-in until Honolulu gets

Down the toilet

2006-04-07T12:04:00.000+12:00

The little side street at the Taranaki Street end of Courtenay Place has been due for big changes for a while, and now it all looks like it's finally happening. In June, work will start on closing the street and turning it into a pocket park: more details will be released by the council in a couple of weeks. Also, the long-abandoned toilet block which has been the subject of various suggestions

It's a funny old game

2006-04-07T10:46:00.000+12:00

Well the weather packed in and so it seems that the State Championship will end in a draw. Which means that Wellington wins. No, I don't understand it either. Though I will say this, more runs were scored in this game than people attended it. There is no Super 14 rugby for Wellington (and lower North Island) fans this weekend so you'll have to pick another team to support. I suggest the

Slav to the Rhythm

2006-04-06T12:40:00.000+12:00

Luke Buda - Benny Andersson (ABBA) impersonator extraordinaire, and one of the frontmen of Wellington band The Phoenix Foundation - has just released his debut solo album 'Special Surprise' (following on from his 2004 release 'The C-Sides' mini-album, which is still available over at Slow Boat Records so we're told).And it sounds great. Fans of The Phoenix Foundation will know roughly what to

2THICK2 Spell

2006-04-06T12:01:00.000+12:00

According to a Creative New Zealand survey (3.5MB PDF) that was released last night, Wellingtonians are over 50% more likely than the average New Zealander to regularly attend arts events. Census data shows that Wellington City has the highest proportion of households that live without a car. So obviously, Wellington is the natural place to host a weekend of drag racing, burnouts and monster

Apparently you don't love Wellington!

2006-04-06T07:53:00.000+12:00

The DomPost had a large article about how noone is going to the cricket except some old lonely retired guys.Despite your lack of interest (and it is all YOUR FAULT, don't kid yourself) Wellington are looking good to win. Wellington battled through Wednesday, scoring 191 runs in 81 overs to finish the third day on 284-8 in reply to Central Districts' 312 all out.But let's be fair, even though it

Idea city

2006-04-05T08:53:00.000+12:00

Who says that Wellington is devoid of intellectual debate? Certainly not the people behind the 7x7 Ideas Forums, who organise regular presentations where 7 people each get 7 minutes to promote, demonstrate and discuss their ideas. There's no indication on their website of who will be speaking during this series, but the previous series (some videos of which are available at R2) included a

CRANFIELDS ONLINE

2006-04-04T13:45:00.000+12:00

ATTENTION ex-pat Wellingtonians!Looking for the perfect gift to send to your loved ones back home?Cranfields - Merchants of imported gifts, decorative objects and beautiful furniture, and one of the most interesting shops in the city (not to mention Auckland & Melbourne too) is now online & taking orders from anywhere in the world.Tell all your friends & rellies overseas....CRANFIELDS - Merchants

A whirled of pain

2006-03-31T13:58:00.000+12:00

Now that the wind's gone (calloo callay!) and the sun's out (oh frabjous day!), wouldn't it be a lovely time to wander down to the waterfront and see the much photographed Water Whirler do its thing? Not so fast, matey boy, someone has had other ideas.It seems that someone has decided that it's more fun to break things than to allow other people to enjoy them, so until further notice, the Whirler

April Fools

2006-03-31T09:09:00.000+12:00

But will it be the Crusaders or the Hurricanes?Tomorrow at the Cake Tin (5.30pm kick-off) we'll find out which team has a [metaphorical] bucket of confetti and glue placed over its door. If you want to go and haven't got tickets I'm afraid you're out of luck because the game has sold out. So 34,000 people will watch this match, a good proportion of these will be from Canterbury so this will

the last festival event?

2006-03-30T22:43:00.000+12:00

Could this be the last event of this year's festival?After weeks of weather-related delays, at last the announcement arrived in the Wellingtonista inbox:The Bucket Fountain TRANSPLASTICISM is in existance in Cuba Mall for the next two and a half days. [...] You are invited to attend and view the work. [...] The installation will be removed late on Saturday night so please hurry if you wish to

Open up

2006-03-30T13:35:00.000+12:00

Hi all, this is my first post as a Wellingtonista. There's a slew of new shops, galleries and entertainment venues opening at the moment, so I thought I'd start with a quick roundup.The Bartley Nees Gallery on the corner of Blair and Wakefield streets is undergoing mitosis and splitting itself into Tim Nees Gallery and something calling itself Society of Fashion and Art (SOFA for short). The

Wellington v. Baku

2006-03-29T12:48:00.000+12:00

Tom over at WellUrban has been leading the campaign to get Wellington added to the excellent GridSkipper site (an online urban travel guide which is part of the same online blog empire that includes Gawker, Defamer and Gizmodo, amongst others).As such, Wellington is now in competition with Baku - capital of Azerbaijan - for a hallowed spot on GridSkipper. And if we can't rally enough votes to see

Solo 22 - Voyages

2006-03-24T13:38:00.000+12:00

Of course, we here at the Wellingtonista would never blow our own trumpets, but we're happy to blow our families' - in a non Southland kind of way, of course - so we're pleased to tell you about the new exhibition on at the Academy Gallery called Solo 22.There's paintings and sculptures by other artists, but the part that you will be chiefly interested in is Voyages, which is new ceramic work by

Best things-to-do in Wellington post. Ever.

2006-03-24T12:51:00.000+12:00

Tom puts us to shame. He really does.

A natural love

2006-03-16T14:16:00.000+13:00

Dear fellow Wellingtonistas and the good people of Wellington in general,If the weather is as gorgeous tomorrow as it is today, you must do what I did at lunchtime today - get golden crisp fish'n chips from Thorndon Fish'n Chips (don't let the name fool you, it's next to A-Mart and across the road from Chaffers New World) and park your ass down in the divine Waitangi Park like many others are

something 4 the weekend

2006-03-15T20:23:00.000+13:00

If you've become all festivalled out recently, or, like this Wellingtonista seem to find the whole thing sliding by you without seeming to make any impact despite best intentions otherwise, then take heart: life does continue elsewhere.For example, this weekend, the suburban environmentalist can get their car's emissions checked at:[...] the Westpac Stadium car park on Saturday 18 March, between

You know you're from...

2006-03-15T14:14:00.000+13:00

Jimmy Jangles has produced a handy guide to knowing which part the Greater Wellington region you're from...You know you're from Wellington when... You know you're from The Hutt when...You know you're from Porirua when...Particularly like the Wellington trait of being able to "...detect 27 different shades of black suit."UPDATE! Old news apparently - Wanda Harland posted this last year.

So here's our man again...

2006-03-03T14:08:00.000+13:00

So here's our man again. This time I have a bit more information.His name is India Bharti (sounds suspiciously like Doderiol Fharti to me), and he is, without doubt the very best Bhartiphone player I have ever heard! No kidding.Of course, he is also the only Bhartiphone player I have ever heard, but even if there were lots of them, even if Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page had collaborated on a

Busking 2006

2006-02-24T16:23:00.000+13:00

I guess it's the Fringe, or the Festival itself that brings these guys here, but this particular busker is well worth a look at. Today he was in Manner's Mall. I could hear him a block or so away & the sound he was producing made me wonder if one of the theremins was in use somewhere close. But no he's doing it with a violin, what looks like some satanic tuning fork, and a whole lot of other odds

Wellington Airport highlights package

2006-02-24T14:18:00.001+13:00

For those of you who haven't experienced the 'thrill' of landing at or taking off from Wellington Airport when there's a decent breeze blowing, the video below will give you an idea of what to expect. Which is terror. [Warning, video has annoying, irrelevant bad electronica soundtrack - we advise speakers off for this one]

lunchtime confrontation

2006-02-23T22:10:00.000+13:00

We will admit it was the mention of a freely downloadable podcast commentary in this week's Listener that drew us in. Some of us Wellingtonistas are more geeky than others.But given what seems to be the theme of the City Gallery's latest exhibition, Australian artist Patricia Piccanini's In Another Life (19 February to 11 June 2006, free entry), this use of technology for drawing the punters in

World, meet Cortina

2006-02-23T20:39:00.000+13:00

As James pointed out yesterday, there's a lot going on in Wellington at the moment. I don't know about any of it, because I live in Auckland.But there is one particular upcoming Wellington event that I am aware of. Tomorrow night, Friday 24 February, much-lauded Wellington-via-Palmerston-North band Cortina will perform at Indigo alongside Disasteradio, The Mysterious Tape Man, and Knife Fight.

Links for Thursday, 23 February 2006

2006-02-23T16:28:00.000+13:00

The latest Mystery Bay (up to #22!) is up over at WellUrban.Kate at myegoism wants some advice on the apartments in the Wellington Working Men's Club building on Cuba St. Good or bad?And it looks like we might be seeing a return to some local welly telly, with the successful bods behind Auckland's Triangle TV making some noise about opening up shop here "about the middle of the year."So that's

Links for Wednesday, 22 February 2006

2006-02-22T10:31:00.000+13:00

As both WellUrban and Oddity 59 (and now us) point out in their blogs, so much is happening in Wellington at the moment that it's hard to keep track. What with the International Arts Festival, accompanying Fringe Festival, so called 'fun' runs, fairs, concerts, ocean races (come and gone) and the occasional game of footy or cricket to watch, the natural inclination is to flag work for the next

Links for Thursday, 16 February 2006

2006-02-16T14:15:00.000+13:00

Wanda Harland alerts us to this weekend's Petone Fair. A good excuse, as she points out, to try the new Petone Ferry (which leaves from Queens Wharf, and thus leads us nicely onto our next post...)Dave5 has photos of the Volvo Ocean Race arriving in port (where they're to be tied up down by Queens Wharf) presumably taken from his office window (with a phonecam?). Kiwi-skippered ABN Amro One was

Synth Birds of Dawn: take two

2006-02-15T11:50:00.000+13:00

Well, this particular Wellingtonista thought the Synth Birds of Dawn sounded great.Nic McGowan and his two fellow theremin players waved their arms about half an hours worth of other-worldy noise making early on Tuesday morning, creating sounds that at times sounded like the gibbon cries heard from the zoo in Newtown every morning, to whale song, to plain old weird Dr Who frequency

Links for Tuesday, 14 February 2005

2006-02-14T11:00:00.000+13:00

They're putting mental patients in Whitby. Whitby? As WellUrban points out: "...do they seriously expect a depressed person to get better in Whitby? I feel like topping myself after five mintues there." [And here's quite a good discussion on it on NatRad from this morning.]The Volvo Ocean Race yachts should be sailing into town this week. ABN Amro One, with kiwi skipper Mike Sanderson, is leading

Hurricanes beat Blues

2006-02-13T15:59:00.000+13:00

I would have used some sort of pun based on the word 'Hurricane', but, well...Blues blown off park [NZ Herald]Second-half blitz blows Blues away [Dominion Post]Hurricanes storm to win over Blues [The Age]Hurricanes blow past Blues in opener [Sporting Life]Hurricanes storm home as newcomers face reality [RNZ]Gah! Anyway, the win augurs well for the new Super 14 competition. It was particularly

Island Bay Festival

2006-02-10T13:32:00.000+13:00

As mentioned earlier in the week, the Island Bay Festival kicks into gear this weekend. Tomorrow (Sat 11 Feb) we get some of the best stuff: a Street Parade (all welcome - kids in costumes are recommended), Bands in the Park, and a new event which shapes to be a particular favourite of ours: Pimp my Bike.The Bands in the Park features Wellingtonista fave Disasteradio, as well as Mestar, Tessa

What Wellington Wants

2006-02-09T11:57:00.000+13:00

Martha wants you to tell her where the hot wait staff are.Tom wants a tiki bar.Joanna wants you to vote for her for Prom Queen when you go the Toi Whakaari Prom tomorrow.What do you want?

Synth Birds of Dawn

2006-02-09T09:46:00.000+13:00

Residents of Island Bay, do not be alarmed. Those weird, spacey tones reverberating around your suburb next week will not be signalling the impending invasion of Wellington by aliens, but will be, in fact, The Synth Birds of Dawn.Local composer/producer Nic McGowan is co-ordinating a three-piece theremin 'band', who will be located one-a-piece on each of three hill-tops around the suburb to

Treaty2U

2006-02-03T11:49:00.000+13:00

For those of you interested in neither the Sevens, nor local music...How about this?An opportunity to see the Touring Treaty exhibitionTREATY 2 U, the Treaty of Waitangi touring exhibition which is travelling around New Zealand over the next few months will be in the Wellington region over Waitangi weekend. It will be in Lower Hutt at Waiwhetu Te Ra o te Raukura on Sunday (an annual family day

The Little Day Out

2006-02-03T10:51:00.000+13:00

For those of not interested in (or without tickets to) the Sevens, and an appreciation of fine local music and the joys of a BBQ on a nice day, may we recommend the Little Day Out, taking place today (Fri 3rd Feb) at 42 Old Porirua Rd, Ngaio.Wellington blues-rockers Connan and the Mockasins are headlining, reason enough to head along, and there's also the lure of free sausages and a BBQ for

Sevens starts today - anyone want a ticket?

2006-02-03T09:34:00.000+13:00

MainlanderMike has a spare ticket going for the Sevens starting today. Head over to his site and leave a comment if you're keen to snap it up.Probably best to try and get in before 1pm today as we'll be away to the first day by then. If you can also get into the Jamaican Netballer spirit of things as well I'm sure the price will reflect your effort accordingly.

Wellington Sevens Fever!

2006-02-01T13:45:00.000+13:00

If you happen to see a group of large, fit, young lads wandering about the Wellington streets this week, chances are you've either stumbled across the cast of Downstage's latest play 'The Boys in the Band' , or, and more likely, one of the Rugby Sevens teams that are in town for this weekend's tournament.More info here, draw here, results here. Quick reference for Friday's pool play: New Zealand

Kirk's Sale, now on

2006-01-30T11:10:00.000+13:00

WellUrban probably sums up the effect of the annual Kirk's Sale best when he writes...Expect worse than usual queues of SUVs between Karori and Lambton Quay this morning: the Annual Kirks sale is on. From the look of some of the ladies queueing outside the doors this morning, it could be said that they could definitely do with some new clothes (anything designed after 1990 would be an improvement

Bunnies on Ponies @ Cabaret

2006-01-27T10:26:00.000+13:00

Amongst the usual info accompanying the email alerting us to a rare Bunnies on Ponies performance, was a brand new word - nosfarious. To quote...The nosfarious Bunnies On Ponies are making a rare appearance at Cabaret (ne Chow) this Saturday night from 11pm.We like it. If one of the Bunnies (or, indeed, one of our faithful readers) would care to supply a definition, we'd be most appreciative. (

Stories Told to Me by Girls, second season

2006-01-27T10:04:00.000+13:00

Those of you who missed out on the first season of Julie Hill's play 'Stories Told to Me by Girls' should head down to Happy tonight or tomorrow (or yesterday or the day before that, if you have the technology), to catch a special return season. Laurie Atkinson's review in the Dom is suitably gushing...It's like performance art, but without the pretentiousness that seems to attach itself to this

The Chinese New Year is coming soon

2006-01-19T16:38:00.000+13:00

January 28 until February 11. And listen up folks, it's the Year of the Dog!What we're particularly looking forward to is the Asian Market (11am-3pm) at the Events Centre on the waterfront on Festival Day (Feb 11). The food! The crowds! But mostly the food.Festival day will also sport a parade from Courtenay Place to Frank Kitts Park from 2-3pm & "colourful action & entertainment" from 3-5pm at

A date for the prom

2006-01-17T11:26:00.000+13:00

When's the last time you stood by the wall hoping that someone would ask you to dance, and then they did, and you put your hands on their shoulders and they put their hands on your waist and you stepped left, and then you stepped right and oh man, it was so exciting, and you couldn't wait to go home and write about it in your diary? Let's do it all again on February 10. The party organiser is

Your last supper

2006-01-13T11:09:00.000+13:00

Let Wellingtonista point you towards the Last Supper Club's bible-quoting yummy sounding menu that's available at their website. Yesterday it was more elaborate, while the restaurant features a much more simple version. However, today, the real menu is online. We all live happily ever after.Here's a hot tip for you - if you are a party of two, don't make a reservation, because there's only one

Wellington Speed Traps

2006-01-11T12:36:00.001+13:00

So, Wellington's busiest urban speed camera is situated down Ohiro Road (which, for those unfamiliar with this road, starts down in Aro Valley, works its way up to Brooklyn, the meanders down through Happy Valley to Island Bay).This particular Wellingtonista knows the route well - I've been pinged at least four times over the last year. It's hard to reconcile the rationale of national road

Stories Told to Me by Girls

2006-01-10T15:29:00.000+13:00

Well, after a well-earned holiday, the staff of Wellingtonista Towers are starting to retake their respective blogging places around the spacious and freshly decorated open plan office.First up in our 'recommended things to do in the evening now that your days have returned to the daily working grind' is "Stories Told to Me by Girls" - a new play starting down at Bats Theatre tonight (Tue 10 Jan)

Happy 2006

2006-01-01T13:45:00.000+13:00

Wellingtonian flickr-ites Felicity and Philip were narrowly pipped at the post for first picture of 2006 to hit the American-based mega-site Flickr and the 2006firstpix pool (with their snap [above] of New Years revelries in Civic Square), by Masterton's curiouskiwi (who has taken enough fine pictures of Wellington to qualify as a local anyway), who managed to stay up late enough for her shutter

Midweek Fantasy Costume Night! Slick Music! Half Price Entry! $5 Drinks!

2005-12-21T15:07:00.000+13:00

I'm sorry, no picture, this is a family site. So I'm striding purposefully along Lambton Quay, minding my own business, head down... Suddenly I am forced to pause for a moment by the unexpected obstruction of what can best be described as somewhat generous cleavage. I look up into the eyes of an absurdly young woman & she thrusts a little piece of paper into my hand. Then she & a few others

Bronze for SunnyO

2005-12-20T11:05:00.000+13:00

Congratulations to The Wellingtonista's Llew (of SunnyO), who's picked up third place in this year's NZ and Australian section of the Weblog Awards.Tim Blair, the Australian reigning champ, was always going to be tough to top, so it was really a battle between the three chasing kiwi blogs for second place, with Silent Running just keeping a gap between himself and Llew as the finish line drew

Links for Monday, 19 December 2005

2005-12-19T09:24:00.000+13:00

Earthquake weather? Wild Land takes a quick look at the relatively tenuous links between hot still days and the increased chance of a decent shake. (And some analysis of that big shake we had last week from the same source, here).Nearly counting as a force of nature within the Wellington urban environment, the Stagecoach bus company has been causing Jimmy Jangles to gnash his teeth recently.A

Links for Thursday, 15 December 2005

2005-12-15T09:16:00.000+13:00

Hot enough for ya? WellUrban has some excellent tips on keeping cool....So there's been a 'tip-off' that someone might want to steal the Henry Moore sculpture in the Botanic Gardens. That would be the 1.6 ton, 5m high scuplture that's situated down a long sloping grassy hillside, in full view of hundreds of Thorndon and Kelburn households, and the MetService building (in which forecasters are on

Cast your vote for SunnyO!

2005-12-14T10:48:00.000+13:00

There's only a couple of days left in the voting for the Annual Weblog Awards, and Wellingtonista's resident lifestyle block expert - Llew of SunnyO - is currently in Bronze Medal position with a healthy 200 or so votes. This already surpasses the effort of our Publisher-in-Chief - Natalie Biz - who notched up a lacklustre 12th placing in last year's awards, and a solid push over the next 48

Red Carpet Webcam

2005-12-14T08:10:00.000+13:00

If you can't make it down to the King Kong Red Carpet extravaganza this afternoon, keep in mind that the Courtenay Place traffic webcam has an excellent view of the happenings.(Note: requires a plug-in, IE seems to auto-install it, Firefox doesn't).UPDATE: More streaming video options here.

The Dockside Christmas Menu

2005-12-13T11:41:00.000+13:00

This particular Wellingtonista was lucky enough to be invited to an associate's Christmas lunch at the Dockside. It'd been a while since we'd been there, and last time it was a wintry evening & we huddled somewhere upstairs.Yesterday however, was as tropical as it comes & we were delighted to discover that our table was outside on the covered deck, looking over the water towards the Loaded Hog &

King Kong Premiere Red Carpet Screening looms

2005-12-13T09:23:00.000+13:00

Well, the weather forecast doesn't look too flash - "Often cloudy, odd shower. Humid with light winds" - but we suspect that won't stop thousands of people heading down to Courtenay Place tomorrow afternoon (Wed 14 Dec) for the official NZ premiere red carpet screening of King Kong.A few roads in the vicinity are going to be closed to most traffic from late tonight, 'til early Thursday morning.

What is this Tunnel for?

2005-12-12T14:51:00.000+13:00

Ben over at ben.run is intrigued by the above tunnel, located in the Ngaio gorge valley...It looks old, however there is a pipe in it that appears to be still connected. If there is a pipe in the tunnel, then it must have another end, rather than just a borough in the hill. So what is it for? When was it built? What is it used for now? And most importantly, where is the other end??If you've got

Being part of the community

2005-12-09T10:26:00.000+13:00

It's all very good and well reading Wellingtonista every day, and thinking to yourself "hurrah, I am an active part of Wellington! I am hip and young and down with the kids" - but what have you done for the community lately? I'm not talking about giving to charity, or coaching a sports team, or any of that stuff. Oh no. I'm talking about giving up your thoughts and ideas - that and buying us

So, how about that Cricket?

2005-12-07T09:54:00.000+13:00

So, it's lightly drizzling up here at Wellingtonista Towers at present, which is just a short walk from the Stadium, where today's One Day International (or Oh Dee Eye as they seem to have taken to calling this form of the game on the telly) between the NZ Black Caps and the Australian, er, Baggy Greens is to take place.The forecast from MetService is for "Becoming fine this morning. Southerlies

Dear Hataitai: all your food are belong to us

2005-12-01T17:18:00.000+13:00

Have you ever wanted to just eat your way around a suburb? No? Well, we here at Wellingtonista have, and we figured it would make sense to start with Hataitai. After all, who doesn't love Hataitai? So here's what you can get to eat:The fish'n chips shop (Supremo Burger):This Fish'n Chips shop appears to have Greek owners, which means good good things for the quality of the fish on sale. Mostly

Final Wellington Film Society Update for the Year.

2005-11-25T11:27:00.000+13:00

Thanks to David Lindsay, WFS President, for sending these notices throughout the year.Poster SaleHow many times, when you have been to the Wellington Film Festival, have you wished you could have one of the posters that were on display in the foyers - even some of those that were mounted on card. Well here's your chance: Saturday November 26 at the Paramount from 10.00am to 1.00pm. There will a

Links for Thursday, 24 November 2005

2005-11-24T09:17:00.000+13:00

Drunks on the streets of Wellington? Maybe they're just acting out Radiohead videos. Know your dress code for some of the bars around Wellington. (Hint: a Cher singlet, however stylish, won't go down well at Boogie Wonderland.) UDPATE: WellUrban has cast his discerning statistical eye over the dress codes of the various establishments mentioned, and come up with a superb graph that visually

Lachii @ Paramount: 27 November

2005-11-23T16:15:00.000+13:00

One for all you film and music enthusiasts out there (and more especially if you're both): Lachii - the single-shot film by Ed Davis with accompanying live music by HDU's Tristan Dingemans (aka Kahu) - is having a public screening at the Paramount this Sunday night (November 27) at 9:30pm ($15/$10).From the blurb...Lachii is an hour-long continuous shot that follows a small boy as he goes on a

Checkmate

2005-11-22T13:58:00.000+13:00

A recently received email from one of the better chess players in the region:This evening (22 November) starting at 6pm in the Central Library there will be a public spectacle. 30 of the strongest Chess players in the Wellington region face simultaneous execution at the hands of former World Championship Candidate, Nigel Short. This is an open invitation to attend this public display of our

Wellington Music Week: 21-27 November

2005-11-18T13:56:00.000+13:00

Wellington Music Week gets under way next Monday (21 Nov), with a raft of seminars, gigs and events over the course of the week.If you're looking for one good big night out, then the Showcase gig on Thursday (24 Nov) looks the go, with OdESSA, Charlie Ash, Autumn Stone, Zirkus, Mon Ami and the Henderson Experience lining up for a night of rock action down at Bodega.Head over to the official site

Vote for US!!

2005-11-17T12:01:00.000+13:00

Click on the link here, and vote for Wellingtonista.blogspot.com. for Best Lifestyle Site!