Age-Specific Activities
Dear Hivemind
On Friday I will (rightly or wrongly) be put in charge of a 15 year-old boy (my nephew-in-law). This will be his first visit to Wellington and I want to show him around. But where do we go and what can we do?
Usually with visiting friends or rellies a trip to a bar is in there somewhere, but that seems to be out of the question with a 15 year-old (wait, how low was the drinking age again?).
Thanks to Jo we'll be heading to the wrestling but after that I'm pretty much out of ideas.
O great and powerful Hivemind (i.e. Wellingtonista readers) please help me with suggestions in the comments.
ps. I thought I could take him to see the Alt-Rugby Commentary but will he be allowed into the Loaded Hog?
Visit the MoNIAC at the Reserve Bank museum.
http://www.nzier.org.nz/Site/about/NZIER_Moniac.aspx
Take him to Downstage to see Strike:Elemental. He will totally love it.
When I was 15 I wanted little more than to go to bars to see second-golden-age Flying Nun bands playing, so I don't know if I can provide any advice further than the RASSLIN'. Which will be awesome. I imagine your bevvy of playboxwiis should keep him more than happy anyway, if the stereotypes are true...
My nephew at that age was a geek from the sticks. So we went to the apple shop, the comic shop, some games shops, real Groovy. There was one ecstatic then embarrassed moment when he thought the WOW posters for wearable art were from World of Warcraft. Culture wise he enjoyed being in Fidels seeing the porn shop beside the presbyterian second hand shop. Good luck!
"Usually with visiting friends or rellies a trip to a bar is in there somewhere, but that seems to be out of the question"
But one of the beauties of Wellington is that bars aren't always just bars. Take him to Superfino, and he can knock back the Foxton Fizz while you sample the Martinis. Take him to Mojo Kumutoto and you can share a pizza while you have a beer or wine.
first find out what kind of 15 year old he is
- sport
- geeky
- arty
becuase this is your one chance to be cool uncle hadyn, or stuck being labeled as embarrassing uncle Hadyn for the rest of your life.
shihad are playing on friday, there is a local hip hop doc screening at the film festival friday so as much as rassling is you guy's thing, give him the choice.
if he's a bit geeky he might enjoy a few hours at that games place in reading cinema. you might not but you can sit surfing the net for free at the cafe net door.
but cross fingers he's sporty, into playstation and likes movies there is loads of sport stuff on and movies are expensive but easy. I think (ring the hog and check) but he will be ok there as i think they serve food so the rules are different from normal pubs, but check.
Shihad would be the best, though I would feel like "embarrassing uncle Hadyn" as the last Shihad concert I went to was last century at the Powerstation.
but cross fingers he's sporty, into playstation and likes movies
That's him! He's also, like, 6ft tall so we might be able to sneak him in on a fake ID (which would totally make me the cool uncle).
Hmm - the bowling place, or does that count as a bar?
Oh, hey - he likes films? The Film Festival, of course!
Rock-climbing @ Fergs?
Weta Workshop shop?
Definitely the ARC @ The Hog!
Night Safari's at Karori Bush Sanctuary (if they're still on)?
Hang out in Cuba/Manners Mall with all the other 15 year olds? ;P
The RBNZ/Pratchett Moniac is broken at the moment, apparently.
What about either of the go-karts places in Kaiwharawhara (sp?) or the Hutt?
There's a heap of 'family entertainment' ideas in the Entertainment book, so that would be the first place I'd go for inspiration.
If you've got him for the weekend the Phoenix are playing another pre-season game on Sunday: Queensland Roar at 2.30pm