The Crafts­man did­n’t take long to identi­fy: not sur­pris­ing giv­en its prom­in­ent pos­i­tion. Here’s anoth­er quick one, which should also be pretty obvi­ous.

Tiki!The Watusi pretty much counts as Wel­ling­ton’s first Tiki Bar, but this place has a few touches of tikitude as well. There’s this little guy, of course, and the anim­al print cush­ion helps. It has a smat­ter­ing of tiki masks and ukuleles, an out­door area with lush foliage and torches, and most import­antly, a drinks list titled “Tiki Cock­tails”. Heav­en! Or is it?

On the down­side for tiki­philes, it’s really more of a café than a bar. It has counter food (as well as a full menu), takeaway cof­fee and dis­turb­ing signs of a (shud­der) child-friendly atti­tude. The décor tends more towards Kiwiana bach nos­tal­gia than Trader Vic exot­ica, and the music is more Beach Boys than Mar­tin Denny. I also could­n’t vouch for the authen­ti­city of their Mai Tais and Fog Cut­ters, and what’s this? No Zom­bie?!

Nev­er mind: it’s only tiki pur­ists who would be put off by that. Sun, cock­tails, food and a sur­pris­ingly good beer list: there’s a lot to like here, and it’s one more reas­on to look for­ward to sum­mer.

Tiki cafe