Sleb Sighting — Jason Gunn
Seen at Capital on the Quay (probably coming from the Novatel) at around 11.15am, heading out onto Lambton Quay on a break before heading out to Avalon Studios to film tonight’s dance-off.
Woohoo!
Star Boating Club Rowathon Tonight.*
Here’s a bit of fun to be had — the Star Boating Club (that’s that cool place by the lagoon that you’ve probably attended more than a few weddings at, or other occasions & got yourself completely trashed & may or may not have ended up in the water in your dinner suit or ball gown…) in conjunction with Wellington Girls College, Queen Margaret’s College and Wellington College, is holding a 20 hour Row-A-Thon to raise funds for the current season of races, regattas & camps.
It takes place at the Reading Complex Foyer (Courtney Place) between 6pm Friday February 22 (TONIGHT!!), and Noon Saturday.
And what is a Row-A-Thon when it’s at home? Well… they’re putting 2 ERG machines (that’s shorthand for Rowing Machine apparently — I’m not sure if it is acronymous, or if it represents the noise the average person makes while being subjected to operating it), one will be operated continuously for 20 hours, and the second, dear reader, is for you to have a go at.
The rowers have been diligently scouring their neighbourhoods, families, and families’ business colleagues getting sponsorship, and on the day, those not ERGing will be shaking tins & persuading punters to part with a little Xmas dosh. All for a good cause — those ERGs & the boats don’t grow on trees you know.
So head on down for a look — 91FM & the Black Thunders will may be down there at 6pm Friday dispensing cheer & freestuff — or if you happen to be passing, please do donate a little spare ping for, as I may have mentioned, a very good cause.
And of course, you have the opportunity to try an ERG for yourself. It has to be good for you right?, and there is almost no chance you’ll end up in the lagoon. Bonus.
Have your say — busker & husband charged for dog hair in room
Talkback time — or type-back time to be more accurate.
This is the nice lady who sometimes busks near Woodward Street on the Quay, with her faithful guide dog at her side. Been a while since we saw her there.
Olivia and Jonathan Godfrey spent their honeymoon in a professed guide-dog friendly hotel in Palmerston North Wellington. When leaving, they were presented with a bill for an extra $85 for cleaning up unwanted dog hair.
I’m inclined to the side of the couple here, it seems the hotel refused the opinion of a guide-dog minder who was sent in to view any damage on the couple’s behalf.
Besides… the hotel spokesman said:
“There were two big dogs in a one-bedroom apartment … You can imagine the smell…”
I can actually, I imagine you could hardly smell them at all & that 5 minutes with the windows & doors open would have clinched it.
And even if the dogs were moulting, how long does it take to vacuum a one bedroom apartment? Nice hourly rate.
Full story here
Go for your life with the outraged comments either way.
Update:
The hotel has apologised to the couple & offered a couple of free night’s accommodation.
What to do on Waitangi Day this year
I’ve long thought that we should all (hospitality, police, emergency services & health workers not withstanding) have Wednesdays off to break the week into easily digestable chunks.
But if the thought of sleeping in, sleeping in even longer & enjoying a hearty holiday brunch, followed by more lolling around & maybe even a trip down to a cafe or pub… leaves you feeling slightly guilty, then I suggest you get into the spirit of the day & check out the official Waitangi Day Celebrations down at, where else, Waitangi Park:
Wellington will be celebrating New Zealand’s national day in style, thanks to Meridian Energy Summer City.
Wellington City Council in partnership with the Wellington Tenths Trust has organised a Waitangi Day Celebration — Te Ra o Waitangi at Waitangi Park from 9.45am to 4.00pm. Featuring kapa haka, drumming, dance, multicultural acts, food and stalls, it promises to be a great day out for the whole family.
Much, much more info is here.
Wellingtonian of the Year, 2006, how’s he doing now?
Time to take a quick look at how last year’s Wellingtonista Wellingtonian of the Year is getting on in the wake of a full year of promotional engagements & speaking gigs.
Sleb Sitings — Dan Carter — Mercer Street
Woohoo — if we’re not mistaken there are two male underwear models in town.
No idea where Mark Wahlberg can be found, but Dan Carter can be spotted today at his very own store in Mercer Street. We think it might be called GAS or something.
Story here, at Stuff.co.nz
Have You Voted?
If your votes aren’t in the mail today you’re probably going to have to deliver them personally to ensure you get your ticks in before noon on Saturday.
The Wellingtonista (a collective entity that has assimilated all individuality) agonised mightily whether it would instruct you in how to vote & who for, but in the end we plumped for freedom of choice for all.
So please exercise it.
Issues we are passionate about though, and therefore worth perusing candidate puff pieces for any mention thereof, are transport, including roading proposals & light rail, rampant & unchecked property developments & developers, and most importantly, the complete absence of tiki bars in the city.
We did consider reviewing every mayoral candidate’s website & reporting back the number of typos & errors, but we gave up after Jo found 54 on one page of John McGrath’s site. The job is too big for us.
Pink Ribbon Day Street Appeal, Friday Oct 12
The Pink Ribbon is the international symbol for Breast Cancer awareness.
This Friday is the Pink Ribbon Day Street appeal.
Collectors, including at least three of the Wellingtonista, will be fetchingly clad in pink sashes, and will be found lurking on streets & street corners accepting your kind donations towards breast cancer research.
More details, including how to volunteer & wear your own pink sash, can be found at the NZ Breast Cancer website
here
For Sale — One Ticker Tape Parade, Unused
Includes:
25 shipping containers multicoloured shredded paper,
Day’s hire of novelty vehicles & floats,
2000 dancers & street performers,
50,000 black flags.
Speech from the Prime Minister*
Population of one small city looking for something to celebrate.
Make a loved one’s birthday celebration, or anniversary, unforgettable.
Ready to go for October 26.
*Late change, Peter Dunne Subbed for the PM.
The Final Question
The final question that ends all discussions or post mortems of Wellingtonista events:
also, did someone pick up our bar tab?
I like it for its simple, if plaintive, optimism.