Everyone’s Adventure

At the Wellingtonista, we mostly like to try the experiences we talk about before we talk about them. However, it’s that time of year when every timeline compresses in on itself, and maybe all you really want to do is curl up in a ball and wait until 2016 ends. So we didn’t quite get around to […]

Let There Be Light

lux — n , pl lux the derived SI unit of illumination equal to a luminous flux of 1 lumen per square metre. 1 lux is equivalent to 0.0929 foot-candle. I don’t know about you, but to me a luminous flux sounds like it should be a lot of fun. It sounds like a light […]

A secret to share

Today’s guest post comes from Heather of Foodie Gems of Wellie. Yay, we love guest posts! We all love a secret. Especially one that delivers pleasure. A jaunt around the recently launched Secret Art Walk uncovered all sorts of Wellington treasures. From the magnificent rata cone architecture of the Supreme Court to the holographic display […]

Miniature Wellington

Via Dave on Twitter (and a few others including, we now see, the Dom Post) comes this lovely Wellington time-lapse video from local film maker Jared Gray: If only all those cars were that small in real life!

The semi-naked truth: Strip clubs in Wellington

So, you want to see some breasts. Nothing wrong with that. Where in Wellington should you go to see them? For the purposes of scientific research, we headed to Dream Girls and Mermaids to find out what you can expect. We also had a chat to a girl who’s worked in both places for the […]

Where would you take an odd tourist?

We occasionally get requests from people who see us as being experts on Wellington, and it’s true, we are. But so are you. So help us answer this guy’s question! “I am looking for places/locations in the Wellington area to take a group of overseas visitors too. I am not wanting to go to the normal […]

Who’s the coolest of them all?

So, the news is out – on the front page of the DomPost, an advertising colour supplement, and banners all along the Golden Mile: Wellington is the “coolest little capital in the world”.

Who's the coolest of them all?

So, the news is out – on the front page of the DomPost, an advertising colour supplement, and banners all along the Golden Mile: Wellington is the “coolest little capital in the world”. Yep, that means Wellington has beaten out other little capital cities such as Vatican City, Dili, Kabul and Apia to be the […]

Zealandia is freelandia

This weekend – 16 and 17 October, admission to Zealandia is free! Admission to Wellington’s world-first wildlife sanctuary, ZEALANDIA, is free for all locals this Saturday and Sunday! We are now 15 years into an incredible journey to restore a corner of NZ as closely as possible to the way it was before humans arrived. […]

Eva Dixon’s to get the boot from the Zoo

The DomPost reports that Eva Dixon’s Cafe is being given the old heave-ho from Wellington Zoo. The contract for the running of the Zoo’s cafe came up last October, and, as co-owner John Heald said…

We were under the impression it wouldn’t have been a problem and were waiting for the paperwork to come through …

But no! The Zoo weighed up their options, and have decided to go with faceless, characterless corporate catering outfit Spotless.

Says Karen Fifield, chief executive of the Zoo…

We wanted to make a commercial decision which was going to result in value for the zoo.

Given that Eva’s is ‘predominantly family-run and locally owned’, and Spotless, well, aren’t (and hardly have a, err, ‘spotless’ reputation with regards to treating their staff well), it might be argued that the Zoo is flying in the face of one of their own stated goals, which is to “generate lasting community support by raising the profile of the Zoo and making the Zoo relevant to all Wellingtonians.” (Admittedly, it does fulfill their goal of increasing “…financial sustainability by increasing revenue…”).

Whatever the case, if you’d like to vent your opinion on this particular issue to someone who has some sway in the Zoo’s affairs, drop Celia Wade-Brown a line – she’s the WCC Councillor in charge of the Zoo Trust.