Review: Four flat whites in Italy
There’s no doubt that Circa puts on a great Roger Hall and this iteration of Four flat whites in Italy is no exception. It crackles with energy and fair zips through the action. Here’s the story – Adrian (Stuart Devenie) and Alison (Darien Takle) – art gallery attending, book reading, Labour voters – are about […]
Parking Day update
After getting in touch with appropriate people from Wellington City Council to discuss plans and get permission, it has become obvious that participating in Park(ing) Day is going to be difficult. Bylaws govern the use of vehicles in parking spaces within Wellington. However, I cannot find the specific bylaw implied by the officer I contacted: You […]
Our Hearts Will Go On
I was alerted to a music video of a long-haired fellow performing an emotional rendition of “Titanic” theme song “My Heart Will Go On”. I started watching it, and it was all going well when suddenly at the 19-second mark I realised something very important: the video was filmed in Wellington. This makes it even […]
Review: I, George Nepia
I, George Nepia is a beautifully written, beautifully realised play. The script by Hone Kouka draws inspiration from many sources including Nepia’s autobiography. You don’t have to have read the book to appreciate the play. (I’m not even sure you have to appreciate rugby.) The narrative is about a man finding his place in a […]
The Rugby World Cup and You, Too
Despite Hadyn’s earlier post we know there’s a reasonable proportion of you out there (just as among the Wellingtonista itself) that are relatively meh about this whole World Cup thing. But whatever your opinions about the event, it has to be acknowledged that a lot of effort has gone into the associated off-field activities, many […]
Sharing spaces
Following Auckland’s lead, Wellington has opened Lower Cuba Street as a shared space. There wasn’t much celebration or fanfare beyond an article in the Dominion Post about letting cars back in. Technically, I’m not sure if the “shared space” has been officially opened, and I’m not really in the mood for celebrating. The idea of […]
Old Groove, new Peel
When Real Groovy closed its doors in May, many music-loving Wellingtonians were rather sad. But a curious thing has happened – we’ve got a Real Groovy back, sort of. Real Groovy Christchurch suffered damage to both its building and stock in the September 2010 earthquake, but owner Paul Huggins was determined to continue, reopening a month […]
The glorious struggles of the people’s working-class rugby art sculpture
A year and a half ago we were offered a tantalising glimpse of the model of the Weta Workshop-designed Wellington rugby sculpture, noting its resemblance to a provincial junior rugby trophy, a knick-knack gift for a rugby-loving uncle, and a vagina. And then finally the full-size sculpture appeared, tucked away in Jack Ilott Green, that […]
Going slowly for maximum pleasure
It was a beautiful Sunday in Wellington today. The air was crisp and cool but the sun was bright and the first signs of spring were visible. For example, as I wheeled along the waterfront promenade this afternoon, a few brave young men and women were in sleeveless tops or short shorts, anticipating temperatures that […]
Theatre: New Zealand plays in the next fortnight
#RWC11 is prompting an abundance of New Zealand theatre. The plays cover NZ history, politics, and travel. On at Downstage is On the Upside-Down of the World by Arthur Meek. It’s based on ‘Our Maoris’ by Ann Martin. She came to New Zealand from England with the first Chief Justice. The play follows her as […]