Five questions with Wanda Harland

Full disclosure: the Wellingtonista is all about nepotism. So we thought it was about jolly time we sat down (well, emailed) our Martha, who has been a very important part of the ‘ista since like 2006 at least (although she is much less of a bad influence on us now than she used to be), […]

Are men ‘man enough’ to knit?

There is a bit of a knitting renaissance taking over the world. It’s cool, it’s hip and as proof, the ultimate gentleman of hipster cool, Ryan Gosling, likes to unwind after a long day with some yarn & pair of needles – he’s described a day-long knitting session as “one of the most relaxing days […]

Candidates: Holly Walker for the Greens in Hutt South

We invited all candidates in Wellington electorates to contact us with their answers to fifteen crowdsourced questions. Answers are restricted to 30 words each, and we publish them exactly as we receive them.  Who are you and what do you want? I’m Holly, I’m from the Hutt, and I want a clean green economy that […]

A great yarn – what Tash did next

Remember Tash from It’s A Tree? Not content to rest on her laurels – or tuis, or flowers, badoom chish – she’s kept herself busy in the world of wool, opening up Holland Road Yarn at 281 Jackson Street, Petone. We thought we’d have a chat to Tash and see exactly what was going on…

TAWA5 Best Suburban Destination

The suburbs. Love them or loathe them, they surround every city. And loathing the suburbs out of some sort of twisted inner-city-centric impulse is pretty short-sighted – especially when you could be enjoying the following:

Hutty goodtimes

The Hutt is a seething mass of culture (as if you didn’t know), and at the moment there is a particularly splendid outdoor exhibition of sculpture, Shape Shifter. The art works are for sale, and we at the Wellingtonista Towers feel a few would look just the thing in the foyer. The exhibition is at the Civic Gardens, next to the Horticultural Hall and opposite the Dowse.

Why not make a real trip of it, and come out on Saturday for the Petone Fiesta. This street carnival features a vibrant and eclectic mix of music, food, theatre, arts and crafts. A certain shop may even be open especially late for the fun , and a certain shopkeeper may be guzzling grog to make the fun funner, but that is another story…

Petone Fiesta, Jackson St, 6pm-10pm 8th March.

Shape Shifter, Civic Gardens, 22 February – 16 March.

Petone Fair today!

Be there to score some great food and rides and crowds and good times and bargains at a truly cool, old skool fair.

Jackson St, Petone. Today.

Um, that is all.

Right up your Hutt Valley

The winter carnival is on in sunny Petone next weekend (7th July). There will be circus acts, trapeze, and extremely chilling dip in the ole briny during the day.

The best bit of all is in the evening, when there is a huge fireworks display off the pier. The middle of winter lends itself to a very civilised start time of 7.30pm.

Wrap up warm and bring a thermos of whatever you like to warm you from the inside.

Come early, enjoy dinner at one of the local eateries and avoid the traffic, which can get a little sticky approaching kick off.

More sensible and detailed information can be found here.

Fair season

The next five weeks are going to be tres busy for the discerning shopper. There are fairs galore. Here is a quick run down:

15th February – Craftwerk is on at the Southern Cross. An almost all new line-up of stalls will keep it fresh and interesting, and it is on from 5-9pm with bands.

17th February – Petone Fair. Jackson St will be chock full of everything from sausage sizzles, bouncy castles and ethnic food, to fab jewellery, clothes and gifts. Starts 10am. I recommend parking along the Esplanade and walking a couple of blocks to the fair.

17th February – The Big Bang is on at the NewDowse. This signals a month of exciting activities. A highlight will be The Real Hot Bitches performing a danceathon at 4pm.

3rd March – The second of the Martinborough Fairs is on. This is a repeat performance of the fair in February, with all the same fabulous food and stalls. It is a great opportunity to scope out some wineries while you’re over the hill. Martinborough Square.
10th March – Gay and Lesbian Fair, Newtown School. An array of stalls and activities. 9am-4pm

17th March – Whoop! Craft2.0 is going to be on at the NewDowse in Lower Hutt. This fabulous fair is the culmination of a month of activities at the NewDowse to celebrate its renovations. There will be the finest craft from around the country and hot bands. More information on this exciting event will be updated every 2 minutes (heh).

Muka

The Settlers Museum is hosting the MUKA YOUTH PRINT EXHIBITION 2006.

The exhibition features a collection of forty original lithographs by twenty prominent artists from New Zealand, Australia and Europe.

The exhibition is unique in that it is only open to young people aged 5 to 18. The idea is that young people are given the opportunity to see, select and buy an art work that they like, uninfluenced by adults or the name of the artist. All the works reflect the normal style of the artists and there is no “talking down” to the children.

The uniform low price means that this is an excellent way for young people to get real works of art into their hands.

Settlers Museum
The Esplanade
Petone

25 and 26 November
12 noon – 5pm