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Blogs / August 2008

September 2008 | July 2008
    • It's Time to Build a Future
      • Are you involved with the arts?  A band member, administrator, writer, artist, DJ, promoter, or whatever?  If so, then this is FOR YOU. A series of seminars are being held to discuss the future of the arts within Wellington.  The city councils Art Sector Sessions will be focused on forming a shared vision of the local arts scene for the next 10 years.  Many theories and avenues of thought will be discussed, with attention always centered on how to turn that combined vision into a reality. This is all in preparation for the long-term council community plan, which will set a direction for the arts, with help from those who are intimately involved and know it best.  People like you. It will also make for a great place to meet and network with others from the artistic sector.  Ideas can be shared and maybe a few new opportunities can be created, just by turning up. All seminars are free to those involved in the arts, and you can attend as many as you wish.  There will be presentations from Creative New Zealand and the Big Idea Trust to get the ball rolling.  Lunch or supper will also be provided. You have to RSVP four days in advance, so send an email to arts@wcc.govt.nz to do so ASAP (Yes, I know you will have missed out on some already but there are more on the way, especially the all arts session coming up next Saturday). All sessions will be held at Capital E. Art Sector Sessions timetable: Performing arts: Friday 29 August, 10.00am - 4.00pmVisual arts: Saturday 30 August, 10.00am - 4.00pmMusic: Tuesday 2 September, 4.00pm - 10.00pm Māori arts: Wednesday 3 September, 10.00am - 4.00pmAll arts forms: Saturday 6 September, 10.00am - 4.00pmLiterary arts: Wednesday 10 September, 10.00am - 4.00pm -Darren
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • And Bingo was its name O
      • Sure, you already play Hipster Bingo at the SFBH, but have you thought about playing the real game instead? From the good people who bring you the movie quiz at the Paramount comes a new way to spend your Sunday afternoons: Hangover Bingo! It will be happening for the first time at 2pm on Sunday 7th September at the Courtenay Arms.
      • Tagged as:
      • events

    • Scadalesque
      • Waaaay back in the old days (2007) once a month on a Thursday night at Good Luck you could hear the most shameless in electo-trash, rock and pop played with drunken enthusiasm by two lady Djs (or Lady Js) Doofus and Ubervoxx. There was cheap beer and tequila shots, and it was good. Then one lady J moved her ass to Melbourne and it was over. They had a "Last Scadalesque ever" they said, but it appears they LIED. With the return of Ubervoxx, the party will be back for one night only, with a bonus added year of obsessive music collecting.
      • Tagged as:
      • events
      • music

    • We've been judged
      • The new Lonely Planet New Zealand guide, released last week caused a bit of controversy through New Zealand. Pointing out our weird and tacky rural icons and urban landmarks such as Auckland's Skytower, which the book says looks like a giant hypodermic needle giving a fix to the heavens and describing Wellington's Stonehenge Aotearoa as weird and tacky were some of the funnier and light hearted parts of the book.The rest of it lavishes praise on the country's beauty, but urges New Zealand's tourism industry to protect its ‘green' status.Most important, though, is that Wellington gets talked up well."If your New Zealand travels thus far have been all bout wilderness and lonesome, one-horse towns, rock into Wellington for a big-city hit. Art-house cinema, hip bars, designer boutiques, live music rooms and late-night coffee shops - it's all in ‘Windy Welly'." The book also tells visitors to check out the local museums sample the good coffee and quality beer and make the most of the wind with a lesson in sailboarding or kiteboarding. It also says to check out rare and endangered NZ wildlife at Wellington's Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.        -Stacey
      • Tagged as:
      • karori
      • karori-sanctuary

        • Zealandia, Lake Road, Highbury, Wellington, Wellington Region, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)


    • Matterhorn comes out on top!
      • It's official. Matterhorn is the best restaurant/bar to eat and drink at! They have just won the Supreme Award and the Best Casual Dining - Metropolitain, at the Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year 2008 Awards! And of course they also won the NZ Bar of the Year Award (third year in a row)!
      • Tagged as:
      • cuba-street
      • restaurants-and-bars

        • Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)


    • Matterhorn comes out on top!
      • It's official. Matterhorn is the best restaurant/bar to eat and drink at! They have just won the Supreme Award and the Best Casual Dining - Metropolitain, at the Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year 2008 Awards! And of course they also won the NZ Bar of the Year Award (third year in a row)! Well done to the guys at Matterhorn - we are so proud! The judges described Matterhorn as a restaurant that appeals to all ages. "The arrival last year of chef Sean Marshall to Matterhorn lifted this restaurant from good to excellent. It is now not only a premium destination in Wellington for a great time but also for seriously good food." Guest international judge John Lethlean, restaurant critic for the Melbourne Age and Australian Gourmet Traveller, was clearly impressed by one of Marshall's signature starters. "A tuna sashimi-style starter left us moaning for more, such was the intelligence of the combined ingredients and quality of the fish," he says. "Ultimately, it was a dining tour de force from go to whoa with energy, wit and a superb sense of its own identity. "Stunning produce, unpredictable combinations, fresh thinking and thorough craftsmanship were the hallmarks of every dish." Across the board, Matterhorn impressed judges with every aspect of the dining experience, from decor to the extensive 321-strong wine list to the casual yet knowledgeable trainer wearing staff and serving style. Joint-owner Christian McCabe says it has been an immensely challenging task to build the Matterhorn's restaurant from nothing to one of country's best - while maintaining the high standards of the venue's award-winning bar. "We are fortunate enough to have a loyal and loving clientele who have evolved with us over the years and allowed us to do what we love. This award is accepted by us on behalf of the many staff members who have loved the Matterhorn as much as we do and have left their mark on the rich and complex culture that it represents today."  If you're heading to the Horn anytime soon be sure to say congratulations! - Tina
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

    • Not your Ordinary Book - Check a Person Out of the Living Library
      • I reckon most of us have slightly voyeuristic leanings and are curious about other people. It's probably often that we see people around who we wouldn't normally get to talk to, and think, "I wonder what their story is?" Part of Library Week (August 18-24), the Living Library at the Central Library will allow you to check out a real live person for a 30 minute chat. There is a catalogue you can browse from, full of people from different walks of like. Many of these people face negative stereotypes in the community and the Living Library sets out to break down barriers and prejudices. Just by chatting to some of these people, you can confront your own prejudices, be educated and gain a fascinating insight into other ways of life. The Living Library gives you a unique chance to speak to people that you wouldn't usually get to meet and it's also a great chance to ask questions and without coming across as too nosey. All you need to do is ask questions, listen and be open-minded. Confirmed ‘books' include a wheelchair bound extreme sports enthusiast, a blind music teacher, a mental health educator who has schizophrenia, and a female rabbi. You can check the ‘books' out on the spot, or reserve them to check out on a later date. Living LibraryFriday August 22, 2-6pmCentral Library65 Victoria Streetwww.wcl.govt.nz/livinglibrary - Kiran
      • Tagged as:
      • libraries

    • Snip Snap: Sardines, Oysters, Snappers … and Tagging
      • It’s hard to imagine the joy I felt this morning catching the bus to work and finally seeing someone else actually using a Snapper Card. I had been quietly trying to convince myself that the seemingly slow uptake of this local version of London’s Oyster card was due to unspent currency of 10-ride bus tickets - but alas there always seemed to be too much hard cash being exchanged between driver and passenger to validate this one.
      • Tagged as:
      • snapper-card

    • Rave on Ghuznee Street
      • Art No Made is an audio-visual artwork created in 3D, the pair compose abstract images that evolve and fall into one another, drawing the viewer headlong into the screen via the illusion of depth created by wearing 3D glasses. The two will also DJ electronic music so you really can get those rave memories flooding back.
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs

        • 84 Taranaki Street, Wellington


    • Let them eat antipasto platters!
      • Sometimes a fly likes to take time out from frequenting the fine bars of this city to spend some time in the fine cinemas of this city. But when one buzzes into a cinema foyer, one does not expect to find that one has walked into a staff meeting, especially when one is in the posh section of the cinema - the part that charges $31.50 a ticket.
      • Tagged as:
      • cinema

    • Civic News
      • ’ve just found out that Wellington Civic Trust is once again holding its Awards this year, and nominations are open once more: click here. Last held in 2005, perhaps there hasn’t been enough exciting public work for the Trust to have had Awards for the last couple of years - however, surely there are enough to give awards by now.
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • architecture
      • blogs

    • Construction methodologies
      • There are still many good signs of a healthy construction industry in Wellington, with a number of apartment projects underway. Two of these under construction at present are interesting as they show such different methods of construction.
      • Tagged as:
      • architecture

    • Time to Work It!
      • It's getting warm, summer clothes are slowly seeping into shops, you maybe starting to peel a few layers of clothes off yourself, but thanks to winter and all it's comforting glory, you maybe in a bit of despair over what those nights of trashy movies, vino's and chocolate coated everything have done to your figure. Yes, it's time to do something about that. While the weather has been random of late, there have been some beautiful days, day's worth getting out and seeing Wellington, so I present way's to see the best of Wellington and work off that winter gut!
      • Tagged as:
      • athletics

    • snapped? (wha)
      • It's been a couple weeks since we last checked in on Snapper. The Snapper rollout has continued apace, and some of us haven't used our old ten-trips for two whole weeks! (Well, we were excited about this, anyway.) More and more people are boarding buses armed with the cards; and more and more buses (and their drivers) are ready to take them. And in the meantime we've learnt many things.
      • Tagged as:
      • snapper-card
      • fares

    • Te Karo Park
      • Following fast on the footsteps of the previous post on Courtenay Park, which some are labeling as ‘grim’, I’d like to put forward another contender for the title of ‘grim urban park’: yes, that of the SLOAP that is the ‘park’ of the Bypass.
      • Tagged as:
      • architecture
      • bypass

        • 327 Willis Street, Wellington


    • Where is the best dance-floor in Wellington?
      • No, I'm not talking about the light up squares at Boogie Wonderland, but the feel, the vibe, the Mabo of Welli's best clubs. Yes, the physical aspects of the space come into play, but the way that people enjoy the dance-floor is more important. Now of course, this is a subjective issue, I won't actually be declaring a winner at the end, more just debating the various merits and debits of dance-floors around Wellington.
      • Tagged as:
      • restaurants-and-bars

    • Courtenay Park update
      • The simple beauty of rusting steel keeps getting better at Courtenay Park. These pictures speak without words: When the sun is out, the new park gets quite popular, especially on a sunny lunchtime.
      • Tagged as:
      • sculpture

        • 56 Taranaki Street, Wellington


    • Dancehall Cinema
      • For those of you more inclined towards UK roots reggae culture than euro-beats, there's a little something for you at the Film Archive this Thursday 7th. The Archive, in collaboration with NiceUp - local reggae forum and dancehall specialists - present the premiere Australasian screening of Musically Mad, a doco that examines sound system culture and the UK roots reggae scene, interviewing some of the shining lights of the community, past and present, and providing an historical context for the Caribbean-influenced musical culture.
      • Tagged as:
      • cinema
      • events
      • music

    • Parade Cafe on its way out
      • Over the next two years, take some time to appreciate Wellingtons Parade Café - because after that it will be no more. The lease for the cafes two buildings is up in 2010, and it is looking highly likely that they will be demolished to make way for a proposed apartment development, depending upon council approval.
      • Tagged as:
      • oriental-bay
      • cafes

        • 148 Oriental Parade, Wellington


    • Preservatives
      • Both ethanol and formalin cannot be used in large volumes in public galleries because of the hazardous nature of the chemicals. So in order to display our colossal squid we will be using a glycol solution with an antimicrobial preservative to prevent microbial growth. We have been experimenting with smaller specimens in jars.
      • Automatically tagged as:
      • blogs
      • te-papa

    • Banalitecture
      • I’ve just spotted this blank wall being constructed beside the main route into the city from the airport. Facing north, providing a beautiful backdrop for shadow play of pohutukawa, as well as a future venue for no doubt countless mindless scribblings, is a blank wall. Courtesy of the ArcHaus architectural team.
      • Tagged as:
      • airport
      • architecture
      • kilbirnie

        • Cobham Drive, Wellington


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