Blogs / August 2009
September 2009 | July 2009-
-
Weta Cave after a year
- The Sidestrip
- The sidestrip revisited the Weta Cave after a year Posted in Film and Entertainment, Travel and Places
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- video
-
-
-
Parkour: A Phenomenon of Movement
- Texture
- If you see someone running up the side of a building Matrix-style, there's a good chance he's a practitioner of Parkour.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Google Maps
- The Wellingtonista
- A couple of cool new features have arrived at Google Maps.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
- featured
-
-
-
Safe Passage
- The Wellingtonista
- Today delivered a bright and cheerful blue-dappled day in the city but there were dark forces abroad.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
- featured
-
-
-
Cinephilia: Opening This Week
- The Wellingtonista
- I have to keep this brief as time is short.
- Tagged as:
- cinema
-
-
-
Wellington on a plate on the web
- The Wellingtonista
- We've been particularly lax in not covering Wellington on a Plate, in my case because I am drastically short of funds and if I wrote about it I'd just get sad that I can't eat every single thing on offer.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
- featured
-
-
-
Family Cactus – 21 August, San Francisco Bathhouse
- Texture
- It was with great anticipation that I headed to San Francisco Bathhouse last Friday, as there was quite the aural treat to be had.
- Tagged as:
- gigs
-
-
-
The Library has opened!
- Texture
- Wellington's newest boutique cocktail and dessert bar, The Library, opened its doors two weeks ago and, as I discovered, offers something a little different to its debaucherous Courtenay Place peers… a reading room.
- Tagged as:
- restaurants-and-bars
- libraries
-
-
-
Whero’s New Net – 26 August, Downstage Theatre
- Texture
- Having already wowed audiences last year at the Herald Theatre in Auckland, the Massive Company’s production of Whero’s New Net has hit the road and is currently being performed at The Downstage Theatre for a strictly limited season.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Review: Whero's New Net
- The Wellingtonista
- Whero's New Net, by Albert Belz, is a play inspired by The New Net Goes Fishing, Witi Ihimaera's 1977 collection of short stories looking at the experiences of rural Maori moving to the cities.
- Tagged as:
- theatre
- reviews
-
-
-
Death by chocolate
- Texture
- For something different check out this intriguing event where you taste chocolate and solve a crime.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Mad on Manners
- Eye of the Fish
- The subject of Manners Mall has not yet, it seems, gone away.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- manners-mall-bus-lane
-
-
-
Newlands Community Centre
- Eye of the Fish
- Newlands suburban shopping centre is even worse than NaeNae by many standards: tantalising close to Wellington, the shopping centre (shown above) is worse than virtually anywhere else in the region: about 6 shops (Fush and Chups, Dairy, Emergency condom supplies, and off-license), some more closed down, with a large tarmac spin-out pad parking lot, and an architectural value quotient of precisely zero. I'm sure that there are many happy Newlanites / Newlandiers that love it precisely for its unpretensionness: however to me it is hell on earth (but with a nice view from some parts). However: all that has recently changed.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- newlands
- architecture
Newlands, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand/Aotearoa (OpenStreetMap)
-
-
-
Sole-Phonic: A Tribute to the Classics – 20 August, Manky Chops Gallery
- Texture
- Wellington-based stencil artist Sole has returned to Manky Chops Gallery once again, this time under the guise Sole-Phonic, to showcase his new collection of works inspired by Motown and the old-school masters of funk and soul.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
KillaQueenz - 14 August, Sandwiches
- Texture
- Wellington, where the hell were you!? It was not raining, there were no 120-knot winds, it was not freezing, but alas, Wellington was still lamely under-representing - at home in bed, probably crying.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Another reason to love Wellington
- The Wellingtonista
- We've always known that Wellington is a warm glowing lovefest of pinko liberal lefties.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
- featured
-
-
-
Come Howling this Friday!
- Texture
- Wellington-based indie-rock band, the Family Cactus, are finishing off their mini-national tour at the San Francisco Bathhouse this Friday in celebration of their debut album Come Howling.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Reminder: Smarten your Snapper
- The Wellingtonista
- Here's just a quick reminder that the Smarten your Snapper competition closes in a week's time, on Thursday 27th August.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
- featured
-
-
-
Cinephilia: Opening This Week
- The Wellingtonista
- Righto, back again with a quick run down of what's new in cinemas this weekend.
- Tagged as:
- cinema
-
-
-
KillaQueenz - 14 August, Sandwiches
- Texture
- Wellington, where the hell were you!? It was not raining, there were no 120-knot winds, it was not freezing, but alas, Wellington was still lamely under-representing - at home in bed, probably crying.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Fly My Pretties CD & DVD Deluxe Edition - 16 August 2009
- Texture
- After ranting and raving about the gig itself (best thing I’ve seen in 2009, hands-down), the last few weeks left me a little anxious, wondering how the CD & DVD deluxe box set would stack up against the real thing.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Rebel Peasant, The Walls of the Well – Album Review
- Texture
- Rebel Peasant is the moniker and brainchild of Wellington-based musician Richie Singleton and The Walls of the Well is his debut album.
- Tagged as:
- music
- reviews
-
-
-
Lela Jacobs 3 hour sale
- Texture
- You'd be crazy to miss this! This Friday 21 August there'll be 3 hours of Lela Jacobs' clothing from this season's range at ridiculous prices, plus some special one-offs and samples.Prices range from $30 to $250, all quality fabric and beautiful stuff. From 5 - 7pm. Be there early to avoid disappointment!
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Porcupine fish on Petone foreshore
- Te Papa's blog
- I had a call yesterday from Wellington's Dominion Post newspaper needing an expert to identify some fish found washed up on the Petone foreshore. Andrew Stewart, Te Papa's fishes collection manager, identified them as porcupine fish.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- petone
Petone, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
-
-
-
Project Rugby
- Eye of the Fish
- Prodded into action by one of our many readers, who helpfully slipped us a set of the Resource Consent drawings, we've had a chance to look at the New World ("Project Rugby") scheme that is due to clog up the Basin Reserve even more.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- mount-cook
- retail
85 Rugby Street, Wellington
-
-
-
Epic Cafe is Dead - Long Live 'Relish'
- Texture
- The former Epic Cafe is about to be reborn, and out of the ashes we get to welcome Relish, blinking like a newborn in the Wellington light.
- Tagged as:
- cafes
219 Willis Street, Wellington
-
-
-
Haunted Love - 12 August, Mighty Mighty
- Texture
- It was just after ten-thirty when I grazed past Mighty, Mighty's heavy-draped-curtains to catch Haunted Love's Darkness in Diamond City EP release gig.
- Tagged as:
- gigs
-
-
-
Monument Mondrian
- Eye of the Fish
- Today however, all was revealed. Closed my eyes for a second, took my mind off the ball, and with a start I find that the wraps have come off the Monument apartments in a most alluring manner. So: Architecture + and Stratum / CAS have done it again: completed a major new apartment building in the middle of a nasty recession.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Automatically tagged as:
- architecture
- blogs
233-245 Wakefield Street, Wellington
-
-
-
Cinephilia: Opening This Week
- The Wellingtonista
- The big noise this week is being made by Neill Blomkamp's District 9 which you can see at Readings, Empire, Embassy and Sky City Queensgate.
- Tagged as:
- cinema
-
-
-
A belated and shamefully unremarked 60th birthday greeting to Wellington’s darkest secret, its trolley buses
- Poneke
- The 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin making the first Moon landing reminded me I’d completely overlooked another anniversary as close to my heart as that long ago great leap for mankind.
- Tagged as:
- trolley-buses
-
-
-
Blenheim Tournament
- Wgtn U-13 Hatch Cup Team 2009 Blog
- Last weekend we went to Blenheim to play in a mini tournament against Marlborough, Nelson and Canterbury. Our first 2 games against Marlborough and Nelson went well with good team work and 11-0 and 6-0 wins. Our coaches Nigel and Subs were reasonably happy, but we did miss a few opportunities. Our game against Canterbury was to be our big match of the weekend. Unfortunately, half our team were struggling with food poisoning and sickness so we performed well below our best, losing 6-1.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- hockey
-
-
-
Iceberg hits Welllington
- The Sidestrip
- A fake 'iceberg' in Wellington's Oriental Bay the other day was made by special effects wizards Weta for a Climate change stunt. The object, which appears to be made of polystyrene or a similar material, is between the Carter Fountain and the Overseas Passenger Terminal.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- oriental-bay
- conservation
- video
Oriental Bay, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
-
-
-
Fly My Pretties has a fancy new deluxe box…
- Texture
- The Fly My Pretties: A Story CD/DVD Deluxe box that is and you can nab a copy for your sweet self on the 17th of August…Fly My Pretties: A Story is purportedly a conceptual extension of the previous two Fly My Pretties’ experiences and has a narrative that connects music, illustration, animation, charity and a message of change into one audiovisual experience.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Eyes Wide Open for Climate change
- The Sidestrip
- Today, August 12th at 1pm, hundreds of New Zealanders paused for five minutes with woolly hats over their eyes. We then lifted our hats together, showing that we will not have the wool pulled over our eyes about the possibilities for real action on climate change.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- video
- conservation
-
-
-
Lunch and a Movie for 8 Dollars!
- Texture
- Those rather smart cinemaphiles down at New Zealand's Film Archive have come up with a real doozy of an idea. It's called 'Soup & a Seat', where-upon the weary and ravenous film-lover can relax with a movie and a cup of piping-hot homemade soup, for just $8.
- Tagged as:
- cinema
-
-
-
Grafitti Knitter on the loose!!!
- The Sidestrip
- Grafitti Knitters in Wellington.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- art
- video
-
-
-
Review: Le Sud
- The Wellingtonista
- If you've visited Akaroa, you'll know how the li'l Canterbury village prides itself on its Frenchness. See, it was founded by the French. Dave Armstrong's new play "Le Sud" takes the idea of the French in Aotearoa a few steps further.
- Tagged as:
- theatre
- reviews
-
-
-
Little Bushman – 2 August, Downstage theatre
- Texture
- The last time I heard the psychedelic and blues-infused sound of the Little Bushman I was lying on the banks of Brooklands Park, as they performed an impressive set at the picturesque TSB Bowl as part of the WOMAD festival this year and to be honest, I wasn’t sure whether this four-piece could convincingly shift their immense, layered sound to the intimate setting of Downstage Theatre… Hmm…It was just after seven when the Little Bushman strode on stage and Warren Maxwell began with a Karanga on a saxophone that weaved the most impressive musical textures, which then gave way to their introductory number The Seed. It was hard to deny the talent of Maxwell as he delicately played the keys and captivated the audience with his flawless vocals.This testament rang true for the reminder of the band, Joe Callwood on guitar, Tom Callwood on upright bass and Rick Cranson on drums, as they collectively performed an incredibly tight set, peppered with dramatic solos, that included material from their previous releases, The Onus of Sand (2006) and Pendulum (2007), including Jimi, Little Bird and Mary.The seated, intimate setting meant that the audience could truly appreciate the precision and intricacy of the Little Bushman’s rustic sonic soundscapes, which seemed to overwhelm the senses, particularly with the tracks Pendulum and War. This intensity remained for the duration of the two hour set and was ever-present right till the encore number, Peaceful Man… which saw Maxwell play an eleven-string guitar…The Little Bushman embodies a wealth of talent and they perform an incredible set regardless of venue size, scope and orientation. They are a fantastic band to see live and I am looking forward to October when they’ll be accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at an epic Town Hall gig, you can nab your tickets through Ticketek.- Karyn(photography by Pat Shepherd)
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Two cats in one
- CataBlog
- Our lovely girl came from us as a stray from Hamilton Rd in Haitaitai - hence the name. Originally we thought her a boy, but a vet check has proved otherwise, so "Lady" has been appended to the original name.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
3 day CraftWeekend
- The Wellingtonista
- Saturday pick for Craftyness is The Island Bay Craft Village. It's showcasing a gorgeous range of bags, jewellery, chocolate, cupcakes, clothes, photos, toys, brooches, scarfs, pottery, ceramics and more.
- Tagged as:
- island-bay
- events
88 The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington
-
-
-
Le Sud - 5 August, Downstage Theatre
- Texture
- Opening nights always take a while to get cooking.
- Tagged as:
- theatre
-
-
-
Cinephilia: Opening This Week
- The Wellingtonista
- I thought I'd come out of hiding for a moment to trumpet the first Wellington feature film to get a decent release in ages, Separation City.
- Tagged as:
- cinema
-
-
-
Portofino
- Eye of the Fish
- The opening of the new restaurant Portofino in the base of the Meridian building will add nicely to the ambience of the Kumutoto area, making a triumverate of eateries / drinkeries that is a little Wellington all in itself.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- architecture
- restaurants-and-bars
- waterfront
-
-
-
Out of the Dust - 5 August, Chaffers Gallery
- Texture
- It can be a harsh world out there, no doubt about it.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Compassionate Charitable Coffee
- Texture
- Yip. We all heard about it. Wellington's finest kitsch-1940's-styled-Lyall-Bay-based Maranui Surf Life Saving Club and Cafe was a fiery inferno in the early hours of Saturday morning last weekend. Initially, charred like a lava rock, it looked doubtful whether this prominent seaside haven would be restored, BUT with overwhelming support from Wellington City Council, Wellington businesses and the Wellington community at large it will be.
- Tagged as:
- restaurants-and-bars
- maranui-fire
- coffee
Maranui Cafe, Lyall Bay Parade, Melrose, Wellington, Wellington Region, 6022, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
-
-
-
Fence action
- The Wellingtonista
- Right now you can check out the start of the Outdoor Knit fence action on the cnr of Vivian and Bute Streets As lovely as 3 hearts are, that fence is still pretty ugly.
- Tagged as:
- art
1 Bute Street, Wellington
-
-
-
Minuit – 31 July, Sandwiches
- Texture
- It was just after eleven when I joined an efficient queue outside Sandwiches to orderly make my way into Minuit’s album release gig for their third album, Find Me Before I Die A Lonely Death dot com, but once inside the atmosphere was anything but orderly.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Watermarked
- Eye of the Fish
- Massive front page news on the Dompost today, that the Watermark project has stalled / stopped / been reborn as a new project. All in the one day. Someone has been busy.
- Submitted by tonytw1
- Tagged as:
- real-estate
- waterfront
-
-
-
We're gonna party like it's your birthday...
- Texture
- Oh, how cute! 6 already?? My how you’ve grown.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
March against Night Class cuts
- The Wellingtonista
- In the 2009 Budget, the National Government announced an 80% cut in the funding provided to schools throughout New Zealand to run night classes or Adult Community Education (ACE).
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
- featured
-
-
-
Fishing the Basin
- Eye of the Fish
- The Wellington Civic Trust is holding a Seminar this coming weekend on “Round About the Basin“, with a grand line-up of speakers and presentations so that everyone can have their say. The question still remains: “is anyone in power actually going to be listening?” - to which almost certainly the answer will be “lip service only.” It’s great that the Civic Trust takes it on itself to do these kind of things, although really it should be the job of the Council to talk to the people and gauge their views, and just occasionally take on their recommendations.
- Tagged as:
- basin-reserve-flyover
Basin Reserve, Dufferin Street, Mount Victoria, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
-
-
-
Pohutukawa flowering – is it Christmas already?
- Te Papa's blog
- No, it is not Christmas already. (Fortunately the year hasn’t passed by that quickly.) But this pohutukawa on Wellington’s waterfront, opposite Frank Kitts Park, seems to think so. It has been spluttering into flower over the last few weeks.
- Tagged as:
- waterfront
-
-
-
The writing's on the wall...
- CataBlog
- ... and the couches, the walls, the cages and the chairs. Cos us cat nutters really do care.
- Automatically tagged as:
- blogs
-
-
-
Smarten yer Snapper
- The Wellingtonista
- Craft 2.0 are running the Smarten Your Snapper competition. All you need to do is make some sort of nifty cover, holder, or cosy for your Snapper card (or Snapper USB) and enter it into the competition for a chance to win a new Snapper card pre-loaded with $100. In addition, you'll win a table at the next Craft2.0 at the Dowse, giving you a place to market your creation.
- Tagged as:
- snapper-card
- art
-
-
-
O'Baby! Charlie ASH are back!
- Texture
- Auckland-based Charlie ASH are set to bring their distinct electro-pop flavour back to Wellington, as they headline a gig at Bodega on the 22nd of August that is bound to be a nice winter-synthy-treat.
- Tagged as:
- gigs
-