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Blogs / June 2009

July 2009 | May 2009
    • Wellington's Forthcoming International Film Festival
      •  The Wellington arm of the International Film Festival is just over two weeks away. The event kicks off with Jane Campion’s ‘Bright Star’, and festival goers are to be the first in the world to view the New Zealand born directors new efforts. The many and varied films on offer range from animation, to documentary and the ‘incredibly strange’; and from the up-and-coming, to the directors whom
      • Tagged as:
      • cinema

    • Dub Encounters Volume One
      • As Wellingtonians, we love dub, right? [citation needed] Sometimes to a fault, even? [citation needed] Anyone else remember that famous review a few years back in Pavement magazine of some local outfit that read: More effing trumpet-dub from Wellington Anyway if its to your taste, there's some serious dub trickery coming down in the next couple of weeks... [the details after the
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    • Harbour Cities
      • It was great to see the Dominion Post actually use some of its reporters to explore some of the local issues in the Weekend, with a two whole (almost) full pages on developments on the Wellington waterfront.
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      • waterfront

    • Hold Still - 24 June, Film Archive
      • The new sound and video installation ‘Hold Still’ opened to much flurry and intrigue on Wednesday evening. The work which is situated in the Film Archive’s Mediagallery space is both poignant and charming; as artist Rachel Shearer does an extraordinary job at showcasing the work of amateur female film-makers during the 1930’s in New Zealand.
      • Tagged as:
      • womens
      • art
      • cinema
      • film-and-video

    • City Markets - 21 June, Chaffers Dock building, 1 Herd Street
      • Now this is more like it.  The hustle and bustle of an inner-city marketplace; complete with some good-natured haggling, bottles of scrumptious wine, and more fresh produce than you can shake a telegraph cucumber at. The Wellington City Markets have certainly started life off on the right foot.  It’s taken a group effort by various local businesses to get this new community venture off t
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    • It’s Swonderful!
      • Swonderful is having a re-launch party tonight to celebrate their new downtown Wellington location AND to showcase a new collection of nostalgic-watercolour paintings by local artist Sally Shand! Woohoo! Swonderful is a cute little boutique store that is the brainchild of mother and daughter super-duo Frances and Virginia McMullen.  Originally based in Brooklyn, the duo decided to make the m
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      • brooklyn

        • Brooklyn, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)


    • Motel and Matterhorn rank amongst best in the world
      • If you are looking for the best bars in the world then you don’t have to go very far. That’s because Australian Bartender Magazine has named Wellington's Matterhorn and Motel bar, amongst the top twenty drinking establishments in the Asia-Pacific region for 2009. This is the third time that the Australian Bartender Mag has conducted their annual survey of the world’s finest nightspots. 
      • Tagged as:
      • restaurants-and-bars

    • The Mighty Civic – 17 June, Film Archive
      • The 1988 film was an hour of pure nostalgia, delight, sorrow and amusement. Everyone is familiar with the mighty Auckland Civic Theatre, but not many (including myself) are familiar with its back-story and sprawling history. Until, that is last Wednesday.
      • Tagged as:
      • cinema

    • Matariki Celebrations at Te Papa
      • We’re currently staring at the starry eyed eve of the Maori New Year, or Matariki. For those of you whom are not too familiar with this celestial celebration, Matariki is the name of a small cluster of stars known as the Seven Sisters in the Taurus constellation.
      • Tagged as:
      • te-papa
      • matariki

        • Te Papa, 55, Cable Street, Te Aro, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)


    • The Wellingtonista visits Snapper
      • Some of us at the Wellingtonista are rather fond of the old Snapper card. We worked through its teething troubles and are now happily tagging on and off as we bus about the city. So when Miki Szikszai, CEO of Snapper, asked us if we'd like to visit Snapper HQ and learn a bit about what's new in the world of the magical talking fish box, we (well, Alan and I) jumped at the chance.
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      • snapper-card

    • Nocturnal Sunshine
      • Well today there is time to squeeze the out the last of solstice by squeezing out a quick post to mark the occasion.  Mid-winter is officially here with the end of the shortest day, the end of the growing power of cold and darkness and the start of the growth of warmth and light.  While there is plenty to celebrate about mid-winter (mulled wine, boots, hats and scarves spring to mind) t
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      • featured

    • Terrible design
      • I’d heard about these things being installed at Auckland Airport, and I just thought that was typical Jafa bad design in that godawful domestic airport of theirs, but knock me down with a wet kipper: we’ve now got them here in Wellington as well.
      • Tagged as:
      • airport
      • architecture

        • Wellington International Airport, Coutts Street, Rongotai, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6023, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)


    • Exposure Issue Six - Out Now!
      • Wellington's coolest little magazine has a new edition out.  Exposure Lifestyles is now up to issue six, and is still going strong since its under-the-radar conception in 2005. The latest Exposure Lifestyles includes interviews with prominent music journalist (For National Radio & the Listener) Nick Bollinger; feature film-maker Gaylene Preston; Upper Hutt Posse’s Teremoana Rapley; Actres
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    • Snapper, re-visited
      • It's been a long time since we've mentioned Snapper in these pages. In the meantime it's become so much of an everyday part of life in Wellington now that it hardly seems worth mentioning anymore. Or is it? Recently we got an email from Snapper asking us if we'd like to come and see what they're up to. It seems they've had a few other things on the go as well as the recent Valley Flyer conversion
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      • snapper-card
      • fares

    • The Raft – 12 June, Downstage Theatre
      • The Downstage Theatre was almost unrecognisable as I took my seat in the light-dimmed room to watch The Raft. Laid out before me was an impressive cross-section of a bach, complete with wood-panelled floors and walls. There were thin branches of dead bracken hanging from the ceiling and a cute pot-belly stove tucked in a corner. This clever set-design, along with intelligent lighting and sound, set the scene for an incredibly moving piece of theatre that I cannot recommend highly enough.
      • Tagged as:
      • theatre

    • Fly My Pretties - 13 June, St James Theatre
      • The 20th century had Sir Howard, Dame Kiri, John Rowles, the Finn brothers, Dobbo, and those loveable larrikins from Shihad. You can now add Fly My Pretties to that list. The first iconic, kiwi music-act, of the 21st century. I have no problem saying this because I saw it with my own eyes. The most talent-packed stage anybody could ever wish for, all working as a team to produce one stunning show that almost reeked of quintessential Kiwiana.
      • Tagged as:
      • music

    • Thorndon Tavern : Thai Takeaway
      • Thorndon’s quite the place to be you know. But there is an eyesore that is troubling the residents, above and beyond such other eyesores such as the American Embassy, the abortion of a supermarket carpark, the ugly lumpy tower of the Police Association, the row of non-descript office towers etc: yes, its the Thorndon Tavern.
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      • thorndon
      • architecture

        • 110 Molesworth Street, Wellington


    • Slope 2009 – 12 June, Manky Chops Gallery
      • I recall the first time I spotted the haunting portraits of Wellington-based artist, Brad Williams / Slope. It was a couple of years ago at the opening of an Affordable Art Show and they were causing quite the fuss. Since then I have noticed his distinctive works adorning the walls of many Wellington galleries, cafes and bars. So I was uber-stoked when I learnt he was exhibiting at Manky Chops this month.
      • Tagged as:
      • cuba-street
      • exhibitions

        • 166 Cuba Street, Wellington


    • Local Jewellery Sale this Weekend
      • Fancy a piece of excitingly-fresh, locally-made jewellery?! Then why not head to the Paramount Theatre this Saturday and check out Winter Jewels.Winter Jewels is a sale of unique, contemporary jewellery that has been organised by those clever women down at Workplace Studios.  But it’s not just a cash-transaction, oh no, you will have the chance to chat to Wellington’s finest jewellers, whilst
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    • Half Price? Now That's a Sale!
      • What’s almost as good as gold these days?  50% off, that’s what. Good as Gold, those soft-hearted sweeties, are offering 50% off a very select range of some of their most stylin’ T-Shirts.  Tee’s that once came off the rack for up to 119 bucks are now being kicked out the door for something close to chump change.  The average price for this selection is around $50, with many going f
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    • Capture Matariki – Ka hao a Matariki
      • In partnership with TelstraClear and NZ Post, this year’s Matariki festivities include a unique photography event utilising the existing OurSpace infrastructure as well as the newly developed OurSpace TelstraClear Screen, scheduled for installation on the front exterior of the building in the coming month.
      • Tagged as:
      • matariki

    • A quiet night in the suburbs
      • Spotted at the Railway Station is this hilarious anti-graffiti ad: Find out what this nice young suburban couple are up to after the jump. Hey, let's use our first-year media studies skills to analyse the poster! So there they are, a nice young suburban couple relaxing out on their deck. She's got a glass of white wine, he's got his hand down his pants, and you just know there's a barbecue a
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      • blogs
      • featured

    • A week of it
      • What a week to look forward to! Tuesday 9th: Pecha Kucha at the OPT from 6:30pm. We love these nights, and this time they've got writers, artists, cartoonists and landscape architects (among others) in the line-up. Those with a practical interest in street art might have to rush there from the At Large planning meeting at Manky Chops, which starts at 5:30. Wednesday 10th: Artist Matt Hunt (aka Ace
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    • Did someone say paint party? With Tiki?!
      • It sounds like one hell of an awesome dream-sequence.  Tiki Tane + stonking DnB + tons of fluro-colored paint.  Well welcome to the real world Neo, because this party to end parties is actually happening. Shed 6 on Wellingtons waterfront will play host to New Zealand’s first ever, Illuminated Paint Party - featuring former Salmonella Dub front man (and all-round kiwi
      • Tagged as:
      • waterfront

    • Karaoke: ur doin it rong
      • Is it just me, or is there something odd about this poster outside the new "Newkor" Karaoke restaurant in Dixon St? That singer looks somewhat ... uncomfortable. Perhaps it's something to do with the item on the menu that's described only as "WARNING! Extreeeemley! Hot and Spicychicken" [very sic]. In other news, the re-opening of Happy on Friday night was a happy occasion ind
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    • Othello Polynesia - 2 June, Downstage Theatre
      • It was too often a case of missed opportunities and uneven performances for the opening night of Othello Polynesia.  Not to say that there weren’t any highlights amongst this modern retelling of an ancient story.  But when you’re taking more interest in the funnier parts of such a classic drama, it’s obvious something’s a bit lacking in terms of the production and its respective players.
      • Tagged as:
      • theatre

    • This is Experimental: Australian Film Art
      • A three-day festival takes flight from the 11-13 June at the Film Archive called This is Experimental: Australian Film Art. It features Sally Golding, Joel Stern and Dirk de Bruyn who are at the forefront of experimental Australian film.  The opening on Thursday begins with Isolationist Eye Openers: Historic Australian Film Art 1962-1998. Created by Brisbane-based arts collective OtherFilm, v
      • Tagged as:
      • cinema
      • exhibitions

    • Cold Train
      • Wellington's Tranz Metro trains have lately been known for certain carriages with broken heating. It's horrible enough being (relatively) young and only faced with a 30-minute chilly commute. I wouldn't want to be a Paraparam gran making the hour-long trip to Wellington in an unheated carriage. But it seems that while the carriages are slowly being fixed, Trans Metro are also paying attention to,
      • Tagged as:
      • trains

    • Manners closes, but what will open?
      • If you have read the Dominion Post article on Manners, you will know that the plans to un-mall Manners Mall have just been passed. If you have read the Dominion Post article, you will also not know the full story. Whether due to the breaking nature of the announcement, or somewhat slanted journalistic intent, the dom doesn’t make mention of the news that the lower end of Cuba St down to Wakefield will be redeveloped as a pedestrian-oriented public space.
      • Tagged as:
      • manners-mall-bus-lane
      • cuba-street

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


    • Head Rush - A Spontaneous Exhibition
      • There is nothing like a mad-organising-dash to get the adrenaline going and that is exactly what happened when Toi Poneke Gallery found itself empty for two weeks and announced a spontaneous exhibition. Yikes. The exhibition will showcase the works of over twenty resident artists and will capture numerous disciplines including paintings, photography, screen prints, design, film, jewellery and fab
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      • blogs

    • You’re Soaking It In – 3 June, Film Archive
      • Nineties television’s Philip Alpers voice was comforting, soothing and somewhat disturbing. The various attempts at one-liners and puns were cringe-worthy, but made for a good slice of nostalgia. You’re Soaking it In was a documentary made for TV1 back in 1994 and was a large piece of nostalgia in itself as it traced New Zealand’s TV advertising right back to the un-politically correct days on the 1960s.
      • Tagged as:
      • film-and-video

    • A diamond in the rough
      • What are you doing on Saturday? How about you go on a treasure hunt to find me* yourself a diamond ring? iChild on twitter explains it: So, what's this all about then?? Story goes, guy bought ring for girl, girl didn't want ring. Guy couldn't give it to another, and doesn't want to sell it. Guy also happens to be the guy behind Donoogle.com ...Guy decides that rather than just having this ri
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      • featured

    • the big freeze
      • this Friday June 5 is World Environment Day And in our fairy capital city, and in other spots around the coutry hundreds of people will “freeze” together to show united action for climate change. The Freeze is set to kick off at 1pm for just 5 minutes right now the location is all secret squirrel, but stay tuned Nick Potter, Personal Assistant to Mr Freeze and lead co-ordinator of a te
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    • Collapsing Cities - 29 May, Bodega
      • For as long as I’ve known the Auckland-based Collapsing Cities there has always been a degree of hype. I guess this was largely due to their bNet domination with the singles Seriously, Or So I Said Last Weekend and Fear Of Opening My Mouth and the successive release of their well-received debut album Elixir Always.
      • Tagged as:
      • music

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