Adventures of the Superfly: Wellington - an overview of our new home!

23 July 2006

Hiya!

So after a short absence I’m back and ready to do some more story telling! At this point in time we’ve seen most of
Wellington’s inner city, a few beaches, and had a few glimpses of the upper and lower Hutt, Karori and Johnsonville suburbs. For our first 10 days in
Wellington we stayed on the Terrace. (No, not terrace as in huge lawn, Terrace as in THE Terrace… Where all the ministers used to stay… but you knew that of course!

John’s new employers were kind enough to set John and Annelize up with a self catering appartment for the first 2 weeks of their stay. John and Annelize on their part were kind enough to allow me to stay there as well (thanks guys!) So our time in the colourful town of Wellington started in luxury!
Wellington is best known as the windy city… One wellington-dweller remarked jokingly that “Welli” has a hill or two and it’s known to be a little breezy now and then… This was the euphemism of the century though! The problem with describing a place like
Wellington is choosing a place to start… Well then, let’s begin… at the beginning! Our short stay on the terrace started off in brilliant weather! Even though the most of the
South Island was gripped by the claws of winter during that period “Welli” was really quite moderate. On sunny days (and contrary to popular opinion there are many of those) it seemed like the entire populace would spill onto the streets. Some sitting outside coffee shops, reading or hanging out with friends, others jogging along the harbor beachfront or enjoying a day of sailing in the harbour itself. Even on the dreariest of days Welli is a beehive of activity. The city’s energy really is intoxicating, in a good way hehe. Everywhere in public areas and all along the huge harbour waterfront you’ll find huge blocks of concrete inscribed with poetry and prose laying praise on Welli’s hills and people. There are more theatre’s, coffeshops, restaurants and pubs in the Wellington CBD than can be explored in a year. And should one embark on a silly mission like experienceing all of these puddles of entertainment you’d end up grossly overweight and develop some yet unkown entertainment overload disorder! A boring day in Wellington – Unheard of! One of the concrete inscriptions that describeWellington the best is found in the town square opposite the library. It states: “It’s true you can’t live here by chance, you have to do and be, not simply watch or even describe, this is the city of action. The world headquarters of the verb.” Another found at the harbour reads: “I love this city, the hills, the harbour, the wind that blasts through it. I love the life and pulse and activity and the warm decrepitude. There is always an edge here that one must walk that is sharp and precarious, that requires vigilance…” We had the most intense views from our Terrace appartment. On clear days we could see far across the harbour all the way to snow capped peaks of the Rimutaka range. A pretty and inspiring sight for sure. Some mornings the harbour would be whipped into a raging torrent by winds gusting across the Cook Straight and on others it would be the most serene pond you’ve ever seen. A city of extremities. One day you’ll find comfort in a coffee shop’s embrace – the abundance of java sheltering you from the cold and wet. The very next day, however, you could find youself in paradise. Skies the blue of an enchantress’ eyes and a bay so calm you’ll attempt to walk it’s waters. I might just have fallen in love with this place. We soon moved to our own rented appartment, this time a wee bit closer to the cbd. Words fail to express the pleasure of WALKING to work! I leave home at 8:25 and reach the office at 8:30, exactly on time for work… To make things even more rediculous - I’m home before 6 pm every night. Crazy hey!? Gym’s around the corner, works’ just there… lovely! Here are some pics to back my words up with some substance…

A tribute to some Maori chieftains. This, ladies and gentleman, is what blue skies should look like!

A stormy day on the bay (Windsufers ahoy)

Town Square at night - enchanting isn’t it!

Allow me to state the obvious, yet again… The picture above was taken at 9 pm on a sunday evening. It is in the city centre. People were still out and about, jogging for fun. No sirens, no gunshots, no hijackings… Now that that has been said, I’ll leave it at that.

Our first place on the Terrace