#1023... Asian Festival

Performers at the Asian Festival on the waterfront ... lots of people, great assortment of national foods ... great vibe ... Wellington does it again

#1022 ... The Long Arm

Lambton Quay looking north to Cable Car Lane ... see the sign upper left of photo. These guys and obviously the passerby on the right were promoting optical remedies for poor eyesight ... well it didn't take much to see these guys and it did make the unsmiling pedestrians break out in SMILES ... and that's gotta be good for you.

... and this team were also enjoying the promotional experience ... thanks for the lunchtime laughs

#1021 ... SAM

I met Sam in the street a couple of weeks ago outside the Wellington City Library ... to me he was a real "black" African ... so being intrigued I walked up and asked "Where do you come from?" The reply "Belgian Congo" ... wow ... "so how did you get to this little place in this little country somewhere in the south pacific ... now the response nearly knocked me over ... Sam lived in the Belgian Congo (Zaïre) during the Mobutu Sese Seko ... thanks to P for the correct info

Mugabe regime and arrived in New Zealand almost 23 years ago with his NZ lady ... they spent 6 months in Dunedin ... her hometown and since then have lived for just over 22 years in Wellington. They have a delightful daughter with the characteristic springy curly hair ... Sam is a musician of African music and plays many instruments including guitar. If I hadn't been so intrigued, I would have missed out on a unique experience.

This poster publicises a gig that Sam and his fellow musicians are playing tomorrow night.

Thanks Sam for stopping to talk and here is the payback ... ciao

#1020 ... Fashion on fashion

One of the delights of the retail world is when you come across a professional, down to earth, friendly team ... well Kay and Juliette at Rod & Gun on Lambton Quay, tick all the boxes.

This is Kay showing that simple classic style of a steel grey shirt worn over black tights, finished off with plain wedge heal black shoes. The mannequin she is dressing also shows some classic Rodd & Gun style ... in the genre of Eddie Bauer, USA.

#1019 ... St Patricks Day

Two delightful Irish lasses that accosted me with chocolates as an enticement to get along to Molly Malones on Courtenay Place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day ... love the SMILES ... enjoy the night.

#1018 ... A Load of Rubbish

The gallery next door took exception to these artistic creations !! being placed by their front door ... so they got placed in front of our lifts ... did someone win this game of chess???

#1017 ... thirsty dog & buckets of water

The famous "bucket fountain" in Cuba Mall ... fascination for the thirsty dog and for the young girl in the lower left of the photo. Both keen to get to the water .. I think.

HISTORY
Cuba Street was closed to traffic in 1965 to remove the unused tramlines. During this time a campaign started to keep Cuba Street closed to traffic. In 1969, the Cuba Street pedestrian mall was officially opened by then mayor, Sir Francis Kitts.

Designed by architects and town planning consultants Burren and Keen, the Bucket Fountain was constructed as part of the Cuba Street Pedestrian Mall. Before the fountain was installed in Cuba Mall, an off site mock up was created to test and adjust the tipping buckets.

Cuba Mall has received two facelifts, in 1980 and in 1998, but the Bucket Fountain continues to remain remarkably faithful to its original construction (although regular maintenance is required to keep it operating).

The Bucket Fountain is recognised as one of Wellington’s quirkiest and most well known landmarks. The Wellington City District Plan includes recommendations on how best to develop Cuba Mall. Within these recommendations the plan states, “The much maligned/much enjoyed sugar-scoop bucket fountain should resume pride of place in the Mall.”

In November 2003, the Bucket Fountain was removed from Cuba Mall so that it could be painted and repaired in time for the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The revamped fountain is brighter and splashier than ever!

#1016 ... Every Man for Himself

Today was the last day for the "Revolt of the Mannequins" ... here are the crazy firemen escaping along the roof through the smoke.

Some more photos of the stories of the week

Changing the way we think about street theatre, Royal de Luxe brings together gorgeous imagery, engineering talent and storytelling prowess to transform the idea of the mannequin into pure comic strip brilliance. This ingenious free event will infiltrate the city over ten days, using popular shop windows for stages. Forty mannequins will be fixed in place every day and changed every night so the stories can evolve on the streets of Wellington during Festival 2010.

The personal adventures of the mannequins interweave love, fear, honour, pleasure, revenge, jealousy, violence and the discovery of life ... the unfolding drama has had an eclectic mix of just about everything: assassinations by the sniper, birth in a shop window of a little old man, a young child growing to exploding point in a box, the hunter and his dog, china plate shooting instead of claybirds, riots in the closing down sale ... even ripping the carpet off the shop floor, crazy firemen cooling down one of their own by filling her up with water, the little people stealing the opera words and music ... and now the opera singer herself, the trendy young man melting into a puddle, the housewife catching fresh fish through her kitchen floor, Inspector Colombo chasing all over town asking the hard questions, lovers' passion across a shop doorway ... WELL TODAY WAS THE FINAL DAY ... the male opera singer has escaped ... chased by the midget with the chain saw ... the fireman have escaped onto the roof with smoke pouring out of the building ... the "closing down sale" shoppers are also on the balcony ... as is the hunter escaping from the scene ... however his trusty dog is lounging on the beach ... Inspector Colombo has caught up with the sniper and heading off to the Police Station in his Holden ... ALL IN ALL an amazing week of intrigue.

#1015 ... The Pulse

The Wellington Pulse netball team were out in force at Frank Kitts Park doing promo work with their young fans ... I spoke to our new goal attack, Jane Altschwager ... (that's Jane in the top left) ... a natural personable young lady, all the way from Western Australia ... whose favourite movie is "Dirty Dancing"

Their first home town game is on Saturday 27 March against the Mystics at Porirua Te Rauparaha Arena

#1014 ... Revolt of the Mannequins

Changing the way we think about street theatre, Royal de Luxe brings together gorgeous imagery, engineering talent and storytelling prowess to transform the idea of the mannequin into pure comic strip brilliance. This ingenious free event will infiltrate the city over ten days, using popular shop windows for stages. Forty mannequins will be fixed in place every day and changed every night so the stories can evolve on the streets of Wellington during Festival 2010.

The personal adventures of the mannequins interweave love, fear, honour, pleasure, revenge, jealousy, violence and the discovery of life ... the unfolding drama has had an eclectic mix of just about everything: assassinations by the sniper, birth in a shop window of a little old man, a young child growing to exploding point in a box, the hunter and his dog, china plate shooting instead of claybirds, riots in the closing down sale ... even ripping the carpet off the shop floor, crazy firemen cooling down one of their own by filling her up with water, the little people stealing the opera words and music ... and now the opera singer herself, the trendy young man melting into a puddle, the housewife catching fresh fish through her kitchen floor, Inspector Colombo chasing all over town asking the hard questions, lovers' passion across a shop doorway ... who knows what will happen this weekend for the finale?

Royal de Luxe has performed around the world, creating extraordinary rapport with passers-by. Residents have become captivated with the activities of these miraculous beings and begin to follow their every move. By the end of the performance, huge crowds gather daily. Make sure you reserve a spot on the footpath to catch sight of these wondrous creations before they leave our streets.

Shopfront locations around Wellington:

CLOSING-DOWN SALE / David Lawrence
EVIL TALE FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN / Pearl
THE COMIC FRIE BRIGADE/ Robyn Mathieson
THE ANGELUS, BY MILLET / Portmans
EAT YOUR SOUP IF YOU WANT TO GROW UP BIG AND STRONG / Borders
NIGHTMARE OF THE PUDDLE / Unity Collection
THE HUNTER / Farmers
POSITIVE TEST / Kirkcaldie & Stains
THE KITCHEN / Kirkcaldie & Stains
THE LOVERS / Stax

Some more photos of the evolving story

#1013 ... Yellow Fever "cartoon T"

All the great support for the Wellington Phoenix football team has prompted school children to enter a competition for the best sketch of their favourite player. The winning entries have now been printed on a T-shirt ... and these four guys Dale, Phil from Ryos, Phoenix defender Ben Sigmund and Yellow Fever founder Guy Smith ... are captured during a promo photo shoot. Today the Phoenix team flew across the Tasman to Australia ... for their next big game ... GOOD LUCK THE PHOENIX

#1012 ... Master Class

Di Conway at work with Ron, owner of Exhibitions Gallery looking on ... both are obviously happy in their endeavours.

Di has established a cult following in Wellington with her earthy figures. As well as having a mischievous and quirky feel they often carry an underlying social commentary about life and the empowerment of woman, albeit presented with great humour.

#1011 ... Blandfords help Apollo 13

Most of us may remember the Apollo 13 space mission ... or at least the movie version of it ... well last night we went to see the interactive stage version. My daughter Anna was one of those in the Mission Control Centre, console seats and helped with the mathematical calculations ... a bit of a challenge, however the motivational speech writing for the address to the nation in case the astronauts didn't make it back to earth, was a slightly easier task.

The photo shows Anna and Josh going over their notes and calculations ... note the blackboard in the background ... a thank you from the main actors to the audience actors on the night. More photos

The description in the Arts festival brochure says it all...

APOLLO 13: Mission Control takes audiences on a rollicking caper through space and beyond. Winner of two Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards in 2008, this interactive production is lauded by critics, and loved by audiences, for its innovation and imaginative design.

As three astronauts trapped 200,000 miles from earth fight for their lives, audience members seated in ‘Mission Control' must make the critical decisions necessary to bring the heroes safely home. In command of this epic adventure is Flight Director, Gene Kranz, who lives by the simple belief that "Failure is not an option".

To deliver a truly inter-galactic experience, the theatre is transformed into an authentic 1970s replica of Mission Control, complete with retro computers, giant video screens, and elaborate consoles. Seats are also available in the ‘Press Gallery' for those who prefer a quieter trip into lunar orbit.

Transport yourself to APOLLO 13: Mission Control for a night of hijinks and hilarity - an unforgettable night out for young and old.

Can YOU bring them home?

#1010 ... Yellow Fever

Wellington was all yellow on Sunday afternoon for the big football match between the Wellington Phoenix and the Newcastle Jets ... 32,000+ people in the Westpac Stadium ... a sell out. The A-League football dream lives on for Wellington Phoenix after striker Paul Ifill inspired a 3-1 defeat of the Newcastle Jets in their minor semifinal in Wellington today.

Ifill buried a decisive goal midway through extra time to carry his team into next Saturday's preliminary final across the Tasman. The winners of that game - against the losers of the major semifinal between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory which is being finalised tonight - will advance to the grand final.

Victory will have to come away from Westpac Stadium, which the Phoenix tonight farewelled for the season in front of a delirious club record crowd of 32,792, where they have not been beaten in 19 matches since October 2008.

#1009 ... SHOW OFFS bar nun !!

These guys were heading into the centre of the city after being at the Beer Festival at the Westpac Stadium. It now seems that whenever there is an event in Wellington ... "sevens fever" comes into play and people dress up ... hence the religious costumes ... well I suppose beer is a religion to some. This team was made up of Londoners, Aucklanders ... and one from Singapore ... and ALL enjoying what Wellington has to offer. And YES MINISTER thanks for the photo.

#1008 ... The Icecream Maker

A blend of European and Asian culture and tradition with an unrelenting pursuit of excellence is the foundation of Kohu Road, established by New Zealander Greg Hall and his partner in 2007. They source the best ingredients and perfectly marry them with the luxury of Italian and French style. Kohu Road Ice Cream presents you with a grand compliment to your fine taste.

Greg made it happen after a fifteen year journey across the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Asia and Japan and three years of recipe development here in New Zealand, Kohu Road Ice Cream is most often declared simply “The best ice cream I have ever had”.

While the world has embraced a revolution in the way we perceive and appreciate wine over the last thirty years we are all new to the parallel changes ice cream is now going through. Not long ago, to many New Zealanders, wine was no more than white or red and came in a three litre cask. Few would have thought of wine fridges and cellars in the home back then. Kohu Road believe that if you treat their ice cream like a fine wine with attention to the temperature and consistency, the experience will be thoroughly satisfying, the dinner party a resounding success or the meal “capped off” perfectly

The Kohu Road philosophy is to “revel in simple pleasures”. ... something this images captures ... Greg was showcasing his magic icecream ... the Golden Syrup blend, at Moore Wilsons Fresh ... and this enthusiastic Wellington couple who know the flavour well ... were very, very keen ... and happy to sample some more !!! ... THE FACES SAY IT ALL

Take the intoxicating aroma of a pinot noir or single malt; the liquid hasn’t passed our lips, but the smell… take a deep breath. We seek to keep food true. With like minded people and producers we lead a movement away from food as science toward the growing number of natural, healthy and simply delicious products available in quality delis, grocers and farmers markets around the country.

A key part of our philosophy is also our connection to nature, keeping food and ingredients as natural as possible. Needless to say our commitment to the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle is unwavering. As many ingredients as possible are sourced fresh from local suppliers and naturally we conserve power and water and do not use toxic cleaners or sprays.

#1007 ... Counting Feet

Despite all the latest technology ... it seems like the cheapest way to get data on foot traffic in the shopping precint is to count people walking by. This student had two counters ... one for pedestrians walking north ... and one for pedestrians walking south.

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC
At the core of a healthy and thriving city is an environment that promotes and supports people on foot. Pedestrians keep the streets safe by providing a community presence. Pedestrians support the local economy by frequenting local stores and services. They also contribute to a sense of community by offering opportunities for social interaction.

Here is a request for volunteers for a pedestrian count in the USA city of Columbus.
Volunteers are needed to help with either or both counts. Volunteers do not need any special skills. All are welcome to attend the training session Wednesday, September 2, at 4 p.m. Those interested in counting, but unable to make the September training session are able to request an alternate time. “By volunteering less than three hours of your time, you can contribute to this important national effort!” said MORPC Count Coordinator Juana Sandoval.

#1006 ... In a hurry for a coffee

Chews Lane... Gotham Cafe ... a fast coffee !!!

#1005 ... STILL Peak Time

YES ... a very STiLL peak hour. Wellingtonians trying to navigate the central city during today's evening rush hour suffered delays because of a bomb scare. This is the view north along Willis St. Willeston St is the first street to the right.

Police bomb squad experts were called to Willeston House on Willeston St after a threatening email and note were sent. The building was evacuated and several streets were cordoned off. After a thorough search of the floor, the squad failed to locate anything suspicious, but would continue searching other parts of the building, Inspector Mike Coleman said. The cordons were lifted. While the cordons were still in place, rush hour buses were diverted from the centre of town. Traffic on inner-city roads was bumper-to-bumper as motorists took alternative routes to bypass the cordoned-off area around Willeston St.

#1004 ... Suspense!!

Caught in mid flight ... jumping off the Taranaki St Wharf ... beside Te Papa ... suspended animation

#1003 ... Dance with the digger

Performed at Waitangi Park ... The dance duet between man and machine is the simplest way to describe the breathtaking outdoor performance of Transports Exceptionnels. Transcending spectacle and danger, dancer Philippe Priasso is paired with a mechanical digger in this astoundingly witty exploration of the traditional "dance for two".

Performed to the dramatic voice of Maria Callas, Transports Exceptionnels follows an intimate seduction initiated by Priasso. Flesh meets iron in a tender give and take, and the digger's innermost sensitivity is revealed - rendering her almost human. Nothing will prepare you for the surprise of this emotional romance, which is both industrial and poetic.

Exploring the power and grace of relationship with refreshing humour and honesty, Dominique Boivin's choreography expands and redefines dance tradition and the use of outdoor space in this unforgettable performance. Since its creation, Transports Exceptionnnels has fascinated audiences young and old with its bold expression of imagination and courage.

For more photos of the performance go to Transports Exceptionnels

#1002 ... On yer bike

American Shelley Evans won the Tour of New Zealand women's cycling race in style by taking out today's sixth and final stage, a criterium in the streets of Wellington. It was a fourth stage win of the tour for the United States team rider, who again waited until the last few hundred metres before unleashing her power to cross the line first. That tactic saw her win stages one, two and five in tight bunch finishes, setting up the first road win of her career.

Today's criterium was run under a pall of sadness following last night's massive earthquake in Chile, the homeland of tour director Jorge Sandoval.His home town of Tome, a fishing village, is near Chile's second largest city Concepcion, which was close to the epicentre of the 8.8 magnitude quake. Sandoval had a sleepless night vainly trying to contact family, particularly his elderly parents, relatives and friends.Evans dedicated her win to the people of Chile.

Second in the criterium, run over an hour plus three laps on an 850m circuit in central Wellington, was Australian Institute of Sport rider Kirsty Broun, with New Zealand's Joanne Kiesanowski third.

#1001 ... Hello Mr Dragon

A Chinese dragon on the waterfront during the dragon boat festival ... scary but friendly

#1000 ... Water jumpers

Today at the wharf in front of Te Papa and Circa Theatre ... every one in the group had jumped bar one ... airborne right ... it's been a magic summer day ... Dragon Boat weekend today the corporates ... tomorrow the schools. Street theatre for the Fringe Festival and the International Arts Festival ... its all happening ... but jumping into the water is FREE.

#999 ... The 3 Little Sausages

Enjoying the free barbecue sausages, mustard sauce and fresh bread ... Midland Park, centre of Wellington

#998 ... Work & Play

An outside office on the waterfront ... connected, bubbled and oblivious to the world around me.
Te Papa forecourt in the background with the mirrored blobs and people, walking, skating, biking and enjoying the day.

#997 ... Ambos on Bikes

The St John's Ambulance show real pragmatic innovation fo r delivering service to local events ... the Home grown Music Festival ... easy and cheap to get around quickly ... and a smile as well

#996 ... Legs Eleven

Calico Jacks Boutique in Ghuznee Street ... an interesting blend of colourful stockings & street reflections.
Photo taken by Rumi Shivaz ... thanks mate

#995 ... Sticky Words

All part of the "inspiring words" festival in Wellington. This cube was covered in magnetic words for everyone to have a go at creating some "inspiring words" ... we all have creative bits inside us ... we just have to let them escape and flourish.

#994 ... Home Grown

Heading to the Home Grown Music event on the Wellington waterfront ... 5 stages all NZ bands and music ... all on an awesome day

#993 ... Scorching Bay

Scorching Bay ... great place for summer barbecue or picnic plus a salty swim.
Surfarama Cafe ... turquoise building in centre of photo (previously Chocolate Fish cafe)

#992 ... Everything is Yellow

Rodney Solialo, Hurricanes No. 8, being interviewed at Midland Park, Conrad Smith in the background,

The Phoenix and Hurricanes squads at Midland Park for a once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity on Friday afternoon from 1pm-2pm. A free BBQ lunch was be provided to fans and tickets to both big games will be available for purchase at the event. Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast was there to show the city’s support for what promises to be one of the most exciting sporting weekends ever in Wellington!

The Wellington Phoenix football team, will make history this Sunday as they play in their first ever home semi final. With a huge Wellington crowd behind them, the Phoenix will be looking to push on to another final!

Phoenix and Hurricanes united for huge weekend
The day before the Phoenix play the Perth Glory, the Hurricanes take on the Western Force at Westpac Stadium in their first home game of the Rebel Sport Super 14 at 7:35pm.
It’s a unique double-header weekend and the two great sporting codes have united to encourage Wellington to get out and support both teams this weekend.

#991 ... Liquid Summer

Warm but wet today ... take the bus and keep dry. Rain on steamy windows. Bubbled out, passing the Old Bank Arcade.

#990 ... Fire Sky

The sky this morning ... only lasted for a few minutes but very impressive ... the last few mornings have been like this but I haven't been quick enough to catch the colour. Looking east from our driveway in Ngaio.

#989 ... Peddling for Care Kids

A lot of peddling BUT going nowhere (distance wise that is) ... but really going along way to helping others ... through "careKids". Cycling for a cause outside the Ibis Hotel in Featherston Street.
Check out the careKids Adventure cycling races

#988 ... Stripped

Stripping the Strip
The old Liks strip joint in Vivian Street ... next to the Victoria School of Architecture ! ... a nice play on concepts ... "stripping the strip joint"

#987 ... The Taste of Yellow

The Yellow Pages has been running a promotion campaign to find someone to track down the unique flavour of Yellow chocolate ... and then arrange to get it made. This was the MISSION
See the web site here,
... and this is a photo of the final result.

CHOC TASTING NOTES: a mid yellow colour, with a smooth white chocolate texture on the tongue with hints of pineapple, after tones of banana, mid flavours of nearly ripe mango and maybe a hint of golden kiwifruit. Will not benefit from cellaring. Made to be eaten NOW

# 986 ... en foot

An amazing pair of shoes on Featherston Street ... Wellington ... a superb finishing statement for red jeans

#985 ... Bubbles

The bubble making man at the Lagoon ... he has succeeded in making them 30m+ long ... the bubbles look magic when floating on the surface of the water.

#984 ... Morning Welcome

Morning sky as viewed from our driveway looking east towards Khandallah ... muted tones with a golden edge

#983 ... Sevens Montage Two

More amazing creativity from the Sevens weekend

#982 ... A Zen Moment

A quiet serene spot behind the City Art Gallery. Rusted steel reinforcing mesh provides a rich earthy aged background.

#981 ... Seven's Montage

#980 ... 50s Film star

This is Mandy who has a real passion for films and movie stars from the 50s ... the ink work was exceptionally well done with a range of grey scales and highlights of red. The tattoos had been done locally in the Hutt Valley ... mandy was delightful to chat to and like us was enjoying a cool beer on a sunny summer Wellington day

#979 ... Running of the Bulls

Simple yet effective when "en masse" A cast of 100s for the Running of the Bulls ... here at Courtenay Place ... on the way (maybe) to the Stadium to watch the rugby ... YEAH RIGHT

#978 ... Plastic Soldiers

wow ... what a day ... the weather, the city, the people ... I took so many photos I have to work on a montage so you can see the diversity of costumes for the Sevens weekend.

However if you are someone of my age you will no doubt remember the khaki green plastic soldiers we played with as kids. Well these guys have interpreted that as their uniform for the Wellington Sevens weekend. As is often the case ... simple execution of a concept produces an awesome result. WELL DONE SERGENT

#977 ... KUKRI

Since 1999 Team Kukri has shown what real teamwork 'can do'. They have
over 6 million, yes that's million, design options online... you can choose from 36 different fabrics in 22 different colours and over the past 10 years they have really got carried away with ourselves and now supply team wear for over 50 different sports.

Kukri are the official clothing suppliers for the Wellington Sevens Rugby tournament. A couple of years back, it had been proposed to bring the Cheerleaders from the Hong Kong Sevens tournament over to perform at the Wellington Sevens. Well these delightful young ladies said "why do that", we can get a group of great dancers together to be the KUKRI Hip-Hop Dance Team. So here they are (from Hamilton) down in the greatest little capital in the South Pacific ... to perform tomorrow and Saturday.

They were clearly enjoying the awesome weather and soaking up, as well as, contributing to the atmosphere of our event capital. Show off your dance moves and have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping to chat.

#976 ... We do it like this !

Wellington is getting set for the Sevens Rugby competition on Friday and Saturday ... and this is the Papua New Guinea team going over tactics after their practice at Raroa Park yesterday evening ... and they are becoming competitive ... losing to the masters of the game, Fiji by 10 points in a recent game.

#975 ... Keep on truckin'

While getting photos of the race goers all dressed up in their glad rags ... these truckies yelled out "what about us!" ... so here they are and they looked more comfortable and happier that those dressed up in clothes that were not really suited to a hot day.

#974 ... A Purple Patch

These two dapper gentlemen dominated the Wellington Cup carnival's fashion contest. This photo was taken outside the Wellington Railway Station while they waited for the shuttle bus to Trentham Racecourse ... and YES they looked well kitted out to the last minute detail. Note the two tone gloves and the patent leather, chisel toe, buckle shoes.

In what is believed to be a first, a gay couple – cocktail bar owners Malcolm and Scott Kennedy-Vaughan – were crowned Couple of the Carnival on Saturday. They also believe they were New Zealand's first married gay couple, and now Scott, and Malcolm are the best dressed pair at the Wellington races.

The couple of 18 years – who once owned the Pound Bar on Dixon St and now have S and M's, a Cuba St cocktail bar – were crowned Wellington Cup Couple of the Carnival on Saturday. They wore matching suits with purple accessories to pip other couples. The pair are no strangers to winning competitions. In 2005 they won a radio contest against five other gay couples to win a Hawaiian wedding. That was about two years before civil unions were permitted in New Zealand. One of the big benefits of winning Saturday's competition was showing other younger gay people it was okay to be openly gay, Scott said.