Wellington Blown Away sign

 Hi there

On a Miramar hill, overlooking the airport runway, across the inner harbour, and opposite Haitaitai Beach is our huge "Wellington" sign (a direct steal from the 'Hollywood' sign).  A little while back, it was painted in pastel colours.  There was a conspiracy theory that some guy had clambered up the sign in the middle of the night and painted it.  When one thinks of what would have to be involved to complete this type of operation, well ... it just couldnt be done, right?  Right??

This week the official construction people with cranes and loads of workers, got the sign back to its original silver-type colour and where the 'O' used to be, there is now a soccer ball (oh, whoops, isn't the sport called 'football nowadays?).  I think it's to commemorate the (women's?) world cup???  As you can see, I'm so fantastic with my knowledge of sports occasions.*

*As you can see, I'm also rather fantastic with a camera.  Um, where's the soccer ball?

Wellington Airport

 Hi there

Last week, I wandered over to the airport for a look-around.  It's a nice place for a meander.  

There was a Lego dinosaur by the Brickmaster.  Maybe it was the same Brickmaster that was on the NZ Lego show?

Weta's "Lord of the Rings" eagle(?), being ridden by Gandolf, was still dangling from the ceiling.

I escalated up to the floor above the shops and on the right was Dr Who's phone box and a dalek.

I had lunch at the airport.  I tried to walk all the way home, but it was pouring with rain, so I gave up, trudged through that rain to the nearest public bus stop and got home that way.  Sodden.

Snow

Hi there

I've never touched snow.  The one time it snowed in Wellington city area - maybe five years ago? - I was overseas and missed it.  I was showing off to a guy in America about our southern hemisphere weather.  He looked it up on his phone and said "It's snowing right now in Wellington."

"Rubbish," I said.

I didn't believe it until I got home and a neighbour showed me photos of our street.  Snow...

I've never driven up north in winter months.  I wouldn't chance driving along The Desert Road which is alongside Mt Ruapehu (stand-in for Mt Doom in The Lord of the Rings trilogy).  There have been horrific stories about drivers trapped in the low-lying snow.  (....... Hey, hang on a minute:   The Desert Road?!?)

A couple of years ago I decided that travelling along The Desert Road in the month of May would be do-able.

Big Mistake...  (thank you, "Pretty Woman")

Snow was everywhere.

It was like an English Christmas card.  Snow hung from branches.  It was right down to ground level around the mountain.  It was everywhere, except for the road I was travelling on. Obviously a snow-plough had done its duty. 

I was petrified I would be snowed in, probably die in my car of the cold; there were already little snow flurries.  

Other drivers weren't petrified.   Families hopped out of their cars and cavorted in the snow.  Me, I was in hysterics trying to make it off The Desert Road and into Turangi before my car got buried.

So, I never got out of my car.  Gone went my chance to touch snow for the first time.

above: stock photo.   Brave doggie, not a scaredy-cat like me.

 

Otari-Wilton Bush Walk

 Hi there

Last week I decided to go to Otari-Wilton Bush for a walk.  I didn't know much about the place but people often talk to me about it, and I'm always reading about it.  

So, I set off for Karori, turning off just past the tunnel, and paying attention to the signs.  Ah, yes, there was the bush entrance-

Oh, noooo  -  The carpark was full.  I'd go around once more, just in case I missed a space....

No.  Oh dear, I would have to go home, and there were no parks nearby on the road either.  But I couldn't do a right-turn as I came out of the carpark, so I had to carry on to the bottom of the hill.  And then -  What's that?  The notice said that here was the north end carpark for Otari-Wilton Bush.  Success!

I decided to do the circular track.  It was up a hill, and I loved looking at all the native plants and trees.  There was a stream to my side.  Otari-Wilton is famous for all the NZ species of plants. I enjoyed this walk.

I got to the top of the hill, to an 'alpine garden' .  Then to the information office (what, no cafe??), and a platform above the trees.

above:  alpine garden

above: Otari-Wilton bush canopy, from the platform

Then, down lots, and lots of steep steps, and the track was in a zig-zag pattern.

I got to a plateau at the bottom of the hill.  There was a notice advertising the circular track with an arrow going to the left.  Hang on, there was also an arrow going to the right!

Well, the stream was on my left, and I realised I had to keep near that, so up a steep hill I went.

The track was ultra narrow.  In places, less than a metre in width, with a deep bank one side, stream to the bottom, and the cliff to my other side.

The track got narrower, and overgrown.  When I had to squeeze between the trunks of two trees to get higher up the slippery-slide-y and muddy slope I admit I was feeling stressed, the tears were coming...

I had to make the decision.  Would I turn back, or keep going?'  I turned back.  When I got to the plateau again, I took the right-hand arrow, turned a corner and there was the stream again.  But was I going the right way?  A guy passed me.

"Am I going the right way to the North Carpark?" I asked

"Have you lost your car?" he said.

"No.  I've lost me..."

Apparently, I was on the right bush track.  

On reaching the carpark, my little car had never looked so welcoming....

Those house-buying shows...

 Hi there

I love a few reality tv shows, especially ones from HGTV that show people attempting to buy or rent homes in different countries.  I try to guess which abode the viewers will end up with.

For quite a while I was flummoxed that these house viewers, be they in Great Britain, the Americas, or anywhere else on that side of the world always wanted a south-facing back garden to benefit from the sun.  I mean, come on, the northern aspect was best for the sun, yes?

 Eventually, it clicked:   I live in the southern hemisphere!  Of course, the two hemispheres are opposite.  I am so embarrassed.

Back to those housing programmes that I watch religiously...  How come every solitary house searcher, over and over again, is searching for: -

.  space for entertainment (No 1, all the time)

.  granite countertop (usually 1st equal)

.  gas stove 

.  huge master bathroom with twin sinks

.  water view

.  fire pit (illegal in urban NZ)

.  room for that super-duper American-king-sized bed. 

Another thing required by every home-searcher in a (to them) foreign land is 'charm".  When in Britain or The Netherlands they blather on about how rustic charm is the most important thing on their 'to buy' list.  

These people squeal with joy over the outside of a chocolate-box-looking English Tudor cottage, or a thin four-level canal-side house in Amsterdam.  Yet once inside -

 "Oh, this won't do, I'm banging my head on the rafters-"

 "I couldnt even swing a mouse in this room-"

" What -?  I have to climb all those stairs-!!!?? "

 .  "Where's the dish-washer?  I can't buy a place without a dishwasher-"

.  "But I said I wanted crown moulding-"

 "I don't care if the kitchen was recently renovated, it has to be re-done; I don't like brown cabinets -" (..but, honey, you can't cook, we always go out for meals").

.  "I have to walk fifteen minutes to town?  No-no-nooo... "

.  "The whole place will have to be gutted to suit my aesthetic sensibilities- "

My four (maybe five?) readers may remember I once wrote about taking a swig of Diet Coke every time "granite countertop" was mentioned?  I drank the entire 1.5 litre bottle in an afternoon session. What fun!

 I think I love these American-produced HGTV programmes because they are unintentionally hilarious. I wonder if the house-searchers are being paid for such comedic dialogues?

And how come if even one of their 'wants' is not in the house they're walking through, then these people are prepared to run away from a good purchase?   I certainly wouldn't turn down the house of my dreams because it didn't have a fire pit or a granite countertop.

Mind you, I might sprint out the gate if I wasn't going to be near a supermarket or a bus stop...

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