Tuesday 7 May 2013

Wellington, a dying capital?


We kiwis are a pretty patriotic bunch. It seems that Wellingtonions are even more so - just look at what happens to anyone who tries to take a swipe at our beloved city. What?! I'm not sure I live in the same city that John Key is talking about. Key has since conceded that he should have chosen "better terminology" rather than stating, "The reality is even Wellington is dying and we don't know how to turn it around. All you have there is government, Victoria University and Weta Workshop." Really??! His comments set Twitter and local media a-flutter today.

No doubt there has been at least a little bit of poetic license taken with Key's original quote. I'm fairly certain (or at least hopeful) that it was a throwaway comment taken out of context, as this seems to be happening a lot lately. He probably "won't recall" saying it tomorrow. But I have to wonder where it came from in the first place.

It's true that I'm 100% biased towards Wellington, where I was born and bred. But what's not to love? Think about it: in any given week, Wellington's social calendar is positively buzzing. Right now, we're in the middle of the International Comedy Festival and the opera Madame Butterfly flies into town later this week. We build up to a couple of creative weeks during WOW each year (sorry, Nelson) and throw the party of the year at the sevens each February. There's also a whole stack of cheap (or even free) stuff happening all the time, but you simply can't beat a stroll along our waterfront on a gorgeous, sunny day - something that is both free and priceless all at the same time. If you're still not convinced, check out the Wellington open day on 26 May. I just hope that Wellington doesn't die before Swan Lake in July, as I'd bought my tickets for the ballet before learning the city had been pronounced dead.

Think about it. We've just had the best summer in living memory. Our waterfront is so awesome that even orcas came to visit this summer - twice! We love coffee, restaurants and bars and can proudly state we're the craft beer capital. Not only that, but we're pretty nice people. We've even started sharing our love of caffeine with suspended coffee.

This super-cool video of little wellington sums us up perfectly.

little wellington from Michael Jo on Vimeo.

Sure, we could do with a proper international airport and a better roading system in and out of the city. We also like to wear a lot of black. Our weather has made the news this week, probably because we Wellingtonions are no longer used to rough conditions after such a glorious summer. I'm reminded of a friend's comment comparing Wellington weather to a small child: wild and tempestuous one day, then sweet and charming the next. Yes, the weather reminds us that we are alive.

I'd like to make a Tui billboard out of it:
Wellington's a dying city.
Yeah right.
What do you think? Is Wellington a dying city? Or perhaps it is dead already and we just haven't noticed because we're having too much fun?

3 comments:

LatteJunkie said...

It's not dead... It was a brilliant marketing ploy by our PM :)

Anonymous said...

Wellington is not dying, it is growing and changing. When we moved here 12 yrs ago it was dead at the weekends and now is is a hive of weekend enjoyment and buzzing. I love Wellington with a passion.

MandaBurms FarmStay for Cats. said...

LOVE your tui bill board. As for John Key get real!