Wellington Wine, Food and Craft Beer Festival

The third Wellington Wine, Food and Craft Beer Festival was held last weekend. This year, the festival moved venues and expanded to include a focus on locally produced craft beer. Waitangi Park is better suited for this festival than last year's Frank Kitts Park, offering a more space and a less cluttered layout. A calendar shift from autumn to summer also made for more pleasant weather. Inside, there were fewer food vendors but more space at each stand. More seating, sheltered tents, picnic blankets and bar areas made it more comfortable to come and go in between snacks and drinks.

We arrived for the Saturday evening session and joined the long queue for entry. Although everyone had already purchased tickets, it took a full 15 minutes of waiting until an organiser finally opened all four entry points to speed up the process, rather than insisting on everyone waiting to shuffle into just one lane. Apart from this slow start, this year's festival was far better organised and more streamlined than last year's event.

As Round the Bays was a mere twelve hours away, I chose Doris plum cider from Good George Brewing for my one and only drink. It was a great choice and I've found a new cider to enjoy.

So, onto the food. It was great to have each vendor's menus and prices printed on an A5 leaflet, meaning time spent in queues was for ordering and collecting food rather than deciding what to purchase.We started with Moroccan spiced calamari and a Rattle Ya Daggs lamb rump burger with beetroot chutney and feta and rocket pesto from The Crab Shack. Both were excellent and well worth the wait. The venison kofta pita with tabouleh and cucumber mint yoghurt from Foxglove was also very good, especially when topped with their house made barbeque sauce. Preventing tabouleh from escaping out of a pita pocket proved to be quite challenging; it's not a first date food. The bao burgers on soft steamed buns from Arborist Rooftop Bar were in hot demand. The chicken, chilli and garlic burgers had sold out by the time we ordered so we tried pulled pork, honey and ginger instead.

For dessert, we had a salted caramel rum cookie (gluten free, so it must be good for you) from Sweet Release Cakes and Treats, then finished with an incredibly decadent white chocolate buttercream doughnut muffin (vegan, so it must be even better for you). Who knew doughnut muffins were a) a thing and b) so good? Oh my!

A big huge MASSIVE thank you to Sweet Release for the tickets to this event. It's good to see the festival getting better each year. I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves in 2017.

Round the Bays 2016

It's Round the Bays day once again. Wellington turned on ideal warm and overcast race conditions today for this annual event, leaving the sun to make its well timed appearance at the post-race celebrations. The coolness of the southerly was welcome even if the extra resistance it provided was less appealing.

A group of us from work entered different races. Some of us met at the start line before heading off to our various starting points. We somehow managed to be back at the office afterwards at almost the same time for an informal debrief. I entered the 10 km walk for the third year in a row. The course is a picturesque journey around Wellington's coastline with an extra few kilometres thrown in at the end in the form of a there-and-back jaunt to just past the Miramar cutting, finishing at Kilbirnie Park.

There is much fanfare at both ends of the race and plenty of encouragement along the way. Highlights this year included the percussion band at Balaena Bay and the family fun zone at Kio Bay, where jet plane lollies were on offer to passing racers. It's always disconcerting to see St John ambulance staff taking someone off the course and driving them away for treatment. I passed three of these along the way and was grateful that first aid was so readily available for those who needed it.

After last year's time of 1:27:17, I had ambitions of slicing a couple more minutes off to finish somewhere around 1:25:00. A sneaky glance at MapMyWalk at the 5 km walk had my time at 44 minutes, when I was aiming for around 40 minutes. I really wish I hadn't looked as I spent the next half of the walk realising I probably wouldn't be able to reach my goal. I powered on but started losing juice around the 8 km mark. I finished up at 1:28:18, disappointed with my time this year but still glad to be part of such a large scale positive event.

Wellington Wine and Food Festival

The Wellington Wine and Food Festival hit town this weekend. Frank Kitts Park was the venue for this newly revamped event, a huge step up from similar events held at the soulless Westpac Stadium years ago.

Everything we ate last night was delicious - and that's not something I say very often. Or maybe I was just really good at picking the best stuff? I'll admit it wasn't easy with so much on offer. My strategy was to try things outside of the usual market offerings and seeking out vendors I'd not been to before. It paid off.

Here is our main course menu for the evening. We divided each serving in two so we could try as many dishes as possible before getting too full - and avoid arguments over who had taken a bigger bite.

• Tom Khem, (caramelised braised pork belly with cripsy rice balls), steamed pork buns and beef meatballs with sweet sticky sauce from Taste Lao (Dai and Dal). So yummy! Pork buns are my new food obsession.
• Beer battered warehou with chips and tartare sauce from The Chippery. Absolutely delicious! (This is high praise from someone who doesn't eat fish and chips.)
• GChả Gio` from Nam D, which is crispy ground pork and glass noodle spring rolls, served with tangy dipping sauce. We'd already tried these before at City Market so knew how good they were.
• Whitebait fritter sandwich in white bread with tartare sauce from The Tasting Room. Oh my! Actual whitebait inside and not too much egg. Divine.
• Pulled pork long dog with hot siracha sauce from Zibibbo with really tender pork. Nom!

Dinner was washed down with Tuatara Hefe and Black Dog Chomp. (Good to keep the whānau gainfully employed, lol.) I think there was also a glass of sav somewhere along the way.

We tried some samples of Heavenly Fudge but were too full for dessert. Instead, I got a takeaway box from Sweet Release Cakes and Treats to waddle home with. Here is their salted caramel rum cookie and Kit Kat brownie, an idea I might try baking myself.

Salted caramel rum cookie and Kit Kat brownie

Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about the event itself, more specifically, the $39 entry fee. I am really lucky to have won free tickets, which was the difference for me between going or not. Although I'm a foodie who is always keen to support local producers and vendors, I didn't see much bang for buck on entry. I wasn't alone; friends I bumped into made similar remarks. Given the number of giveaways from vendors and last minute $29 discount deals, it looks like numbers of paying punters were low.

We spent quite a bit of money buying food and drinks, which I am really happy to do in support of local businesses. Sure, we may have spent a similar amount at a restaurant, but a restaurant or bar wouldn't have charged almost $80 for two of us to walk in the door, even one with a band. Once inside, we faced many of the usual suspects that we would find at City Market each Sunday and other free events and fairs around town. I understand that events like this need organisation and promotion and that there are expenses involved, but I wouldn't have been in a position to go if I had to pay the expensive entry fee.

A huge thank you to New World Thorndon for the complimentary tickets. We had a fantastic time and have made lots of food discoveries to follow up next time we go to the markets.

Round the Bays 2015

Wellington sure knows how to put on a good event. Sunday's Round the Bays is proof of that. I'm only a walker but there is something magical about being part of a big event that has such a positive focus on health and wellbeing. It's a great feeling approaching the start line in the middle of the bunch, then feeling the group pick up the pace and head off on their journeys. It's an even better feeling to cross the finish line.

I settled into my pace at around the 1.5 km mark. I seemed to fall in with a couple of joggers and our paths criss-crossed many times during the next hour and a half, with me striding along and them jogging at my walking pace. The weather was perfect: overcast with a light breeze. There were some hold-on-to-your-cap moments in a couple of notorious windy spots (Point Jerningham and Cobham Drive - I'm looking at you two) but otherwise the breeze was pleasant and welcome.

I always look forward to the entertainment along the way, usually in the form of a jazz band or music blasting from the houses around the eastern bays. This year, there was a great Strike ensemble percussion group at Balaena Bay. If I wasn't on such a mission, I'd have loved to stop and listen to them properly. The Kio Bay Fun Zone was in fine form and the residents were giving out jet plane lollies, although the only route to them seemed to be through a path of hoses and water pistols, so I passed up their offer this time.

I am convinced that Cobham Drive is longer as you head west than it is walking east. At least, it felt that way as the finish line seemed to stretch ever further in front of me. I was really pleased to trim about two minutes off my walk time, finishing 10 km in 1.27.17. I can also say that I'm never as happy to see someone holding out a banana and a water bottle as I am after crossing the finish line. And now, after a few days' recovery, I can once again wear shoes without my feet hurting and walk down stairs without hobbling. It's a great feeling to know that I've been part of this year's event and I'm already looking forward to next year's race.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014)

Wellington has been bitten by vampire fever recently. Suddenly, vampires are everywhere you look, including the places you'd never suspect. @DeliciousNecks are infiltrating Twitter and Vellington has effectively been rebranded. Just look at what's happened to the Wellington Airport sign:

There is a good reason, of course. Last week, a locally made mockumentary-style comedy premiered in Wellington and opened our eyes to the undead world living around us. Written, directed and starring the very talented Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, What We Do In The Shadows (2014) follows three vampires trying to get by in a modern world.

The movie begins at the crack of dusk with an unsuccessful flat meeting and looks at some of the practical challenges vampires face each night, from dressing themselves without being able to see their reflection, to not being able to enter their favourite bars without an invitation. Wellington's nightlife plays a starring role and Courtenay Place takes centre stage.

I'll admit to not really understanding the fascination others hold for vampires, zombies and other creatures of the night, but What We Do In The Shadows is really funny. The audience laughed throughout and I'd happily recommend it to anyone looking for a good giggle.

Check out the official trailer here, then go see the movie for yourself.

Whittaker's Big Egg Hunt

The Whittaker's Big Egg Hunt has begun. Hidden around the country in our three main centres are 100 decorated eggs measuring 1 metre high. Each egg tells a story and they have been decorated by New Zealand artists and designers. Just download the Big Egg Hunt app to your smart phone, turn your data (and GPS) on and you can go 'collecting' eggs. Today, I joined the hunt around Wellington.

There are so many beautifully painted eggs. I started out spotting a few on my way around town between errands today, then quickly abandoned my plans and got caught up in the excitement of looking for another egg, then the next one and the next ... before I knew it, I had 22 eggs collected on my app before deciding to go for a clean sweep of all the eggs in the CBD. Such a fun way to spend a Sunday in autumn.

Here's a selection of my favourite eggs (that I managed to get a decent enough photograph of on my phone). I plan to learn more about each of the eggs, finding out more about who designed each and what they wanted to create.

After criss-crossing 9 km of the city, I had collected 26 of Wellington's 30 eggs! There are four outside of the CBD and I may search for one or two more during the next few weeks. I also managed to score a handful of peanut slab vouchers along the way. Yum!

The eggs are in and around Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch until 22 April. They are also up for auction on Trade Me, so you can bid on your favourite egg with proceeds going to The Starship Foundation.

Round the Bays 2014

One of the highlights of Wellington's events calendar is Round the Bays. After last year's effort, I was keen to step things up a notch and decided to enter the new 10 km event this year. (Yes, I know it's only walking. Yes, I know walking is not exercise. Yes, I know even 10 month old babies can walk. Just indulge me for a moment, ok?)

My goal was to walk 10 km in 1.5 hours but I thought my time might realistically go up to 1:40:00. MapMyWalk informed me that I actually walked 10.5 km in ... exactly 1:30:00! I'm not sure whether the extra distance was a result of my over-earnest zigzagging along the course (why go around bends when you can go through them?) or GPS not being accurate when you're moving so slowly, but I am pretty pleased with this unofficial result. :-)

I've not usually excited to see someone holding out a banana and a bottle of water but can assure you that this is a very welcome offering when you've been on the move for a while. I didn't hang around at Kilbirnie Park afterwards, instead opting to jump on an early bus back to town while there were no queues. I discovered that my final 1 km walk back to the office from the bus stop at Courtenay Place was almost harder than the 10 km I'd done before it, now that I'd had a few minutes of sitting down on the bus! (Confession time: I was so hungry when I got back to the office that I also sneaked a stale muesli bar out of my emergency kit and ate it on the spot. Oh well! Back on the wagon again this afternoon.)

Wellington is renown for miraculously putting on a good day for Round the Bays. I had serious doubts as I listened to the strong winds during the night and still hadn't decided whether to walk in a windbreaker even 15 minutes before the race began. Then, things calmed down as the race begun and we enjoyed an overcast morning with a welcome northerly at our backs. Whew!

Thinking about it, I've decided that I prefer the 10 km event to the main 6.5 walk or run. There were fewer baby buggies and scooters presenting obstacles to avoid and there is a better general understanding about the pecking order (black bib = half-marathon so let them pass first), so it was easier to get through the crowds. Once again, this is a fantastic event to be part of and I'm already thinking about entering again next year.

The kindness of strangers

It's been a(nother busy week) - a good week, but a busy one nonetheless. I was really glad that our CEO sent everybody home at 3 pm today so we can get an early start on the long weekend. I had a bit of time to kill before my ride home so took a leisurely wander up Lambton Quay, eyed up a people watching spot at Midland Park and contemplated a mid-afternoon coffee.

A woman in her 50s approached me and asked, "are you a coffee drinker?" Am I?! "I certainly am," I informed her. "Well, would you like a free coffee? It's fresh from the cafe upstairs. I can't remember if it is a latte or a mocha, but I am so full that I just can't drink it and I don't want to throw it away. Please - you would be doing me a big favour." Stunned, I told her I was just about to buy a coffee anyway. She pressed the cup into my hand while I thanked her profusely, accepted her gift ... and then she was gone, caught up in the Friday afternoon crowd.

As it turns out, the coffee was a perfect latte, not too hot and ready to drink. Who was this woman: a mind reader? A coffee angel??

I simply couldn't leave this good deed undone. I donated the cash I would have spent on coffee to the Life Flight, one of my favourite charities whose street appeal is on today. I know it's just a drop in the bucket, but hopefully this random act of kindness along with my donation this morning can go a tiny way towards saving someone's life one day.

Pay it forward, people - and don't think you have to wait for a special day to do it. Sure, I buy coffee for the next person on Random Acts of Kindness Day, but think how awesome it would be if I did it before then. (Note to self: find out if suspended coffee has taken off in town. I hope it has!) The tiniest gesture can TOTALLY make someone's day. This anonymous donor will never know what an impact she has made. Wellington, you are beautiful!

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?

Suspended coffee

We've all read the Facebook post about buying a suspended coffee for a person in need. Whether or not it is legitimate is not the point; the do-good intentions of the act make us feel all warm and fuzzy as we imagine a 'free' coffee making someone's day. As a coffee lover, I know that a bad day can turn into a good one (or at least a tolerable one) with the help of a single good cup of coffee to savour and enjoy. Who wouldn't want to spread those joy germs around?

Apparently caffè sospeso originated in Naples, where you are guaranteed to find a plethora of characters begging on the streets in the cafe and restaurant quarters. One night in Napoli, I watched a man work his craft. His handmade sign said "Ho fame" ("I'm hungry") and he was kneeling on a strip of cardboard. During the course of my meal, people continually stopped to give him money - so much so that he was quickly sorting coins into different pockets as soon as the donor had walked away; euros on one side, cents on the other. People also gave him food: burgers and panini ... even restaurateurs came out from several different places with bags of leftovers. These were quickly hidden out of sight behind him and the kneeling resumed. Now, I had/have absolutely no idea of his circumstances, and he was in no way the only one out on the street that night, but I certainly noted the generosity of the Napolitani people during one short hour.

I read this morning that Wellington, the coffee capital, is now warming to suspended coffee. I'm not surprised to see that People's Coffee in Newtown has got the ball rolling and that Flight Coffee are also interested. I expect Caffe L'Affare won't be too far behind, either. Their anti-surcharge on public holidays is a great show of charity support.

Would you buy a suspended coffee for someone? I've done it a couple of times for Random Acts of Kindness Day on 1 September. I have no idea who the recipients were (and sincerely hope that it made someone's day) but, admittedly, this is just once a year. If suspended coffees do become part of our coffee culture, I hope there will still be momentum for it in a few months' time after the initial novelty has worn off.

Round the Bays 2013

It was a big day in Wellington today as 13500+ people turned out for Round the Bays. This annual event plots a scenic ~6.6 km route from Frank Kitts Park in town to Kilbirnie Park, with every type of runner and walker imaginable joining in. I last did Round the Bays in 2009. This year, I put together a work team and actually managed some training in advance. Kind of. I went out for a number of 6-7 km walks during the past few months and built up to a pace where I was on track to complete Round the Bays in less than 1 hour.

This morning, the Twitterverse was abuzz and every third person on Facebook was heading to the start line, yet I saw very few people I actually knew at the event. After a brief splash of rain this morning, the overcast conditions during the race were a blessing and the weather remained dry. The countdown was on and the cannon announced the start; runners first and then the 'wave' of walkers and joggers.

The next hour passed remarkably quickly. (Good company certainly helped.) Outside the Chaffers markets, a woman found out first hand that trying to cross through a race course while leading a dog on a leash was not going to make her popular. Cheerleaders in all shapes and forms called out support at various points. There was a jazz band on a balcony around one of the bays and house parties blasted 'motivational' music from their lounges - all very much appreciated!

I checked the time at around the 6 km mark and realised that we wouldn't make it before the hour was up, but there was very little space in the crowd. We looked for a gap as we approached Kilbirnie Park and decided to run the rest of the way, dodging as many racing obstacles as we could. Yes, I ran ~300m. It wasn't pretty but we got over the finish line in approximately 1 hour and 4 minutes - longer than my target of less than 1 hour but still reasonably respectable for a walker. I have never been so pleased to see a banana and a bottle of water!

I underestimated how much time and effort it would take to negotiate my way around couples holding hands, baby buggies and kids on scooters stopping to do jumps over cats eyes in the middle of the road. The same applied to the bottleneck at the end - something to remember next time.

I was disappointed that there wasn't enough 3G coverage at Kilbirnie Park for MapMyWalk to do its job and had to wait until I got back into town to tweet my result. Checking later, I could see that my time was recorded but unfortunately the map wasn't created. I might see if anyone else managed to create the map and add it to my workout list, as it would be great to have it recorded on the app.

Even as a humble walker, it's an amazing feeling to be part of an event like this. I'd encourage anyone and everyone to enter next year. The course is flat and scenic, making it hugely accessible for all fitness levels. Bring on 2014!

How to Meet Girls from a Distance

Some people are shy. Others are quiet and reserved. That can make it really hard to meet dating prospects, something most people could probably sympathise with. So how does someone overcome this? Well, the simple solution would be to find out a little bit about your object of affection before making an approach, but where does background research end and stalking begin? This fine thick line is the subject of a locally made film, How to Meet Girls from a Distance, which we got to see at a special preview screening last week thanks to Flicks.co.nz.

Made on a tiny budget, How to Meet Girls from a Distance was the winner of this year's Make My Movie competition. It was great to be able to spot well known locations and scenery from in and around Wellington, as well as some extras in the cast, and this made the anachronisms easier to overlook. Genuinely funny and cringe worthy all at once, there were many moments when I wanted to yell "noooooo!" at the main character or just take him aside for a 'quiet talk'.

How to Meet Girls from a Distance is on now in selected cinemas. It makes for a hilarious night out as well as providing practical tips on what not to do when stalking getting to know a romantic interest.

The new black

Apart from waiting for an impending storm, it seems to have been a slow news day as this story made it to the front page of the Dompost today. However, it certainly is true of Wellington: we seem to be the black fashion capital. Just take a look around you on any given day and you’ll probably find yourself swimming in a sea of black. I was just thinking a short while ago about how refreshing it is to see colourful dresses in shops for summer. It will be interesting to see if anyone is actually wearing them over the next few months.

I rarely wear all black but it is usually part of my daily ensemble, even though I make a conscious effort to incorporate some colour every day. In my younger days, I had a few LBDs that looked amazing and constantly made it onto the stage for band gigs. *sigh* Those were the days! Someone recently commented on what I was wearing that day: “Ooh, another lovely purple skirt!” (Of course, it was paired with a long sleeve black top and scarf.) I did a quick mental inventory of the contents of my wardrobe: black, black and white, black, purple, white, purple and white, blue, black, purple, black, red, white and black items of clothing.

Not being a shoe person, I have just a few basic pairs. Guess what colour they all are? Hmm. Boring? Perhaps. Practical? Yes. Interchangeable? Definitely. But I started to see a definite pattern ... sure, it's fun to occasionally do a 'black out for the All Blacks' kind of day, but every day?

Years ago, I remember meeting a friend in town the day after arriving back in New Zealand following a month-long trip to Italy. As I stood at a pedestrian crossing, waiting for the lights to change, I was struck by how 'scruffy' and bland everybody looked – especially the men. Europeans certainly know how to dress stylishly. Black has its place, but not all day, every day.

What's your verdict on wearing black? If we ever manage to lose our fascination with it, what do you think the new black would be?

New Zealand craft beer tasting

Among other things, Wellington is known for being the craft beer capital. There is a craft beer trail that enthusiasts can follow and a growing number of microbreweries popping up around the city. It's not surprising considering this city's foodie culture. Just look at how popular events such as Wellington on a Plate are becoming, which Beervana was a part of this weekend.

A few weeks ago, we went to a tasting of New Zealand beers at Wellington's brew pub, Fork & Brewer. After learning more trivia than we imagined possible (or plausible) at another beer tasting last year, I was keen to add some new brews to my tiny but growing beer palette. We sampled four beers and made some interesting discoveries about creative flavour combinations. Apparently, if you can imagine it, you can (sometimes) make it happen!

Here are my beginner's beer sampling impressions:

• We started with a kiwi pilsner from Dunedin brewery Emerson's. Even though it boasted an overly citrus flavour (which I usually love), it was far too hoppy for me.
• Our next beer came from Croucher Brewing in Rotorua. The pale ale had a toasted caramel colour and heavy grain flavour. I found it less bitter than the pilsner but wasn't keen on the aftertaste, even though this is supposed to be one of its best features.
• Our most unusual beer was from Mata Beer in Kawerau: hangi flavoured beer. Everything about the tasting notes sounds wrong: spicy pumpkin, smoky bacon and 7.4% alcohol are more like something you would take an hour to eat, but it worked surprisingly well in a glass with a lingering aftertaste. It even warranted buying a second glass to have with dinner.
• We finished our tasting with another offering from Croucher's: coffee stout. It (obviously) had a strong coffee scent but the flavour was not too overpowering. At 5.6% alcohol, it packs a reasonable punch but the finish was surprisingly pleasant.

The Food Show 2012

 The Food Show is on this weekend in Wellington - a true foodie's paradise. Countless stands with gourmet products of every kind, from chocolate, cheese, bread, nuts, sauces, meat products, seafood, food magazines, as well as various kitchen products and applicances, all beautifully topped off with lashings of wine tasting. Nom!

We tried so many new products and fresh taste combinations that I would never had sampled otherwise, which is the great thing about events like this. I bought a few treats but came away with products and brands to look out for in future, including lots of gift ideas. I found myself getting a bit olive oiled out after a couple of hours. (Thankfully, it is impossible to become cheesed out. Believe me - I would have crossed that line today if it existed.)

The crowds were, once again, phenomenal. It seems like every third person in Wellington was there, which is great to see. We had hoped to arrive before it got too hectic but everyone else must have had the same idea as there was shuffling room only, even at 11 am. Still, we waddled back to the car more than four hours later with contentedly full tummies. Needless to say, there is no need for dinner tonight!

Truer words were never spoken

That time it snowed in Wellington

Yesterday, 14 August, shall forever be referred to as That Time it Snowed in Wellington. There's even a Facebook page set up to commemorate the event. Living half a block from the beach, I could see snow flurries in amongst the falling rain but nothing that could settle on the ground so I didn't feel qualified to join it. Today, however, is a different story. It actually snowed at work - and not just up in the hills! I might join that group after all. ;-)

Let me explain. Wellington has its hills but, being nestled around a harbour, snow is about a once in a decade occurrence - and even then we're just talking about light flurries and a chill in the air. It is extremely rare for us to see this icon on the weather report and snow days are simply unheard of. Not today, though. We have real snow today.

I was having a serious meeting with an external delegate this morning discussing exciting things like financial obligations, contracts and senior management sign off when suddenly my guest looked past me out the window and said, "is that pollen falling or is it snowing?" We jumped up to check out the icy bits falling, our faces a picture of glee. Snow - real snow! Later, back in my office, we noticed the snow flakes getting heavier and starting to settle. The three of us found another window with a better view and were pressed up against it just like kids. True, we weren't exactly making snow angels on our cars, but the excitement of snow practically at sea level is enough to bring out the inner six year old in all of us.

The snow got heavier this afternoon and staff members were advised to leave early and drive safely if they thought there was any risk involved in leaving work later in the day. Daycare centres were closed and parents were called to pick up their children so everyone could get home safely. It's all terribly exciting for those of us used to life at sea level.

A Russian colleague is simply laughing at us carrying on like a bunch of over-hyped children; she maintains that what we are experiencing barely resembles snow at all and that it quickly becomes a nuisance rather than a novelty when you experience it every day for several years. Spoil sport.

Are you snowed in? Or even close to it? (Go on, indulge us. We're loving it!)

Wellington Food Show 2011

On a dreary Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call from the lovely Karen at Menumania. Would I like tickets for the Wellington Food Show this weekend? Wow, would I ever! I'd been keen to revisit this mecca for local foodies ever since going to the very first Wellington Food Show ten years ago. Somehow, it became one of those events I'd go to 'another time'. Not any more!

Naturally, we chose the busiest time to arrive: Saturday lunch time. To my delight, I found whole stalls dedicated to each of the basic food groups: chocolate, cheese and coffee! There were also plenty of competitions to enter, allowing me to feed my inner competition junkie. @muffinmum had tipped me off that there was a stall selling waffles so I finally got to complete another 101 in 1001 activity: #89 - Eat waffles for breakfast/brunch, thanks to the Golden Malted stand. Yummy!

I spent some time with the lovely folk from Flight coffee and learned all about some different brewing methods. I sampled a Brazilian coffee bean brewed in three different ways: siphon, Chemex and the V360, time time blending the Brazilian beans with a Guatemalan dark roast. This one appealed most to my strong, dark, Italian coffee palette. On my next town day, I am definitely going to head to Memphis Belle Coffee House and try one for real.

We tasted so much food and wine that when we saw daylight through the windows, we thought we'd made it back to the beginning again only to discover that we were just halfway around the stadium! There was so much on offer that we left after about three hours feeling absolutely full, as well as sampling wines from several different vineyards. I chatted to the delightful Annabelle White about a breakfast event I attended with her several years ago and we both drooled over the latest Kenwood products on display. I finished the day with coffee from Caffe L'affare and came home with a bag full of goodies.

Here are some of my other delicious discoveries of the day:

• Donovans Chocolates. Rich and creamy, I especially liked their dark 80% cocoa bar, dark peppermint 80% cocoa bar and milk chocolate bar. These would make a yummy gift.
• Silk Road Foods. Fresh meals and sauces, locally made and ready to heat up. We bought pouches of butter chicken and Moroccan chicken stew to stock up our freezer.
• Rileys butterscotch vodka cream. This slipped down very nicely.

Wellingtonian foodies, if you haven't been yet, make sure you get down to Westpac Stadium on Sunday and catch the last day of the show.

Wellywood - Yeah, right

It's not often that I comment on current events or issues via this blog. I don't tend to join Facebook protest groups that pop up from time to time objecting to everything from television shows being cut to child abuse. Sure, I understand that people want to feel they are taking action, but I don't imagine they are overly effective. Today, I'm standing on my soapbox along with the rest of them.

For those who may have missed all the fuss brewing in our local teapot, the owners of Wellington Airport have decided to recreate the iconic Hollywood sign in the hillside next to the Miramar cutting. They perceive it to celebrate our local film industry and put Wellywood (not that I've ever heard Wellington called that by a local) on everyone's bucket list.

How embarrassing.

The media, social and otherwise, must be loving it. Articles, stories and editorials are popping up everywhere and opinion pieces are rife. An airport blockade protest is planned for tonight, but still Wellington Airport CEO Steve Fitzgerald remains defiant in a toddler-style tantrum worthy of the Minister of Education. Apparently no amount of outrage, objection or common sense will change his mind and construction of the sign will ahead in time for the rugby world cup in September. Don't get me started on what this pseudo deadline has meant for our country in regard to issues you wouldn't even begin to imagine elsewhere.

Not only is the proposed sign cringe worthy, but it is unoriginal, tacky and lacks any fibre of creativity - something which we Wellingtonions are supposed to be celebrating. Copying an existing concept in the name of creativity does not even make good marketing sense.

Here are some of my ideas for alternative signs. They certainly would be more appropriate.

Actually, I think this would make the best sign of all:

Come on, Wellington. We can do better than that.

Wellington on a Plate

The Wellington on a Plate programme has been launched this week. From 14-29 August, Wellington restaurants will be hosting set lunches and special dinner offers as part of Dine 2010. I'm really looking forward to some of the festival events associated with WOAP; now that I work out of the city, lunches are generally off the menu.

This year, being slightly more financially mobile, I'll be able to get involved more than last year. My friends and I have pored over the programme and started making bookings, starting with Cupcakes and Cocktails, Discovering Artisan Cheese (mmm, cheese), Making Great Patisserie with WelTec, and maybe even some espresso tasting with my favourite coffee company, Fuel Espresso. The Pleasure Palate at Butlers Chocolates looks incredibly tempting, too.

Once again, we are so spoiled for choice in Wellington! What takes your fancy?

Ever decreasing circles

Although I remember the name of this 80s tv show, and none of the detail, I'm starting to wonder if the title is aimed at me. You see, my work and study life has taken place over the past 20+ years in two parts of Wellington but largely within a very small radius. I don't know how it has worked out this way, but here I am again at the start of another job and within a stone's throw of where I have previously spent more than eleven years of my life already.

I went to college (high school) at a school close to Parliament, on the city fringe. Spending five teenage years in the area was just fine even if the bus ride home in winter wasn't so much fun. I then started teacher training in a suburb across town notorious for its fog when the rest of the city was basking in sunshine, or at least enjoyed decent visibility. After four years there, my friends and I were looking forward to getting teaching jobs elsewhere and avoiding the constant bad weather. Except, I got a job at a school merely three blocks away. Four more years in the fog; on some mornings, I couldn't see from one end of the playground to the other while my class were playing outside for fitness!

And then the time came for another career step. My new workplace was on the city fringe ... half a block away from my old high school. My friends thought that moving into town was a great idea, especially after spending eight years in the suburbs. I cautiously agreed before pointing out the location. "You haven't gone far!" I was teased.

A little more than six years later and I left to work for a company based in Christchurch, which essentially means working from home. The biggest advantage of working from home? There are many, but avoiding the twice-daily commute into town is probably the one I appreciate most. Also, the ability to throw a load of washing out onto the line on a sunny day, as well as the comfort (and convenience) of working in your jamies in winter. Bliss!

I started a new short-term contract this week. It involves working on site, which is a bit of a shock to the system but not unpleasant. The thing is that, once again, I am within two blocks from where I started more than twenty years ago. Yes, I have come full circle once again.

How about you? Have you managed to expand your circles, or are they ever-decreasing, like mine?