After a superb sleep Friday night I enjoyed a relaxing lunch, checked into the large YHA hostel where I’m camping for next few days, set out on a wander. Got myself set up with a DOC (Dept of Conservation) permit for Kapiti Island. It’s about 1 hr. north of Wellington on the west coast, and is a nature reserve known for its native birds. Pointed myself north to find the Cable Car via the upper Terraces (feel the quads burn!).
The Cable Car is a funicular/cable car hybrid that goes up the side of a big hill to the lovely Botanical Gardens. It was “spitting” (as my mom would say) on and off so my investment in an ultra light (150 g) umbrella paid off. Wandered through Lambton Quay area, which appears to be the Wellingtonian counterpart to Vancouver’s Robson Street. I even stepped into a Starbucks because I was that desperate for a hot tea - everyone else was closing or closed.
On a whim, I stopped by Cuba Street club The Mighty Mighty to see what the deal was with the Dave Dobbyn event (see previous blog post). Not only was it not sold out (as I’d been led to believe) but it was a no-admission event. Also a launch for the 10th annual New Zealand Music Month. Dave was being interviewed James Lipton-style by Nick Bollinger, apparently a local music writer/music geek. He started off with a little “primer to NZ pop” by spinning a few pieces of old vinyl. This was lost on most of crowd who were there just to see Dave, but I appreciated a little context.
The interview itself was just okay, let's just say that style of interview not Mr. Bollinger's strong point. However, Dave seemed an interesting chap, had some good stories, and picked up the acoustic guitar for a few songs. (none of which were “Outlook For Thursday” :( ) He mentioned Edmonton’s Captain Tractor (a “country band”) as being the only band he knows that has covered one of his tunes. I chuckled because my friends Jess & Gav (who used to live here in Wellington) are good friends of CT, and I’ve met the band myself. Country they ain’t.
It was great to see the inside of the Mighty Mighty, a live music venue of some renown. Very cool vibe and décor, a slightly more sparkly version of Austin’s Continental Club. I dug it. Friendly folks, and I got to try out a few more NZ beverages, including a Wanaka Brewski.
I did well on the food front this day, starting with a large Greek salad at lunch for my daily veg requirement. Late afternoon on Courtenay Place I passed by some folks who were selling snacks to fundraise for a trip to Prague for Ultimate Frisbee World Championship. For $2 I was treated to a sausage on a piece of white, yes, white, bread, slathered with onions and mustard. I passed on the tomato sauce (aka ketchup). I just had to ask what a ‘bacon sandwich’ was ($3). “It’s basically a sandwich with bacon in the middle”. Uh, okay. I’ll stick to the sausage. Took me a couple bites to realize it was lamb sausage - tasty nonetheless. Dinner revolved around NZ mussels from my new favourite supermarket New World, handily across from the YHA hostel. Also open until midnite (yay) and with large selection of beer and wine (double yay).
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