Lonely Planet recently scored an epic fail - claiming that Wellington is the world's coolest capital city.
Are they on crack?
We have, as many know, missed out on the marvel that people feel of living in or visiting Wellington. Still, we were willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt by having a "townie" mini-break. So last weekend we booked a night in the Intercontinental and dinner and tickets to a movie the following day.
Saturday dawned. Check-in was 3pm so we made our way leisurely into town for about 1.30pm to do some shopping. Typical Wellington weather - grey, cold, windy and miserable. We went to Cuba Mall for a wander. The shops looked like they had been designed to suit hung-over op-shoppers. The place reeked of cigarettes. Lambton Quay was tolerable although half the shops were shut.
Coffee seemed the order of the day so we strolled down Courtenay Place. At 2.30pm, many shops still had vomit from the night before plastered down the doors, spilling on to the street. Charming.
The place felt grimy. You didn't want to touch anything due to the risk of contracting multi-organ failure.
How about the waterfront? Cold, grey and empty. The cafes that were supposedly open for dinner were shutting due to a lack of interest at 3.30pm although the tired "market" selling covert weed limped on.
Maybe a drink? The bars were empty at 5pm and lifeless. No one knew how to mix a mojito - it's not that hard people.
What about a drink after dinner? Town was empty apart from a drunken gaggle from a hen's party. There were three pubs that had people in them - all closed for private functions.
The hotel was, sadly, the highlight with a competent barman and chef for brekkie.
Wellington. The slogan should be "2/3 as good as everywhere else".
Or how about - "Absolutely positively hepatitis".
The Rose
Friday, May 27, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The joy of cooking
For some reason, the cooking bug has bitten me recently on the behind.
We're working on tasty and low-fat...although the compromise is tasty and more gym time!
Two weekends back we pigged out on a home-made lemon meringue pie - the Dragon's favourite. I meant to save some for my dad...
Last weekend I made some delicious chicken filo pies. I have to confess to minimal filo experimentation until recently however it is now officially my favourite pastry. I cooked up onion, mushroom, shredded chicken, creamy tomato, chilli and some herbs...let it cool...then individual filo pies with a sprinkling of sesame with sweet chilli sauce on the side. Mmmmm...
Today I made Italian Drip Beef inspired from thepioneerwoman.com. I used beef stock, fire-roasted capsicums and mixed herbs. Delicious. And lots left over for lunch and beef filo pies!
Dessert tonight was orange loaf, inspired from this recipe. I made it as a loaf and drizzled the glaze over the tin so it soaked in the top and bottom. At the Dragon's request, we had slices with custard. He has a strong view that 1) all savoury food is better with bacon and 2) all sweet food is better with custard. Mmmmmmmmm...and leftovers to freeze (see? Look at the responsibility here!)
I am now plotting risotto, chicken parmigiana and tiramasu. I love being inspired by a good website!
The Rose
We're working on tasty and low-fat...although the compromise is tasty and more gym time!
Two weekends back we pigged out on a home-made lemon meringue pie - the Dragon's favourite. I meant to save some for my dad...
Last weekend I made some delicious chicken filo pies. I have to confess to minimal filo experimentation until recently however it is now officially my favourite pastry. I cooked up onion, mushroom, shredded chicken, creamy tomato, chilli and some herbs...let it cool...then individual filo pies with a sprinkling of sesame with sweet chilli sauce on the side. Mmmmm...
Today I made Italian Drip Beef inspired from thepioneerwoman.com. I used beef stock, fire-roasted capsicums and mixed herbs. Delicious. And lots left over for lunch and beef filo pies!
Dessert tonight was orange loaf, inspired from this recipe. I made it as a loaf and drizzled the glaze over the tin so it soaked in the top and bottom. At the Dragon's request, we had slices with custard. He has a strong view that 1) all savoury food is better with bacon and 2) all sweet food is better with custard. Mmmmmmmmm...and leftovers to freeze (see? Look at the responsibility here!)
I am now plotting risotto, chicken parmigiana and tiramasu. I love being inspired by a good website!
The Rose
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Baring Head
Went for a walk around Baring Head today. The route was apparently opened to the public in February 2011.
Nice views across the water towards Wellington and Kaikoura. The circuit takes about 2 hours at a moderate pace. Bit of a hike up the grass to see the WWII bunkers however worth it for the view. Although the route was reasonable easy to traverse, the grass would be really slippery after rain and there were patches of loose scree where hiking boots were definitely an advantage!
I'd recommend walking the circuit from right to left - walking around the coast to the Baring Head light house, the trig site and bunkers then across the grass to the car park.
It was disappointing to see that for a route only open for 3 months, most of the route markers had succumbed to either vandalism or itchy cows. I'd recommend printing out the map to help with the navigation.
Lots of nice spots for a picnic if you can keep out of the wind :)
Turikirae Head
Baring Head Lighthouse
NZ's version of "ruins" - on the way to the Trig Point. Maybe even 50 years old!
Looking towards Wellington
The Rose
Nice views across the water towards Wellington and Kaikoura. The circuit takes about 2 hours at a moderate pace. Bit of a hike up the grass to see the WWII bunkers however worth it for the view. Although the route was reasonable easy to traverse, the grass would be really slippery after rain and there were patches of loose scree where hiking boots were definitely an advantage!
I'd recommend walking the circuit from right to left - walking around the coast to the Baring Head light house, the trig site and bunkers then across the grass to the car park.
It was disappointing to see that for a route only open for 3 months, most of the route markers had succumbed to either vandalism or itchy cows. I'd recommend printing out the map to help with the navigation.
Lots of nice spots for a picnic if you can keep out of the wind :)
Turikirae Head
Baring Head Lighthouse
NZ's version of "ruins" - on the way to the Trig Point. Maybe even 50 years old!
Looking towards Wellington
The Rose
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