First Impressions

I've been in Wellington for just over two weeks now. Whilst I wouldn't say that I know the city inside out, despite its relatively small size, I do feel that I'm gaining a feel for it. The main 'feature' of Wellington, for me anyway, is its bohemian atmosphere. Whilst the appearance of many of its citizens isn't especially unique, the scale is. I've never seen as many people in one place dressed as 'alternatively' as Wellingtonians. The same for body art, i.e. tattoos and piercing. Maybe its the small size of Wellington and the compactness of the city centre which focuses the look but Wellington, or maybe New Zealand, definitely has a style to it.

Some of the buildings in Wellington help to amplify this bohemian appearance. A lot of the buildings in New Zealand are constructed from wood, and houses are commonly referred to as washboard villas. But some of the city centre buildings have a faded look, almost as if they belong to a town in the Australian outback or American Midwest. These contrast sharply with the gleaming skyscrapers of Lambton Quay and the financial district. But the two sit comfortably side by side.

Jo and I went to see a film about sharks last week (www.sharkwater.com) which was excellent as well as being emotive and informative and is definitely worth seeking out. Otherwise, been fairly quiet for us both as Jo had a week of night shifts although I have been to the climbing wall and found a local lacrosse team.

We did go away this weekend with four friends from the UK to River Valley Lodge on the Rangitikei River (www.rivervalley.co.nz). A fantastic location set deep in the heart of the valley. They also offer white water rafting trips on the adjacent river which was fantastic!