Not just winners, MAJOR winners! :)

The Kiwi Way

Sorry, just found some more random photos - just have to post this... it is the kiwi way!

This is the camera shot of the Maori warriors doing their thing next to the winner's podium at the Rugby Sevens...can't help but notice how the Kiwis choose to hold up the screen...

The cameraman even went in for a close up of him...

And there's the podium - guy still doing his job.

For the win!

Alice in (or rather behind) Wonderland!

Don't you just want to go here?!

It is actually a bar in one of the back streets of Wellington...

"Well done, you curious thing, the journey's end is almost in sight,

Start at a place named Courtenay, where the neon's burning bright,

Face the old Queen's mountain and it's a simple turn to the right

onto a street  - the host of an English party. Political or dance? Tory might,

Now, can you see the lane for the trees? The forest comes alive at night,

Down the rabbit hole my curious friend and discover the capital's delight."

...and that is not tea!

Directions above are found on their web page. The bar is located behind a yellow door, under a neon white rabbit that dives into the hole of a doorway, on Forresters Lane found just off Tory Street at the foot of Mount Victoria. Interestingly it is also found behind an 80's club, complete with disco lit up dance floor and mirror balls, called Boogie Wonderland.

I haven't been to Alice yet, but is on my 'have-to-do list'! Cocktails in a teapot!

Description from http://www.aa.co.nz/aadirections/features/Pages/Alice-Bar.aspx:

"The alleyway is Wellington's Forrester's Lane and it's dark and wet, with rain-filled pot holes that gape like open mouths. At the far end of the darkness we see, tucked in against the back entrance to Boogie Wonderland, a white rabbit. It flashes on and off, jumps, jumps, and disappears. This is Alice.

The rabbit hole, in this instance, is a bright yellow door and a corridor that winds and then dips down into a cocktail bar where you can drink Bill the Lizard's Lagermeister Tea poured out of a tea pot into bone china cups. Friday is cupcake day at $3 a pop, to be eaten with the drink of your choice - perhaps The Cheshire Cat, although the barman says you'd be hard pressed to go past a tipple of Curiouser and Curiouser (a concoction of Ti-Toki berry liqueur, kiwifruit and amaretto). The drinks list comes bound as a hardcover book, which has proven so popular as a souvenir that 20 have been stolen. They're considering chaining copies to the bar.

On the wall a framed portrait of the Queen of Hearts stares down a hookah-smoking caterpillar. And there is the porthole mirror at the end of the room, which looks like a door that ought to lead somewhere, if only you could fold up like a telescope to fit through.

Alice is open until 5am on weekends, making it all the more likely that you'll lose track of time and emerge at dawn, fumbling for your pocket watch and saying, "Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!" "

I love sitting out on my balcony practising the old past time sport of people watching. It is surprisingly strenuous and requires continuous sustenance in the form of South African cider and snacks...wine works well too.

One day the workmen came out to play and they brought their cones with them...ALL their cones!!
They do not skimp on the cones in Wellington, oh no, I think they work in the same magical way as pedestrian crossings - everyone assumes that they will miraculously stop cars in their tracks - all bow down to the mighty cone and stripes!

Anyway, the workmen, surprisingly, restrained themselves just outside my building - only a hundred cones or so - you should have seen the intersection near the train station when they were working on the road!! There must be cone fairies out there that lay them out every night - special guys them workmen! And the cones don't get stolen! Maybe that is their plan - flood the streets with cones and people will just be grateful when the orange spots recede from their vision!

And, yes, once the cones were out there was much standing around to be done...I don't even know what some of those cones are meant to be doing! One at the far end is making his big break! - unfortunately into oncoming traffic...he didn't make it...

Then they brought out the line painting machine! I sooo want one of those!

Two guys go ahead with a piece of string and some chalk and the machine comes behind and paints perfectly straight lines while it rolls on past. Awesome! It also comes with a nifty paint gun that he uses to paint manholes.

He was done so quickly!

And that was my Thursday evening - (pictures taken after 8pm! Just another perk of summer...9pm sunsets!)

Sevens Madness!

So about a week ago I found out that there was going to be a Sevens Rugby Tournament in Wellington. I must have been the only one who hasn't been preparing for this for months. Tickets for the two day event were sold out in September last year! I was told that it is a non-stop two day party that the whole city enjoys. Wow, what and understatement! If you are planning a trip to Welly and you like booze, partying, meeting random people, music, dancing, general frivolity, costumes, sun, rugby, hot guys, hot girls or all of the above, it would not be a bad idea to revolve your whole trip around this event! The only downside is that you will have to deal with a stadium full of very happy drunk people in panda suits. The event gives suits licence to dress in drag, gorilla outfits or just about anything else you can think of...and they do!

It all kicked off with the pre-tournament parade down Lambton Quay *insert sheep joke here* through the centre of Welington CBD. Everyone turned up. The vibe was incredible!

And as always the 'nanny state' has to throw in its public service announcement first - "Ease up on the drink". Although I must say that it is not bad advice for about 90% of the Wellington population!

I must have taken over 500 photos so I'm just going to put a few of the good ones up. All the team ones were pretty boring, but here are the two important ones...

Love the beard! so kiwi...

And then there were all the cheerleaders. Each team was assigned a group to walk ahead of their float in the parade. There were a lot of girls in skimpy outfits and guys in muscle shirts jumping around and handing out free stuff. Some really should have been wearing more clothing...

There were some traditional ones too...

 

And then there was South Africa...what was with the cat face paint?! Flag cut-outs completed the look...

The South Africans didn't seem that excited, but some of the teams really got into the spirit; drumming, singing and throwing poses...

 (England)

 (Vive la France)

I'd love to know how the guy in the foot cast made the team!

 (Wales)

Needless to say, I didn't catch that mini rugby ball flying at my camera...

New Zealand also had their national hero wheeling in front of them. Choice! If you don't recognise him go watch the movie 'Boy' and even if you do recognise Shogun, go watch the movie anyway - it is excellent and such a good way to see kiwi culture! well, more rural, but so accurate and funny in a Kiwi kind of way.

Even the Queen came out in support of England - very convincing...

 Tom Jones put on a show for Wales... (love the cars. I would totally drive that around town)

Trophy! NZI what a way to travel - I could ride around in one of those too! not easy to park though...

I didn't even notice the dressed up guy on the left with what I can only hope is a white wig...and the Mario Bro behind him...

The cameras were out in force and really kept me on my toes...my dodging and ducking skills are still fierce though...

There were others out in force too - those are not costumes, but you would be forgiven for thinking so...

Videos of the parade...

See the guy in pinkish/red top dancing around...he was just a random from the crowd that decided to get involved in the parade. He danced with most of the groups...kiwis!

Now to the montage of costumes...

Many of these pictures I just snapped around Wellington during lunch on Friday. The 4 girls above were making a wine run to New World (supermarket). The other funny thing is that a lot of people who dressed up didn't even go to the game - they just dressed up for the sake of it and had a party! It really should be a national holiday!

At the opening ceremony it was all about the 80's. Freddy paid Wellington a visit...

They went all out with the big screens and party vibe on the waterfront. Below is Queens Wharf, stage, fashion runway, bars line the sides and of course the giant screen. There was another stage and big screen next to Te Papa on the water's edge. It really was the event of the year!

Video clip of the part-ay: http://bit.ly/g4RKUD

 The the Street party on Courtenay place (a few blocks from my apartment) kicked off with a bang - well, lots actually, I assume there was a drumming show going on. It was so loud that our lounge walls and windows were rattling. It sounded amazing though. Well, you saw the video in the link - what a huge party!

I was up and about Saturday and Sunday morning and there were still people out in their costumes, still intoxicated, trying to find their way home. A little funny to watch, scary to think how drunk they must have been the night before!