Hosting, Roasting, Coasting and Toasting

First of all, a little catch up on the subject of barbecues. Though these photos didn't fit into the narrative arc of previous blogs, they are important nonetheless to my time so far in Wellington. 

Tom hosted us at his house in Kelburn for a delicious BBQ a few weeks ago, the day before we tramped the Mt Holdsworth-Jumbo circuit. I am almost certain we wouldn't have made it to the hut without that big feed. Tom remains a firm top of our friend list.

On the Friday afternoon ahead of our Mt Taranaki trip my team at Meridian hosted a BBQ on the slim balcony that runs round the third floor of our building. Our head of department (External Relations) Guy went diving for paua the night before and made his famous paua fritters, which were far and away the best things ever to grace a BBQ. His t-shirt reads:

RENEWABLE ENERGY
I'M A BIG FAN

But now to the weekend just gone, and our first house guest: Oxford medical student, ex-Downing natsci and now temporary Aucklander James Bradley-Watson. Keen to show off Wellington's superior foodie and cultural scene we went out for artisan wood-fired pizzas on Cuba Street followed by contemporary, even post-structural, ballet at the St James Theatre (part of the New Zealand Arts Festival). Then heads buzzing with meta-narratives, cacti and green spandex, we treated ourselves to Kapiti sorbet on the walk home.

You may have heard of Weta Workshop for their work on Lord of the Rings or King Kong, or more recently District 9. The Workshop tour took us through the research, design, physical creation and use of the myriad of props, models and prosthetics Weta build for a film. The small tour space was crammed full of examples, including life-size models of Uruk-hai, robot police from Chappie, an alien 'prawn' never used in District 9 and a small size King Kong yak-hair model. The cabinets of props belonging to various members of the Fellowship of the Ring were particularly absorbing. 

Unfortunately James and Roger wanted to go mountain biking so we couldn't stay all day at Weta. At Makara wind farm just outside Wellington we warmed up on a long uphill ride then found a great green (easy) track down the mountainside, to gain our (my) confidence. In the 'skills park' Roger mastered the undulating board walk, James caught some air on a jump, and I went round and round a donut to practice tight corners. Galvanised, James and Roger tested themselves on a blue run and I coasted down on the green.

Top Friend Tom came over for roast pork and brought freshly brewed Garage Project, meaning James also sampled some famous Wellington craft beer. The gastronomic tour was completed the next day with brunch at Loretta's (but not before Roger had introduced James to running up Mount Victoria). With the sun unexpectedly out in full force we headed round the bays to a toasty Scorching Bay, beyond Miramar on the peninsula, where James' old schoolfriend Tim and his girlfriend Sophie joined us. Icecream, bat-and-ball, an aborted bush walk, a swim with jellyfish eggs and sand everywhere made for a perfect New Zealand afternoon at the beach. 

Roger with his second Kapiti ice cream
of the weekend

Dropping James at Wellington airport was not too sad a goodbye, as he's coincidentally turning up in the same Tongariro hut as us in ten days' time! And then we're hanging out in Northland over Easter. And then doing the Abel Tasman in April. Watch out Top Friend Tom.

Next time: the big Dragon Boat Regatta, 5th March 2016.