Every post of ours ever written, going right back to January 2008.

Just on four solid years of urban blogging, with over 376 posts, and over 5077 comments. Resisted 14,976 spam.
This is a tiny bit on who we are – click here.
But here is the archive – with the latest stuff first – we’ll try to keep it up to date:
2012
February 2012:

January 2012:
CAPaTheticAL Minimus returns, and muses on Canberra
Farewell Blanket Man Ben Hana checks out, and various commentators grumble at the fuss. Why not? We like him! He’s more interesting than Sean Plunkett or Rosemary McLeod..
Year of the Dragon Chinese New Year and all that – but its a WATER Dragon this year. Hooray!
In praise of… a Red Light district Slightly dodgy post talking about brothels. But then that is only suitable given the topic…
Lanterns of the Cross Short post. Nice lanterns. Nuff said.

2011
December 2011:
Gone Fishing Again A merry Christmas wish for you, and maybe a resignation for Max?
Calling New Writers! Pretty much what it says – we need your writing talents to keep this going
When a City Falls… The documentary on Christchurch’s earthquakes, that you really should go and see…

November 2011:
Yawn of the Dead A curious mashup, of Michael Jackson, Zombies, and Winston Peters. Well, I thought it was funny, anyway….
Cuba cuticle Accommodating nails container for Cuba St
Metropolis The greatest film that ever was, now with extra flavouring

October 2011:
Whither Cuba What is to be done with our favourite street? No, really?
Occupy, umm, something In which clueless people protest about something, not quite sure what, other than that the world is intrinsicly unfair. Yeah, tell us something we don’t already know. Then go home and have a wash.
Insanely Great America’s last man who knows what the fuck he is doing, dies.
Option X A basin alternative, outlined.

September 2011:
Wellingtons flyover to nowhere Erentz writes his first column, a thoughtful appraisal of the transport issues
Introducing a new writer Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you: Erentz!
Seatoun wails A School in Seatoun reclads
Parking Day Carparks, minus tarmac, equal open space.
Te Aro cinema Is the rumour true? Will Te Aro become worth living for after all?
Rugby Hookers Rugby breeds, prostitution
Tall tales tell all Bus Station building, vs Design Excellence: Rethink please.

August 2011:
Double Banger Are there plans for TWO flyovers at the basin?
Antipodean Yuletide Felicitations It’s Christmas downunder, so party like it’s $19.99
Life’s a riot Suddenly, Britain erupts into riots. Is it just the hot weather?
SOM or SOS Tall building issues? Call the Experts!
Upper Hutt, where dreams don’t come true Time for a very nicely crafted video on the merits of our northern region
Ban the Cathedral Shigeru Ban’s proposal to create a cardboard cathedral

July 2011:
Joyce/Key infrastructure Here’s the calculation on how to calculate the road costs
RIP Amy Amy Winehouse dies, sadly predictably
Would you like Grandstands with that? Proposals for a Grandstand seem to lack a little forethought – we take a look
Grandstanding Proposals emerge of a shady deal between NZTA and the Basin Reserve Trust
A Viable Arch Centre Alternative? Finally we get to see the community fighting back against NZTA’s Basin scheme.
Nocturnal Saxophony Late last night someone played the saxophone – it was great
Boulevards A place to walk, to stretch your legs, to be noticed
Other side of the Mountain In which we start to explore the motorway through the edge of the Town Belt
Plans for the Basin NZTA unveil their two “options” for the Basin Reserve flyover

June 2011:
Laneways Can we expand the Opera House Lane to be a nice, fun, welcome place?
Triangular Parks WGTN2040 has proposed a few triangular parks – as have we! Like minds!
Waka Kotahi Waka means transport – not just a Ministry of Roads
Time after Time More Quakes in Christchurch – Lyttleton crumbles into dust. Is there no end to their misery?
Infinite Loops On Apple’s new Headquarters building
Stellar An apartment building proposed
Stalla Another apartment building proposed

May 2011:
Ghost Town A rude and contentious question: Is Christchurch really worth rebuilding?
Stamp on Architecture Dutch stamps featuring modern architecture
Gavin Stamp on Architecture Did you see what we did there?
Its the End of the World as we know it 89 year old American idiot, Harold Camping, says the world will end, starting in New Zealand
Good Morning America, How are ya? And yet the very next day, we’re all still here and all still fine, singing REM to keep us happy
Well we would The Wellywood sign saga carries on

April 2011:
No Royal Wedding in this house We promise not to mention Will and Kate – and look at the bad design of new Canterbury housing instead
Congestion There is no cure for too many roads, except for adding more cars. Repeat loop. No end in sight.
Toilet talk too We need more places to wee.
We are governed by idiots Noticing that our MPs are poorly informed
Walking City Questions about rebuilding Christchurch
All Change please On a new building that sits above the Bus Station
Flaneurs and Raconteurs Musings on people who muse about the city
Athfield resigns over Mayoral intransigence A tall tale from Christchurch
Mayor’s knickers in twist over cycle lanes Gosh, is that the time? And my my, look at the date

March 2011:
Nothing ever happens: but it could be right now On the slowness of information coming out about Memorial Park – and an update with plans
High Noon at the Athfield Corral El Ambassadore lays down the law to Christchurch over their penchant for one way roads
Full moon Once in a Blue Moon we talk about Ken Ring, the mad Moon Man
Groovy baby! A rare piece of exciting suburban architecture pokes its cute little head above the parapet in Seatoun heights
Tsunami here? A post prompted by the massive destructive tsunami in Japan, and a look at the likelihood of disasters striking the Wellington region
Mass Housing In praise of prefab, and the first collapse in the housing market
Liquefaction Want to know why Canterbury sank into the mud? Here’s why
Canterbury calls up Maximus A proposal for colour coding of remaining buildings
Toilet talk Sewerage is vital to a city’s survival – especially Wellington
Gerry Brownlee – please cancel Transmission Gully Where to find the money for the rebuilding of Christchurch?

February 2011:
Chalice church A proposal on what could be done with Canterbury Cathedral’s spire
Earthquake: stone buildings versus gravity The Feb 22nd Quake in Christchurch really changes everything
Architect bites dog In which the Architects Board gets stuck into Estate Agents
valentine Some sultry murmerings in your ear on Valentines Day
Hutt Park / Hutt Square New hard landscape by the Dowse
Rort like an Egyptian On the overthrow of Mubarak by the people

January 2011:
Whare Waka Finally, the launching of a house for local iwi waka
For DavidP The greatest harbour mashup ever seen
Stop the Flyover Sort of self-explanatory really…
The Year Ahead Predictions for 2011, from the oracle of aquatic life
Eye of the Fish Archive Pretty much this thing you are reading now
I’ve changed my mind about light rail Celebrating No Pants Day
Flooding-In Storms in Queensland and New Zealand – are we prepared?
Birdman Flying feats of fantastic feathery fun

2010
December 2010:
Revolution starts here Or so we thought. But we were weeks early
Why did the chicken…? More musings on Manners Mall
Christmas apples What we really want for Christmas – shiny new apples
Old and New Hearst Tower in New York

November 2010:
Hobbitoff On the (mostly banal) architecture of Peter Jackson
Exhibition time Latest graduates work on show
Tattoo to tango Archaus Tattoo apartment building leaps ahead
Parade of Homes Proposed new apartments on Oriental Parade
Chow leaves bad taste The brothel brothers are truly Grimm
Bus Lane Manners Maul meat mash means mincing

October 2010:
No Post today Not sure. Do all these posts need an explanatory title? Sigh…
Bank on Brown Commentary on the Mayor of Dorkland
And the Winner is… Archaus Te Aro Tower takes off
Red-head Green Wade-Brown gets Gold Irreverent title on relevant new Mayor
The soil we stand on Should we be worried if new zeaLAND is getting sold?
John Wilson of Roseneath Local idiot
Rocky for sure Nothing to do with the Foreshore and Seabed. Just a Rock
A Gesture to Melbourne The Thesis Whisperer, and how to gesture like a poseur
Hobbiton-on-Sea The lasting legacy of architecture from Lord of the Rings

September 2010:
Aussie thunder The demise of the Urban Design group
Grand Urban Rules A useful book with easy to read diagrams on how to design a city
Quake: Close Call Massive earthquake in Canterbury – is Wellington prepared?
Heritage Questions What should we be doing with our heritage (see above)?
Heritage ideas Some possible suggestions
Central Park upgrade Housing upgrade – slicing up buildings
Who to vote for? We’re asking, not telling
Stadium Roof South Invercargil’s roof fails under snow load
Fountains for Wellington Sardonic commentary on digging up roads
Stadium Roof East Pure poetry in motion from static engineering
Fascion The ridiculousness and silliness of girls wot got frox

August 2010:
Mayor Kerry speaks And indeed she does – emailing the Fish direct
Heritage Schmeritage Put your Trust in Historic Places?
The Tonight Show Letterman’s take on a city – where’s our urban hero?
The Syntax of Wellington Political Space
Castle Nobody else laughed except for Sarah and me
The Syntax of Public Transport A colourful explanation of how our city has a transport problem
Whither Johnsonville Local madmen froth at the mouth re DPC 72 / 73
Andy Foster writes and Speaks coherently and intelligently
Helene Ritchie writes which is more than can be said for some
Fish Fetish Rubber balls? Bondage? Taut, firm, fishy flesh?

July 2010:
Shed your coat / Coat your Shed Auckland’s silly rugby shenanigans
Apartments Dead Did we speak too soon? or Too Late?
Where did I stick my Stadium? Alternative locations for a Wellington rock venue – and then we got hacked by spammers
Spamalotnot The one where we got really snotty at those idiot russian spammers – and I’m a vegetarian!
Minimise An excuse for an inspiring picture, that ended up in a political debate
Indoor Stadium options Alternative locations for a Wellington rock venue – actually quite a lot of hard work, thought, and graphic power went into this one, so you had better enjoy it

June 2010:
Rocky! Some sweet transvestites, from transexual, Transylvania
Rocky road for Cuba Carni Which appears not to be happening
CML building Just that: the CML, old and new
Foreshore, for sure Maximus solves the foreshore and seabed issue, but politicians still don’t get it
Mind your Manners More on a mall – the Mall – and crossing streets
Telecom bricks Reflections on a building that dangles with angles
Living on water, building on Foreshore Floating houses? Boating blouses? Heaving trousers?
Tall Jetsons towers Tales of tall towers, like nothing ever seen before

May 2010
Calamity Jane Disastrous building proposals
Brazil One of the great films of Terry Gilliam
Thai me down Thai Embassy and their reuse of the modern marvel
Is the Profession of Architecture Corrupt? Well, is it? No comment
Ironbank gets Gold rank RTS Studio and a building that is interesting
Lucky leaky? Leaky homes in NZ get a proposal for some remuneration
On the waterfront Early discussion on the building of the Wharewaka
Sporting Arena The first few shots of the Indoor Sports Centre
Airport Rocks on Sneak peek at the International Terminal under construction

April 2010: and starting off on 1st April, we had a story that no one really fell for…
New City Architect appointed Shock announcement for the Urban Design Group at the Council
Eye round-up the sheep Anish Kapoor proposal for London, and other dubious announcements from 1st April
The Politics of Architecture On selling off of High Country land
Seriously ugly? Lyall Bay surf club proposals
Renfro New York legend Charles Renfro in town
Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go Greedy developers go bust
ANZAC Memorial In depth look at views to and from the Carillon

March 2010:
Earthquakes and Tsunamis After an earthquake, CD issues a warningfor a Tsunami
Variation 11 The latest proposal for Wellington waterfront
Polychromatic cutie A building in Cuba St made of coloured blocks
Projecting Some fantastic use of light to highlight architecture – ‘Onya!
Supercilious City: Pods Cast Pod transport proposed again – for Auckland this time
Air Eire ‘Ere Saint Patrick and his day
Advertising Nothing We spare your eyeballs from the hideousness and noise
Leaky Building Syndrome What is this, really?
Parnell Rising and Falling A curious building proposal up north

February 2010:
this post here was just simply called i Living on the waterfront in a slice of pie
Liberating Everyday Life On Bill Toomath’s work at the City Gallery
Stark reminder We love the Film Archive – but not their seats
Carnivals and Festivals On Cuba Carnival and other Carnivale around the world

January 2010:
Big Willie in Town The Royal opening of the Supreme Court in NZ
iWant Apple unveils the i Pad
Scaffold’s Off On architectural photography and the so-so Sodo apartments
Supreme Pacifika Some alternative wrappings for the Supreme Court
Basins What’s our biggest basin? The cricket one, of course!

2009
December 2009:
Christmas On Christmas light decorations that make no sense
Cobblestone Rex The refurbishment of Cobblestone Park
Changes to Manners Mall and Cuba St confirmed
Trannie Gully Announcement from Government that this will proceed
Togs, Togs, Undies The joys of summer – jelly tips and trumpets

November 2009:
Strengthening What to do about strengthening earthquake prone buildings?
Auckland Farce On Party Central and continued cock-ups in Auckland
Loyalty Beyond Reason
Variation 11 to go ahead? The proposal to proceed with the planning change on the waterfront
Surf’s Up Too More on that building on the south coast
Urban Eye Those Aucklanders, with their fancy writing competitions and arch awards
Bob’s back Proposals by a prominent property owner for a Mayoral candidate
Rotten, rotting, leaking Leaking buildings and rotten designs often go together
Chocolate Fish On the Wellingtonista Awards
Wellywood The most fun Wellington has had for years: taking the mickey out of the silly sign
Where’s my jetpack? A retro themed forward thinking post looking at the non-appearance of our space suits

October 2009:
Tattoo You Too Dinky new apartments off Wigan St
Tee Total The kids just wanna have fun ! ie a roller coaster!
South Coast Surfs Up Discussion over Maraenui Surf Club Cafe
From Right House to Drawing Board
Leaky Leushke On architects and buildings from another place
Telecom digs in More on that building, or the big hole it sits in
Telecom wiggles in Big new building on Willis St for Telecom
the 5th Scenario If you were building a surf club, would you take the 5th?
The Weeks Ahead What is coming up on the horizon?
Moore Wilson Interesting redevelopment for a tangled Wellington favourite

September 2009:
Wellington Super City Auckland wants to be a Super City – do we?
Harbour Capital A fairly self-explanatory title I would have thought
Taking the Pissoir A long look at the role of the public pit-stop
Fat Lady Singing? They say it ain’t over till the Fat Lady sings, but they were wrong
Shared Pictures: Shared Spaces Lower Cuba St shared space? Really?
Are Apartments our Green Shoots? Apparently not, as it turns out
Fashion: Weak Auckland Fashion Week – its all a bit naff
Dotty On a fantastic exhibition at the City Gallery, covered in dots
All Mall Johnsonville and a plan for the Mall

August 2009:
Fishing the Basin Suggestions from the Fish for the Basin Reserve
Watermarked Some projects are forever destined to not proceed
Portofino New Restaurant to complete the Kumutoto noshery
NZCID The Council for Infrastructure Development talks to the Money
Monument Mondrian Fun with new apartments overlooking Waitangi Park
Project Rugby Supermarket proposals on the Basin Reserve
Newlands Community Centre A surprising new building in the middle of suburbia – the People’s Republic of Newlands
Mad on Manners Discussion on Manners Mall, as you do…
Tram Stop Discussion on light rail systems
Why does National hate Trees? We never did find out why…

July 2009:
sNo Dome What’s all this about then, eh?
Harbour Cycling What’s all this about then, eh?
Rubbish on TV What’s all this about then, eh?
More Nautica What’s all this about then, eh?
Outer-T Competition announced What’s all this about then, eh?
Underground Wellington What’s all this about then, eh?
Affordable Housing What’s all this about then, eh?
Home size What’s all this about then, eh?
Fush and CHUP What’s all this about then, eh?

June 2009:
Whitesnake What’s all this about then, eh?
Manners closes but what will open? What’s all this about then, eh?
Lucky Break What’s all this about then, eh?
State of Play What’s all this about then, eh?
OPT all GO for APT What’s all this about then, eh?
Thorndon Tavern : Thai Takeaway What’s all this about then, eh?
Terrible design What’s all this about then, eh?
Crusher Collins cracks Containerisation What’s all this about then, eh?
Harbour Cities What’s all this about then, eh?

May 2009:
Best busker Wee man with big talent
Piermont Interesting patterns on new apartment buildings
Behemoth A query for the readers – what is this?
Taxing Behemoth An answer for the readers – where the Tax man cometh from
GBH and the DBH Department of Bruising and Holding
Motorway fever Let’s build some new motorways – or, maybe, lets not
Tunnel vision Discussion on how we can build things underground with giant machines
On the waterfront Wellington Waterfront offer up a competition to work up the Outer Tee
Oddity In which a Nameless Government Wonk replies to the column and provides some helpful info about a building in Thorndon

April 2009:
News flash: Stadium site it is What’s all this about then, eh?
Memorial Parkway What’s all this about then, eh?
Human Tetris What’s all this about then, eh?
Inhabited bridges What’s all this about then, eh?
Call the Commissioner What’s all this about then, eh?
Te Ika a Maui What’s all this about then, eh?
Green Man What’s all this about then, eh?
National Library What’s all this about then, eh?

March 2009:
Arch Centre Competition What’s all this about then, eh?
Man the Mall What’s all this about then, eh?
Recession – pah! Ride a bike instead What’s all this about then, eh?
Next top model What’s all this about then, eh?
Supreme omelette What’s all this about then, eh?
Big fish What’s all this about then, eh?
Rongotai revived What’s all this about then, eh?
National architecture What’s all this about then, eh?

February 2009:
Windows to the world What’s all this about then, eh?
Waitangi What’s all this about then, eh?
Indoor Sports Centre What’s all this about then, eh?
Stimulus package What’s all this about then, eh?
Little fishes swim upstream What’s all this about then, eh?
Honey pot What’s all this about then, eh?
Blow me away What’s all this about then, eh?
It’s Showtime! What’s all this about then, eh?
Dark waters What’s all this about then, eh?
Transit’s tasteless menu What’s all this about then, eh?
Puni accommodation What’s all this about then, eh?
For Shortness What’s all this about then, eh?

January 2009:
At the beach What’s all this about then, eh?
The year ahead What’s all this about then, eh?
On the buses What’s all this about then, eh?
Grand Designs What’s all this about then, eh?
Big Day Out What’s all this about then, eh?
Century City Ho What’s all this about then, eh?
Ephemera What’s all this about then, eh?

2008
December 2008:
Jorn Utzon What’s all this about then, eh?
Seaside cities : rising waters What’s all this about then, eh?
Hook of the Fish What’s all this about then, eh?
Swan Lane : people park What’s all this about then, eh?
Threats to waywardness What’s all this about then, eh?
Stout barricade What’s all this about then, eh?
Wellington goes high tech What’s all this about then, eh?
What’s the urgency? What’s all this about then, eh?
Boiling blood What’s all this about then, eh?
Gone Fishing What’s all this about then, eh?

November 2008:
Johnsonville Mall What’s all this about then, eh?
Fish Cash Scandal What’s all this about then, eh?
Fireworks for Obama Day What’s all this about then, eh?
So: the End of an Era What’s all this about then, eh?
End of year degree shows: on now What’s all this about then, eh?
More mall for J’ville What’s all this about then, eh?
No fly zone What’s all this about then, eh?
Rate your blog What’s all this about then, eh?
Mauled Mall – bus route What’s all this about then, eh?
Architecture awards night What’s all this about then, eh?
Cuba vs Manners What’s all this about then, eh?

October 2008:
Anyone fluent in Squiggle? Graffiti, explained
Wellington on a good day… That waterfront – just gorgeous
Design for the sun Thinking about how to plan the city to soak up the sun
What’s happening on Holland?
Coffee you feel! We love Havana bar
Athfield rolling on
Athfield’s fractured facade On Featherston St, a cracked facade looks familiar
Hemlines up? Super-tall towers? Myths discussed Self-evident title really

September 2008:
St George and St Mary Just near St Mary of the Angels, a new block proposed
Two Pensions? The Due Pensione building proposed for Haining St
The right to write Architectural Criticism – and who should be doing it
Do it once, do it right Competition for an affordable house
Civic Trust Award winners Winners of awards for around the city, as proposed by the Civic Trust
Get your skates on Why don’t we have a Ice Skating arena?
Icon get no satisfaction It’s that bloody word again: Icon. What does it mean and why do some people overuse it so much? I mean, come on, not everything can be an Icon, can it? How about some quiet background building people?

August 2008:
Banalitecture Boring architecture on Wellington’s main entry road
Resource Management Act: Discuss Although, sadly, not many people did
Courtenay Park update
Te Karo Park The side strips of the Inner City Bypass
Construction methodologies
Civic News
Snip Snap: Sardines, Oysters, Snappers … and Tagging Those its of plastic wot get you on to buses
Beauty, Damnation and Architecture
Property Council conference 08 Mostly a bunch of fat old men who control the wealth in our cities
Inner City residential The Birth of WICRABA

July 2008:
Wagamama joins Mojo at Kumutoto Well that title is pretty self-explanatory really, isn’t it?
Dude, where’s my gas station? We have less of these than we used to. Where are they going?
Boondoggle Gully Transmission Gully – the fools get sucked in again
Jolly Green Giants Telecom’s new building in Willis St – the first views
Wellington construction corpses Thanks largely to non-payment of bills, another construction company bites the dust

June 2008:
She’s a total blam blam Knocking down the buildings for some new blocks in Taranaki St
Mill Creek Wind Farm More wind turbines proposed
Ngauranga to Airport (Part 2) The document that sets out the future of Wellington traffic planning
Rising up in the blogosphere – or Lost in Transmission? We rose to the heady heights of 51st most popular political website – no idea how, or why
Pews on wheels; Heritage on the move Margaret Alington writes on the stripping out of heritage from her church

May 2008:
Transport – the route ahead Consultation results back – see what we Wellingtonians said about transport
Overseas makeover Proposals for rebuilding the Overseas Passenger Terminal
Wellington Hospital – the 800lb gorilla sitting in the corner that no one admits is there Do we have an ugly hospital in Wellington, or what?
Supreme and enduring awards NZIA awards ceremony
WAM Bam Thank you Ma’am Warren and Mahoney unveil plans for National Library
Suffragette City On the little green man / woman that helps us to cross the road

April 2008:
Chew on this Chew’s Lane proposals
There is no housing shortage in New Zealand In which we put forward the prospect of a tax on second homes, so that every one can have one, rather than two
Win a trip to Flosten Paradise A personal favourite – the 5th element’s look at urban life
Apartment survey WCC asks for feedback on living in the city
Congestion Pricing roadmap Discussing congestion charging and how we need carrots as well as sticks
Courtenay loses some parks; gains a Park The Courtenay Park proposal is launched

March 2008:
The strange death of architectural criticism Where we lamented that criticism seems to be dying out, except by a select few
Courtenay 2.0 More stories about buildings and food
Derek and Jen The one about the young couple who…
Barrio and Bellagio A tale of two apartment buildings on Taranaki St
The Hilton vanishes? Outer T of the Queens Wharf – a hotel no longer
Metropol-itan? Apartment building proposed for Ghuznee St by Archaus
This post just received Resource Consent
Fwd: an Open letter to the NZIA
No affordable housing?

February 2008:
Fly my pretty roofs! Looking at rooftop lines around Wellington apartment buildings
State of Shock? English author Duncan Fallowell gets rude / truthful
Does my building look big in this? Groundscrapers on the foreshore and optical illusions on the facade of the BNZ
Wow indeed Athfield wins competition at Kumutoto
The Forest Grows A tall building in Willis St is proposed, but does it proceed?
Light Rail Redux More on the need for Light Rail
New Solace A statue on the foreshore attracting some attention
Two steps forward, one back
Stop Transits Tunnels
Heads Up #2 We were going to replace our header with lovely new photos, but we only did it once or twice
Oriental Rooflines More on rooflines, especially on the Parade
Rock 2 Wellington The unveiling of a new Airport terminal in Wellington that looks like a….
Follow up: Athfield at Kumutoto Looking at the results of the recent competitions for sites 8, 9, and 10
Last chances Last day to submit feedback on the Ngauranga to Airport
To build a painting William S Toomath and the lion of St Jerome – a study on that man and his desk
Body movie(ing) Painting buildings with light

January 2008
First Post A welcome to this blog, and an explanation of why we are called what we are
Heads Up #1 We were going to replace our header with lovely new photos, but we only did it once or twice
Ohtel by the Park A new building, the Ohtel, down by the Waitangi Park
New Farm for Ohariu Wind Farms in the west
To Rail or Not to Rail Rail travel in the Wellington region

A Wellingtonian, interested in architecture and design. But enough about me, what about you?

A student at Victoria, blogging to help cultivate an interest and education in all things design, architecture and urbanism. I also work as a freelance designer, focusing primarily on web projects. My portfolio is viewable online.