I’m quite interested in New Zealand’s old architecture, particularly those old colonial buildings that we haven’t preserved much of, but can still be found. So I went to Glenside, near Tawa to see an old colonial house. Apparently the suburb of Glenside used to be called ‘Halfway’ back in the day because it was located right in the middle between Wellington and Porirua. What a cool…
One of the main reasons that we should all be very wary of the Government stepping in to “sort out councils” and “provide low-cost housing” is that, judging by their efforts in Canterbury, they have not got a clue about what they are doing. This recent article in The Press didn’t make it into our papers up here, but the picture tells the story all too…
A curious budget from a very curious Government. Personally I would say they are fairly rudderless, clueless, and without any logical dogma, but they do seem keen to pursue a path of selling off things we already own, and expanding out into land that is far from the city centres. Both points that seem morally and logically bereft. Winston Peters puts it pretty bluntly: “Never in…
Since Johnkey’s stupid comments the other day about Wellington dying, there has been a predictable uproar and outpouring of denial from all of us proud Wellingtonians. Without doubt, if he meant to stir us into action, he has succeeded. Also without doubt, he has no endeared himself to anyone in this town – if chef’s didn’t spit in his soup before, I’m sure they will now….
Willis St is apparently becoming the Willis River today, complete with moats, drawbridges, and certainly a fair amount of water. Where were you a month ago ?!? Anyway, just to cheer you up, and to celebrate that no one has been run over by a bus for over a month now, here’s a wee European clip of trams. I like the way he looks down to…
Although I may have been critical of Te Papa in the past (well, if not to you, publicly, then i have at least muttered something to myself on occasions), Saturday was possibly their finest hour. Indeed, for one whole day, Te Papa stopped being the sucky big children’s playground and instead became an awesome young nerdy persons’s reason for living at all! Yes: the Makertorium came…
Too early to comment? Undoubtedly, yes. But still, it happened, and as an act of urban terror, a bombing has a chilling effect. The two (maybe even three) bombs exploded today in Boston, Massachusetts, will have a permanent effect on the American people. Sadly, three people have died – then again, thankfully, only three people have died. Dozens more have been badly wounded, and probably many…
Oh I know I shouldn’t, but what the heck: this spy vs spy wrangle is keeping me most amused. Playing out on a world stage, thankfully while every other country is watching North Korea for signs of (more) madness, the Newzillun Gummint’s ineptness at running a spy agency (or two) seems to go from one slippery slope to another. Last week we had Jonkey almost unilaterlly…
There’s many things in the news each day that I feel like responding to, but most of them have little relevance to Wellington’s urban design, which is what this blog is meant to be all about. Yes, I could ramble on about yet another supermarket, or another gas station popping up, but my head is just not there right now. I’m more intrigued by the reportage…
Just one question: why aren’t we doing this in Christchurch? Or Auckland? Or Wellington? Especially Wellington! And when people say they are building a container house, why don’t they do something as cool as this?: And, and, and, why in the world can’t all kids have a house with a swing that is as cool as this? Alright. That was three questions.