The programme is finally beginning to firm up – there’s still the possibility of last minute changes as we try to accommodate people’s travel plans and – of course – fingers crossed we’ll have those famous crystal clear Wellington days…
March 12, 2006
Programme
March 10, 2006
blog walk / open space salon
Sunday 19th March. Daylight saving has snapped us into Winter. And what’s a blogger to do today in Wellington?
Load up your chums and the dog, and go for a walk! Charge up your laptop, pda, blackberry, camera phone, digital camera, and your best wit, wisdom, and writing fingers, and go explore the joys of Wellington.
Here’s what one observer said:
It’s often said that London, New York and Rome are the world’s three great cities but none has much of a backdrop. That’s why I prefer Hong Kong, Wellington and Reykjavik. You have the restaurants and the shops and the bars. And all the time you can admire God’s axe work in the background…
from Jeremy Clarkson – driving.timesonline.co.uk
Your guide for the day is none other than Mr WellUrban himself, Tom Beard. Tom’s agreed to guide arch-blogger and very urbane, James Farmer, and together they’ll facilitate the first Wellingtonian open space salon.
Free.
Again, for the hard of reading, FREE!
So, what’s the story?
Meet 10:00 at the front entrance of Turnbull House – the venue for Blog Hui and the Writer’s Workshops, located in Bowen Street (opposite the Beehive), between the Terrace and Lambton Quay in central downtown Wellington.
Rain, hail, sleet, or snow. Or sunny.
Tom and James will then lead the charge, and we’ll see you back (or not) at about 3. Or 4. Or not. Pretty casual.
Don’t be shy. This is a great chance to meet and chat with other bloggers while taking in some of the sights and sounds and probably a coffee of two along the way. If you missed Blog Hui because you went to the U2 concert (or not), then there’s a great chance to catch James and possibly some of the other speakers as well. And, it fits right in your budget.
More about WellUban:
WellUrban started as a serious site about architecture, urbanism and sustainable urban design in Wellington. It still covers those subjects, and occasionally has a good rant about them, but has morphed to include the wider aspects of urban life: from forgotten histories and enigmatic graffiti to scurrilous gossip and mysterious bars. WellUrban is the blogger as flaneur, “in the heart of the multitude, amid the ebb and flow of movement”, attuned to the fugitive traces of Wellington life and capturing them in HTML and blurry camera phone photos.
STOP PRESS!!!
Tom has released his planned walk. Harry Holland’s buttocks? Good grief – is there NOTHING that Tom doesn’t know about this city?
March 8, 2006
Writer’s Workshops
We’re delighted to be able to offer exclusive Writer’s Workshops on Sunday March 19th, facilitated by best-selling author and illustrator, Trevor Romain. More information here.
Workshop 1:
How to write Memoirs – 9:00 – 12:00 $49.00 (inc GST).
Workshop 2:
How to write, publish, and market books for children – 13:00 – 16:00 $49.00 (inc GST).
or register for both workshops for $90.00 (inc GST). Register online NOW!.
February 9, 2006
budget accommodation in Wellington
If you are looking for a more budget priced accommodation in Wellington, near to the Blog Hui venue, you might consider Downtown Backpackers. Very conveniently located in Bunny Street (opposite Wellington’s Central Train Station), there are easy walks to buses and the Blog Hui venue.
Downtown Backpackers is situated in the historic Hotel Waterloo – chosen to host the Queen’s entourage on her 1953 Coronation Tour of New Zealand – and clearly, in its heyday, the hotel must’ve been pretty swish. It’s now finding new life as a more budget focused, backpacker venue; complete with a café in the old ballroom, high speed internet, and sky tv in the double rooms. If your budget is really tight or you have specific food requirements, there’s a kitchen available for guest use. There’s a bar downstairs, and a supermarket within an easy walking distance. And, if you want to do a little extra travel, there’s a travel shop in-house able to help connect you with tours or other land based travel within NZ.
And for the difference that makes the difference from other backpackers? One word: Ensuite!
You can ring free (NZ only) – (0800 BAKPAK – 0800 225 725), book online or by email (gb@downtownbackpackers.co.nz). If you book by email you’ll still need to include a credit number for a room to be booked for you. Room rates available here.
Comments Off
January 11, 2006
Blog Hui <=> Aitken on Mulgrave
Getting from the Blog Hui venue, Turnbull House, to the Aitken on Mulgrave hotel is as easy as going from left to right < ---> getting from Aitken on Mulgrave hotel to Turnbull House is as easy as going from right to left.
Beehive end of Molesworth Street < - - - - - - - > Aitken on Mulgrave Hotel
Click on the above image to load a larger (180kb) mural image. The Beehive and Turnbull House are on the left of the image. To get to the Aitkin, walk up Mulgrave Street and turn right into Aitken. The hotel is opposite the cranes busy with the new Ministry of Defence building on the right of the image. The view is about 270o.
January 10, 2006
where’s Turnbull House (the venue)?
Turnbull House – the Blog Hui venue – is one of Wellington’s stately architectural period pieces managed by the Department of Conservation. It’s located in Bowen Street (opposite the Beehive), between the Terrace and Lambton Quay in central downtown Wellington.
Parking might be a something of a challenge, although there are parking buildings within walking distance, off the Terrace. If you’re local, get the bus to the north end of Lambton Quay and just walk around the corner is probably the best bet/least stress.
Just across the road is the Beehive, the political nerve centre of New Zealand. In the left hand corner of this image, the top roof lines of Turnbull House can be seen.
January 6, 2006
travel planning to Wellington
People travelling from within New Zealand are possibly all organised for getting here to Wellington, but for people travelling from further afield (or even if you are ‘local’), we suggest you might like to contact our official Blog Hui travel guru-ess, Letia Brown.
Letia Brown
Flight Centre Travel Broker
Telephone (+64) 4 387 8922 Fax (+64) 4 387 8923
email: letia.brown.nz@flightcentre.co.nz
Letia has oodles of experience as a corporate travel broker, and she’s more than happy to help you with accommodation and further travel in New Zealand if you wish to extend your travel experience a notch more.
January 5, 2006
where to stay in Wellington
There are a number of hotels and apartments within easy walking of Turbull House. We can recommend the Aitken on Mulgrave. The manager (Mike McMullan) has offered Blog Hui attendees a reduced rate for the Thursday (16th) night – usually $135, if you tell them ‘Blog Hui’ you’ll get the night for $99 – weekend rates. Hoo-rah! Email (info[@]wellingtoncityhotel.co.nz) or call Mike on +64 4 473 1870 (fax: +64 4 473 4014).
We’ve checked around and the prices are great, especially as seeing as Wellington accommodation is filling quickly for the NZ International Arts Festival.
You can walk from the Aitken to the venue (Turnbull House) in an easy 10 minutes, even lugging your laptop.
If you’re flying in to Wellington you can get a cab to the Aitken (approx $20-25) or get the Flyer bus ($5.00). If you’re taking the bus, get off at the Beehive (Parliament), walk up Molesworth Street (past the Backbencher Pub – the self proclaimed bastion of social intercourse) to Aitken Street, and turn right down to the Aitken (at the other end of the block from the National Library).
If you’re driving in down the motorway, take the Murphy Street off ramp.
Why not plan on making an extended weekend in the capital to take in some of the NZ International Arts Festival? For more on things to see and do in Wellington there is the official Wellington tourism web site.