Wellington, You Had Me at ‘Hello’
Posted on 17 February 2009 by Natalie
It’s true, Wellington is “so fresh and so clean ”, with a smile on every corner, and it feels unnaturally safe. All of this is very true, but there is a vibrant energy here in Wellington Justin failed to mention. All it takes is a sunny day and the city comes alive with people and activities. Even on a weekday. As I walk around the city, I find myself wondering, “do any of these people have jobs?”. As the sun breaks from behind the clouds, countless people can be found swarming through the city, lounging in parks, and sitting outside cafes in the middle of the day.
This is the type of city where a dozen girls get out of class, in private school plaid skirts (aka “the kilt”), walk to the harbor to strip down to bikinis and jump the 10 feet off the pier into the water. Sorry guys, no pictures. The girls already seemed to be attracting enough attention without me snapping a few shots. It’s also the type of city that a man in a full business suit will be spotted skating down the street on an electric deck. That’s right, why own a Vespa or a Smart Car when you can plug in your skateboard at night and ditch the cost of Petrol?
After traveling New Zealand for well over 3 months now, this is the first place I can actually see myself living. Breathing in the energetic life and culture is easy. It’s a bit more difficult to put into words some of the things I have seen and experienced. Maybe some of my photos will help. Feel free to visit our gallery for a few more.
Wellington offers everything from Skaters to Doilee covered trees. The Artistic energy flows through the city as fluid as it’s fountains and unites people from all over the world. Through spending a few weeks in Wellington, I think it’s easy to say I will leave with the Wellington spirit. “Absolutely, Positively, Wellington!”
Wellington has also helped me further my knowledge on Parkour (it’s a French word). I was able to meet 3 members of Physical Graffiti the Wellington based Parkour group. Darren, Chris and Rowan all a part of the group allowed me to watch their sport in action. Parkour is a rather unique sport that is growing in urban areas all over the world. The sport involves the skill and agility of a runner or climber but the creativity and poise of an improvisational modern dancer. It is incredible to watch, I recommend checking out Physical Graffiti in action on YouTube.
After casually interviewing the guys about the sport, Chris and Darren helped me to realize that it is a non-defacing activity, unlike skating. At times skaters will grind in one place so many times that it causes deterioration or defacing of public buildings and property. While Parkour allows the motion to be experienced with out the damage causing gear. Please know that I am very pro urban skating, and not all skaters cause damage to the environments in which they skate. And incase you were wondering, Parkour can cause many small injuries, especially scratches on the forearms. Rowan shared with me that he has broken one watch and one cell phone. So, although Parkour is FREE, it can become expensive depending on what types of fragile items you carry on your body. If attempting to begin the new sport, I would begin slowly on grass. Feel free to check out the basic form closer up.
Overall, I agree with Justin that Wellington does seem very clean, safe and friendly compared to the cities I’ve been to in the past. But, there is a unique art culture and vibrant life found in the Wellington Kiwis you just can’t experience up in Auckland (or anywhere else for that matter). Wellington, you had me at “hello”.
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Tags | New Zealand, urban exploration
a friend of mine is really really into parkour…
btw did you redesign ur layout?
Yeah, we were really impressed by parkour. What city does your friend live in?
We did roll out a new version of our site last week. Thought it was time to go with a look that presented more of our content in an easy to find fashion.
It was great to meet you guys, you’re so friendly and positive. Thanks for the writeup – I feel blessed to have Wellington as my home ^_^
If you want more photos, Sunday is when the really good traceurs (Parkour practitioners) come out to jam, we meet at the pyramid at Civic Square at 2pm.
Bummer!!! We missed out at Civic Square. We have been at Island Bay, finishing up our “Open Water Certifications”. Now we can officially dive as deep as 30 meters (100 feet).
Sad, that we missed out on more Parkour, and we are leaving Wellington tomorrow. Chris, you and the guys have done a great job introducing us to Parkour and now we can look for it all around the world.
However, if you want another type of thrill, consider diving in the future. It’s intense! We were certified at The Dive Shop in Lower Hutt. I would recommend stopping by if you are in that area of town. I think Parkour and diving could be equally adventurous and addicting.
Hey cheers for that, cool artical!! I dont know if your’ve been told but our website http://www.nztraceur.com has some better videos ect. At the time i couldnt think of anything truly impressive to show you guys sorry. (stage fright haha)
To be honest i do like the idea of diving, but maby once ive done traveling ect…
Rowan, you are correct, their are some great videos there as well. And as for diving, I agree, Wellington’s visibility is pretty poor. You should save diving for when you can travel. For now, keep rocking at Parkour!
Hey Nat and and justin! It was great meeting you and I hope you do come back to see us in Welly soon! I agree that there are few greater thrills than diving. Fun, tranquil and amazing, I have seen more incredible things underwater than I ever have on land! Keep in touch.
Darren
@Darren – Darren, I had no idea that you are a diver. But it makes sense with your semi-nomadic lifestyle. Originally a New Yorker, with an Irish accent from living in Ireland for a few years, and now living in New Zealand with your awesome Irish wife. Of course you would be a diver!
hey there!!
Hows it going?
Just wondering if i can add a link to you site on my website?
cheers
Go for it Rowan! Hope you have been enjoying the adventure in life.
Diesen Blog habe ich gebookmarkt.. Danke fuer die Infos
I agree everyone on parcour. It’s a great sport.
Other than that, you have perfect weblog here, keep maintaining the good site.
Thanks Teresita. Awesome name!!!
Now THAT’S what I’d deem an insightful thought on this subject. What I would advise perhaps is speaking to other people actively involved in the scene and bring to day any different points of view and then update your blog or create a new post for us to stew over. I hope you’ll take my ideas, I’m looking forward to it! Try to cover off on some graffiti characters as well if you can, they’re quite popular at the moment.
Parkour rocks! Thanks Teresita
Thanks Ryan, I love that you added your passion for Parkour. It isn’t the most well known sport. Keep sharing your knowledge and passion with others.
Kenton, Wellington is an awesome place. Loads of art. Not a HUGE graffiti art scene, but it’s enough for someone beyond tag-artist to recognize as urban artwork.
Nat/Justin
Some very good pictures. We miss the sunshine here in the northern hemisphere. December was the coolest in uk for 120 years !!
I miss the sun and more so after seeing the pictures…
Samual – I am not sure why the site looks strange – I am looking at it on a Mac right now and it looks normal. Try Firefox or Safari or another browser.
Oh, and I also miss the gorgeous sunny days of Wellington, NZ. It was an incredible city. One of my favorite places in the world.
Hi There, We had a great victory in the previous election phase. Tnx.
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Normally I don’t comment on your posts but I wanted to let you know I have placed a link to your page on my blog. I was thinking that maybe you could benefit from my visitors since we have somewhat similar pages.
Regards, Titus Streczywilk
I would appreciate a link back