more buildings

from early 1900’s to the 90’s glass to the super modern. so beautiful!

ropes

OK – so you just need to indulge me on this one. I love the texture and colours of the ropes used in the harbour. I could give you hundreds of pictures here, but instead just a snippet…

benches

I just love the number of benches that are set up all over Wellington! This really builds on the relaxed lifestyle vibe that the city has.

 

But no ordinary benches – there are some pretty funky ones around:

 

Matterhorn -restaurant

Friday night (23Jan) we went out to supper at ‘Matterhorn’. This is on Cuba street which is a vibey buzzy part of wellington with lots of bars and restaurants and general entertainment. Ryan and I met with Kahu (HP contractor working with Ryan) and his wife Tina. We had a fantastic time and wonderful food. Tina and I ordered a fish dish. This was delicate, just just cooked, light and creamy fish wrapped in a leek leaf. Served with a bouillabaisse and seared scallops and some other bits I can’t remember. Ryan had a venison dish and Kahu had a lamb dish. Their web site is here: www.matterhorn.co.nz.

The decor was pretty funky. Wood clad ceilings (luckily very high), rough cement coated walls, concrete floors, lots of metal and wood frames and pillars, and lots of glass. Gave the place a very clean and crisp look. The tables were clear wooden surfaces (no tablecloths or placements) in keeping with the clean look. The serviceware was a little boring – just plain white bowls and plates, but that worked within the overall simplified look I suppose. A wooden bar counter and bar space was set behind a cement plastered wall with long vertical rectangles cut out of it at intervals. This kept the bar private but still part of the space. Nifty feature was a ‘mexican man’ (that’s what I saw anyway) emblem subtly incorporated on the glass, vases and front entrance. Tables were set up with black leather benches and chairs.

 

 

The bar. (this pic from texture.co.nz)

 

The restaurant. (this pic from smh.com.au)

Buildings in Wellington

Courtenay Place, Wellington

These are the bits I found interesting along Courtenay Place.

This is an ‘average’ street in Wellington CBD that has shops, restaurants, banks, and bus stations along it.

Cantilevered benches – very Frank Lloyd Wright?	A modern twist on a traditional bench
A fishy motif built into the pavement	The manhole covers have a Maori design
Mosaics of different colours placed along the pavement
This is the cut-out detail from the cantilevered bench	This is the tiles entrance to an apartment building
An organic sculpture on a corner	The motif from a restaurant bar called ‘Coyote’
Funked up blue bits on the gables	Eeek! Pink and turquoise building. Actually' – it’s pretty cool in real life
Lovely old clock	Cut-outs in the same style as the benches
Sculpture called ‘Tripod’	A totem type sculpture on a traffic island