The Best Suburb Is, Of Course, Miramar [updated]

And I said so in the Weekend Dominion Post, "Coastal cool: embracing the lifestyle" by @brontorrie.

To be honest I think Meg is stealing the limelight in the photo :-)



Here's the Miramar section of the article - I've added links as newspapers don't seem to grasp that links are good! And get your very own "Proud to be a Miramarian" t-shirt from Worser Bay School.

Coastal cool: embracing the lifestyle - BRONWYN TORRIE

Wellington likes to celebrate its status as the coolest little capital, but there's more to the metropolis than the hubbub of the inner-city. In a three-part series, Bronwyn Torrie finds out why Wellingtonians are proud to live in the coolest little suburbs. Part One: The South Coast.

Wellington's South Coast has been dubbed the new "Nappy Valley" as young families flock to the area bringing elements of cool with them. It also helps that many celebrities call the area home. So how do the suburbs on the wild coastline rate?

MIRAMAR

Miramar is Mira-marvellous, according to many a Miramarian.

The once-shabby suburb, which was home to a gasworks and booming manufacturing industry, has been evolving into a classy creative hub since Sir Peter Jackson and his movies began pouring money into the area a decade ago.

The remnants of its industrial past are a stark contrast to the rich and famous and new young families who have injected life into the former ghost town.

The newbies have been quick to latch on to Miramar's cool factor. In fact, they are so proud of their patch on the peninsula that T-shirts emblazoned with "Proud to be a Miramarian" were circulated this year at the Worser Bay School fair.

Welshman Mike Riversdale, who has adopted the alias Miramar Mike, moved to the suburb nine years ago with his wife.

"It was a place that the worker ants of the world came and lived. It was cheap, it was cheerful. The film industry kicked things off ... it's got a lot of colour, it's not beige and boring any more. It's certainly becoming a very cool and trendy place to live."

The "gravitational pull" of the glammed-up Roxy Cinema has kept the momentum going, "dragging it up from `hey, we've got a pet shop' to `we've got some really cool restaurants and bars'," Mr Riversdale says.

Allan Probert is also proud of what has become the capital's cog of creativity. Weta minions have boosted the need for hip foodie places like Mexican restaurant La Boca Loca and The Larder.

By day Mr Probert is a vet but by night he becomes Enterprise Miramar Peninsula Trust chairman, championing everything good about Miramar.

And it's all good, according to him. Stunning beaches and mountain bike tracks, and much of Wellington's military and Maori history are there.

"You name it, we've just about got it," Mr Probert says. "People here are quite parochial, quite proud, and it reflects on the community. The morale of the place at the moment is at an all-time high."

Miramar

Did you know: The peninsula's Maori name, Te Motu Kairangi, means Precious Island. A huge earthquake in 1460 closed the channel called Te Awa-a-Taia, which separated the island from the mainland.

House values: Average house value $487,111.

Go: Summerfest – boutique, family-friendly food and beer festival at Worser Bay Boating Club on February 26.

See: The Weta Cave – just so you know, there are no rude bits under Gollum's loin cloth.

Taste: Alamir Bakery's legendary lebanese bread – time it for baking day.

[Updated] Added link / snippet from DomPost online article by @brontorrie

Giving Up Smoking And I'm Gonna Need Your Help

That's it - keep on my case, follow how I'm going and give me all the praise you can think of.


I'm using a new Kiwi site called Goalpost.it to keep me on track!
http://www.goalpost.it/goals/156

Miramar, Even Her History Makes You Proud

I love this picture of the land before Wellington airport was built - been looking for such a view for quite some years, and finally here it is. My thanks go to Stephen Cook and his fascinating personal history and research into the "Miramar Gasworks Tramway".

If you're hankering form some more Miramarian history then look no further than Barry Cash's "Postcards from Miramar" blog which has such beauties as this one of Wonderland



And then you'll want to show off how proud you are to be a Miramarian


Order your "Proud to be a Miramarian" t-shirt and wear it full in the knowledge that CBD-ers are already jealous

When An Drink Goes Wrong Via Twitter

Ok, before we start ... I've been ill, the brain was working at full capacity.

I don't know what Dave's excuse is :-)

The first tweet was sent from Little Beer Quarter after I checked the calendar wondering if I'm in the right place ... no, I've just bought a beer in the wrong bar:

I call Dave and leave a voicemail message (it's common for people not to get coverage in the downstairs of Hashigo Zake), "I'm on my way, so sorry".

So I sink the pint and rush down the streets, avoiding the downpour, to Hashigo Zake. Bloody hell, it's packed - Dominic (owner and old mate) tells me that his bar is so full due to an end of year SOBA event. Look around but no Dave to be seen and so I check the calendar one more time:

I go upstairs to get some "fresh air" and a regrouping of the internal forces ... did I say I was ill.
And then the tweet that made me laugh out loud so hard that I think I scared a small child:

:-)

Well it went all rather quickly after that:

... before finally:

And my body loved for me going home so early and without too much beer in me. I slept like a baby and feel a gazillion times better for it.

How Cool Is That?

Just one of the treasures that Courtney Johnston shared at the NDF (National Digital Forum) Conference held in Wellington - and I believe Courtney was a guiding light in the organisation of this year's event.

Whilst I encourge you to check out all her links make sure you take a few minutes (4 in fact) to sit back, slow down and remember those that did their wee bit and smile at the end because it is, indeed, very cool!

A Grand Mother from Candy Elsmore on Vimeo.

Oh, and having seen a large percentage drop in Kiwis voting at last weeks National Election the video is one teeny weeny reminder to all that there is always a legacy to remember when (not) doing so.