Author Archives: thecuriouskiwi

A Winery Platter Tour of New Zealand

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Petrolly, fallen over, and foxy are all wine tasting descriptors (thanks Wikipedia). Cat pee is another, and often describes the smell of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Cat pee smell aside, visiting wineries for a platter and a glass of wine is one of the pleasures we’ve discovered over the last year or so.

We haven’t been to every winery that serves platters but we’ll give it a good go, any recommendations will be much appreciated. We recommend all wineries listed but if you twisted my drinking arm for three favourites I’d say Mills Reef Winery in Tauranga (moved to … Read the rest

Street Art in Central Auckland

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Also see More Auckland Street Art (2016)

Years ago I was leaving Sydney by train, there was so much tagging and graffiti on walls and wagons with so many angles, layers and colours it turned into one long amazing art work to me. From that experience I was primed to appreciate art on the street, the kind that brightens up backs of buildings and dull concrete walls.

Street artists like Owen Dippie (OD) are being commissioned for projects like ‘Larger Than Life’ – a series of murals on Tauranga’s walls. Supporters of the project hope it will attract tourists, it’s … Read the rest

Super speedy dinner delivery at C1 Espresso in Christchurch

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Mike was travelling solo in Christchurch and thecuriouskiwi mission he chose to accept was to have dinner delivered via pneumatic tube at C1 Espresso. Initially delivery speed was up to 140km/h, surely the fastest dinner delivery in town, maybe even the world? Delivery speed has since been reduced to prevent food carnage.

We first saw (and sent a cannister flying) around a pneumatic conveyor system at The Faraday Centre in Napier. The systems were once used in New Zealand department stores to transfer cash between divisions.

Eventually the pneumatic tube system at C1 will deliver food cannisters from the … Read the rest

Oamaru Steampunk Festival

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We’re intrigued by steampunk and the stars aligned for us to be in Oamaru for the annual Steampunk Festival. We’re still not entirely sure what steampunk is but for now I’ll go with ‘how those from the Victorian era would have imagined the future’.

It’s open to interpretation and that’s part of the intrigue, and the fun. One of the highlights of the festival for us was steampunk fashion. There were some exceptional outfits, and unlike ourselves who only had one outfit for the weekend, many people wore different clothes and accessories to each event.

We were initially self conscious … Read the rest

A quacking good time – Rotorua Duck Tours

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They’re yellow, they’re amphibious, and they’re really called ducks, or more precisely, ours was a 1944 GMC 6×6 DUKW.

Ducks, as they became known, were initially used by the military in WWII. They’ve been modified for use in Rotorua and other cities around the world as commercial tour vehicles.

And what do some ducks do? They quack, and we did too, courtesy of a yellow quacker handed out at the start of the tour.

There are some things, quacking like a duck say, that you wouldn’t dream of doing. However put one enthusiastic ‘Conducktor’ in front of a duck load … Read the rest

Thirsty Wellington – Unusual Places For A Brew

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Below are a few unusual places for a brew, alcoholic or otherwise in Wellington ….

The Backbencher Gastropub, 34 Molesworth Street
The Backbencher Gastropub is opposite Parliament and has a political theme. There have been a series of satirical political puppets strung up over the years. Prime Minister John Key unveiled a new set of puppets in 2013, including one of himself disco dancin’. We’ll see if he’ll be ‘stayin’ alive’ after the 2014 election.

There are a few spaces to eat and drink. You can head to the Back Bar to watch sport onscreen and have sports legends Tana … Read the rest

More than movies at Roxy Cinema & Embassy Theatre in Wellington

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We don’t go to the movies often enough, it’s a cheap ticket to a foreign land, or at least a window into another world. We didn’t go to the movies in Wellington either, but we did find there’s more to Roxy Cinema in Miramar and Embassy Theatre in downtown Wellington than movie theatres. (And excellent theatres they are too according to rave reviews I’ve read).

Roxy Cinema was formerly known as Capitol Theatre and was built in 1928. The last movie screened in 1964, the building was then turned into a shopping mall.

The art deco facade of the Capitol … Read the rest

A Stylish Stay – Hotel DeBrett, Auckland

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If you’re looking for a stylish stay in downtown Auckland, Hotel DeBrett ticks the box.

There are 25 individually styled rooms and suites, we spent the night in a Classic Room. I loved the colour bursts of orange in our room, especially in contrast with the classic black and white ensuite. There was plenty of natural light and we looked out over High and Shortland Streets, double glazing kept the city sounds away.

You stand on 100% New Zealand striped wool carpet throughout the hotel, but it was the goose down mattress topper that was even more dreamy than … Read the rest