By Chelsea Cain
For a lot of us Wellingtonians we have our own little routines. We know the restaurants and cafes we like, we know our favourite little spots to go to check out gigs, but Wellington can easily fool the best of us. It has this way of giving off the feeling that…well…not much is really going on. But, we did a little digging and found out that if you actually look hard enough, there are plenty of activities to keep yourself and the rest of the family entertained.
Here’s a list of 7 activities to do out and about in Wellington this January. Feel free to comment below if you know of any other awesome things that may be happening in our city in January.
1. Sweet Sounz Summer Series/ Music & Food on the Waterfront
Every sunny Saturday for the rest of Jan, head down to Karaka Cafe for an afternoon of delicious food and lovely music. With this rotating line up of musical guests, the waterfront is the perfect place to be this Saturday. And, with the lagoon situated a few steps away, bring the kids and have some fun
2. Waterfront Pop-Up Village – Wellington creativity
If you haven’t already, head down to Taranaki Wharf any Wednesay to Sunday this month from 12-5. Here you will find shipping containers filled with works from many of Wellington’s great artists and designers. In between watching some of them working on their art, on the weekdays, your will power will also be tested as the temptingly tasty smells from the food trucks waft all around. If you end up falling for the temptation, don’t worry about. There’s only one too many outside bars and cafes willing to help you wash it down.
3. Zirka Circus – Fun for the whole family
From Wednesday the 13th to Monday the 25th, The Zirka Circus will be there for your entertainment and amusement down at Te Rauparaha arena in Porirua. Their show caters to the whole family, with action packed daredevils for dad, stunning ballet performances and poetic acts for mum or deth-defying and funny acts for the kids. The whole family is bound to enjoy this outing.
4. Guided walk – plants that poison, maim and kill
This is one you do not want to miss! On Sunday the 24th from 2 – 3, head down to the information centre on the corner of Victoria and Wakefield Street to be taken on an interesting 90 minute walk and learn about the nastier side of our native plants. Seeing as our beautiful country is covered with flora, knowing the difference between those pretty flowers in your garden, and the poisonous flowers in the bush, is a great bit of knowledge to have.
5. Day of the familia – Food and family
We obviously love the sharing economy, which means we love the Mexico experience of sharing a great meal with good company. So for every Sunday of January, make this day a day for sharing a lovely meal with the family and to make some great conversations.
6. Inside Your Mind: with Morgan Strebler
With the name the ‘Celebrity Mentalist’, your bound to enjoy this 90 minute, all audience inclusive, comedy, mind reading and displays of the powers of psychokinesis rollercoaster, which will leave you asking yourself more questions than you have ever before. He’s performed personal performances for the likes of Quentin Tarantino, David Blaine and Michael Jordan. So there is little chance of disappointment, and high chance of having your mind BLOWN!
7. Meridian Gardens Magic – Summer City
This event is my personal favourite, so I may be a little biased. But hey who isn’t? Head down to the Beautiful Botanical Gardens Tuesdays to Sundays from 8 – 9 30 to enjoy listening to local legends and rising music stars. Enjoy the evening with friends, family, partners and don’t forget to take a picnic blanket, some snacks and that all important bottle of wine to top it all off. Get there early to find a good spot before it’s too late, as this event is known to get busy very early on! Watch the sun go down, with a glass of wine in hand and see the Garden’s light up like you’ve never seen before, thanks to MJF Lighting and Massey University School of Design.
So next time you’re sitting at home on the couch, complaining of nothing to do, remember that there is PLENTY to do in this little capital. Get out there and enjoy the best that Wellington has to offer!
Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know what you think. Don’t hesitate to let us know about your favourite activity to do in January! We would love to hear about it.
