Cuba Street Carnival

Every two years, the Wellington City Council sponsors the Cuba Street Carnival, and 2009 marked the 10th event! With an estimated 150,000 people in attendance, it was the next best thing to being in Rio de Janeiro. With 80 bands playing throughout the city and several food stalls and vendors, it's unlikely that anyone had a less-than-ideal day and night. Here is a video of the event (courtesy of Snapstar):

Snapstar TV ep1. Cuba Street Carnival. from Snapstar TV on Vimeo.

Nightswimming

After going to the movies with friends (to watch Slumdog Millionaire), I went for a short run. It was about 10 pm and nearly a full moon just perched over Mount Victoria. It was a rare, calm and warm evening, so I decided to go for a swim in the ocean after the run. A thin layer of mist blurred the line where ocean ends and sky begins. It was beautiful.    

New Zealand International Rugby Sevens

This weekend was Wellington's biggest party weekend - "The Sevens" International Rugby Tournament. The 10th anniversary of the two-day tournament saw teams from 16 countries (including Kenya, England, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and others) compete for the shield. Crowds of more than 30,000 spectators showed up in "fancy dress" (costumes) and the partying continued for more than 60 continuous hours. 

Teletubbies at the Sausage Sizzle
PIs (Pacific Islanders)
Niue Team Haka

New Zealand Scores a Try!

One Love Concert

I dropped by the tail end of the One Love concert this evening to see the Black Seeds, a Wellington-based reggae band. Other New Zealand bands included Unity Pacific, The Little Bushman and others.

Here's a video from the Black Seeds, shot in New Zealand:

Waitangi Day

February 6th is Waitangi Day - a day to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand's founding document, signed in 1840). The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Māori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British citizens living in New Zealand. There are significant differences between the Māori and English language versions of the Treaty, and virtually since 1840 this has led to debate (and several court cases) over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi. [source: Wikipedia]

The following photos and video are from events at Waitangi Park in Wellington. One of the greatest parts of living in Wellington is the range of music and cultural offerings in the city.

So many Polynesians have beautiful singing voices or musical talent, even if they cannot read music. They often times learn to sing in church. The second two videos are of an award-winning barbershop quartet based in Wellington - four guys who started singing together in high school and continue to do so while in university. Their singing has won them several awards and provided the opportunity to travel internationally. In a country where Polynesians are often treated as second-class citizens, it is really encouraging to see those that rise above and excel in ways that many of us couldn't achieve.

My apologies for my shaky hand at the camera and the wind interfering with the sound quality.



Musical Island Boys (Wellington-based Barbershop Quartet)