Now Voyager: Gotham Buzz...

I got out early this morning to capitalise on the change of weather. In Wellie, you've just gotta make the most of each fine weather moment, or else you'll do nothing.

In at Gotham Cafe and it's all abuzz, totally packed at ten am with all the businessy people having morning coffee, it's packed to the full. It seems to be a Wellington tradition to leave work at ten and go out for a good coffee, or are they just starting work late, and finishing late, who knows?

I order a long black and 'ham scram', as always here, and settle to read the Dom Post, which today proves to offer quite a bit of good reading, including local columnist Joe Bennett who is always entertaining. I take a seat in the comfy leather three seater lounge at the back of Gotham - all the tables are full. It is really comfy and as I read how Lydia Ko from NZ is set to become the next female Tiger Woods, and how the new restaurant Whitebait on Chaffer's Quay has imported Rockpool supremeo chefs from Sydney, you can see why Wellington again punches far above its weight.

And a city which has policemen don ladies shoes to heighten awareness of sexist behaviour, where else in the world would you get this? I doubt anywhere.

Opposite me in Chews Lane I see carved over the old porticos the words Colonial Carrying Company, the vestiges of an earlier Wellington. A black shorts and t-shirted waiter, covered with tattooes, strides past as I consider ordering another good coffee, rare for me. I give in. I am now counting the weeks, and this is essential Wellington.

The Whitebait Restaurant on expensive Chaffers Quay is now just opening. This is also a 'must' one day, as I see where the owners are writing the menu also in the Maori language, a distinct move forward in homage to the great seafood industry where obviously the Maori had a large effect. It will no doubt be expensive, but worth it.

More headlines in the Post: McDonalds and Coca Cola voted to be the most unhealthy food offered to young people in New Zealand. The word is finally getting out there. When will McDonald's cease to exist? Not for a long time but perhaps it will be first killed in New Zealand which is more aware of good and bad food than most countries.

In the Sports section, more about Rugby God Richie McCaw and his modesty, and Lydia Ko, the young golf prodigy, who at only 17 is set next year to become world number one. And she laughs at herself, a Chinese Kiwi with real Kiwi attributes. They just never take themselves too seriously. I will seriously miss this country when I leave, but I will always come back, how could I not, it is so close to OZ lol!

Tonight I am off to Te Whea, to the Graduate Dance show with J who does the crits for the newspapers. She changed dates so that I could attend so I just must be aware of that, although I have now decided to opt out permanently from the French conversations on Thursday as I don't want to create too many habits I have to drop next year. An occasional attendance will he better and they may appreciate that as well. After all I am never going to become a Kiwi. It's just too bloody hard!

New York in Chews Lane