Thursday brought a lot of progress on the film front, and I’m nearly finished with my inspection work, with next Tuesday still remaining at the Archive. On Thursday evening, I went out to dinner with Steve from the archive and his wife at Floridita on Cuba Street, not to be confused with El Floridita, across from the office back in L.A. They were attending the opening of the World Cinema Showcase that evening, a screening of A Single Man, at the Paramount Theater. Having seen the film already, I went with them to the reception but didn’t go in for the film; instead, I stuck around for the weekly movie quiz at the theater. I ended up playing on a team with the staff from the festival, and though we had a lot of fun, the quiz was really tough and we finished in the middle of the pack. Somehow, we managed to go 8 for 8 in the category “Christ in the Movies,” which we’d chosen in advance as our double points round, and was about the only thing that kept us from being dead last. I enjoyed being a bit of a fly on the wall as film festival folks, a film critic, and some producers talked about movies all night.
Now that I’ve finished four days of film work, I started my four days of vacation today. I had tried yesterday to book a rental car so I could head out of town for a day or two, but it seems every rental car agency was “fully booked,” as I was told repeatedly. I made a few reservations online as well, but each one was cancelled a few minutes after I made it. So, I went with Plan B, which was to do more exploration around town. I downloaded a very helpful little iPhone app called Welly Walks, and headed out the door.
I had chosen a walk around the parliament and Lambdon, Wellington’s oldest suburb, home to many historic houses. It was another beautiful day, and a remarkably quiet one, with businesses closed for Good Friday, and not too many people on the streets. Some of the sights:
The Hotel Waterloo, one of many terrific deco buildings on the walk:
A quiet day at the supermarket:
The various buildings of Parliament:
One of many great buildings downtown:
After a break for coffee and internet at Esquire Coffee, I rode the cable car up the hill to the Botanic Garden. Here’s the view from the top, where I could spot my apartment building (click through to see it marked):
I had a little more time in the Botanic Garden than Aimee and I did last time, and I enjoyed strolling around looking at the trees, plants, and sculptures.
I also enjoyed an Eggs Pacifica and some tea at the café, which was really nice:
After a long day on my feet, I headed back to the apartment via the I-Site, where I booked a trip up the coast for tomorrow morning – the only tour that didn’t involve The Lord of the Rings, and the only one that did involve a car museum, which, as we learned last time, is a required component of any day out in New Zealand.
I relaxed at the apartment for a bit, and then headed out for a quick shawarma and then a screening of the Kiwi film Boy, which had been recommended by the folks I was hanging out with the night before. It was a good little film, and I enjoyed seeing it with a Kiwi audience, who got all the jokes and references that went over my head.
