40,000

Who would have thought it.

WOW

We went to the World of Wearable Arts show in the TSB(the arena, not the Scotsman) yesterday afternoon.  Tickets were bloody expensive, about $140 each, but we had seats right up front.  A good show.  I didn't think the standard of costume design was just as high as last year, but they have really made an effort in the show's production values and entertainment.
Apart from the models parading in their competition costumes, there was always plenty to watch on the stage and beyond.  Dancers, acrobats, Maori Poi groups, there was always something going on.  As many of these models and dancers were wearing very little, it could become very engrossing.

Before we went to WOW, we had lunch at La Bella Italia (LBI) in Petone.  For those of you not from Wellington, Petone is a small seaside town, opposite Wellington on Port Nicholson, with a quirky feel.  It was a working class area, providing the car and industrial plants with their labour, and it went into decline as the plants started to close in the 60s and 70s.  It started the gentrification process at the turn of the century, and is now a mix of shops and cafes, with Jackson Street becoming very popular with Wellingtonians for an afternoon away from the city.
LBI started out as an Italian food warehouse, started serving coffees, then light meals, added in a small specialist retail shopping area, expanded to a full blown restaurant but still retaining a small retail shopping area.  We have been there a few times in the past, mostly for coffee, and it has always been quite good.
To save my beloved from making lunch or dinner when we got back from WOW, I suggested a late lunch at LBI, and we got there about 2:45.
I had the best pasta I've ever tasted.  It was simple but absolutely delicious.  A dish of Rigatoni alla papalina, with tomato, prosciutto, basil and cream.  My beloved had Pappardelle fatte in casa al sugo di capriolo, freshly made pappardelle egg pasta with venison ragù.  I'm not exaggerating, the subtle melding of the tomato, basil and cream was exquisite, leaving a long and lingering aftertaste.  Seeing I was going to be driving immediately afterwards, we just stuck to water, but I think a nice robust red would have gone down nicely.

My beloved in her MX5

As we had some time left before WOW was due to start, we went on a tour of the Wellington Bays, around Oriental Parade, out to Mirmar and around the coastline via Shelly Bay.  As we were in my beloved's Mazda MX5 convertible with the top down, it made for a very satisfying tour, the sun streaming down, the wind (still a tad chilly) streaming through what little hair I've got left and the blue water sparkling in the bays.

Very enjoyable day.  Now a day of gardening in the sunshine, and back to NLH tomorrow.

PS
Although the WOW costumes were great, I prefer something simpler, like this.

Simple, but perfect