The Flowering Stars, In Crowns They Hung

It always amazes me when you can go from one extreme to another within such a small area.  

This last weekend was Halloween.  Though I had lived in a city KNOWN for its numerous occasions to get dressed up and dragged out (you know it, San Francisco), I was curious to see how Halloween pans out in Wellington.  It was no surprise then that it is indeed a quieter event here, with only some, young twenty-somethings roaming Courtney Place and Cuba Street into the wee hours of the morning, dressed as ghouls and gobblins.  I even spotted slutty costumes!  Can't have a proper Halloween without some girl teetering in lace, heels, and a corset, who claims to be a sexy version of some childhood cartoon character.

This new Halloween in Wellington, however, was especially festive for the costume party that I attended, hosted by fellow North American expat colleagues. The party was a popular, whispered topic around the office amongst the younger crowd for weeks prior to its arrival.  True to form, the party was complete with Monster-mash music, spooky sweet treats, and awesome costumes.  Let's just say that I partied with MC Hammer, an air dancer, Mugatu, broken dolls, and 3 blind mice.  I went as a Native American (I hope you get the joke).  In the middle of the party, I jumped over to the TSB Arena for a couple of hours to see Lorde in concert!  I just stopped by to say hello...along with a couple hundred other screaming nine-year-old girls.  I actually quite liked her.  She doesn't know how to really dance, but throws her entire body--and massive hair--into the music.  I was surprised to learn that I'd nearly memorized her entire album, Pure Heroine.

After returning to the party, then leaving the party hours later only to wander into Boogie Wonderland, the local trashy dance club, with some coworkers, then grabbing ice cream on the corner with said coworkers, I somehow made it home in one piece.  It took me all of Saturday to recover, but having a sleepy weekend day in your PJ's once in a blue moon is never a terrible thing.  Besides, nights like the one before would be memories that I'd keep forever...if I could retain them.

By Sunday, I felt ready to be productive, and after a trip to the market to restock, my favorite German couple and another new friend picked me up to have me join them on a walking tour of the Red Rocks Reserve on the south coast of Wellington.  When we weren't fighting the blustery wind, we admired the peaceful scenery.  It was so majestic that there were times where we were all reminded of scenes from the Lord of the Rings!  The ocean, even in the dim light under the cloud cover, reflected shades of emerald green and midnight blue, and the Red Rocks--more like maroon rocks--jutted out of the sea, as if sculpted by the crashing waves.  We walked silent at times, just to listen to the howling wind and the churn of the waves. How wonderful it is to have such beauty next to such rich, urban life!