Top 5 cafés in Te Aro, Wellington!

1. Aro Cafe 90 Aro St.

I have no doubt in my mind when I say it, Aro Café hands down sells the best coffee in all of Wellington. Fabulous food and exceptional staff, you just can't beat Aro Café. They also roast their very own coffee beans which you can purchase in-store and at Moore Wilson's.

2. Memphis Belle 71 Dixon St.

There is no surprise that Memphis Belle's outstanding outdoor vibes have placed so highly on my list of trendy little cafés. Neighbouring Te Aro Park, Memphis Belle often has fantastic live music playing adding to the atmosphere which is always very down-to-earth. Overall, friendly staff, really nice coffee and an outdoor ambience like no other.

3. Midnight Espresso 178 Cuba St.

Known for being one of the best cafés in Wellington, Midnight Espresso definitely lives up to their reputation. The food is delicious and the coffee is amazing! 

4. Six Barrel Soda Factory 1 Eva St.

I ordered one of their earl grey milkshakes and it was the absolute best milkshake I have ever tasted in my life. In fact, it was so good, it had me raving about it for days on end. The fries were also delicious and there was plenty of them for a cheap price. Six Barrel Soda has to be one of my favourite spots to go, whatever the weather.
5. Floriditas 161 Cuba St.
Floriditas has always been the go-to place when going out with my Mum. With it's beautiful interior, Floriditas' atmosphere is really nice and fresh. We often order tea, coffee or the gorgeous little cakes on the counter. The nibbles are delicious and the beverages will not let you down!



Runner Up's include...

Georgia/Stories
Olive
Duke Carvell's
Fidel's
Espressoholic



Sincerely, Verity.

Headstock.

Upcoming local band, Headstock are currently in the midst of establishing their own little spot in the Wellington music scene this year! Today, I caught up with one of their guitar/vocalists, Joe Coleman to have a chat about how things have been going for them so far and what the future may hold for Headstock.

Joe explains how they came up with the name 'Headstock'  after he was discussing potential band names over a long phone call with his fellow band-mate, Mason Kay. "We wanted a name that would sound good yet also suit our style of music, so we decided on the name which comes from the 'headstock' of a guitar."

Drummer, Mason Kay and guitar/vocalist, Johnny Koster, originally formed in early 2015. About a month into starting, Joe had joined the band and roughly half-way through that year, bass player, Mat Campus made his way onto the scene. The four boys met as students at Rongotai College and have since performed various gigs at the local youth venue, Zeal. They describe their genre as "psychedelic reggae-rock" and list their main musical influences as Pink Floyd, Sticky Fingers and Ocean Alley.

Predominantly playing their original songs at gigs, Headstock have also occasionally performed covers of "Rum Rage" by Sticky Fingers and "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. 

Joe mentions their most popular track, Drinking Alone. "It's about a man who has succumb to the life of drinking away his sorrows." He explains by quoting the lyrics, "I've got nothing to do, no one to hold, no baby I'm all alone in this big wide world, now I'm sitting on the couch thinking the world makes no sense while I'm sipping and drinking my forty percent."

Disclosing Headstock's main goal, he says, "It's all about writing good music, playing great gigs and getting the recognition and support from people that enjoy our music. That's all we could ask for."

They are currently set to open for fellow Wellington band, Bakers Eddy at Zeal on March 11th so make sure to come along! You can find out more about them by checking out their Soundcloud, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Sincerely, Verity.

Recreating my blog!

Dear Reader,

Sometime last year, in a fit of infuriating self-critical rage, I went ahead and deleted every single one of my blog posts, in a failed attempt to recreate my blog. What on earth was I thinking? Quite frankly, I have no clue as to what was going through my mind at the time.

So in an endeavour to recreate my blog for the hundred billionth time, I'm writing my first post to you all in the form of a letter.

You may be a friend of mine, you may be a mutual friend of a friend of a friend. You may be my brother's girlfriend's aunty's husband's cousin twice removed from Norway or you may have come across me on one of my various forms of social media.

Whoever you are and however you found me, I'd just like to say that I hope you are well and having a great Valentine's Day today whether you're single or celebrating it with someone special. ♡

I will be keeping you all updated with blog posts regularly! I'm aiming to be posting about twice a week. Keep an eye out for my top 5's, top 10's and reviews of local Wellington stores and cafés.

Sincerely, Verity.