February in Wellington is as good as it gets. Even though I woke up from a dream of summer clothing murmuring, “I need…a bathing suit…and…a parka…”

February is the month when Wellington turns up the summery charm. “We should take February off, instead,” everyone grumbles. But they don’t mean it, really. If they did, downtown would be a ghost town on weekends, instead of being packed. They’re enjoying the re-awakened, event-packed Wellington too much. It starts with (love them or hate them) the Sevens, follows on with every “regular” event starting up again, and, this year, is spiced with movie-celebrity-watching as The Hobbit filming and editing reaches its peak.

February is also  when we see more people than usual fumbling with bus schedules, walking into cafes without the ultra-confident body language of the ‘regular’, and gazing in despair at potential flats. It’s when the newcomers arrive. The students, of course, but other new Wellingtonians, too, after that “last Christmas” wherever they were before. Christchurch emigres continue to arrive, as do fed-up USAians, doomsday-anticipating Europeans, and predatory Aucklanders (the last hovering as National begins dismantling government departments into contracting opportunities).

So, over the next few weeks, here at IAWL we’ll be posting our Wellington Survival Guide. Housing, employment, style, surviving the weather, grocery shopping, wrangling your offspring and pets and vehicles, nurturing your social life.  Tips? Requests? Want to guest write? Let us know!

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