Region’s Monopoly board unveiled
‘‘It would have been the icing on the cake to have Wainuiomata there as well but the valley features well, so we're pleased.’’
None of the three most popular places chosen by the public have made it to Wellington’s version of Monopoly.
And neither did Wellington Cable Car, despite the launch of the board game being held at the top of it in May. And it turns out this was not because they did not want to be part of it, but because they refused to pay.
The capital’s board was unveiled on Thursday at Oriental Bay, revealing all 22 Wellington region-themed squares.
Oriental Bay and Lambton Quay have come out on top, replacing the prestigious Mayfair and Park Lane positions respectively from the British version of the board.
However, Wainuiomata, The Roxy cinema, and Cuba St’s famous Bucket Fountain, all missed out, despite them being the most popular votes by the public. Wellington Cable Car also missed out.
Wellington Cable Car chief executive Simon Fleisher said it turned down the opportunity to be on the board because game maker Winning Moves asked for money.
I can’t remember what they asked for, but it wasn’t a massive amount. We are not a big organisation anyway and we said thanks, it’s nice to be asked, but we’ll just let it go.’’
Pamela Rodrigues, marketing manager of Winning Moves, said she could not say who paid to be on the board, or how much they paid.
Winning Moves managing director Reid Herbert said the Wellington Cable Car was part of the board montage, but did not make it on to a property square.
‘‘It’s a real shame, I would have loved to have had them on the board, but sadly they didn’t want to be a part of it.’’
The local edition will include Wellington-themed Community Chest and Chance playing cards, but will retain the original playing pieces. The Dominion Post, which is a sponsor of the game, has its name on one of the Chance squares.
Other notable landmarks of the city that feature on the board include Te Papa, Zealandia, Weta Cave, Wellington Zoo, and the National War Memorial – which features as one of the two cheapest properties on the board, along with the Botanic Gardens.
RSA national president BJ Clark said it did not make a difference whether the memorial was in the cheapest place, or the dearest. ‘‘The placement of the street, and its dollar value, is less important than the designers choosing to remember our veterans.’’ Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace said he was disappointed Wainuiomata didn’t make the cut, but was ‘‘absolutely rapt about Petone Beach, Queensgate [Mall] and Hutt River being on the board’’. ‘‘We’re absolutely delighted it’s [Hutt Valley] on there. It would have been the icing on the cake to have Wainuiomata there as well but the valley features well, so we’re pleased.’’ The board was about celebrating the greater Wellington region and the Hutt was a ‘‘very important part’’ of it, Wallace said. Anyone who thought otherwise should ‘‘get with the programme’’, Wallace said. Monopoly first hit the shelves in 1935. The Wellington version costs $55, and 5000 games have been made. An Auckland version of Monopoly was launched in 2013. There is also a New Zealand edition.