Food, art and watering holes
When he’s not helping run the family-owned bakery business, Ali Dia is partial to Wellington’s nightlife, scenery and affogato. Bess Manson reports.
What does it mean to be a Wellingtonian?
We have access to some of the greatest scenery – mountains, oceans, rivers, you don’t have to travel far for any of those. Food is another great thing about being a Wellingtonian. You have access to so many ethnic foods, fusion restaurants and food trucks. It also means I’m able to withstand strong winds and occasionally hot days, as well as bad traffic that’s unnecessary. Everything is within arm’s reach but at the same time it’s easy to get away and feel lost.
I live here because . . .
My family chose to move here from Lebanon during rough times. Lebanon was at war and my father decided we should leave. He left eight months before us. My mum, three brothers and I followed. Not too long after we arrived, my uncles and aunties joined us. [They’re]
definitely happy with their decision and I love it here.
Where is the best place to swim? Kaitoke Regional Park has some really good waterholes upstream. Otherwise, when I was young, we loved the Remutaka Forest Park, in Wainuiomata.
Where’s your favourite place to take in some art?
The great thing about Wellington is that art is everywhere, you just need to look. If it’s not the posters on the walls, the graffiti murals on the delivery trucks or the many sculptures we have around the city and trial walks, then it is nature. What’s the best festival in town?
I think the Sevens was really fun
before it fizzled out, but Homegrown would definitely have to be up there. What is your ideal night out in Wellington?
A long dinner and drinks with a group of friends, eating Lebanesestyle, lots of food, drinks and banter. The perfect Saturday morning in the city is . . .
Morning coffee, then getting stuck into something outside at the house. My wife and I bought a house a couple years ago, and it’s been nonstop since, always a project going on. At the moment, the back of our house looks like a quarry.
My guilty pleasure in the city is to go to ...
Kaffee Eis for a gelato or affogato.
They’re always good, no matter if it’s day or night.
What part of the city are you most at home in?
Miramar, for sure. I spent most of my childhood around there and have mostly always lived and worked there.
If you don’t like travelling much, Miramar has everything you need: restaurants, entertainment, cafes, beaches, bush, bars.
Not many people know this about Wellington but . . .
There are almost as many walking tracks and bike trails as there are roads.
What is Wellington’s best feature? Its town nightlife. Even if you’re not into bar-hopping and partying, a dinner out and then walking from the top of Manners to the end of Courtenay Place – and getting dessert on the way – is great entertainment.
What is your greatest hope for this city?
That it keeps up with infrastructure so that the rapidly growing city doesn’t become a burden to live in, with traffic and housing becoming more of an issue in the past decade.