Welly Wrapped! Your favourite stories of 2024

1. Frank Kitts Park seagull returns

In February, we welcomed back Wellington’s top bird – the famous seagull that lives on top of the Frank Kitts Park lighthouse. The park was given a makeover and was reopened under the name Te Aro Mahana, which translates as warm front and acknowledges the site’s enduring connection to Te Aro Pā. The new playspace was designed with a maritime and coastal landscape theme. A post simply saying “Guess who’s back” and featuring a photo of Mr Seabird perched on his dome was our third most popular Instagram post this year. More on the park's upgrade is on Our Wellington.

2. Epuni Street renaming

In May, Epuni Street in Aro Valley was formally renamed Hōniana Te Puni Street to accurately reflect the tupuna (ancestor) the street was named after. The new street name correctly recognised Hōniana Te Puni, a prominent Te Āti Awa leader who played a significant role in shaping Wellington’s cultural history. Te reo Māori is a taonga. By correcting names, we can tell the stories and the history of our places, and support efforts to revitalise the language here in Pōneke. This story delighted many, making it our second most popular Instagram post of the year. Find out more on Our Wellington.

4. Quasi says see ya!

Love him or not, Wellington’s iconic hand-face sculpture, Quasi, said goodbye in October after five unforgettable years on the roof of City Gallery Wellington | Te Whare Toi. Since 2019, Quasi was our city guardian, keeping watch over Te Ngākau Civic Square. Originally commissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery, Quasi was created by artist Ronnie van Hout and is now in Australia. Many found him a bit unconventional, but Quasi’s farewell garnered the most reactions of all our 2024 Instagram posts. More about Quasi is on Our Wellington and see what Wellingtonians had to say about him on Tiktok.

5. Welcome back waterfront Water Whirler

After an 18-month-long hiatus, the Water Whirler was returned to Wellington's waterfront in October. The iconic public artwork was back in action after being removed for repairs following a vandal attack in April 2023. The sculpture’s wand underwent a complete overhaul. Originally created by celebrated artist Len Lye, it has been a beloved part of Wellington’s waterfront since 2006, with its hypnotic, water-dancing performances. A video of it 'dancing', posted alongside a shout-out to the team of experts who repaired it, was our most popular story of the year on LinkedIn. Find out more on Our Wellington. 

6. Farewell Ngā mihi ^Simone

Many of you will be familiar with former Wellington City Council social media advisor, Simone, who informed and entertained Wellingtonians with her many social posts and responded to thousands of your comments and messages over her five-year Council stint. Her Facebook post bidding farewell to Pōneke was our most popular post of the year, gaining more than 4000 reactions.  

7. New Te Aro Zero Waste hub

Wellingtonians were stoked to hear of the new resource recovery centre, Te Aro Zero Waste, which opened in Forresters Lane, Te Aro, in August. Offering services similar to the much-loved Tip Shop at the Southern Landfill, Te Aro Zero Waste is a central place where people can drop-off and buy secondhand goods, get help fixing things instead of throwing them out, and drop-off hard to recycle items like electronic gear, plastic and metal lids and batteries. Te Aro Zero Waste is a partnership between Wellington City Council and the Sustainability Trust. Find out more on Our Wellington, where it was one of the top-viewed stories of the year.

8. Wellington Cable Car celebrates Pride

Wellington Cable Car lit up their tunnel in a beautiful rainbow to celebrate Pride in March. The Wellington Pride Festival and Parade supports the rainbow community and celebrates diversity, with the Council being a funding supporter. An image of the Cable Car’s rainbow tunnel proved popular on Facebook, making it our second most-liked post. Read more on Our Wellington.

9. Community gives Newtown some TLC

Wellingtonians loved our Facebook video - the third most popular post on the platform - highlighting the incredible mahi and community effort that went into shining up Newtown. A massive shoutout to all the local businesses, resident associations, and incredible volunteers who took part! From scrubbing to sweeping, you all made a huge difference.

10. Newtown to city bike route: How it's being used

We crunched the numbers in September to get a comprehensive report about how people had been using the completed Newtown to city bike route, which is part of Paneke Pōneke, Wellington’s bike network plan. The new route provides 2.1km of bike and bus lanes and pedestrian improvements for safer, easier travel from Newtown to the city and Oriental Bay. People enjoyed our emoji list on LinkedIn outlining the benefits, as well as the full report findings on Our Wellington, where it was one of our most-read articles.