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The comfy shoes stay in the cupboard when I set off for my next walking tour of Wellington a week later. I know that Wild About Wellington's City of Style tour takes in several designer clothing stores, and I don't want to look too downmarket.
The City of Style tour is one of several tour options offered by Jennifer Looman's company Wild About Wellington. I notice that Jennifer's not wearing sensible shoes either when I rendezvous with her and my fellow style tourist (a visitor from New York) at the Museum Hotel. Perhaps that's why we travel by bus for the longest leg of the tour, from Courtenay Place to Lambton Quay.
Or maybe it's because taking the bus frees up more time for shopping on the three-hour tour. Our first port of call is The Vault, now located at the bottom of Plimmer Steps, where Jennifer gives each of us a sample of one of the HEMA skincare products made by Wellington facialist Margaret Hema.
Soon I'm speaking the international language of shopping with my American companion as we try on frocks at Robyn Mathieson in Featherston St. We keep chattering away in retail-ese at nearby Basquesse, while designer Viviana Pannell tells us about her latest collection. As we leave the store we spot the former prime minister Jenny Shipley walking towards us, looking remarkably trim and chic. It's one of those only-in-New Zealand moments: somehow I doubt you would ever run into a former president of the United States on a New York street.
A quick stroll to Willis St and we're at Aquamerino, which sells New Zealand-designed and made merino clothing. I make a mental note of a beautiful fine-wool scarf as another birthday gift possibility. On the other hand, perhaps my children could pool their money together for several decades and buy me something from the limited-edition range of white-gold and diamond rings we see at The Village Goldsmith in Victoria St.
We spend so long trying on and exclaiming over the rings in the new Gold Kina range that we're running late for our final destination, St John's Bar in Cable St.
Normally it wouldn't matter, but our American companion has a plane to catch and we can't linger over our glasses of wine for as long as we'd like. Still, even half a glass is enough to loosen my hold on my wallet, and after I say goodbye to the others I head back to Aquamerino to buy the scarf.
Excerpt from Dominion Post, by Ruth Nichol
- 9 December 2008If your time in town is short and you need to get to the nub of things, the infectiously enthusiastic Jennifer Looman can tailor a tour to your whims. Whether you want to find the best spa, best chocolates, most sumptuous jewels, drink boutique beers, be taken straight to some great shopping or just check out the sights, Looman is your gal.
Qantas Inflight Magazine -
The Australian Way, December 2008
Wellington: Eating, drinking and being merry - a capital idea!It is a wet afternoon on Wellington's waterfront, but once we sit down with Neil Miller to talk, sniff, taste and drink beer it suddenly feels brighter.
As part of our special weekend in the capital we are treated to a Wild About Wellington boutique beer tasting tour.
Miller - a beer writer and expert who knows everything you could about beer as well as anyone who matters in the Wellington bar scene - is great company.
He must be the only person I've met who carries around hops and barley in his bag.
We sit down at St Johns bar on Cable St and within minutes had our first beer for the day - an Erdinger.
Miller has also arranged for the staff at the bar to bring us a small amount of food that matched our beer - and so we set about learning what we were drinking and why the food matched it.
After three sets of beer and food matches we have a new understanding of the process of making a good beer.
The tours typically take in a series of three or four of Wellingtons central bars, potentially taking up to three hours. It's a tour overseas visitors could enjoy but it's likely to also appeal to locals who want an afternoon or evening that's fun and a little different.
Excerpt from nzherald.co.nz
- 28 September 2008
Excerpt from InBusiness magazine
- September 2008
Excerpt from KiaOra - Air New Zealand's in-flight magazine
- May 2008It was a mad dash to the Malthouse, where we relaxed for an hour while learning and tasting the secrets behind a good beer.
Commentator Neil Miller was a knowledgeable guide who took us through four different beers and their food matches. This tour wasn't just for the blokes, it was a classy tasting filled with interesting beer flavours such as chocolate and orange.
Excerpt from Hawkes Bay Today
- February 2008
Excerpt from Dominion Post - Full article available here
- January 2008...What's most striking about Jennifer is her passion. Her unique tours are a reflection of her zest for life. She loves shopping, dining in vibrant settings, exploring art galleries, socialising, sharing a cuppa or bar hopping, and she's mad about Wellington.
...Jennifer is a storyteller. She takes her guests for a stroll, peppering conversations with anecdotes visitors won't find in guidebooks. "We do seem to attract clients who want a personalised approach, an intelligent insight into the city and a large amount of flexibility in their experience," she observes.
Excerpt from Asia Pacific Business Traveller magazine
- October 2007"Neil proves to be a convivial and informative host, and an expert on all things hoppy. He deftly guides us through the potentially daunting options. The appley pork perfectly complements the citrus flavours of the Belgium-style Tuatara Ardennes..."
"Glasses and tapas come and go as we sip and sample. In between dishes we examine roasted barley, hops and other interesting items Neil has brought along..."
An excerpt from Inspire magazine - September 2007
Newly-weds Kelley and Matt Morrison spent the last four years working on superyachts around the Pacific, and know the tropical islands well.
But when it came to deciding where to spend their honeymoon, the couple shunned humid climes and chose Wellington for their romantic getaway...
...The apartment they had booked was "so awful" they immediately tried to book into a hotel, but found them all full.
Wild About Wellington owner Jennifer Looman, who the couple had booked a chocolate tour with, and the Duxton Hotel came to their rescue.
Excerpt from The Wellingtonian
- March 2007Ever stood on a street in a strange city and thought, "perhaps that guided tour would have been the way to go?"
Wellingtonian Jennifer Looman is the sort of person you'd want to bump into if that was the case.
Jennifer is the face behind Wild About Wellington small group tours, a fledgling business she launched late last year. In four months, the venture has grown from one to four themed tours of the city. These range from sight seeing and shopping to beer and chocolate tours...
...Jennifer has lived in Wellington for 20 years, but her hometown is Palmerston North. Wellington is a city she "adores". I've seen it evolve and it's become a gem."
She is even upbeat about the fickle weather. "I love the weather. Everyone talks about it and then it throws up one of those beautiful days"...
Excerpt from The Wellingtonian
- April 2006
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