Date These Kiwis - Wellington

Did you catch our recent Hello Wellington post? It was basically a bunch of young Wellingtonians telling us about all the great stuff you can do over there. You like food? Wellington’s great for that. Bars? Between Mighty Mighty, Matterhorn and Bodega, New Zealand’s capital has that locked down too. Art, music, shopping, meeting random people on the street and getting invited to house parties, Wellington is like a theme park for fun people in their 20s who have good taste in stuff.

Despite all of that, a lot of non-New Zealanders still won’t make the trip until they find themselves dating a Kiwi. That’s fine. But what we’re saying is this: why wait when you can meet one there? Wellington is teeming with guy and girl babes who are DTE and have GSOH’s. To prove it, here are some that we ambushed with awkwardly personal questions.

JAYDEN, 18 - STUDENT

What’s the nicest thing you’ve given a GF?

Flights to Australia.

Are you liked by children and animals?
Children but not animals.

Have you been convicted of a crime?
No.

How often do you change your sheets?
Every one to two weeks.

You sound pretty good so far. Out of ten, how are you at taking care of your sick girlfriend?
Probably an eight.

Being faithful?
Nine.

Keeping tidy?
Oh… Seven.

Would you ever date an Australian?
They’re all good. I used to live in Sydney and I had a girlfriend there.

How does Sydney compare to here?
I like Sydney for the weather, but the culture in Wellington is way better.

LIBBY, 20 - DESIGN STUDENT

Are you a good girlfriend?
I think I’m very attentive, and I put up with a lot of crap.

Two excellent qualities. What’s the nicest thing you’ve done for a partner?
One time I did a sort of treasure hunt thing where he had to follow the clues. At the end of it was me with a picnic.

That’s very cute. What would you put on a romantic mix tape?
Al Green Let’s Stay Together, umm I don’t know. Is there a time limit for this?

That’ll do. Are you friends with your exes?
Yeah, at least one of them I’m really good friends with still.

Now you have to rate yourself out of 10 for these three things.

Giving massages.
Eight.

Keeping tidy.
Seven.

Taking care of a sick dude.
What is this questionnaire? I’m good at that, eight or nine.

How do you feel about dating Australians?
I like Australians. Everyone loves Aust… Well, not here, but I think they’re attractive people.

SAMIN, 24 - ARTIST

Hey Samin, what are the three songs you’d put on a mix tape for a girl?
Shit that’s a hard one. Sea of Love, Love me Tender and For Kate I Wait by Ariel Pink.

You’re good at that. Now rate yourself out of ten for these three things. Giving massages.
Oh, definitely ten plus.

Keeping tidy.
Four.

Taking care of a sick girlfriend.
Oh definitely a ten.

Where is a good place in Wellington to go on a date?
My house (giggles), just be with me baby.

So just be with you?
Yeah just hang out with me and you’ll have the best time baby.

Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
No.

Well alright.

SHI PING, 20 - DESIGN STUDENT

What is a good date in Wellington?
The beach on Oriental Bay… if it’s a sunny day.

It’s so pretty there. To swim?
Yeah, and just chill out.

What makes a good soul mate?
Being considerate, cooking and giving each other space.

What’s the most considerate thing you ever did for a special someone?
I made two t-shirts for him.

Out of ten, how are you at pretending to care when you actually don’t?
One.

How about taking care of your sick boyfriend?
Five. Average.

And being faithful?
Um… eight. Pretty good.

Last one. Do you do that thing where you ask a guy where he thinks you should go for dinner and then say no to everything he thinks of?
Um… no?

MONICA, 21 - FASHION STUDENT

Hey Monica, what’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done for a dude?
I bought a garter belt, suspenders and some really sexy stockings once, that’s probably about it.

Tick. Where is a nice place to go for a date in Wellington?
Good question, I’d probably say Matterhorn maybe; Havana, Plum somewhere to go out to eat. The waterfront, that’s always nice.

Awesome, that’s great. What three songs would you put on a mix tape for someone you had the hots for?
I’m the least romantic person ever so I’d probably say, this is going to sound really cliché but Bon Iver’s Skinny Love, James Blake Limit to Your Love, maybe Des’ree Kissing You. It’s so cliché but I love it.

OK, out of ten, how good are you at looking after a sick boyfriend.
Two.

Massages.
Nine.

Getting on with your partners friends.
Ten.

One more question: church or garden wedding?
Fuck off.

BLAIR, 25 - DELIVERY DRIVER

What makes you a good boyfriend?
I give 107 percent.

What are three romantic songs that you’d stick on a mix tape?
Oh fuck that’s tricky. I don’t know. Tom Petty? Put some of that on. Like that song where he sings about the girl coming back and he’s missed her, that’s a good one. And Tupac, Ratha Be Ya Nigga.

Are you friends with your exes?
No not really.

Do children and animals like you?
Fuck yeah.

How often do you change your sheets?
The sheets tell me when they need to be changed, my friend.

Next, rate yourself out of ten for these: Listening.
Well I’ve got a hearing deficiency so I’ll give myself an eight.

Not being a pain when you’re sick.
Five.

Giving massages.
Fucking fifteen.

Photos and interviews by Dan Nagels.

For more New Zealand, check out:
HELLO WELLINGTON

And 
KIWI SKEPTICS