ROSEMARY ABBOTT | Culture
BUBBLE BURST
Aro Valley local Ruby Galbraith, 30, has reportedly reached peak exasperation this week, as the annual Wellington Cup draws hordes of visitors into her beloved city.
“I just can’t,” Galbraith sighed, gesturing at a group of people swaggering confidently through Cuba Street, despite clearly ‘not being from around here’.
“They’re… they’re from somewhere else. I can tell. By their shoes. And the way they’re smiling and laughing. It’s unsettling.”
The Wellington Cup, held at Trentham Racecourse in Upper Hutt, has long been a fixture of New Zealand’s social calendar. But for Galbraith, it represents a cultural invasion.
“They come in, dressed in suits from Hallensteins, wandering around Lambton Quay like they own the place,” she said. “And then they buy things. Expensive things. From real Wellington shops! I mean, who do they think they are?” she said, while also Tweeting to her regular echo chamber.
Her disdain extends beyond fashion and perceived origins. “And the whole Cup thing? Horse racing? Animal cruelty? It’s 2026. We shouldn’t be celebrating animals running in circles for money. I’m all for Wellington values, coffee, creativity, progressive freedom, but this is just chaos.”
City locals have mixed reactions to the influx of visitors. Some see it as a boon for business. Galbraith, however, remains steadfast. “I’m not saying Wellington shouldn’t have visitors. I’m just saying… they should be more like us.
For now, Galbraith plans to barricade herself in her Aro Valley flat until the Cup ends. “I’ll emerge when the city’s back to its natural state,” she said. “Calm. Thoughtful. Free of strangers pretending that Wellington is a place for them to exist.”
More to come.
