Fine china. Silverware. Cloth Napkins. Jazz Music.  High tea at Barista Café on George Street is almost too classy to be called classy.

The atmosphere is positively glamorous. One wall of the café is a mural-in-progress. Every Saturday night one of the co-owners, Steven, adds to it and it slowly creeps up the wall. Animated chatter fills the room as waitresses in gorgeous dresses serve customers and the multi-talented musician, Graham, plays one of the four instruments he has on hand. Gale, the other co-owner, is a wonderful hostess and the service is fabulous. At one point Graham played a jig and one of the customers got up and started jigging to it. In wedges.

Then staff sang Happy Birthday to a customer in perfect harmony.  Just coz they like to blow minds.

There are two tea options available: The Full High Tea($22pp and make sure to book in advance) and the Devonshire Tea which consists of two scones, tea, cream and jam($10pp).

Picky about the type of tea you drink? Don’t worry; there are 27 types. Not a tea drinker? There’s always coffee and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks available.

Everything about this place is divine. An absolute must.

Palmerston North City is going retro during Easter weekend - 7th and 8th April 2012.  To check out other high tea and classy events see www.squareaffair.co.nz

There are times when, between all the to-ing and fro-ing, all a person wants is a place to breathe in absolute, uninterrupted peace.

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, located on Broadway Drive, is that pocket of peace in all the hubbub and it’s a work of art all in itself.

The Cathedral is striking from first notice. The 50m high steeple sticks out clear against the skyline, visible from The Square. It gives a taste of the gothic styling and creamy white exterior of the building that creates an impression of old-style grandeur within the city’s CBD.

Upon entering The Cathedral it is clear that great care and work went into its’ design.  What I loved most was the details. The effect of the light spilling through the intricate, kaleidoscopically coloured, stained glass windows; the paintings adorning the baptistery; the Maaori carvings on the ends of the pews; the robust-looking organ and the fire etched in the glass around the altar; combined to create an atmosphere of something laboured over and worth the time taken to visit.

Trust me, it certainly is. I would recommend it for anyone wanting some quiet, deep-thinking time in gorgeous surroundings.

Open 9am-5pm daily.

At the corner of the Square and Church Street squats a building whose vivid blue and red colour scheme screams for attention. Square Edge, as the facility is known, is one whole community art space made up of various fractions of awesomeness. It’s a place to exhibit work, to enjoy a relaxing coffee at the snazzy O.E café, to stock up on art supplies or to absorb the creativity of the artists on show.

The (free)gallery and café in particular are worth returning to, if not for the frequently changing and pleasingly eclectic artwork on show (stuff from kids’ artwork to a giant rabbit staring at me through a window to John Key surrounded by money roasting meat on a barbie) then definitely for the tasty food and friendly service found at the cafe. Perfect for a swanky brunch or coffee, the menu is a bit pricier ($12 up) but certainly worth it.

The services offered at Square Edge are also a huge bonus. If you’re interested there are studios available for artists, an art recycling centre, picture framing and art classes and workshops are held there too. It’s ideal for the artsy inclined to go and have a nosey.

Fun fact of the day: I adore kid’s books.

So when I heard from a friend that there was a Lynley Dodd exhibition at Te Manawa I almost “something’d” my pants. Off I rushed down to the museum for a look-see when, lo-and-behold, I was pleasantly surprised once again.

Not only was Dodd’s fabulous work on show but there was also work from UCOL graduates’, an exhibition from London of the “Wildlife Photographers of the Year 2011”, and a reeeeeally old vase (like, 1000 years old) accompanying the intriguing “Labours of Heracles” by Marion Macguire.

Finally, the cherry on top was hearing that tucked upstairs was a small exhibition entitled “Holes in the Silence”; works of none other than Order of New Zealand awarded Ralph Hotere.

Was I expecting such an interesting and diverse variety of art from little old Te Manawa? No. No I was not. I had to go back multiple times.

What’s my point? Te Manawa’s gallery might look as popular as a kid with nits when you enter, but it holds some great art. So, when you’ve got a quiet spare moment and you feel like a bit of culture, do go and have a browse.

Ah vandalism! There’s nothing like a scribble of a duck riding a skateboard or a vibrant and artistic splash of colour on the side of an otherwise plain wall to liven up the urban landscape.

Graffiti is a staple feature in most cities but, until now, I hadn’t seen much in Palmerston North City Centre. I suspected this was because the City Council is super-effective at cleaning up any scrawls found there for the sake of tourism and city pride.

But fear not. After wandering around, like a vagabond playing a real life game of “Where’s Wally?”, I found it , hiding down shady alleyways and on the sides of abandoned buildings, away from the danger of graffiti removal kits.

Stencils of Darth Vadar peeked out of doorways; smoking snails leered at me from the top of buildings and walls of artistic murals jumped out from behind corners unexpectedly. Taggings can be traced around town (look for a smoking cat and the duck mentioned earlier) and I doubt I saw everything available.

Half the fun was in the hunt. My advice; look down back alleys and other sorts of unloved-looking, peripheral areas.

Remember: Be Safe!