Stick with it, Jack, most of NZ closes down for holidays just before Christmas, and doesn't start again until February. The folk clubs also all take a break in January, but by the time you get here, things will be going off again.

Hard to realise, even for those of us who are used to it, but this is actually high summer here, right now and the fabled Christmas BBQ on the beach can be very real. So all the folkies will be out in their tents, out in the boonies, tramping, fishing, or sailing. Not by April, though, the weather will have turned by then (think October in the Northern Hemisphere).

The Balladeer is the best thing for news of what's on in the Wellington region and its appearance in February/March is usually pretty reliable. I have a piper friend Phil Cowan, who lives in Otaki (Kapiti Coast) who'd be a good source of info about pipey stuff. I'll contact him nearer the time to see if there's anything going on. You might have to be a little less specific about your choice of pipes, though. The NZ population isn't that big that you can be choosy, so it might be Scots or Ulieinan rather than Northumbrian that you get to listen to.

There's a lot going on, but not right now...