Spoiler alert: As some of you may have already heard, kiwicon is not returning next year. As such, this write up is me pretty much fangirling over a conference that I’ve wanted to attend for years, and finally was able to before it closed down.

The thing with kiwicon is that it’s a security conference. Indeed it was my first security conference. I didn’t live tweet the content, but I did live-tweet the quips, jokes and the experience.

If you didn’t already know, Wellington is in New Zealand, and NZ has weather. It also has earthquakes. So as much as people might quip that kiwicon was a rocking conference, the Crüe did an amazing job of making sure that people were OK, the venues were safe, and everything was fine.

Also, a presenter from every kiwicon broke the lighting rig with uraniam ore. Oops.

Kiwicon is known for being.. unusual. There are people who pay really good money to get front-row seats. They get comfy couches, snacks, and hand-made sashes, as well as a bunch of other stuff, in return. The items received don’t nearly come close to the cost that a ‘highballer’ ticket goes for, but that extra money helps the conference be able to affort pyrotechnics. So it’s a win-win.

Wellington is pretty af, and although I’ve had fleeting visits in the past, it was awesome to be able to explore it a bit more.

Also, yes, this is a real bird. You should go to Zealandia if you ever have the chance, and do the walking tour. It’s amazing.

My entire tweet stream from kiwicon can be found here