First off – HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN !!!!!! I’ve been thinking about you all day as I trooped around. Hope you are having as much fun as I am – wish you were here !
Christchurch NZ is a lovely little city, and I couldn’t have come at a better time. The weather is crisp and clear and beautiful, and with the Winter Arts Festival on there’s so much to do. No problem on the flight over from Sydney, and Base Christchurch, the big hostel where I’m staying , is right smack on Cathedral Square (first pic). I’m in a six bed room and figured I wouldn’t get any sleep at all but unbelievably I crashed out altogether and didn’t get up until a quarter to nine. Amazing. It must have been the clowns – as part of the Arts Festival last night I saw ‘Slava’s Snowshow” (pic 2) and it was completely delightful. I’ve never been a huge clown fan but this was a terrific performance that totally brought out the kid in everyone with paper snow flying in all directions, ginormous bouncing balls, seriously cool costumes, charming skits, and a totally interactive finale. When I eventually got up this morning the travel desk downstairs was ever so helpful with bus and event bookings and I soon launched myself at the city. Eating is interesting here since all the cheap restaurants are owned by Asians – I had Japanese last night, a breakfast sandwich at a Thai restaurant, and fish and chips at a Chinese. Odd, but good. I cruised around the galleries and museums, walked through the Botanical Garden (pic 3) which was gorgeous now and must be totally spectacular around about November (their late spring), and then bumbled around until I caught the right bus out to Willowbank, a nature preserve and home to a Maori performance. The preserve was just wonderful – I had it all to myself late in the afternoon and you just follow the paths from one incredible encounter to another because the anmals are largely wandering around in huge fenced enclosures and you are walking right through them. And you can buy food to feed most of them – I fed eels first, that was hilarious, scooping out little bits of ground meat on a plastic straw and dropping it straight into the mouth of a 4 foot black eel whose jaw is wide open as it tries to slither into your lap to get at the food. Then came feeding the fallow deer (pic 4) which is when I realized that they could just walk right up to you and I thought that was really great but then I followed the path to the WALLABIES – AND I EVEN GOT TO PET ONE !!!! Now the whole time I was in Australia I saw not one kangaroo, wallaby, camel, or emu so it was a serious thrill to see these beautiful creatures hopping towards me (pics 5 and 6). After that there were pigs and horses and cows and kiwis and monkeys and lemurs and sheep and all sorts of critters but I definitely liked the wallabies best. At 6:30 I went to a very nice Maori cultural presentation with lovely songs and interactive exercises and much extending of tongues. Sadly, with the swine flu scare there was no rubbing of noses, but it was a fun night. Now I’m back here at the hostel and getting ready for my mountain adventure tomorrow. I can’t wait – when I flew into Christchurch the clouds parted long enough for me to see the amazing spectacle of the Southern Alps and tomorrow they’ll be up close and personal. Lots of snow pics to come !
With love,
Christchurch NZ is a lovely little city, and I couldn’t have come at a better time. The weather is crisp and clear and beautiful, and with the Winter Arts Festival on there’s so much to do. No problem on the flight over from Sydney, and Base Christchurch, the big hostel where I’m staying , is right smack on Cathedral Square (first pic). I’m in a six bed room and figured I wouldn’t get any sleep at all but unbelievably I crashed out altogether and didn’t get up until a quarter to nine. Amazing. It must have been the clowns – as part of the Arts Festival last night I saw ‘Slava’s Snowshow” (pic 2) and it was completely delightful. I’ve never been a huge clown fan but this was a terrific performance that totally brought out the kid in everyone with paper snow flying in all directions, ginormous bouncing balls, seriously cool costumes, charming skits, and a totally interactive finale. When I eventually got up this morning the travel desk downstairs was ever so helpful with bus and event bookings and I soon launched myself at the city. Eating is interesting here since all the cheap restaurants are owned by Asians – I had Japanese last night, a breakfast sandwich at a Thai restaurant, and fish and chips at a Chinese. Odd, but good. I cruised around the galleries and museums, walked through the Botanical Garden (pic 3) which was gorgeous now and must be totally spectacular around about November (their late spring), and then bumbled around until I caught the right bus out to Willowbank, a nature preserve and home to a Maori performance. The preserve was just wonderful – I had it all to myself late in the afternoon and you just follow the paths from one incredible encounter to another because the anmals are largely wandering around in huge fenced enclosures and you are walking right through them. And you can buy food to feed most of them – I fed eels first, that was hilarious, scooping out little bits of ground meat on a plastic straw and dropping it straight into the mouth of a 4 foot black eel whose jaw is wide open as it tries to slither into your lap to get at the food. Then came feeding the fallow deer (pic 4) which is when I realized that they could just walk right up to you and I thought that was really great but then I followed the path to the WALLABIES – AND I EVEN GOT TO PET ONE !!!! Now the whole time I was in Australia I saw not one kangaroo, wallaby, camel, or emu so it was a serious thrill to see these beautiful creatures hopping towards me (pics 5 and 6). After that there were pigs and horses and cows and kiwis and monkeys and lemurs and sheep and all sorts of critters but I definitely liked the wallabies best. At 6:30 I went to a very nice Maori cultural presentation with lovely songs and interactive exercises and much extending of tongues. Sadly, with the swine flu scare there was no rubbing of noses, but it was a fun night. Now I’m back here at the hostel and getting ready for my mountain adventure tomorrow. I can’t wait – when I flew into Christchurch the clouds parted long enough for me to see the amazing spectacle of the Southern Alps and tomorrow they’ll be up close and personal. Lots of snow pics to come !
With love,
Tricia
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