At last! We made it to Christchurch! For two days we set up shop at the Christchurch YMCA. We went from having our own room at Dunmore-Lang to all six of the girls sharing a living space. It was more like a really great sleep-over than any actual crowded inconvenience.
It was a lovely, cool, refreshing change from the furnace of Sydney. I learned quickly, however, that the weather in New Zealand can change very rapidly and there is a saying that one can experience all four seasons in one day. I’m most certainly not complaining though.
Waitangi Day is the Kiwi equivalent of Australia Day and Independence Day, though it isn’t about sticking it to the Brits nor is it about sticking it to the colonized, it’s about a treaty between colonial kiwis and the Maori and it DIDN’T screw the Maori! It was officially celebrated the day that we left town on our South Island tour, but every evening the town had events going on in a big gorgeous English-style park, kind of similar to Riverfront Rendezvous. Our first night, we stumbled on a three man play presenting “The History of Cinema: Abridged” I wonder if there is a bit of a trend in the theater of this part of the world. There were a couple of sly American history references about republicans and their (stereotypical) feelings toward minorities as well as a tasteful and artistic Sarah Palin impression.
On the second day, we wandered toward the University to poke around. I enjoyed a butter chicken curry for breakfast from a restaurant on campus (where else could I get curry at 9:30?) and fear (in the most delicious way) that this may become a habit. We also wandered to a grocery store to shop for our hostel stays and generally poked around town. I’m looking forward to living there.
On the eve of Waitangi Day, there was an even called Classical and Sparks or Sparks in the Park. This was the most spectacular display of pageantry and national pride that I have ever seen. Thousands and thousands of people showed up and, after a traditional Maori performance group gave an introductory ceremony, the Christchurch Symphony opened with a very inspiring piece while images of the All Blacks doing impressive rugby maneuvers were interspersed with images of the crowd and the symphony were displayed on the television monitors (we were too far away to see more than specks on the stage). Next, there was a jousting tournament. Men in full medieval attire rode on horses at each other and tried to take each other out all while the symphony played fitting music. The evening wore on with a troupe performing show tunes not only from standard Andrew Lloyd-Weber but from Mamma Mia (which most of the audience sang and danced to) and even Rocky Horror Picture Show—complete with drag queens. My love for drag queens is right up there with my love for mountains and national parks. The finale came when the symphony reappeared and played the William Tell Overture during a fireworks display. Highly impressive.
It was a lovely, cool, refreshing change from the furnace of Sydney. I learned quickly, however, that the weather in New Zealand can change very rapidly and there is a saying that one can experience all four seasons in one day. I’m most certainly not complaining though.
Waitangi Day is the Kiwi equivalent of Australia Day and Independence Day, though it isn’t about sticking it to the Brits nor is it about sticking it to the colonized, it’s about a treaty between colonial kiwis and the Maori and it DIDN’T screw the Maori! It was officially celebrated the day that we left town on our South Island tour, but every evening the town had events going on in a big gorgeous English-style park, kind of similar to Riverfront Rendezvous. Our first night, we stumbled on a three man play presenting “The History of Cinema: Abridged” I wonder if there is a bit of a trend in the theater of this part of the world. There were a couple of sly American history references about republicans and their (stereotypical) feelings toward minorities as well as a tasteful and artistic Sarah Palin impression.
On the second day, we wandered toward the University to poke around. I enjoyed a butter chicken curry for breakfast from a restaurant on campus (where else could I get curry at 9:30?) and fear (in the most delicious way) that this may become a habit. We also wandered to a grocery store to shop for our hostel stays and generally poked around town. I’m looking forward to living there.
On the eve of Waitangi Day, there was an even called Classical and Sparks or Sparks in the Park. This was the most spectacular display of pageantry and national pride that I have ever seen. Thousands and thousands of people showed up and, after a traditional Maori performance group gave an introductory ceremony, the Christchurch Symphony opened with a very inspiring piece while images of the All Blacks doing impressive rugby maneuvers were interspersed with images of the crowd and the symphony were displayed on the television monitors (we were too far away to see more than specks on the stage). Next, there was a jousting tournament. Men in full medieval attire rode on horses at each other and tried to take each other out all while the symphony played fitting music. The evening wore on with a troupe performing show tunes not only from standard Andrew Lloyd-Weber but from Mamma Mia (which most of the audience sang and danced to) and even Rocky Horror Picture Show—complete with drag queens. My love for drag queens is right up there with my love for mountains and national parks. The finale came when the symphony reappeared and played the William Tell Overture during a fireworks display. Highly impressive.
I look forward to spending some time in this city, and I’ve seen one Dae Woo so far.
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