Christchurch
Trip Start
Unknown
1
51
149
Trip End
Ongoing
Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand
Saturday, October 23, 2010
On Friday, I met up with my friend Laura, who moved to NZ a year ago, just because she'd always wanted to see the country. She found a few odd jobs to keep her going, met a great boyfriend, and explored a lot of the country. I really admire her bravery and self-reliance. We went for a wander through the botanical gardens, which were bursting with brightly-colored flowers, then drove out to Sumner beach.
At the beach, there were some interesting rock formations to explore. We sat on one and talked, then walked the beach a bit. It was so great to catch up. I only get to see Laura every so often, since she moved to the west coast for college, and then New Zealand. Still, no matter how long we've been separated, we just resume our friendship and it’s totally comfortable, like no time has passed.
At the end of the day, I went back to the hostel to grab my bags, then headed to my Servas host family, the Summerfields. They turned out to be really nice and I had a relaxing and fun visit. They recently opened an imported food shop called Summerfield Foods that sounded like an awesome place for expats to find a little taste of home, or for Kiwis to find imports that are impossible to get elsewhere in the country. The family has an adorable young daughter who speaks with an intelligence and consideration better than some adults I've met and a precious little son. I had so much fun hanging out with all of them. To make things even better, I slept on an extremely comfy bed in the guest room/office, which I never wanted to leave.
On Saturday, I met up with Laura again. A Korean cultural festival gave Cathedral Square a festive feel, as costumed dancers kept time to the music and fragrant food stalls made our stomachs rumble. Passing several craft tables, we came to the Arts Center, a group of historic buildings that house art galleries and shops. I bought an adorable cream-colored wool hat and a bar of fudge to give to my host family as a thank you present. A few times, I noticed these large blue and purple shells called paua. They’re gorgeous, very shiny with swirling patterns that include green and black. I’ll have to buy one of those.
Outside of the Arts Center, a street fair was in full swing. Carts sold Spanish, Asian, Greek and Lebanese food. Laura had paella and I ate churros dipped in thick hot chocolate, because I eat like a five-year-old when left unattended. The chocolate wasn’t quite as creamy as what I had in Madrid years ago, but still good. The churros were perfect - crispy outside with a soft inside and good flavor.
After eating, we went back to the botanical gardens to explore the parts we’d missed yesterday. We found a perfect giant tree to sit and talk The way the trunk and roots grew, I was able to partially recline with my feet up, just like a La-Z-Boy and just as comfortable.
In the early evening, I met my host family at the Canterbury Museum and we had a picnic dinner at the earthquake benefit concert. The concert was designed to cheer up the city's residents after the huge earthquake that terrified everyone in September. They're still cleaning up the city, with construction fences blocking off condemned buildings and some families waiting to hear when they'll be allowed back in their homes. Some buildings look alright from the outside, but the foundations are so damaged that they'll have to be demolished and rebuilt. Anyway, the concert had been going on since 11 a.m. and would continue until 8 p.m. Lots of great Kiwi bands played and, at its peak, one quarter of the city’s population turned out. Everyone was singing and dancing along, so it was a really fun atmosphere, although I froze my butt off once the sun went down.
Our picnic was so good. Homemade bread spread with an artichoke, olve and tomato spread, cheese and bacon pie (a Kiwi picnic staple, filled with eggs and cheese but not blended like a quiche), and sugar cookies. Yum-o!
