maybe I want to come out of retirement!

A wee announcement  ... think I'll start blogging again. Not on Kiwitravelwriter but here on Blogger.  Here is a pics from Christchurch, where I've been for a week. Dogs waiting for their coffee drinking owners at The Boatshed

Announcement - I've retired!

After about twenty years of use, my Goddady WordPress blog (kiwitravelwriter.wordpress.com) is no more - that is sad, but now I can do other things. not sure what they will be I'm just exploring that one day at a time.

Right now I'm thinking of writing a blog about my current trip to Christchurch 

It must be all the cruise ship passengers giving me the urge!

Old reflections in new ... quake updates

Victoria Clock Tower is reflected in a new building arising from an old buildings site

Victoria Street, Christchurch, New Zealand 

Festival time in Christchurch New Zealand.

New Zealand Cup and Show Week is just a month away (8^th – 16^th November) and, as well as all the favourite action, several exciting new events have been added to this year’s nine-day festival.

I'll be at the street party in the ReStart mall ... will I see you there?

The info I was sent says ....

Christchurch City Council Events Development Manager, Richard Attwood says New Zealand Cup and Show Week promises to deliver the racing, fashion, entertainment and country atmosphere that makes Canterbury Anniversary the best week of the year in Christchurch.

“This is a wonderful time for locals, new residents and out-of-town visitors to celebrate how creative and exciting Christchurch has become. We have a full week of events guaranteed to get everyone out and about,” Mr Attwood says.

New official events are:

• ·         A free street party in Re:START mall to launch the week on Friday evening, 8 November
• ·         A-League football with the Wellington Phoenix playing the Perth Glory at AMI Stadium on Saturday, 9 November
• ·         Urban Assault, a fun challenge 5km obstacle course around the city centre on Sunday, 10 November
• ·         Breast Cancer Research Trust’s first Fashion for a Cure charity event at the Transitional Cardboard Cathedral on Monday, 11 November.

 read more 

antarctic centre christchurch

A simple guide for Christchurch NZ .. a local recommends

When in Christchurch, make sure you see the Canterbury Museum and right beside it, New Zealand's oldest Botanic Gardens.

While here, your food choices are wide, from Indian to Japanese, from Thai to Greek, and many, many, other ethnicities, and of course lots of upmarket cafés.

Your choices for dinner at night are huge too: my recommendation would be to combine Maori culture with your meal. Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, is only 15 mins from the city centre - if you combine it with Kotane, the Maori Experience you will have an evening with a uniquely New Zealand flavour.

While there,( Willowbank) you will also be able to see our native kiwi in natural surroundings – this flightless bird is only found in New Zealand and we locals call ourselves kiwi too.

Make sure you visit the the multi-award-winning International Antarctic Centre: Christchurch has long been the jumping off place for Antarctic exploration – from Robert Falcon Scott right through to today. This will take the entire morning as you experience an arctic storm, learn about the Antarctic, take a ride on a real Antarctic all-terrain Hagglund vehicle, and spend ages with the very cute, rescued, penguins in New Zealands first indoor-outdoor penguin viewing area.

Another must-do is to take a guided bike tour! I can well recommend Christchurch Bike Tours for a two-hour trip from the city centre to Mona Vale. Christchurch is also called the City of the Plain so no hills and very comfortable retro bikes to travel on.

one of my favourite native birds .. the pukeko - part of the Christchurch coat of arms

 After burning up some energy, how about a kiwi favourite for dinner tonight? A New Zealand staple - fish and chips with tomato sauce are not low fat but something we really, really love as a treat. Eat them out of the paper wrapping, with your fingers and you will know another reason why we love them – no dishes to wash, just crunch up the paper and throw it in the rubbish. Enjoy your days in my old city.  See more tips for travel (worldwide) on my other blog

Christchurch updates -visitor centre, mall, and free wifi

And of course the container mall is open in Cashel Mall .. with FREE WI_FI read more here

I have just been sent this information from the city of my birth!
"After eight months in temporary premises Christchurch’s i-SITE Visitor Centre now has a specially-designed portable home beside Canterbury Museum on Rolleston Avenue.

“It’s an ideal spot for the visitor centre because it is in an area that will naturally attract most of our visitors to the city,” says Christchurch & Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter. “We’re thrilled to have secured such a central location for the centre and are looking forward to welcoming many visitors and locals through its doors over the summer months.”

Prior to the February quake the i-SITE Visitor Centre was based in the Old Post Office building in Cathedral Square. For the past few months it has been operating out of temporary premises at the Chateau on the Park.

Manager, Sandra Caldwell says the new i-SITE Visitor Centre is a one-stop shop for visitors and locals looking for travel advice. It also offers ticketing for many key Christchurch events and booking services for tourism activities, accommodation and transport for Canterbury region and the whole of New Zealand.


“And the location of the centre is superb; it’s an easy walk to attractions such as Punting on the Avon, the Canterbury Museum, Caterpillar Tours at the Botanic Gardens and the North Hagley Park Events Village which is going to be home to some great events over the summer, including the World Buskers Festival in January.

“There are cafes and restaurants close-by and the Re-Start retail complex, with its attractive and vibrant mix of 26 shops and Ballantynes, is a short walk down Cashel St,” Ms Caldwell says.

She says i-SITE staff are delighted to have a more permanent home in time for the busy summer season.
“We’re expecting lots of visitors, including cruise passengers to come through this centre. Our new facilities in the Botanic Gardens will allow us to provide a high level of service to those who want information about the experiences and activities they can enjoy around Canterbury and the South Island.”

Lonely Planet top ten regions includes NZ and Borneo

Here are Lonely Planet’s picks of the regions to put on your map from Best in Travel 2012. Chosen by a panel of Lonely Planet experts, they’ve been written up by Lonely Planet authors to give you that most contagious of ailments: the travel bug.

1. Coastal Wales

2. La Ruta Maya, Central America

3. Northern Kenya

4. Arunachal Pradesh, India

5.  Hvar, Croatia

6. Sicily

7. Maritime Provinces, Canada

8. Queenstown & Southern Lakes, New Zealand (Make sure you check out the South Island – my birthplace and particularly Christchurch on your way south - the KTW)

There isn’t a bad time to turn up in the world’s top adventure playground. There are nonstop outdoor activities year-round in the resort towns of Queenstown, Wanaka and Te Anau, as well as the surrounding mountains, lakes and national parks. It’s not just the unbelievable alpine scenery. Where else can you ski in the morning and golf or water-ski in the afternoon? Head out hiking and drink water from mountain streams…then down more potent liquids in vibrant resort nightlife when the sun goes down. Raft down white-water rapids, tandem paraglide from craggy peaks or hike world-class trails such as the Milford, Routeburn and Hollyford tracks. Add excellent wineries and superb restaurants, and what more is there to say? - Craig McLachlan

9. Borneo (YAY: I’m off there in 2012 - theKTW)

 Borneo is one of the last remaining tropical paradises that won’t break the bank. The East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, tiny but oil-rich Brunei and Indonesian Kalimantan are home to the world’s oldest rainforests, the region’s third-highest peak and some of the world’s best diving. The indigenous Dayak peoples add a layer of intriguing cultural complexity and, of course, there is also that cutest of primates – the cheeky orang-utan. Shawn Low

10. Poitou-Charentes, France

Read the complete Lonely Planet article here

No more jazz in catherdral ... but jazz in the park

An array of great musicians have been selected to perform as part of Taste Jazz, which will take place in the Hagley Park Events Village on Saturday, November 5.

Over the course of the day some of the best jazz musicians from around the country will perform for the public, free of charge, ahead of a ticketed tribute concert to the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald in the evening.

Taste Jazz has been organised by the New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival to give Christchurch people a lift and to give them a taste of what is in store for them next year.

No jazz in the Cathedral for some years I suspect

“We had to cancel this year’s festival because of the quakes so Christchurch people have not had many opportunities to enjoy live jazz. We thought it was about time we brought music back into their lives,’’ says festival director Jodi Wright.

The Christchurch Jazz Orchestra will be followed on stage by Solpak, a dynamic jazz band that has been performing in New Zealand since the early 1990s.

During the afternoon there will be performances by harmonica player Nola Mills and the Tom Rainey quartet, Christchurch jazz band Sumo Jazz, the Rayna Creagh Quartet, and the Reuben Bradley quartet- the winner of the 2011 Vodafone Music Award for Best Jazz Album.

"It’s going to be a lovely day out so get your friends and family together and join us in North Hagley Park for some great soul-soothing music," Ms Wright says.

Taste Jazz will be followed on November 6 by Taste Blues, which brings together Christchurch’s blues stalwarts for another day of free entertainment.

For more information go to jazzfestivalnz.com.

KiwiTravelWriter arrested!

Have a peep into my 30-year-old photo album .... protesting against apartheid in 1981

"The icing on the quake" they called it - now the snow is back!

Check out the photos I posted this morning .. but as the day continues it's not so nice to go out walking in the slush!

Quake socks ... will they help?

Wearing my Rural Women quake sox to Christchurch on Monday ... will they ward off quakes or just keep me warm?

They are merino wool so guess it's only the warmth factor I can rely on with the snow that's forcast! I was in Christchurch for the biggest, and first, quake but which the least damage - funny how nature is!

I'm travelling via the Interislander ferry, then TranzScenic rail, and staying at the beautiful Classic Villa 

New Zealand is Lonely Planet’s place to stay

09 Sep 2010 New Zealand has won a prestigious travel award from Lonely Planet, the world’s most famous guidebook - in the inaugural ‘Lonely Planet Awards’.

Thousands of British travellers voted online in various categories for the awards - which showcase some of the most fantastic places and experiences around the world.

New Zealand topped the category ‘I’d happily stay forever in …’

Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said the win proved that New Zealand would always remain a popular choice with holidaymakers."This award is a great achievement for New Zealand as a country and is a wonderful confirmation of what we’ve always believed - that New Zealand is a great holiday destination for international visitors.

"People come here for the scenery, but they leave talking about the warmth and hospitality of our people. I think that combination has helped us win this award from our visitors," he said.

NZ’s British fans
The new Lonely Planet Awards are based entirely around traveller votes from the British public on their top trip experiences.

Lonely Planet travel editor Tom Hall said the categories within the awards covered all the elements that made a trip truly unique "from food and culture to journeys, activities and even who you travel with".
"The results of the Lonely Planet Awards include some surprising winners, such as the Mayan temples at Tikal," Hall said.
"The success of these lesser-known attractions really highlights how worthwhile it is to venture away from some of the world’s best-known places and sights and discover what else the world has to offer."

New Zealand a real winner
Lonely Planet Magazine editor Peter Grunert said the awards were based on readers’ top travel moments.
"Rather than the usual list of favourite hotels, spas and airlines, we want to get under the skin of what inspires people to travel, from their favourite cultural experiences to their greatest wildlife encounters and historical experiences," said Grunert.
New Zealand’s win meant that readers and travellers most wanted to put down roots and settle down forever in the country. Australia was their second choice.

Background: Lonely Planet Awards 2010
More than 3500 people voted in the Lonely Planet Awards 2010, which were created in conjunction with UK adventure specialist Explore.

Other great travel experiences that Lonely Planet readers would like to experience included visiting the Mayan temples in Tikal - which beat out attractions such as the Taj Mahal and the pyramids in Egypt.
Also on the list was eating Italian cuisine, enjoying reggae by the beach on a warm night in Negril, Jamaica, and readers named British television personality Michael Palin as the most desirable travel buddy.

see more  about my home city here http://www.nileguide.com/destination/christchurch-new-zealand

Ancient trees mark the way in Christchurch, NZ

Tī Kōuka, a symbol for our city

Imagine a distant past where the mist and fog shrouded flatlands, spreading out towards the sea, rich with bird and water life.
There were few landmarks emerging from the mists of what was then essentially swampland. If the hills were obscured by weather there was no way of knowing where you were. That is if it were not for the tī kōuka (cabbage trees) that were carefully planted in significant places to mark out routes across the land like green spiky beacons.
Tī kōuka were prized trees for the Māori of Te Wai Pounamu. Aside from their use as navigational markers, they provided the favoured fibre for fishing due to superior strength and the kōuru or new shoots were an important source of protein in a land where kūmara was difficult if not impossible to grow. Read more here on the Christchurch Library site

A happy new year - and peaceful travel - to all who read this .. and to those who dont!

Have  you read the credo to be a peaceful travel - I found it on a website dedicated to promoting peace through tourism (http://www.iipt.org/) and thought it well worth reproducing.

"Grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience the world and because peace begins with the individual, I affirm my personal responsibility and commitment to:

• Journey with an open mind and gentle heart

• Accept with grace and gratitude the diversity I encounter
• Revere and protect the natural environment which sustains life
• Appreciate all cultures I discover
• Respect and thank my hosts for their welcome
• Offer my hand in friendship to everyone I meet
• Support travel service that share these views and act upon them and,
• By my spirit, words and actions, encourage others to travel the world in peace.

How easy it is to say.

Sometimes diversity is hard to understand, so hard to appreciate - after all I see the world through my eyes, coloured as they are by heritage, education and experiences. People - whether a fellow traveller or someone whose country is being travelled to - see me with their eyes, coloured by the same things. it is no wonder we see and talk past each other at times.
But now maybe its even more important for those of us travelling to follow the creed and spread it as far as possible.

My old reaction would have been, rubbish, I am only one person what can I do?

Well that’s exactly what I have, one person who can do one thing to make the world a better place. Working on the principle of what I can’t do alone, we can together.

There is little I can do about airlines flying or not flying; there is little I can do about the costs of security; however there is a lot I can do as a ‘peaceful traveler’ and so will attempt to follow the above creed as I am ‘grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience the world.’

Pohutukawa: the New Zealand Christmas tree .. isn't it fabulous!

PS: and an update for those of you  following my weight loss (for health reasons /diabetes).
 I still lost some weight over the holidays and today I'm off for an hour-long walk in my local park - Hagley Park  - NZ's largest city park right here int he centre of my city, Christchurch, and right on my doorstep.

just another little slice in the life of the kiwitravelwriter

I waited for my Discover Chch at the tram stop in the square - the tram is all dressed up for Christmas

Well it's about a week since my diagnosis of diabetes and subsequent decision to get healthy and loose weight in public, mostly I think I have been on track (the test wiil come when I step on the scales tommorrow)

I have become more aware of what goes in my mouth .. well not so much 'what' but how much: and of course I've upped my walking. Did my regular track this am and although it was the same amount my dodgy pedometer says it was .3 of a kilometre longer. I WAS ALSO ONE MINUTE FASTER!

Excuse the caps - I didn't mean to shout, but when I look at them it seems appropriate to leave them there for that sentence.

Well nothing really to report today .. just want to be in the habit of thinking about my day and health each evening and this focuses my mind, so ciao until tomorrow.

"wait for me' calls one of the tourists on the Hassle-free tour

Discover Christchurch was on todays agenda

Just a quick blog today as i am off out agon very shortly, and have been out all afternoon - with Hassle-free tours.  I was testing ( for you) their new Discover Christchurch tour. i concur with an Asian traveller on board "I enjoy very much."  So, I'll be blogging about it on my wordpress travel blog soon so check there in a  few days.

Something I discovered about me today is how I need to be more aware of my lack of eating patterns . was hungry late morning, ate a couple of rice wafers and pickle, which of course took the edge off my hunger and it wasnt 'til i was waitng at the Tram Stop in the square for hassle-free to pick me up ( its so great living in the centre of ChCh -- which is how we shorten the name Christchurch) that I realised I hadn't eaten lunch! Not eating is not good when you are supposed to be eating well and regularly.

Well guess what, as soon as I was on board  the mini-bus I was given a little bar of chocolate and a tiny bag of crisps. (what Americans call chips). of cousre i ate them, and now home have worked out that calorie/food value wise, thay are about the same as a meal would be .. empty calories but at least not over my allowance.

now, with a meal of my organic home grown lettuce, potato, cold meat and dressing, i ma now full and ready so go out for the evening .... so ciao, and thanks for listening.
PS
 one change in behavour tonight was I didnt stop to get take aways from the Thai restaurant down the road ''cos its late and i have to go out' but came home and within 10mins had a tasty healthy meal in front of me. PPS
I didnt do the extra walk today as planned to make up for yesterdays sloth so tommorrow  I WILL!

fun on the river, christchurch, New Zealand

In 1850, swamp covered Christchurch, and settlers had to traverse bog to get home after shopping in the market.

Those early settlers must have been sorely disillusioned when they first saw the soggy land of their dreams,

Between 1000 and 1500, the indigenous Maori (who had arrived here from the Pacific) had a settlement here, called Puari. It stretched east from the Otakaro River, and was home for around 800 Waitaha people who gathered eels, whitebait, native trout, ducks, and flounder here.

The river was renamed the Avvon – after a Scottish river - then this too was changed to Avon, and the first bridge to span the river was a cart bridge in 1852. Ten years later the first public lamp was lit at the same market street bridge but kerosene was considered too expensive and the town lighting project was halted for two years.

A post and chain fence (some portions are still in use) was built along in the 1860s to save ‘innocent children and tipsy men alike’ from drowning, as some 30 people had drowned in what now seems an extremely placid river

Every weekend we Cantabrians (we who live in Canterbury, New Zealand) have holidays here in our own city. One of our time honoured ways of indulging in the warmer months here is boating on the Avon.

The centre of this fun is of course The Antigua Boat Sheds. Established in 1882 many generations of Christchurch people have spent time messing around in boats hired from them and I too learnt to row in the gentle waters of our river.

The boat-shed was built by a couple of boat builders and is one of Christchurch’s oldest buildings. Open all year, and with a cafe full of home-cooked food attached, it makes a great setting for all sorts of events - from weddings and cocktail parties to children’s parties- as well as a family fun day in the park.

Canoes and paddle boats are available for hire and you can also be punted upstream, through the beauty of the botanical gardens, - sipping champagne or tucking into a hamper of food is optional. You can also punt further downstream- leaving from the Kate Sheppard suffrage statue beside the Worcester Boulevard bridge down to the Manchester St area: restful and different ways to see our city.

The current owners of the Antigua Boat Sheds have enjoyed running this business since 1987. “It’s a life-style thing” I was told “our family loves not being confined to an office space”

The fame of the boat sheds have travelled wide and far and some tourists have even come directly to the boat sheds from the airport I’m told

So become a tourist in your own city, or welcome to our city, and go boating on our Avon River.

kiwi wizard joins the establishment?

Wizard of New Zealand · Bizarre/Oddities

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Wizard speaking in Cathedral Square during December 2006.

The Wizard of New Zealand, also known as the Archwizard of Canterbury, is well known in New Zealand as a public speaker, performer, and eccentric.

The Wizard (his legally recognised name) has also been recognised as a "living work of art" by the National Gallery of Victoria and the Robert MacDougall Art Gallery, and as "Official Cosmologer" to the Union of the University of Melbourne. He is also the founder of the Imperial British Conservative Party, and Alf's Imperial Army.

on 1st july 2009 he was awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to the community.^[1]

The photos of the wizard in in his white 'summer' wizard clothes, and the one his coming and going car taken by the kiwitravelwriter

singapore and new zealand meet over gardens

Asia’s best landscape designer exhibited at Ellerslie, the annual international garden  festival Christchurch. New Zealand Come and check it out next year!

Multiple gold award-winning Singapore garden designer Peter Cheok recreated his Singapore Garden Festival Best of Show and Gold Award winning garden Seeking Shangri-La  a fantasy garden which was a real show stopper. It had that special wow factor - theatrical and at the same time horticulturally challenging.

Read more here