Crazy Nature

I'm not a tree hugger by any means, but was continually fascinated with the flora and fauna of Christchurch - appropriately called "Garden City." The intensity was overwhelming at times - ironic coming from a Hawaii resident, right? We strolled through the Botanic Gardens and enjoyed the bright, vibrant hues that danced before our eyes. Truly amazing!

Beam Me Up, Scotty!

Passing by Victoria Square in Christchurch, we hopped off the city tram to see the end of a bagpipe festival. It was a great treat to see the outfits and hear the haunting sounds of the instruments. Am told that the kilt patterns are very specific to clan membership - pretty cool.

A labor (or rather - "labour" - when in Rome, as the saying goes!) shortage in the late 1800s encouraged a number of British and Scottish families to migrate to the region for farming work and better opportunities. These pioneers endured an ardous three-month ship voyages from Great Britain to New Zealand. (And we have a tough time with a five-hour airplane ride!) Imagine a father, mother and some five or six children making the long overseas trip in very spartan quarters.

After arrival, many passed away during the first winter, as shelter was limited and fatigue from the voyage made surviving the harsh weather difficult. This region is rough, rugged and raw - apparently wind and storms from the Antarctic make their way over the central mountain range (called the Southern Alps), then gain momentum when coming down the mountains to hit the Canterbury Plains and Christchurch with significant intensity. I never fully understood the term "hardy stock" until coming here - the locals are friendly and polite, but definitely hardworking, industrious and straightforward. They are very proud of their heritage and their fellow Kiwi - truly wonderful people!

Christchurch - South Island, New Zealand

For the past three days we've been in Christchurch aka "The Garden City." It's a very British city, with lots of churches in the Gothic-style architecture and many flowers and English gardens. The name came from Christchurch Cathedral, but I keep thinking of an anecdote our driver shared with us. He was taking around an American woman who inquired about the name of the city, who suggested it came about because "Christ, there's a lot of churches around here!"

Star Wars Mania

Lately we've been crazy for Star Wars, watching all six episodes and discussing the ramifications of Anakin going to the Dark Side of the Force, the relationship between Jengo Fett and Boba Fett, and the language of the Ewoks. So imagine how lucky we were to catch a Star Wars exhibit at the California Science Center in Exposition Park, Los Angeles.

The exhibit included lots of "hands on" activities, correlating aspects of the movies to various scientific principles and technologies. Of course there's an extensive gift shop with all the toys and trimmings at the exhibit exit. We are happy to report that we only had to witness (and not experience) kids throwing fits and tantrums because they could not get what they wanted!