Winter is passing here in northern Alberta, and the first signs of spring have appeared. The snow is disappearing, the sun is getting warmer, and the days are growing longer. The winter has been eventful, though, with lots to keep us busy.
Lately, I have taken up ice skating. This is a HUGE departure from my normal routine, as I essentially gave up on skating when I was in grade 2 or grade 3. Aya has been learning to skate (she's taking skating classes at the skating rink next door), and she has been doing really well. Since I believe it is embarrassing for a 5 year old girl to skate better than her father, I bought a pair of ice skates for $5 at the thrift shop, and have taken advantage of the free weekend skating here in Beaverlodge. It's been lots of fun skating with Aya and Shelley, although my feet do cramp up just like they did all those years ago.
I have also been climbing a lot, which is a nice change. The climbing gym in Grande Prairie is quite good, although small, and I've been climbing there twice weekly. I am trying to get in shape for the summer climbing season. I have a lot more to say about my climbing on my climbing blog at http://theclimbinglife.blogspot.com/
Shelley's work has been progressing very well, and she has been travelling to a lot of conferences and meetings in western Canada. When spring arrives, she is going to be a LOT busier as beekeeping season starts. It is fortunate that we live so close to the research station where she works - her commute takes only a few minutes.
Aya is enjoying school, and has made a lot of friends. Aya and her best friend Juliett are inseparable, and Juliett's parent's Eriko and Colin have become good friends of ours. We are especially thankful for Eriko - she is a great source of entertainment and amazing home-made bagels!
Shelley and I have both had exciting papers published this winter. Shelley's new paper on how global warming will change how bees pollinate flowers was published in the extremely prestigious journal Ecology Letters, while my paper describing how hydrodynamics influence stream food webs was published in the new journal Limnology and Oceanography: Fluids and Environments. You can read the abstracts for the two papers here and here.
Or if the link doesn't work, go here...
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01729.x/abstract;jsessionid=A1733B771ADA19CF3339A4E002C35D2D.d03t01?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+17+March+from+10-14+GMT+%2806-10+EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance&userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=
and here...http://lofe.dukejournals.org/content/1/147.full
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Monday, December 12, 2011
A (sheepish) update!
Winter has arrived in Beaverlodge. We have been spared any really cold weather, fortunately. It was down in the -20 to -30C range for several days, but by and large we've managed to avoid the deep freeze. Aya and Rowan are enjoying sledding, Aya is enjoying school (she's in kindergarten), Shelley is enjoying her new post-doc research position, and I am enjoying the opportunity to do a few things that are more 'artistic' than 'scientific'. I'm dabbling making a few block prints, and wrote some poetry (yes, poetry!) in the last couple of weeks. My cousin Jonas (a writer) and I became embroiled in a "poetry slam" (my term, not his), where we would both write 5 poems, on alternating days, resulting in 10 poems in 10 days. I'll post my 5 poems here, you can read all 10 poems on his Tumblr site.
We still have a lot to post here from our NZ-to-Canada transition. Shelley has some pictures of the snowfall in Christchurch that she wants to post, and we have some pictures of Beaverlodge that I want to put up.
I miss New Zealand. It really is a great country - beautiful landscapes, friendly people, and a laid-back pace of life that I REALLY enjoyed. Compared to Canada, Kiwis really have a greater appreciation of both the fine arts and coffee, two things that are important to me. I appreciated the relatively small scale of NZ - it was easy to drive from coast to coast (just a few hours), whereas any real travel in Canada involves endless hours of driving. I do like the wildness of Canada, although I recognize that the wildness is not that accessible from most cities, and that the Canadian wilderness is shrinking every year...
More (and better) updates soon! In the meantime, here are the 5 poems I wrote for the poetry slam.
Poems of the ‘2011 Poetry Slam’
Poem 1 (November 28, 2011)
One snowy day
I turn up my collar to stand and listen
to lonely breezes whisper and sigh
and blow snowy ghosts through skeleton trees
that wave at the pale and wintery sky
Cold-emptied midnight streets are alive
with swirling cones of luminous snow
that trace the wind’s invisible hand
in the streetlamps sodium glow
Blanketing snow lies silent and deep
across fields blue in silver moon light
weary steps leave a shadowy stain
as I rush home through the ominous night
Poem 2 (November 30, 2011)
Sonnet 2 City @ Night
Cups of coffee from all-night Quick-E-Marts
faint honks and pulsing green-amber-red light
syncopated jazz rhythms in fits and starts
the fervent music of cities at night
Circe plies night’s crew with shameful wine
the drunkards stumbling dance from closing bars
and brand-new neon galaxies outshine
and hide the old light of heavenly stars
A lonesome Doppler-shifted siren howls
as taxi drivers prowl the asphalt maze
and beneath their grimy polyester cowls
the prophets whisper of the end of days
Televisions flicker in towers bright
but in the streets below none own the night
Poem 3 (December 4, 2011)
This indigenous ecosystem
Digital streams with living mass
twist and flow through concrete towers
tarmac plains glow with neon grass
and the shine of stainless flowers
in this indigenous ecosystem
Food webs of this human affair
digital flora feed ravenous beasts
the Twittering birds that fill the air
are easy prey for social feasts
in these indigenous ecosystems
Where predators eye grazing herds
and sort them into prey / foe / Friend
they calm them with appeasing words
but know they are food in the end
in those indigenous ecosystems
Curious Tumbling weeds cross sands
endlessly wide but inches deep
electric cacti stretch their hands
and blankly stare but never sleep
in our indigenous ecosystem
Poem 4 (December 5, 2011)
In conversation
I can’t
understand
what they are saying
I try / my mind stretches / yet comprehension
fails to grow, I cannot fathom their dark syllables
my yearning blooms
like pale
thirsty
weeds
I will
them to talk to me
but with inscrutable stares
They laugh / bend their dark wings / lift like thought
and drop like heavy black smoke from their pole perches
they wheel and turn
black streaks
against the
pale
sky
Poem 5 (December 7, 2011)
As it goes
My blood splashes out as I walk
red ribbons across the snow-crusted pavement
Standing in the lineup at the bank I feel it
drip drip drip drip drip onto the floor
But then it gushes forth in sudden scarlet gouts when I nervously smile
at the pretty girl who gingerly hands me
a cup of coffee
and winks
When I was young I didn’t see the blood
that ran quickly and smoothly like perfect paint from my hands and side
as I leapt among the trees like a still-speckled deer
it painlessly spilled
fueling adventure and conquest
in trees
backyards
and streams
Some evenings, in repose
I look back along my day’s meander
and see the crimson spray on the wall, pools on the sidewalk
A long tell-tale staccato path of droplets
here and there, on fences, on doors
mostly ignored
slowly drying
on the ground
Do I fret about the eventual day my last spoonful of blood
gathers, without haste, a weary glistening welt upon a fingertip
which I may look sadly upon, bemused
as it finally drops to the floor
leaving a husk whose seeds have
long since fled to fertile soils?
Or do I long
for it?
We still have a lot to post here from our NZ-to-Canada transition. Shelley has some pictures of the snowfall in Christchurch that she wants to post, and we have some pictures of Beaverlodge that I want to put up.
I miss New Zealand. It really is a great country - beautiful landscapes, friendly people, and a laid-back pace of life that I REALLY enjoyed. Compared to Canada, Kiwis really have a greater appreciation of both the fine arts and coffee, two things that are important to me. I appreciated the relatively small scale of NZ - it was easy to drive from coast to coast (just a few hours), whereas any real travel in Canada involves endless hours of driving. I do like the wildness of Canada, although I recognize that the wildness is not that accessible from most cities, and that the Canadian wilderness is shrinking every year...
More (and better) updates soon! In the meantime, here are the 5 poems I wrote for the poetry slam.
Poems of the ‘2011 Poetry Slam’
Poem 1 (November 28, 2011)
One snowy day
I turn up my collar to stand and listen
to lonely breezes whisper and sigh
and blow snowy ghosts through skeleton trees
that wave at the pale and wintery sky
Cold-emptied midnight streets are alive
with swirling cones of luminous snow
that trace the wind’s invisible hand
in the streetlamps sodium glow
Blanketing snow lies silent and deep
across fields blue in silver moon light
weary steps leave a shadowy stain
as I rush home through the ominous night
Poem 2 (November 30, 2011)
Sonnet 2 City @ Night
Cups of coffee from all-night Quick-E-Marts
faint honks and pulsing green-amber-red light
syncopated jazz rhythms in fits and starts
the fervent music of cities at night
Circe plies night’s crew with shameful wine
the drunkards stumbling dance from closing bars
and brand-new neon galaxies outshine
and hide the old light of heavenly stars
A lonesome Doppler-shifted siren howls
as taxi drivers prowl the asphalt maze
and beneath their grimy polyester cowls
the prophets whisper of the end of days
Televisions flicker in towers bright
but in the streets below none own the night
Poem 3 (December 4, 2011)
This indigenous ecosystem
Digital streams with living mass
twist and flow through concrete towers
tarmac plains glow with neon grass
and the shine of stainless flowers
in this indigenous ecosystem
Food webs of this human affair
digital flora feed ravenous beasts
the Twittering birds that fill the air
are easy prey for social feasts
in these indigenous ecosystems
Where predators eye grazing herds
and sort them into prey / foe / Friend
they calm them with appeasing words
but know they are food in the end
in those indigenous ecosystems
Curious Tumbling weeds cross sands
endlessly wide but inches deep
electric cacti stretch their hands
and blankly stare but never sleep
in our indigenous ecosystem
Poem 4 (December 5, 2011)
In conversation
I can’t
understand
what they are saying
I try / my mind stretches / yet comprehension
fails to grow, I cannot fathom their dark syllables
my yearning blooms
like pale
thirsty
weeds
I will
them to talk to me
but with inscrutable stares
They laugh / bend their dark wings / lift like thought
and drop like heavy black smoke from their pole perches
they wheel and turn
black streaks
against the
pale
sky
Poem 5 (December 7, 2011)
As it goes
My blood splashes out as I walk
red ribbons across the snow-crusted pavement
Standing in the lineup at the bank I feel it
drip drip drip drip drip onto the floor
But then it gushes forth in sudden scarlet gouts when I nervously smile
at the pretty girl who gingerly hands me
a cup of coffee
and winks
When I was young I didn’t see the blood
that ran quickly and smoothly like perfect paint from my hands and side
as I leapt among the trees like a still-speckled deer
it painlessly spilled
fueling adventure and conquest
in trees
backyards
and streams
Some evenings, in repose
I look back along my day’s meander
and see the crimson spray on the wall, pools on the sidewalk
A long tell-tale staccato path of droplets
here and there, on fences, on doors
mostly ignored
slowly drying
on the ground
Do I fret about the eventual day my last spoonful of blood
gathers, without haste, a weary glistening welt upon a fingertip
which I may look sadly upon, bemused
as it finally drops to the floor
leaving a husk whose seeds have
long since fled to fertile soils?
Or do I long
for it?
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Back in Canada!
Before I write anything else, I have to apologize for the unnecessarily long delay between posts in this blog. Even this is not a full account of our adventures, but at least its a start... read on!
It has been a VERY eventful couple of month! In a four week period in July and early August, we packed up our house in Christchurch, sold most of our possessions (yet again!), sold our car, packed everything remaining up in seven boxes, got on a plane to Auckland, briefly toured parts of the north island and the city of Auckland, got back on a plane, flew to Edmonton (via Vancouver), visited family in Edmonton, got in a car, drove 6 hours further north, visited my parents near Eureka River, drove to Beaverlodge (northwestern Alberta), and moved into our new house (renting, yet again). A lot to do in a month, for sure – it makes me a little tired to write (and remember) it all.
We knew when we moved to New Zealand that we would have to acquire all the trappings of a household (including furniture and a car), and that we would also have to get rid of those same things when we left the country to return to Canada. That prescience, however, didn’t make the divesting process any less uncomfortable. Luckily, a new lecturer coming to the University of Canterbury was able to move into our house and buy most of our household goods – it certainly made the process much easier for us (as well as for Will). Unfortunately, I had to leave both my bikes behind as well. I wasn’t too sad about leaving my ratty red road bike, but was rather sad to see my golden cruiser 10-speed go. With all its chrome, swept-back handlebars, steel-spring seat, and rat-trap on the back, it was a load of fun! I’m hoping to find another similar bike to ride around Beaverlodge.
It snowed heavily in the last week we were in Christchurch. This isn’t typical; apparently they get a decent snowfall only once every five years or so. Everyone in the city seemed to enjoy the snow a lot, and several snowmen appeared on every block the next day. It wasn’t as novel for Shelley and I, but Aya and Rowan had a lot of fun playing in the snow.
With all our things packed up, we said goodbye to our friends (Shelley’s lab had a farewell party for her), and headed to the plane. Luckily, our friends John and Jenny were able to drive us (and our huge ‘luggage’ boxes) to the airport. A long wait and a short flight delivered us to Auckland. We had planned to spend a week in and around Auckland, but this meant that we had to store our luggage (giant boxes, in our case) at the airport for a week. To do this we had to ferry the boxes from the domestic to the international terminal. It was a warm and sunny day, so it wasn’t as onerous as it could have been. With all our boxes safely stowed away in a storeroom, we took a shuttle from the airport into the city of Auckland to our hotel – the Scenic Hotel Auckland. I had booked the hotel for four nights, based primarily on its location (very central to the downtown) and its cost (relatively inexpensive). An art-deco building right on Queen Street, it exceeded our expectations. The staff were great, the room was very nice and very clean, and the service was terrific. Thank you Scenic Hotel!
Lobby of the Scenic Hotel Auckland. Nice + clean! [not my photo... thank you internet!]
We spent the next three days walking around Auckland, seeing the city. We visited the Museum and its very impressive collection of Maori artifacts and art, the wharf district, Queen Street and its surrounding shopping district, and Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium. Auckland is an interesting and vibrant city, but an architectural mess – art-deco buildings sit shoulder-to-shoulder with glass-and-steel skyscrapers and very formal gothic revival buildings. I did particularly enjoy the cafes of Vulcan Street (only 2 blocks long), which is a hidden gem of an alley crammed with cafés, pubs, and restaurants.
Vulcan Street in Auckland! Cafes + pubs + restaurants = good. [not my photo, I borrowed it from the internet]
We also took the ferry across the Auckland harbour (leaving from the ferry berth at the Queens Wharf) to Devonport. Devonport is a cool little village (suburb) with a beautiful view of the city, nice little parks, a cool seawall, and lots of little shops and cafes. Plus, it was fun for Aya and Rowan to go on a boat on the ocean. We had great weather in Auckland, and had a good time.
We wanted to see more of the north island than just Auckland, though, so we had arranged to rent a caravan (from the rental company Jucy) for a couple of days. We drove north of Auckland for three hours or so, stopping to explore when opportunities presented themselves. Driving north out of Auckland we turned off Highway 1 at Warkworth to head east toward Goat Island Marine Reserve, a small 'no-catch no-interference' marine reserve. It was a beautiful (!) place, adjacent to a University of Auckland Field Station. I had heard the snorkeling there was amazing, and it looked like it was – clear blue-green water in a shallow basin surrounding a small island. Walking along the rocky outcrops we could see all kinds of sea life, including schools of large fish (~ 30 cm) in shallows. I was then amazed to see a huge snapper (probably 70 cm long and 30 cm in diameter) swim up to the rock I was standing on. I had never seen fish of that size swim so close to shore. The snorkeling there must be amazing – the setting is beautiful, the water is warm, and the sea life abundant. I can't wait to go back in the summer... hopefully!
We drove north along the coast (on a very marginal road – beautiful but a little rough and narrow in spots) to rejoin the main highway. Traveling north again, we stayed the night at a DOC campsite just north of Waipu. It was a great campsite (primitive by NZ but not Canadian standards), and was immediately adjacent to the beautiful beach that adjoins Bream Bay. We spent the next morning exploring the beach with Aya and Rowan. Shelley is convinced that she wants to move to the North Island – it is so beautiful and sparsely populated compared to similar regions of Canada. Sitting on the beach, we watched a pod of dolphins (almost a dozen of them, swimming only 25 m or so offshore) swim by. A great way to spend our last morning in New Zealand!
We drove to Waipu – a small town that had been settled by Scottish settlers from Nova Scotia. There is still a bit of a Scottish feeling about the town, and we enjoyed walking around the town and its parks. I had a flat white at a café there (of course) - I will miss the excellent (and consistent!) coffee of New Zealand.
We stayed another night at a campground closer to Auckland, then headed to the airport. Returning the caravan was uneventful, but then we had several hours to kill at the airport before our flight left. A 13-hour flight seems even longer when you have to wait for seven hours before you board. Still, we managed. We boarded the plane and began the long flight back to Canada.
Long flights to and from NZ are not as bad as they might be. Generally, they are night flights, so you can sleep (if you are lucky) for much of the flight. Also, they have great flight staff and a great selection of movies, TV programs, radio, and music. They provide a entertainment pack (toys and an activity book) for kids, which helps a lot. Aya and Rowan don't like to sleep on planes, but Aya was perfectly happy to watch TV for hour after hour... Rowan doesn't really like TV, so he takes more work to keep entertained.
Even after we landed in Vancouver, we still had another leg of the journey ahead of us. Another 3 hour layover passed before we could board the flight to Edmonton. It was a HUGE pain shuttling our enormous stack of boxes from the international to the domestic terminal. A man with a trolley quickly came out to help us, and started loading our boxes up before we realized that we would have to pay him (a lot!) if he moved our luggage. We declined, and moved our boxes ourselves. We were already missing the honesty and transparency of New Zealand!
FINALLY, we made it to Edmonton, after an epic trip. My brother Wayne (and his family), and Shelley's mom (and her friend Sandy) were there to greet and help us. Back in Edmonton! Nice, but a little surreal, to be back in the city where I did my undergraduate degree! I always forget how long it takes me to adjust to a new time zone. Aya, Rowan, and Shelley also find it hard, and we had many sleepless nights ahead of us.
I'll write more again soon, including our final thoughts on New Zealand, and how it compares to Canada. Photos to follow soon as well!
Take Care!
T.
It has been a VERY eventful couple of month! In a four week period in July and early August, we packed up our house in Christchurch, sold most of our possessions (yet again!), sold our car, packed everything remaining up in seven boxes, got on a plane to Auckland, briefly toured parts of the north island and the city of Auckland, got back on a plane, flew to Edmonton (via Vancouver), visited family in Edmonton, got in a car, drove 6 hours further north, visited my parents near Eureka River, drove to Beaverlodge (northwestern Alberta), and moved into our new house (renting, yet again). A lot to do in a month, for sure – it makes me a little tired to write (and remember) it all.
We knew when we moved to New Zealand that we would have to acquire all the trappings of a household (including furniture and a car), and that we would also have to get rid of those same things when we left the country to return to Canada. That prescience, however, didn’t make the divesting process any less uncomfortable. Luckily, a new lecturer coming to the University of Canterbury was able to move into our house and buy most of our household goods – it certainly made the process much easier for us (as well as for Will). Unfortunately, I had to leave both my bikes behind as well. I wasn’t too sad about leaving my ratty red road bike, but was rather sad to see my golden cruiser 10-speed go. With all its chrome, swept-back handlebars, steel-spring seat, and rat-trap on the back, it was a load of fun! I’m hoping to find another similar bike to ride around Beaverlodge.
It snowed heavily in the last week we were in Christchurch. This isn’t typical; apparently they get a decent snowfall only once every five years or so. Everyone in the city seemed to enjoy the snow a lot, and several snowmen appeared on every block the next day. It wasn’t as novel for Shelley and I, but Aya and Rowan had a lot of fun playing in the snow.
With all our things packed up, we said goodbye to our friends (Shelley’s lab had a farewell party for her), and headed to the plane. Luckily, our friends John and Jenny were able to drive us (and our huge ‘luggage’ boxes) to the airport. A long wait and a short flight delivered us to Auckland. We had planned to spend a week in and around Auckland, but this meant that we had to store our luggage (giant boxes, in our case) at the airport for a week. To do this we had to ferry the boxes from the domestic to the international terminal. It was a warm and sunny day, so it wasn’t as onerous as it could have been. With all our boxes safely stowed away in a storeroom, we took a shuttle from the airport into the city of Auckland to our hotel – the Scenic Hotel Auckland. I had booked the hotel for four nights, based primarily on its location (very central to the downtown) and its cost (relatively inexpensive). An art-deco building right on Queen Street, it exceeded our expectations. The staff were great, the room was very nice and very clean, and the service was terrific. Thank you Scenic Hotel!
Lobby of the Scenic Hotel Auckland. Nice + clean! [not my photo... thank you internet!]
We spent the next three days walking around Auckland, seeing the city. We visited the Museum and its very impressive collection of Maori artifacts and art, the wharf district, Queen Street and its surrounding shopping district, and Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium. Auckland is an interesting and vibrant city, but an architectural mess – art-deco buildings sit shoulder-to-shoulder with glass-and-steel skyscrapers and very formal gothic revival buildings. I did particularly enjoy the cafes of Vulcan Street (only 2 blocks long), which is a hidden gem of an alley crammed with cafés, pubs, and restaurants.
Vulcan Street in Auckland! Cafes + pubs + restaurants = good. [not my photo, I borrowed it from the internet]
We also took the ferry across the Auckland harbour (leaving from the ferry berth at the Queens Wharf) to Devonport. Devonport is a cool little village (suburb) with a beautiful view of the city, nice little parks, a cool seawall, and lots of little shops and cafes. Plus, it was fun for Aya and Rowan to go on a boat on the ocean. We had great weather in Auckland, and had a good time.
We wanted to see more of the north island than just Auckland, though, so we had arranged to rent a caravan (from the rental company Jucy) for a couple of days. We drove north of Auckland for three hours or so, stopping to explore when opportunities presented themselves. Driving north out of Auckland we turned off Highway 1 at Warkworth to head east toward Goat Island Marine Reserve, a small 'no-catch no-interference' marine reserve. It was a beautiful (!) place, adjacent to a University of Auckland Field Station. I had heard the snorkeling there was amazing, and it looked like it was – clear blue-green water in a shallow basin surrounding a small island. Walking along the rocky outcrops we could see all kinds of sea life, including schools of large fish (~ 30 cm) in shallows. I was then amazed to see a huge snapper (probably 70 cm long and 30 cm in diameter) swim up to the rock I was standing on. I had never seen fish of that size swim so close to shore. The snorkeling there must be amazing – the setting is beautiful, the water is warm, and the sea life abundant. I can't wait to go back in the summer... hopefully!
We drove north along the coast (on a very marginal road – beautiful but a little rough and narrow in spots) to rejoin the main highway. Traveling north again, we stayed the night at a DOC campsite just north of Waipu. It was a great campsite (primitive by NZ but not Canadian standards), and was immediately adjacent to the beautiful beach that adjoins Bream Bay. We spent the next morning exploring the beach with Aya and Rowan. Shelley is convinced that she wants to move to the North Island – it is so beautiful and sparsely populated compared to similar regions of Canada. Sitting on the beach, we watched a pod of dolphins (almost a dozen of them, swimming only 25 m or so offshore) swim by. A great way to spend our last morning in New Zealand!
We drove to Waipu – a small town that had been settled by Scottish settlers from Nova Scotia. There is still a bit of a Scottish feeling about the town, and we enjoyed walking around the town and its parks. I had a flat white at a café there (of course) - I will miss the excellent (and consistent!) coffee of New Zealand.
We stayed another night at a campground closer to Auckland, then headed to the airport. Returning the caravan was uneventful, but then we had several hours to kill at the airport before our flight left. A 13-hour flight seems even longer when you have to wait for seven hours before you board. Still, we managed. We boarded the plane and began the long flight back to Canada.
Long flights to and from NZ are not as bad as they might be. Generally, they are night flights, so you can sleep (if you are lucky) for much of the flight. Also, they have great flight staff and a great selection of movies, TV programs, radio, and music. They provide a entertainment pack (toys and an activity book) for kids, which helps a lot. Aya and Rowan don't like to sleep on planes, but Aya was perfectly happy to watch TV for hour after hour... Rowan doesn't really like TV, so he takes more work to keep entertained.
Even after we landed in Vancouver, we still had another leg of the journey ahead of us. Another 3 hour layover passed before we could board the flight to Edmonton. It was a HUGE pain shuttling our enormous stack of boxes from the international to the domestic terminal. A man with a trolley quickly came out to help us, and started loading our boxes up before we realized that we would have to pay him (a lot!) if he moved our luggage. We declined, and moved our boxes ourselves. We were already missing the honesty and transparency of New Zealand!
FINALLY, we made it to Edmonton, after an epic trip. My brother Wayne (and his family), and Shelley's mom (and her friend Sandy) were there to greet and help us. Back in Edmonton! Nice, but a little surreal, to be back in the city where I did my undergraduate degree! I always forget how long it takes me to adjust to a new time zone. Aya, Rowan, and Shelley also find it hard, and we had many sleepless nights ahead of us.
I'll write more again soon, including our final thoughts on New Zealand, and how it compares to Canada. Photos to follow soon as well!
Take Care!
T.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Photos!
Here are some photos of our trip to Hokitika and the West Coast of the south island of New Zealand.
The Castle Hill basin in the mountains west of Christchurch.
West Coast rain forest. Cabbage Palm!
A weka trying to decide if a sleeping Aya is edible.
Pancake Rocks (Punakaiki) north of Greymouth. Very Beautiful!
More Pictures soon!
Trent.
The Castle Hill basin in the mountains west of Christchurch.
West Coast rain forest. Cabbage Palm!
A weka trying to decide if a sleeping Aya is edible.
Pancake Rocks (Punakaiki) north of Greymouth. Very Beautiful!
More Pictures soon!
Trent.
August 18, 2011 - Midwinter in NZ!
Haere Mai!
It continues to be a BEAUTIFUL winter here in Christchurch. We had wanted to be back in Canada by now, thinking that we could avoid the NZ winter and enjoy the Canadian summer, but the summer in western Canada has been miserably wet (from what I've heard) while the winter here has been mild and generally sunny (I think I even heard we had experienced the warmest May on record, but I can't verify the truth of that). So, all-in-all, I think we've come out ahead weather-wise.
Our friend Xanti is travelling around the south island of New Zealand right now, and he came to visit us in Christchurch for several days. Xanti and I had a great time - he's such a fun guy to spend time with. Xanti and I walked downtown (or as close as we could get to the downtown, anyways) to look at the damage there. It was surreal, looking down the abandoned streets where I once walked with Aya, Rowan, and Shelley. Gaps have started to appear in the city, as damaged buildings disappear and are replaced with square empty spaces filled only with dust and a few loose bricks. The city is changing, as all cities must, but at a much accelerated rate. In just a few years Christchurch will be a very different place than that city of the past, that fading ghost of the city-that-was. I hope the new city is better, more exciting, more vibrant, but I am skeptical. The old city was so interesting, and I fear that the city of Christchurch will grow a new shape of steel and mirrored glass.
Xanti and I also spent some time driving around the Banks Peninsula, first to the beaches of Sumner, then further afield to Akaroa, the small French-Kiwi town that never was. It was an amazing day, with brilliant blue skies and warm winds. We drove down to the teeny hamlet of Okains Bay, where we walked on the beach and poked at a dead seal (probably a New Zealand fur seal, if I had to guess). We had some great dinners with Xanti - it's nice to have visitors! Aya and Rowan LOVE Xanti, so we all had lots of fun.
After Xanti left Christchurch heading south, we went on a short vacation of our own. We rented a bach ('beach cottage for rent', in Canadian English) on the west coast just outside of Hokitika. It was my first visit to the west coast, and I LOVED it. I had heard it was a rain forest, and it lived up to my expectations. Tree ferns, native forest, deep canyons, wild beaches. We left Christchurch, went through the Castle Hill Basin, crossed through the mountains at Arthur's Pass, down through the coastal plains near Kumara, then went a bit south to Hokitika.
Amazingly, here is an Air New Zealand ad that features (at the very end) the bach we stayed at. Interestingly, the 'flight' of the shot actually roughly follows part of the route of our vacation; through the Arthur's Pass area, across the coastal plain, and to the bach. Very cool! Watch it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qOHTbd_yhA
We spent some time in Hokitika. The town itself is not terribly interesting, but several Pounamu (New Zealand jade) galleries are found there. The west coast of New Zealand was the most important source of jade for Maori, and to this day there are many jade carvers who live on the west coast. We also went to Greymouth, a town at the mouth of the Grey River (not a terribly clever name, seemingly), which also is an important jade carving center. There we met Jeremy Dalzell, a talented sculptor working at the jade gallery Shades of Jade. Shelley had always wanted a crescent shaped pendant made from NZ jade, but hadn’t been able to find what she wanted. Jeremy offered to custom-carve a piece for her, and showed us some pieces of jade he had in his workshop. Jeremy and I sat down and designed a piece for Shelley. He finished it in a week, and mailed it to us in Christchurch. Shelley is thrilled with it, finally having the exact piece she wanted. It’s carved from a beautiful piece of Marsden flower jade (one of the most prized types of New Zealand jade).
Having spent a great deal of time (both online and in the real world) looking at pounamu carvings and sculptures, it was nice to meet Jeremy. He is one of New Zealand's very best jade carvers, and it was a pleasure to meet such a friendly and interesting artist. If you are ever in Greymouth, visit his shop - it is certainly worth your attention. Some of his work can be seen on his website at
http://www.shadesofjade.co.nz/index.html
Interestingly for us, we heard much discussion of Canadian jade in New Zealand. Jade supplies in New Zealand are VERY limited and are virtually exhausted, and very little high quality jade remains. As such, there is a lot of politics surrounding jade in NZ. The supplies of jade are controlled by Ngai Tahu (one of the Maori ‘tribes’ of the South Island). Regardless, the quality and quantity of the remaining jade is limited. Canadian jade is, in contrast, both of very high quality and relatively plentiful. Many jade carvers in NZ would like to use Canadian jade, but are prevented from doing so by the ‘stigma’ of carving and selling jade other than that found in New Zealand. Strange to encounter so much discussion of the politics of Canadian Jade in NZ, when jade is almost never discussed or advertised in Canada.
We also drove north to Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks). This part of the coast (from Greymouth to Pancake Rocks) is reported by Frommers as being one of the worlds most beautiful drives – and we certainly agreed! Pancake Rocks themselves are very interesting, with pounding surf having carved out arches and towers from a uniquely ‘pancake-like’ rock (limestone) formation. When we parked, a pair of wekas (a flightless endemic bird of NZ that looks a bit like a kiwi) came out to see what we were up to. One of them peered at a sleeping Aya, as if to see if she was good to eat.
Near Hokitika, we went for a walk through a kahikatea forest. There are VERY few remnants of intact native ‘old growth’ forest left in NZ. First the Maori, then the European settlers burned off and cleared the majestic (but slow-growing) forests of NZ. Some of the trees of NZ were very old (as fires were very rare) and huge – one kauri tree reached 30 m in diameter. 30 METERS IN DIAMETER! Crazy. Most of these forests are gone, but we did get to see a kahikatea forest, where the impressively tall kahikatea trees were covered with an even more impressive covering of epiphytic plants.
The back we stayed at had an outdoor bathtub. Why don’t they have these in Canada? Kindof like an inexpensive and casual hottub. Aya and Rowan loved bathing in the outdoor tub by candlelight. Aya, the mermaid she is, must have been in there for two hours.
We headed back to Christchurch via Arthur’s Pass. This time I stopped at the highest point of the pass to take pictures of the strange (well, to a Canadian) vegetation. This is one of the things I love about the southern hemisphere. The plants and birds are all so strange (especially the trees, except where they have been replaced with pine trees and Douglas-firs from North America).
Back in Christchurch, Shelley and I are planning for our return to Canada. We’ve REALLY enjoyed our time in New Zealand, but the time has come to head north. We’re planning on visiting Auckland the North Island for a week, then flying back to Edmonton (via Vancover). We’ve got a lot to do in the next two weeks!
I’ll try to post again soon! I’m hoping to have the time to write about all the things we’ve enjoyed about NZ, and how our perspectives have changed having experienced several thousand earthquakes (which are still ongoing – we just had a 4.2 last night at 3 am)…
Kia ora!
Trent.
It continues to be a BEAUTIFUL winter here in Christchurch. We had wanted to be back in Canada by now, thinking that we could avoid the NZ winter and enjoy the Canadian summer, but the summer in western Canada has been miserably wet (from what I've heard) while the winter here has been mild and generally sunny (I think I even heard we had experienced the warmest May on record, but I can't verify the truth of that). So, all-in-all, I think we've come out ahead weather-wise.
Our friend Xanti is travelling around the south island of New Zealand right now, and he came to visit us in Christchurch for several days. Xanti and I had a great time - he's such a fun guy to spend time with. Xanti and I walked downtown (or as close as we could get to the downtown, anyways) to look at the damage there. It was surreal, looking down the abandoned streets where I once walked with Aya, Rowan, and Shelley. Gaps have started to appear in the city, as damaged buildings disappear and are replaced with square empty spaces filled only with dust and a few loose bricks. The city is changing, as all cities must, but at a much accelerated rate. In just a few years Christchurch will be a very different place than that city of the past, that fading ghost of the city-that-was. I hope the new city is better, more exciting, more vibrant, but I am skeptical. The old city was so interesting, and I fear that the city of Christchurch will grow a new shape of steel and mirrored glass.
Xanti and I also spent some time driving around the Banks Peninsula, first to the beaches of Sumner, then further afield to Akaroa, the small French-Kiwi town that never was. It was an amazing day, with brilliant blue skies and warm winds. We drove down to the teeny hamlet of Okains Bay, where we walked on the beach and poked at a dead seal (probably a New Zealand fur seal, if I had to guess). We had some great dinners with Xanti - it's nice to have visitors! Aya and Rowan LOVE Xanti, so we all had lots of fun.
After Xanti left Christchurch heading south, we went on a short vacation of our own. We rented a bach ('beach cottage for rent', in Canadian English) on the west coast just outside of Hokitika. It was my first visit to the west coast, and I LOVED it. I had heard it was a rain forest, and it lived up to my expectations. Tree ferns, native forest, deep canyons, wild beaches. We left Christchurch, went through the Castle Hill Basin, crossed through the mountains at Arthur's Pass, down through the coastal plains near Kumara, then went a bit south to Hokitika.
Amazingly, here is an Air New Zealand ad that features (at the very end) the bach we stayed at. Interestingly, the 'flight' of the shot actually roughly follows part of the route of our vacation; through the Arthur's Pass area, across the coastal plain, and to the bach. Very cool! Watch it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qOHTbd_yhA
We spent some time in Hokitika. The town itself is not terribly interesting, but several Pounamu (New Zealand jade) galleries are found there. The west coast of New Zealand was the most important source of jade for Maori, and to this day there are many jade carvers who live on the west coast. We also went to Greymouth, a town at the mouth of the Grey River (not a terribly clever name, seemingly), which also is an important jade carving center. There we met Jeremy Dalzell, a talented sculptor working at the jade gallery Shades of Jade. Shelley had always wanted a crescent shaped pendant made from NZ jade, but hadn’t been able to find what she wanted. Jeremy offered to custom-carve a piece for her, and showed us some pieces of jade he had in his workshop. Jeremy and I sat down and designed a piece for Shelley. He finished it in a week, and mailed it to us in Christchurch. Shelley is thrilled with it, finally having the exact piece she wanted. It’s carved from a beautiful piece of Marsden flower jade (one of the most prized types of New Zealand jade).
Having spent a great deal of time (both online and in the real world) looking at pounamu carvings and sculptures, it was nice to meet Jeremy. He is one of New Zealand's very best jade carvers, and it was a pleasure to meet such a friendly and interesting artist. If you are ever in Greymouth, visit his shop - it is certainly worth your attention. Some of his work can be seen on his website at
http://www.shadesofjade.co.nz/index.html
Interestingly for us, we heard much discussion of Canadian jade in New Zealand. Jade supplies in New Zealand are VERY limited and are virtually exhausted, and very little high quality jade remains. As such, there is a lot of politics surrounding jade in NZ. The supplies of jade are controlled by Ngai Tahu (one of the Maori ‘tribes’ of the South Island). Regardless, the quality and quantity of the remaining jade is limited. Canadian jade is, in contrast, both of very high quality and relatively plentiful. Many jade carvers in NZ would like to use Canadian jade, but are prevented from doing so by the ‘stigma’ of carving and selling jade other than that found in New Zealand. Strange to encounter so much discussion of the politics of Canadian Jade in NZ, when jade is almost never discussed or advertised in Canada.
We also drove north to Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks). This part of the coast (from Greymouth to Pancake Rocks) is reported by Frommers as being one of the worlds most beautiful drives – and we certainly agreed! Pancake Rocks themselves are very interesting, with pounding surf having carved out arches and towers from a uniquely ‘pancake-like’ rock (limestone) formation. When we parked, a pair of wekas (a flightless endemic bird of NZ that looks a bit like a kiwi) came out to see what we were up to. One of them peered at a sleeping Aya, as if to see if she was good to eat.
Near Hokitika, we went for a walk through a kahikatea forest. There are VERY few remnants of intact native ‘old growth’ forest left in NZ. First the Maori, then the European settlers burned off and cleared the majestic (but slow-growing) forests of NZ. Some of the trees of NZ were very old (as fires were very rare) and huge – one kauri tree reached 30 m in diameter. 30 METERS IN DIAMETER! Crazy. Most of these forests are gone, but we did get to see a kahikatea forest, where the impressively tall kahikatea trees were covered with an even more impressive covering of epiphytic plants.
The back we stayed at had an outdoor bathtub. Why don’t they have these in Canada? Kindof like an inexpensive and casual hottub. Aya and Rowan loved bathing in the outdoor tub by candlelight. Aya, the mermaid she is, must have been in there for two hours.
We headed back to Christchurch via Arthur’s Pass. This time I stopped at the highest point of the pass to take pictures of the strange (well, to a Canadian) vegetation. This is one of the things I love about the southern hemisphere. The plants and birds are all so strange (especially the trees, except where they have been replaced with pine trees and Douglas-firs from North America).
Back in Christchurch, Shelley and I are planning for our return to Canada. We’ve REALLY enjoyed our time in New Zealand, but the time has come to head north. We’re planning on visiting Auckland the North Island for a week, then flying back to Edmonton (via Vancover). We’ve got a lot to do in the next two weeks!
I’ll try to post again soon! I’m hoping to have the time to write about all the things we’ve enjoyed about NZ, and how our perspectives have changed having experienced several thousand earthquakes (which are still ongoing – we just had a 4.2 last night at 3 am)…
Kia ora!
Trent.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Beach Photos
Life in Christchurch continues to be shaky. We've had several substantial tremors in the last week, but they are such a part of life in Christchurch now that they hardly warrant mention. I'm certainly not being blase about the tremors - the faint booming sound followed by a shaking house and swaying lights can make us a bit tense. Still, life goes on.
This week they announced which areas of the city are truly munted and will not be repaired. The government has offered to buy all the homes in these red-zoned areas, as services (electricity, water, and sewer) will not be returned to these homes. Mostly these are areas along the Avon River and the estuary. The high silt content of these areas ensures that they will not remain stable in the event of future earthquakes. Many people are upset, to be sure, but I get the sense that many people who live in those most-damaged areas are relieved to have a buy-out package waiting.
In the last month or so, we've been trying to get to some of the beaches in the Canterbury region that we had not yet visited. A couple of weekends ago we went to Pines Beach, which is just north of the city. I've included some pictures of our trip to the beach. The one picture of the ocean shows the view north (showing the Kaikoura Peninsula in the distance), while the photo of the beach is looking south to the city and Banks Peninsula. The other two pictures are of A and R, of course!
E haere ra!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Cool Video!
I came across this, and thought it VERY interesting. This link is for a video clip showing the effects of the Feb. 22 earthquake on the Gift Shop in the Christchurch Art Gallery. Interesting to see what looks like initial high-frequency shaking, then the later, low-frequency waves (a shift from shaking to intense rocking). Take a look.
http://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/multimedia/film/documentation/shop-earthquake-footage/
Later,
Trent.
http://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/multimedia/film/documentation/shop-earthquake-footage/
Later,
Trent.
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