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?
Monday, December 12, 2011
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.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
More Tremors!
The last 24 Hours have been very exciting here in Christchurch. Yesterday afternoon I was at home with Aya and Rowan, and the city was rocked by yet another substantial aftershock. It was a 5.5, and the epicenter was again virtually inside the city, just a few hundred meters off the beach at Sumner. Aya, now an earthquake veteran, was under the table hugging a table leg like a shot! They have earthquake drills at Aya's daycare, and she responds instantly now to large tremors. Rowan and I just stood there, though. We're not as well-prepared as Aya, clearly! Shelley was at work at the time, and she was under her desk pretty quickly (another earthquake-ready Cantabrian). They started to evacuate the University (as they do after major tremors), so Shelley came home. We read the news on the internet, and were relieved to see that there had been little damage - a church collapsed, trapping a few people for a short while, but no major injuries.
She had only been at home for an hour or so when a second, larger tremor hit the city. This tremor was noticeably stronger - I was upstairs looking out the window (again, I just sat there), and was fascinated to watch all the trees in the neighborhood sway violently. This time it was a 6.0, which is certainly large enough to do some damage. Several buildings (and a small bridge) collapsed downtown, but they were buildings that had been previously been red-stickered and were unoccupied. Again we watched the news, and were again relieved to hear that no one had been seriously injured. Whew! The epicenter for this one had been in Lyttleton, and was very shallow, hence the 'jerkiness' of the tremor. (Yes, you really do get a feel for the 'texture' of earthquakes after you've been through thousands of tremors.)
For the first time, there was real damage in our house. Our hotwater tank ruptured, and water was running down through the house. The leak wasn't too big, and we were able to contain the mess with buckets and towels while we figured out how to turn the hot water off.
So today, we're all at home. The university is closed for a day or two (they have to inspect the buildings), so I popped out to the (excellent!) french bakery just down the street to get pastries for everyone for breakfast. Chocolate croissant, pain au chocolat, and custard brioche! Delicious!
We're still a bit sick (our flu has become lodged in our sinuses and won't leave), and my ankle is still a little injured (I can walk, but not easily), but other than that we're doing OK here in ChCh. Shelley says 'earthquake days' are like 'snow days' in Canada; there's nothing you can do about, so just enjoy it while it lasts. She's on the couch, reading a novel as I write this... :)
Still no date on a move back to Canada, though we should know in a week or two when we're leaving.
I've added a link so you can watch the earthquakes unfold in Christchurch. You can adjust how much 'earthquake-time' you want to watch.
If you can't see the link, the website address is http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
Cheers!
Trent.
PS> Just had another tremor... not so huge, but caught me by surprise!
She had only been at home for an hour or so when a second, larger tremor hit the city. This tremor was noticeably stronger - I was upstairs looking out the window (again, I just sat there), and was fascinated to watch all the trees in the neighborhood sway violently. This time it was a 6.0, which is certainly large enough to do some damage. Several buildings (and a small bridge) collapsed downtown, but they were buildings that had been previously been red-stickered and were unoccupied. Again we watched the news, and were again relieved to hear that no one had been seriously injured. Whew! The epicenter for this one had been in Lyttleton, and was very shallow, hence the 'jerkiness' of the tremor. (Yes, you really do get a feel for the 'texture' of earthquakes after you've been through thousands of tremors.)
For the first time, there was real damage in our house. Our hotwater tank ruptured, and water was running down through the house. The leak wasn't too big, and we were able to contain the mess with buckets and towels while we figured out how to turn the hot water off.
So today, we're all at home. The university is closed for a day or two (they have to inspect the buildings), so I popped out to the (excellent!) french bakery just down the street to get pastries for everyone for breakfast. Chocolate croissant, pain au chocolat, and custard brioche! Delicious!
We're still a bit sick (our flu has become lodged in our sinuses and won't leave), and my ankle is still a little injured (I can walk, but not easily), but other than that we're doing OK here in ChCh. Shelley says 'earthquake days' are like 'snow days' in Canada; there's nothing you can do about, so just enjoy it while it lasts. She's on the couch, reading a novel as I write this... :)
Still no date on a move back to Canada, though we should know in a week or two when we're leaving.
I've added a link so you can watch the earthquakes unfold in Christchurch. You can adjust how much 'earthquake-time' you want to watch.
If you can't see the link, the website address is http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
Cheers!
Trent.
PS> Just had another tremor... not so huge, but caught me by surprise!
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 7, 2011
The last week has been rough. Last Saturday I entered a bouldering competition at the Roxx (the biggest climbing gym here in Christchurch); I was having a lot of fun, and actually doing pretty well. About half of the problems / routes were fairly high, though, probably as high as 6m / 20 feet. As the competition was drawing to a close, I fell from the last move of one of these tall problems, and my left foot went between the mats as I hit the floor, and I smashed heel-first onto the hard floor beneath. Instantly, my ankle exploded with pain, and I knew that things had gone south (so to speak). Luckily, my friend Mark (who is doing his PhD here, but lived in Vancouver when we did, and I had climbed with him at the Edge in North Vancouver - small world!) drove me home. After a week of ice, bandages, and elevating my ankle, its starting to feel better, although I am still hobbling around.
And now we're all sick with the flu. Ugh. I am looking forward to being intact again... Rowan and Aya are almost better now, so that's nice. Aya still has a bit of a plugged ear canal (or something) that causes her a lot of discomfort when she lies down to sleep. Hopefully that clears up soon!
I'm really hoping that my ankle gets better soon - I'd love to get up to Castle Hill and do some more bouldering before we leave NZ, but those plans are a bit up in the air now.
We're planning on moving back to Canada sometime in the next month or so. Exact dates are still up in the air, unfortunately. We're hoping to get in on as much of the Canadian Summer as possible! So much nicer than a Canadian winter!
More soon!
Trent.
And now we're all sick with the flu. Ugh. I am looking forward to being intact again... Rowan and Aya are almost better now, so that's nice. Aya still has a bit of a plugged ear canal (or something) that causes her a lot of discomfort when she lies down to sleep. Hopefully that clears up soon!
I'm really hoping that my ankle gets better soon - I'd love to get up to Castle Hill and do some more bouldering before we leave NZ, but those plans are a bit up in the air now.
We're planning on moving back to Canada sometime in the next month or so. Exact dates are still up in the air, unfortunately. We're hoping to get in on as much of the Canadian Summer as possible! So much nicer than a Canadian winter!
More soon!
Trent.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Sick and Sore!
Well, it has finally settled in to 'winter' here. The trees that are going to lose their leaves have done so, and we have had several hard frosts (I know, right? Frosts? Poor Shelley...). The dark nights, cold weather, ad winter store displays have poor Aya convinced that Christmas must be just around the corner....
We are all sick - Rowan had it first, then Aya, then Trent and I fell prey to their disease. They had fevers and coughs, but Trent and I seem to have gotten more of a sinus - headache- sneezing version. And poor Trent also sprained his ankle in a bouldering competition last weekend. It is still swollen and sore, and has turned very pretty colours!
For those who haven't seen it yet, here is a link to aa slide show of what the Feb earthquake did to our beloved downtown:
https://picasaweb.google.com/RossBeckerNZ/2011April27IntoTheChristchurchRedZone#slideshow/5602378297983180610
Thank goodness we were in Ilam! It is apparently among the least damaged neighbourhoods. Noone was hurt at the University either, although several buildings are "munted" as they say.
And, finally, long live the Queen!
love shelley
We are all sick - Rowan had it first, then Aya, then Trent and I fell prey to their disease. They had fevers and coughs, but Trent and I seem to have gotten more of a sinus - headache- sneezing version. And poor Trent also sprained his ankle in a bouldering competition last weekend. It is still swollen and sore, and has turned very pretty colours!
For those who haven't seen it yet, here is a link to aa slide show of what the Feb earthquake did to our beloved downtown:
https://picasaweb.google.com/RossBeckerNZ/2011April27IntoTheChristchurchRedZone#slideshow/5602378297983180610
Thank goodness we were in Ilam! It is apparently among the least damaged neighbourhoods. Noone was hurt at the University either, although several buildings are "munted" as they say.
And, finally, long live the Queen!
love shelley
Saturday, May 14, 2011
May 15, 2011 (Yellow Kiwifruit!)
I love the produce in New Zealand. Christchurch has a number of green grocers (another thing I like about the city), often going by names like "The Funky Pumpkin" or "Grower's Direct" or somesuch. This time of year, all kinds of fruit and vegetables have been harvested, and are available. There are cauliflowers, broccoli, and apples, to be sure, but there are more delicious (and exotic, to my Canadian palate) things to be had. Feijoas, yellow kiwifruit, persimmons! They all grow in NZ, and are ripe and delicious when they make it to the green grocer. We bought (yet another) giant bag of perfectly ripe persimmons today. It won't last long in our house!
It was beautifully sunny yesterday, so we went to the beach. I'm trying to get to as many of the local beaches as possible before we leave, so we took the opportunity to knock another one off the list. We went to Woodend Beach - a nice sandy beach with dunes, but it had lots of wood scattered throughout. We spent the day running around, playing the sand. We found the partially decomposed head of a small shark - Aya thought it was very cool.
There is SO many surfing opportunities here. Every beach seems to have a decent beach break. If I was more of a surfer, I would definitely consider moving here - there is surfing everywhere, and almost no one is out there! There are many surfers living in Christchurch, but there are many kilometers with beach breaks.
One of the strangest things about NZ are the men's haircuts. The Mullet and the Rattail are both VERY common! And guys are not wearing them ironically... Everywhere you look, there's a guy with a hardcore, full-on, mullet. I'm still not used to it!
We's like to send out greetings to all our Canadian friends! We miss you all, and with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
It was beautifully sunny yesterday, so we went to the beach. I'm trying to get to as many of the local beaches as possible before we leave, so we took the opportunity to knock another one off the list. We went to Woodend Beach - a nice sandy beach with dunes, but it had lots of wood scattered throughout. We spent the day running around, playing the sand. We found the partially decomposed head of a small shark - Aya thought it was very cool.
There is SO many surfing opportunities here. Every beach seems to have a decent beach break. If I was more of a surfer, I would definitely consider moving here - there is surfing everywhere, and almost no one is out there! There are many surfers living in Christchurch, but there are many kilometers with beach breaks.
One of the strangest things about NZ are the men's haircuts. The Mullet and the Rattail are both VERY common! And guys are not wearing them ironically... Everywhere you look, there's a guy with a hardcore, full-on, mullet. I'm still not used to it!
We's like to send out greetings to all our Canadian friends! We miss you all, and with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
May 5, 2011
Here in Christchurch, we are well into the Cantabrian Autumn. The weather has cooled off, the frequency of showers has increased, and the trees are all shedding their leaves. Still, we are regularly rewarded with summery days, as was the case last weekend. It was a balmy 22C in Christchurch, and Aya and Rowan were keen to go to the beach, so off we went to the beach at Sumner so they could splash in the waves.
Every time we go to Sumner, we think how much fun it would be to live there. The ocean and the undeniable texture that it lends to seaside towns is very much in evidence when you visit Sumner, from surf shops, to cafes, and sand-caked children. While surrounded by multimillion dollar homes perched high above on the surrounding hills, Sumner itself seems low-key and relaxed. Surfers are almost always present in the beach break at Sumner, and last weekend was no exception. Perfect meter-high beach break had drawn several surfers to the ocean.
Aya and Rowan LOVE the ocean. Regardless of temperature or season, they both love to head down and splash in the waves. Aya, in particular, has inherited her father's love of water, and will happily play for hours in the surf and tidepools.
It was also interesting to see how much damage the earthquakes have caused to Sumner. Many houses are underneath the cliffs of volcanic rock that ring Sumner, and several had been crushed beneath enormous boulders displaced by the tremors. Tragic, to be sure, but it also makes one wonder why they were allowed to build in those sites in an earthquake-prone country.
I finished another manuscript this week. It's based on my MSc work (years ago), and is entitled something like "Factors controlling the distribution of a torrential stream invertebrate: Are top-down, bottom-up, or hydrodynamic factors most important?". I re-wrote most of it in the last two months, and now its nice to have it finally completed.
The heat is FINALLY back on at the University, making Shelley MUCH more comfortable at her work. The boiler infrastructure at the University was somewhat damaged, so there was no heat to campus for several weeks. Its back on now, thank goodness!
Anyways, I should get back to work! We should be heading back to Canada sometime in the next 2 or 3 months, so with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
Every time we go to Sumner, we think how much fun it would be to live there. The ocean and the undeniable texture that it lends to seaside towns is very much in evidence when you visit Sumner, from surf shops, to cafes, and sand-caked children. While surrounded by multimillion dollar homes perched high above on the surrounding hills, Sumner itself seems low-key and relaxed. Surfers are almost always present in the beach break at Sumner, and last weekend was no exception. Perfect meter-high beach break had drawn several surfers to the ocean.
Aya and Rowan LOVE the ocean. Regardless of temperature or season, they both love to head down and splash in the waves. Aya, in particular, has inherited her father's love of water, and will happily play for hours in the surf and tidepools.
It was also interesting to see how much damage the earthquakes have caused to Sumner. Many houses are underneath the cliffs of volcanic rock that ring Sumner, and several had been crushed beneath enormous boulders displaced by the tremors. Tragic, to be sure, but it also makes one wonder why they were allowed to build in those sites in an earthquake-prone country.
I finished another manuscript this week. It's based on my MSc work (years ago), and is entitled something like "Factors controlling the distribution of a torrential stream invertebrate: Are top-down, bottom-up, or hydrodynamic factors most important?". I re-wrote most of it in the last two months, and now its nice to have it finally completed.
The heat is FINALLY back on at the University, making Shelley MUCH more comfortable at her work. The boiler infrastructure at the University was somewhat damaged, so there was no heat to campus for several weeks. Its back on now, thank goodness!
Anyways, I should get back to work! We should be heading back to Canada sometime in the next 2 or 3 months, so with a little luck, we'll see you soon!
Trent.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter to everyone!
We went with friends to Castle Hill - and surprise surprise, the easter bunny had hidden a few treats among the boulders....
And you can also admire Rowan's new haircut!
Holiday!
We went on holiday - we stayed at a 'bach' at Kaiteriteri, near Nelson (the fruit-growing region on the North end of the South Island favoured by hippies and artists). Lots of fun was had by all, even though we didn't get to see as much as we had hoped (owing to the extremely windy roads and our children's car sickness - despite the gravol. Nice beaches with calm water and beautiful golden and black sand!
Aya's Birthday Party!
Here are a couple photos of Aya's birthday party...of course she wanted a whale shark cake...
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Poetry Slam-Off 1.2
It is almost easter. We went to the supermarket to buy white eggs for Aya and Rowan to dye, but that sort of food-product convenience is not available in New Zealand. We bought brown eggs, and Shelley made extra-strong Easter-egg dye. It worked surprisingly well, and we made a bunch of beautiful (though slightly darker than usual) Easter eggs. Shelley is aghast that she has been unable to buy all the usual accoutrement of Easter - jelly beans, baskets, candy eggs, and chocolate rabbits. All you can buy is chocolate.
Anyways, to officially kick off the Poetry Slam-Off, I am going to pick one of Jonas Gagnon's poems from his blog (http://fact-fiction.tumblr.com/). It's one I especially like. Read on, dear friends...
After the explosion,
with the flames behind him
still feasting on the ruins,
he found the sky growing
as he hurtled towards it.
The walls that surrounded him,
the roof that kept him grounded
were gone.
he had nothing
but the sky in front of him
and the stars after that
as long as the momentum kept
up.
This poem reminds me, somehow, of all our good friends in our East Van neighborhood and all the good times we had there. So I'd like to send out a big "WE MISS YOU!" to Anna, Ben, and Tikka; Drew, Zoe, Violet, and Hazel; the Gagnons upstairs; Anna and Danny. East Van represent!
take care,
Trent.
Anyways, to officially kick off the Poetry Slam-Off, I am going to pick one of Jonas Gagnon's poems from his blog (http://fact-fiction.tumblr.com/). It's one I especially like. Read on, dear friends...
After the explosion,
with the flames behind him
still feasting on the ruins,
he found the sky growing
as he hurtled towards it.
The walls that surrounded him,
the roof that kept him grounded
were gone.
he had nothing
but the sky in front of him
and the stars after that
as long as the momentum kept
up.
This poem reminds me, somehow, of all our good friends in our East Van neighborhood and all the good times we had there. So I'd like to send out a big "WE MISS YOU!" to Anna, Ben, and Tikka; Drew, Zoe, Violet, and Hazel; the Gagnons upstairs; Anna and Danny. East Van represent!
take care,
Trent.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Poetry-Slam-Off!!!
I am a fan of the writings of Jonas Gagnon. Admittedly, the fact that he is my cousin and a good friend of mine biases me. Nonetheless, his writings are often insightful, thoughtful, and real. I was reading his blog the other day (http://fact-fiction.tumblr.com/) and, inspired, I emailed him and challenged him to a Poetry-Slam-Off! As I see it, the rules are simple - everytime he posts a poem on his blog, I will respond with one of my own.
Unfortunately, this is MUCH easier said than done.
But a challenge is a challenge. Here's a couple verses of a poem I am writing about the many lives of cats. It's still very much a work in progress, but I hope you are amused, regardless.
He hunts for mice along the lake
Their furry little souls to take
Grey angel of death in the grass
They tremble as they hear him pass.
Green eyes peer from under the bed
Sinister plots reel through his head
A tail that slowly thrashes and twitches
Enemy mine, familiar of witches.
Back to you, Jonas!
Cheers,
Trent.
Unfortunately, this is MUCH easier said than done.
But a challenge is a challenge. Here's a couple verses of a poem I am writing about the many lives of cats. It's still very much a work in progress, but I hope you are amused, regardless.
He hunts for mice along the lake
Their furry little souls to take
Grey angel of death in the grass
They tremble as they hear him pass.
Green eyes peer from under the bed
Sinister plots reel through his head
A tail that slowly thrashes and twitches
Enemy mine, familiar of witches.
Back to you, Jonas!
Cheers,
Trent.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
More Photos!
Here are a few more images... We'll try to put a few more up when we have more to say. Also, Shelley didn't like the picture of her I wanted to post. So no pictures of her until we are finished our negotiations.
Kaiteriteri! Photos!
We had a great time in Kaiteriteri! Here are some photos to prove that we were actually there. The birds are Pied Shags, and the photo was taken just north of Kaikoura. The rest of the pictures were taken in and near Kaiteriteri. Enjoy!
April 17, 2011
Kia Ora!
This past week we went on a short vacation to Kaiteriteri on the north end of the South Island. Kaiteriteri is a very small vacation town between Abel Tasman National Park (to the west) and the city of Nelson (to the east). The beaches of Abel Tasman and Kaiteriteri are renowned in New Zealand, and for good reason. The relatively unconsolidated granite bedrock of the region readily erodes away, producing golden sand, which in turn forms crescent-shaped beaches between steep rocky headlands. Dramatic and picturesque!
Having first rented a small bach (to Canadians, a cabin (west) or a cottage (east)) in Kaiteriteri for $90 per night, we left Christchurch heading north along the east coast. The weather was perfect for a long drive – very sunny and not too warm. We first stopped for a few hours at a rocky beach just north of Kaikoura. Aya and I explored among the rocks, and we almost walked into a New Zealand fur seal. It barked a bit at us, but it didn’t seem otherwise too concerned. Across the road from the beach, the rusting hulk of a steel-hulled yacht was lying in the grass. Spray-painted across the hull were the words “FOR SALE”, which immediately had me daydreaming about buying a boat, fixing it up, and sailing throughout Polynesia looking for good surf breaks.
Continuing the drive north, we passed through the increasingly arid but starkly beautiful country around Blenheim with its abundant vineyards. From Blenheim, we got a bit sidetracked, and drove north to Picton. Picton is really beautiful – steep, forested mountains that plunge down into the sea, forming inlets and numerous islands. The downside of driving through Picton is that we had to drive a VERY winding road for 20 km to get back on the highway to Nelson. Rowan made it as far as Governors Bay before he threw up. Good times. Still, the drive was interesting, and worthwhile (despite the fact that we had to drive about 50kph for an hour or so).
We finally arrived at our bach in Kaiteriteri, aptly named Manuka Heights (it was in a grove of manuka trees, and was high enough above the ocean to provide awesome views of the bay). Warren, the owner of the bach, was generous enough to also provide us with a big bowl of apples (many varieties of apple, pear, cherry, etc. are grown in the Nelson area). We woke the next day, and went down to Kaiteriteri Beach. Aya and Rowan had a lot of fun there over the next three days, playing in the sand and water. Even though it was a bit cool (daytime highs were probably only about 18C), the water was still relatively warm (it was probably about 18 or 19C). We swam a fair bit in the clear blue-green water (well, Aya and I did, Shelley thought it too cold, and Rowan is a bit cautious of the water), and I went snorkeling three times as well. I had bought a cheap mask and snorkel at The Warehouse (like Walmart) for $13, and while it leaked like mad it still provided me with a great diving experience. At Kaiteriteri you can snorkel and dive among GIANT submerged boulders, which means lots of drama and lots of fish. I saw a lot of other sea life as well, including a giant 10-armed lavender starfish. Very nice!
Aya and I spent a great deal of time looking in rock pools as well. At low tide, we found a lot of starfish, sea urchins, and crabs, all of which were very exciting. The beaches there are very photogenic; I’ll post some pictures, although pictures never look as nice as the real thing.
We went for a short walk in Abel Tasman National Park, as well. You can’t really drive into the Park, which is fine with me, and we walked along the first kilometer of the trail which crosses a big estuary. From the bridges, we watched thousands of tiny crabs emerge from their holes dotting the mudflat – very cool just to watch them crawling around / foraging / doing whatever crabs do. Just outside the park, we did a short hike down to the iconic Split Apple Rock, a large round boulder - split perfectly in half - lying in the shallows just offshore. Very pretty.
Every morning we went for coffee at Kaiteriteri. There is a nice café there, with a patio overlooking the ocean. That’s pretty much all I need for a good vacation, actually; (1) coffee at a nice café, (2) snorkeling and diving with the fishes. I could add (3) bouldering, but the rock there was too crumbly to climb on. Otherwise, I could have had it all. I did manage to go for a nice 8km run one morning, which was very nice – running amidst the bellbirds and tuis.
We wanted to drive to Takaka and see all the sights there (Pupu springs, Harwood’s Hole, etc.). On the second day there, we tried - but only made it only about six kilometers up the INCREDIBLY winding road before Rowan threw up (despite having eaten Gravol). Aya was looking pretty green as well, so we turned around and went back to Kaiteriteri. Maybe another time…
On the day we were scheduled to leave, we woke up to wet and stormy weather. We had been lucky enough to have warm sunny weather for our entire stay; we felt fortunate, as we are well into late autumn here in New Zealand. We drove into Nelson and had breakfast at The Yello Café. Breakfast in New Zealand is frustrating for breakfast-loving Canadians. You can buy a nice breakfast here, but it is (1) VERY expensive (e.g. toast will run you $6, pancakes will run you $14), and (2) not any better than Canada. At any rate, Nelson is a very beautiful little city. After a bit of a walkaround in the rain, we got back in the car and headed back to Christchurch. We drove southward via a different route that our northward trip, and went through Lewis Pass. New Zealand is a beautiful country, and is amazingly empty. My kind of country, really!
In the end, Shelley and I agreed that the south island of New Zealand looks a LOT like British Columbia, especially where pine trees have replaced native forest. While driving, we’d often say “this looks like McBride”, or “this looks a lot like Kelowna”. There are two important differences, though. First, New Zealand (at least the south island) is a LOT tidier than BC. Less trash, less garbage piled about, and almost a complete lack of abandoned rusting vehicles in the yards we drove past. People in New Zealand seem to take a great deal of pride in maintaining the land they inhabit. Second, you are never far from the ocean in New Zealand. Generally speaking, you are less than two hours drive from the beach if you are ANYWHERE on the south island. The longer I am in New Zealand, the more I think that living near the ocean is a necessary thing.
So, we’re back in Christchurch. We had another big aftershock last night (magnitude = 5.3), which had us a little spooked (only Aya did the correct thing – she was under the table, holding onto a table leg, like a shot). Ahead of us, another week of work! I’m finishing up an OLD manuscript and starting some insect identification this week, while Shelley is working on a paper on her post-doctoral work here. We’re planning on heading back to Canada sometime in the next two months or so.
On a final note… HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fathers (who share a birthday), and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all the Gagnons who have just turned another year older (Joshua, Chiharu, and Jes). Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Dan Gable, and Ryan Dorward. (If I have forgotten anyone’s birthday, feel free to email and berate me.) GOOD LUCK to Merle and Jared, who are still somewhere in Australasia, as far as I know… Finally, I need to email Tracy N., who is considering writing a paper with me… ;)
That’s all for now! Take Care!
Trent
This past week we went on a short vacation to Kaiteriteri on the north end of the South Island. Kaiteriteri is a very small vacation town between Abel Tasman National Park (to the west) and the city of Nelson (to the east). The beaches of Abel Tasman and Kaiteriteri are renowned in New Zealand, and for good reason. The relatively unconsolidated granite bedrock of the region readily erodes away, producing golden sand, which in turn forms crescent-shaped beaches between steep rocky headlands. Dramatic and picturesque!
Having first rented a small bach (to Canadians, a cabin (west) or a cottage (east)) in Kaiteriteri for $90 per night, we left Christchurch heading north along the east coast. The weather was perfect for a long drive – very sunny and not too warm. We first stopped for a few hours at a rocky beach just north of Kaikoura. Aya and I explored among the rocks, and we almost walked into a New Zealand fur seal. It barked a bit at us, but it didn’t seem otherwise too concerned. Across the road from the beach, the rusting hulk of a steel-hulled yacht was lying in the grass. Spray-painted across the hull were the words “FOR SALE”, which immediately had me daydreaming about buying a boat, fixing it up, and sailing throughout Polynesia looking for good surf breaks.
Continuing the drive north, we passed through the increasingly arid but starkly beautiful country around Blenheim with its abundant vineyards. From Blenheim, we got a bit sidetracked, and drove north to Picton. Picton is really beautiful – steep, forested mountains that plunge down into the sea, forming inlets and numerous islands. The downside of driving through Picton is that we had to drive a VERY winding road for 20 km to get back on the highway to Nelson. Rowan made it as far as Governors Bay before he threw up. Good times. Still, the drive was interesting, and worthwhile (despite the fact that we had to drive about 50kph for an hour or so).
We finally arrived at our bach in Kaiteriteri, aptly named Manuka Heights (it was in a grove of manuka trees, and was high enough above the ocean to provide awesome views of the bay). Warren, the owner of the bach, was generous enough to also provide us with a big bowl of apples (many varieties of apple, pear, cherry, etc. are grown in the Nelson area). We woke the next day, and went down to Kaiteriteri Beach. Aya and Rowan had a lot of fun there over the next three days, playing in the sand and water. Even though it was a bit cool (daytime highs were probably only about 18C), the water was still relatively warm (it was probably about 18 or 19C). We swam a fair bit in the clear blue-green water (well, Aya and I did, Shelley thought it too cold, and Rowan is a bit cautious of the water), and I went snorkeling three times as well. I had bought a cheap mask and snorkel at The Warehouse (like Walmart) for $13, and while it leaked like mad it still provided me with a great diving experience. At Kaiteriteri you can snorkel and dive among GIANT submerged boulders, which means lots of drama and lots of fish. I saw a lot of other sea life as well, including a giant 10-armed lavender starfish. Very nice!
Aya and I spent a great deal of time looking in rock pools as well. At low tide, we found a lot of starfish, sea urchins, and crabs, all of which were very exciting. The beaches there are very photogenic; I’ll post some pictures, although pictures never look as nice as the real thing.
We went for a short walk in Abel Tasman National Park, as well. You can’t really drive into the Park, which is fine with me, and we walked along the first kilometer of the trail which crosses a big estuary. From the bridges, we watched thousands of tiny crabs emerge from their holes dotting the mudflat – very cool just to watch them crawling around / foraging / doing whatever crabs do. Just outside the park, we did a short hike down to the iconic Split Apple Rock, a large round boulder - split perfectly in half - lying in the shallows just offshore. Very pretty.
Every morning we went for coffee at Kaiteriteri. There is a nice café there, with a patio overlooking the ocean. That’s pretty much all I need for a good vacation, actually; (1) coffee at a nice café, (2) snorkeling and diving with the fishes. I could add (3) bouldering, but the rock there was too crumbly to climb on. Otherwise, I could have had it all. I did manage to go for a nice 8km run one morning, which was very nice – running amidst the bellbirds and tuis.
We wanted to drive to Takaka and see all the sights there (Pupu springs, Harwood’s Hole, etc.). On the second day there, we tried - but only made it only about six kilometers up the INCREDIBLY winding road before Rowan threw up (despite having eaten Gravol). Aya was looking pretty green as well, so we turned around and went back to Kaiteriteri. Maybe another time…
On the day we were scheduled to leave, we woke up to wet and stormy weather. We had been lucky enough to have warm sunny weather for our entire stay; we felt fortunate, as we are well into late autumn here in New Zealand. We drove into Nelson and had breakfast at The Yello Café. Breakfast in New Zealand is frustrating for breakfast-loving Canadians. You can buy a nice breakfast here, but it is (1) VERY expensive (e.g. toast will run you $6, pancakes will run you $14), and (2) not any better than Canada. At any rate, Nelson is a very beautiful little city. After a bit of a walkaround in the rain, we got back in the car and headed back to Christchurch. We drove southward via a different route that our northward trip, and went through Lewis Pass. New Zealand is a beautiful country, and is amazingly empty. My kind of country, really!
In the end, Shelley and I agreed that the south island of New Zealand looks a LOT like British Columbia, especially where pine trees have replaced native forest. While driving, we’d often say “this looks like McBride”, or “this looks a lot like Kelowna”. There are two important differences, though. First, New Zealand (at least the south island) is a LOT tidier than BC. Less trash, less garbage piled about, and almost a complete lack of abandoned rusting vehicles in the yards we drove past. People in New Zealand seem to take a great deal of pride in maintaining the land they inhabit. Second, you are never far from the ocean in New Zealand. Generally speaking, you are less than two hours drive from the beach if you are ANYWHERE on the south island. The longer I am in New Zealand, the more I think that living near the ocean is a necessary thing.
So, we’re back in Christchurch. We had another big aftershock last night (magnitude = 5.3), which had us a little spooked (only Aya did the correct thing – she was under the table, holding onto a table leg, like a shot). Ahead of us, another week of work! I’m finishing up an OLD manuscript and starting some insect identification this week, while Shelley is working on a paper on her post-doctoral work here. We’re planning on heading back to Canada sometime in the next two months or so.
On a final note… HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fathers (who share a birthday), and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all the Gagnons who have just turned another year older (Joshua, Chiharu, and Jes). Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Dan Gable, and Ryan Dorward. (If I have forgotten anyone’s birthday, feel free to email and berate me.) GOOD LUCK to Merle and Jared, who are still somewhere in Australasia, as far as I know… Finally, I need to email Tracy N., who is considering writing a paper with me… ;)
That’s all for now! Take Care!
Trent
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Birthdays!!
Lots of cake, lots of fun...Rowan's party was last Saturday, Aya's is this Saturday coming up...here are photos of the birthdays kids!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Motunau Beach!
We had a great deal of fun during our trip to Motunau Beach (about 100 km north of Christchurch) yesterday, so I thought it best to share some pictures. Enjoy!
March 27, 2011
Kia Ora!
It has been an eventful month here in Christchurch. As you are undoubtedly aware, Christchurch was struck by another substantial earthquake on February 22, most likely an aftershock of the September 4 earthquake. This tremor (magnitude = 6.3), however, was directly under the suburb of Lyttleton (only several kilometers from Christchurch’s downtown), and was relatively shallow (only 6 kilometers below the surface). As such, the devastation in the city was very widespread, especially in the south and east areas of the city. Much of the downtown was destroyed, and two large buildings collapsed outright. The death toll now stands at 182 people for the city, mostly people who died in collapsed buildings, by masonry falling off buildings, or when they were in buses or cars crushed by debris. It has been a serious blow to the city of Christchurch, in terms of the psychological state of its inhabitants, its economy, and its infrastructure. Kiwis are resilient, though, and I have no doubt that Christchurch will rise again as one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the southern hemisphere.
Some interesting details of the February 22 earthquake. It was generated by an upthrust slip of the fault that (they now know) runs from the Avon-Heathcote estuary (in the eastern suburbs) southward to the Port Hills. The two sides of the fault slipped by 1.5 m, and the Port Hills are now 40 cm higher. There was substantial liquefaction associated with the earthquake, since much of the eastern part of the city was built on silt. In places, the sand and silt that oozed to the surface was as deep as 3 m. Shag Rock, a small sea stack near Sumner and a highly visible Christchurch landmark, collapsed in the earthquake. It is now jokingly referred to as “Shag Pile”.
Sadly, my favorite café in the city (Le Café at the Arts Center) was badly damaged. Hopefully it will recover. And I hope their service gets better when it does.
A very (!) interesting and well-done website that shows the sequence, magnitude, and location of the earthquakes and their aftershocks can be seen at http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
My brother Wayne and his family (wife Darcia, and two girls Terra and Trinity) had visited us in Christchurch for 10 days, and had left the city the day before the earthquake. When they were here, we jokingly wished that they would be able to experience an aftershock (being from the earthquake-free zone of Alberta, Canada), but they left without really experiencing a noticeable tremor. We were glad that they left when they did, though, because they had been downtown only two days before the big quake, and had visited many of the places where people died days later. They had dodged a big, earthquake-shaped bullet.
We had a really nice visit with them, and visited many of Christchurch’s attractions and landmarks: the Christchurch Cathedral (whose spire later collapsed), the Museum, The Arts Center (later partially collapsed), Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, and the Botanical Gardens.
Shelley’s work is progressing nicely. She is almost completed the latest trials of her experiment examining the potential effects of global climate change on plant-pollinator interactions. She has been working with bumblebees this year, which is nice. They’ve proven to be an excellent study animal, I think, and they always seem so friendly to me…
We went to Castle Hill to go bouldering a couple of weeks ago. Such an amazing place – beautiful scenery, sculptured boulders sprouting like mutant stone mushrooms from the green turf, and blue skies seemingly perpetual overhead. We had a great time, and I managed to climb a couple of V4 mantle problems quickly (it’s good to know that my mantling skills are coming along). Some of the mantles there are pretty amazing-looking, though, and I confess that many of them look completely impossible to me. Aya and I went ‘adventure bouldering’, crawling and climbing through gaps and tunnels in the rocks, and we all climbed up to the top of Spittle Hill, above the boulders and bluffs of Castle Hill.
Our Vancouver friends Merle and Jared visited us for a few days this month as well. They are bicycle touring through New Zealand for several weeks, although Merle’s knees have been giving her problems, so the ‘pedal-powered’ aspect of their vacation is in doubt. Regardless, we had a great time with them, including a series of memorable meals! We wish them luck on their travels throughout New Zealand and Australia!
This past Saturday we drove up north for an hour to spend the day at Motunau Beach. It is now one of our favorite places in New Zealand. An idyllic little village on a grassy knoll overlooking the Pacific Ocean with the small rocky isle (and wildlife refuge) of Motunau Island just offshore. We walked around the headland from the parking lot to the small sandy beach below the village, where we had a great day looking for paua shells (I found three!), swimming, and looking in tide pools. I was showing Aya the basics of body surfing (OK, I was really holding her under the armpits, but she thought it was great fun), and I went for swim even though the day was a little cool. There were building lots for sale here ($240,000 NZ for 5 hectares right on the ocean!), which pretty much had us mentally moving to Motunau Beach. Lots of sea food, a surf break and swimming beach 100 m from the house, vineyards just down the road, and gorgeous scenery – who could ask for more?
I’ll try to update this blog a little more faithfully in the future…
Take care!
Trent.
It has been an eventful month here in Christchurch. As you are undoubtedly aware, Christchurch was struck by another substantial earthquake on February 22, most likely an aftershock of the September 4 earthquake. This tremor (magnitude = 6.3), however, was directly under the suburb of Lyttleton (only several kilometers from Christchurch’s downtown), and was relatively shallow (only 6 kilometers below the surface). As such, the devastation in the city was very widespread, especially in the south and east areas of the city. Much of the downtown was destroyed, and two large buildings collapsed outright. The death toll now stands at 182 people for the city, mostly people who died in collapsed buildings, by masonry falling off buildings, or when they were in buses or cars crushed by debris. It has been a serious blow to the city of Christchurch, in terms of the psychological state of its inhabitants, its economy, and its infrastructure. Kiwis are resilient, though, and I have no doubt that Christchurch will rise again as one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the southern hemisphere.
Some interesting details of the February 22 earthquake. It was generated by an upthrust slip of the fault that (they now know) runs from the Avon-Heathcote estuary (in the eastern suburbs) southward to the Port Hills. The two sides of the fault slipped by 1.5 m, and the Port Hills are now 40 cm higher. There was substantial liquefaction associated with the earthquake, since much of the eastern part of the city was built on silt. In places, the sand and silt that oozed to the surface was as deep as 3 m. Shag Rock, a small sea stack near Sumner and a highly visible Christchurch landmark, collapsed in the earthquake. It is now jokingly referred to as “Shag Pile”.
Sadly, my favorite café in the city (Le Café at the Arts Center) was badly damaged. Hopefully it will recover. And I hope their service gets better when it does.
A very (!) interesting and well-done website that shows the sequence, magnitude, and location of the earthquakes and their aftershocks can be seen at http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
My brother Wayne and his family (wife Darcia, and two girls Terra and Trinity) had visited us in Christchurch for 10 days, and had left the city the day before the earthquake. When they were here, we jokingly wished that they would be able to experience an aftershock (being from the earthquake-free zone of Alberta, Canada), but they left without really experiencing a noticeable tremor. We were glad that they left when they did, though, because they had been downtown only two days before the big quake, and had visited many of the places where people died days later. They had dodged a big, earthquake-shaped bullet.
We had a really nice visit with them, and visited many of Christchurch’s attractions and landmarks: the Christchurch Cathedral (whose spire later collapsed), the Museum, The Arts Center (later partially collapsed), Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, and the Botanical Gardens.
Shelley’s work is progressing nicely. She is almost completed the latest trials of her experiment examining the potential effects of global climate change on plant-pollinator interactions. She has been working with bumblebees this year, which is nice. They’ve proven to be an excellent study animal, I think, and they always seem so friendly to me…
We went to Castle Hill to go bouldering a couple of weeks ago. Such an amazing place – beautiful scenery, sculptured boulders sprouting like mutant stone mushrooms from the green turf, and blue skies seemingly perpetual overhead. We had a great time, and I managed to climb a couple of V4 mantle problems quickly (it’s good to know that my mantling skills are coming along). Some of the mantles there are pretty amazing-looking, though, and I confess that many of them look completely impossible to me. Aya and I went ‘adventure bouldering’, crawling and climbing through gaps and tunnels in the rocks, and we all climbed up to the top of Spittle Hill, above the boulders and bluffs of Castle Hill.
Our Vancouver friends Merle and Jared visited us for a few days this month as well. They are bicycle touring through New Zealand for several weeks, although Merle’s knees have been giving her problems, so the ‘pedal-powered’ aspect of their vacation is in doubt. Regardless, we had a great time with them, including a series of memorable meals! We wish them luck on their travels throughout New Zealand and Australia!
This past Saturday we drove up north for an hour to spend the day at Motunau Beach. It is now one of our favorite places in New Zealand. An idyllic little village on a grassy knoll overlooking the Pacific Ocean with the small rocky isle (and wildlife refuge) of Motunau Island just offshore. We walked around the headland from the parking lot to the small sandy beach below the village, where we had a great day looking for paua shells (I found three!), swimming, and looking in tide pools. I was showing Aya the basics of body surfing (OK, I was really holding her under the armpits, but she thought it was great fun), and I went for swim even though the day was a little cool. There were building lots for sale here ($240,000 NZ for 5 hectares right on the ocean!), which pretty much had us mentally moving to Motunau Beach. Lots of sea food, a surf break and swimming beach 100 m from the house, vineyards just down the road, and gorgeous scenery – who could ask for more?
I’ll try to update this blog a little more faithfully in the future…
Take care!
Trent.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Rain, sun, wind and more rain
Well, the weather continues to be unsettled thanks to cyclonic systems in the southern hemisphere. We have gone from torrential downpour to 36 and sunny, to windy Nor'westers, and back to torrential rains. Tomorrow? Sunny, of course!
We had an interesting weekend....
lets see - we'll start with bad news:
our washer is broken and needs to be fixed
Someone "knocked" our bumper when we were parked downtown. Thankfully, she left us a note (in smudged eye-liner, it took a few wrong numbers before we found the culprit!). Luckily, noone was hurt, and the car still works. Now we get to figure out how insurance works here (luckily she has some, as it isn't mandatory here!). The damage isn't so bad, but bad enough we want to get it fixed, as it will affect the resale value of our car, which we will be selling when we return to North America!
We are still waiting to get our 'bond' (ie damage deposit) back from our old place
Our much delayed new credit cards finally showed up - the day after I cancelled them and ordered new ones.
the interesting / good news:
Trent helped our neighbours (a young brother and sister from Borneo) move out into their new flat (a converted shed? or garage?). This isn't so unusual, Trent is a helpful guy. What is unusual is (1) I have never met anyone from Borneo before, and (2) they asked him if he could help them by renting a trailer and towing it full of stuff to their new place at 8 pm the day they were moving...a little last minute! Now we will see who moves in!
I have excellent vision, despite my "rugby ball" shaped eyes. My left eye isn't as good as my right, but I can see fine. This is the conclusion of a very lengthy eye exam, my first in , oh 20+ years. I have been having tired, sore eyes lately, and had finally admitted to myself that I was getting old and needed reading glasses, but apparently I am as youthful as I like to believe (or at least my eyes are!). I just need to quit working at a computer so much...hmm, my Dr. did reccommend a holiday...
That is all the news. I keep meaning to post photos of our new place, and hope to do so soon!
love shelley
We had an interesting weekend....
lets see - we'll start with bad news:
our washer is broken and needs to be fixed
Someone "knocked" our bumper when we were parked downtown. Thankfully, she left us a note (in smudged eye-liner, it took a few wrong numbers before we found the culprit!). Luckily, noone was hurt, and the car still works. Now we get to figure out how insurance works here (luckily she has some, as it isn't mandatory here!). The damage isn't so bad, but bad enough we want to get it fixed, as it will affect the resale value of our car, which we will be selling when we return to North America!
We are still waiting to get our 'bond' (ie damage deposit) back from our old place
Our much delayed new credit cards finally showed up - the day after I cancelled them and ordered new ones.
the interesting / good news:
Trent helped our neighbours (a young brother and sister from Borneo) move out into their new flat (a converted shed? or garage?). This isn't so unusual, Trent is a helpful guy. What is unusual is (1) I have never met anyone from Borneo before, and (2) they asked him if he could help them by renting a trailer and towing it full of stuff to their new place at 8 pm the day they were moving...a little last minute! Now we will see who moves in!
I have excellent vision, despite my "rugby ball" shaped eyes. My left eye isn't as good as my right, but I can see fine. This is the conclusion of a very lengthy eye exam, my first in , oh 20+ years. I have been having tired, sore eyes lately, and had finally admitted to myself that I was getting old and needed reading glasses, but apparently I am as youthful as I like to believe (or at least my eyes are!). I just need to quit working at a computer so much...hmm, my Dr. did reccommend a holiday...
That is all the news. I keep meaning to post photos of our new place, and hope to do so soon!
love shelley
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Friday, Jan. 28
Summer continues here in Christchurch. The weather has been unsettled - at least to my Canadian eye - but generally warm and sunny. Shelley is knee-deep in bumblebees (as she teases apart how the relationships between plants, flowers, and their pollinators will be affected by global environmental change), I am getting bleary-eyed from staring at my laptop (as I grind through a decade of data that I've ignored and experiments I've been less-than-loyal to, in an effort to wrest scientific papers forth), and Aya and Rowan are simply enjoying the summer and each other's company (it is nice to seem them playing together, inventing all kinds of things, living the spontaneously imaginative and proximate lives of young children). Good times, for the most part.
We've moved house. This was largely inspired by the children's book "Mouse Moves House". It looked so fun, when Mack the Mouse packed up his books, his blue-and-white dishes, and his beautifully framed paintings of cheese into cunning wooden crates, and moved across the hallway using the back of his friend Fat Cat as a sort of furry lorry. Sadly, the reality is somewhat more pedestrian. We're now settled into our new house which is, luckily, very close to the university and Rowan and Aya's daycare.
As such, do not mail anything to our old address. Email me for our new address if you are planning on either mailing us a parcel or visiting.
I am hoping to get to the beach this weekend. I'd like to go swimming, but it hasn't happened much this summer.
Well, back to work. I need to email my (incredibly) young friend Tracy N. this afternoon. I am hoping that she is interested in co-authoring a paper on the role that riparian leave strips play in maintaining understory riparian vegetation in coastal temperate rain forests. I'm hoping she says 'yes'. I'm going to offer to do almost all the work (detailed outlines for introduction and discussion, the methods completely written, the results completely written (including analyses and figures)). Tracy knows more about understory vegetation than I ever will, though, so the paper would benefit greatly from her writing. I will even offer to let her be the first author. We'll see if I am persuasive enough.
Lately I have been missing all my climbing friends. Especially - but certainly not limited to - Laurie S., Greg T., Marco L., and Brad T. It's hard to climb a lot without people to inspire you. My hat is off to you!
Finally, does ANYONE know where I can find a good toque / tuque? A nice, Canadian toque? Long enough to roll up the bottom edge, a nicely-sized pom-pom, knit from acrylic (or wool, even)? If you look, you will see that this, the most quintessential of all Canadian garments (well, one of them, anyways, if you include the anorak, the amauti, the coureur de bois sash, the cree beaded moccasin), is being largely supplanted in our retail establishments by American-style 'beanies', which are mass-produced in China. A disgrace, really.
Take care!
We've moved house. This was largely inspired by the children's book "Mouse Moves House". It looked so fun, when Mack the Mouse packed up his books, his blue-and-white dishes, and his beautifully framed paintings of cheese into cunning wooden crates, and moved across the hallway using the back of his friend Fat Cat as a sort of furry lorry. Sadly, the reality is somewhat more pedestrian. We're now settled into our new house which is, luckily, very close to the university and Rowan and Aya's daycare.
As such, do not mail anything to our old address. Email me for our new address if you are planning on either mailing us a parcel or visiting.
I am hoping to get to the beach this weekend. I'd like to go swimming, but it hasn't happened much this summer.
Well, back to work. I need to email my (incredibly) young friend Tracy N. this afternoon. I am hoping that she is interested in co-authoring a paper on the role that riparian leave strips play in maintaining understory riparian vegetation in coastal temperate rain forests. I'm hoping she says 'yes'. I'm going to offer to do almost all the work (detailed outlines for introduction and discussion, the methods completely written, the results completely written (including analyses and figures)). Tracy knows more about understory vegetation than I ever will, though, so the paper would benefit greatly from her writing. I will even offer to let her be the first author. We'll see if I am persuasive enough.
Lately I have been missing all my climbing friends. Especially - but certainly not limited to - Laurie S., Greg T., Marco L., and Brad T. It's hard to climb a lot without people to inspire you. My hat is off to you!
Finally, does ANYONE know where I can find a good toque / tuque? A nice, Canadian toque? Long enough to roll up the bottom edge, a nicely-sized pom-pom, knit from acrylic (or wool, even)? If you look, you will see that this, the most quintessential of all Canadian garments (well, one of them, anyways, if you include the anorak, the amauti, the coureur de bois sash, the cree beaded moccasin), is being largely supplanted in our retail establishments by American-style 'beanies', which are mass-produced in China. A disgrace, really.
Take care!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy Holidays!
Hello Everyone! We hope that you have had a wonderful holiday, and have a terrific 2011! We miss you all terribly, and hope to see everyone in 2011! First will be the family visiting in February! We are all excited, especially A!
As most of you know my mom and honourary Aunt came for a visit, which was wonderful! Everyone had a fun and relaxing summer holiday. They started with a tour of the North Island, and were ready for a bit of Christmas and relaxing in Christchurch. We went so see the endangered yellow-eyed penguin (Hoiho) in Oamaru, and poked around in Otago for a couple days. The penguins were the highlight of the trip for all! We also went to the famous Moeraki boulders (round boulders on the beach), which were cool but there were too many people there for my liking.
We went for a punt ride through Hagley park on Christmas eve, which was quite relaxing and lovely! Rowan keeps asking when we get to go on a little boat again. I felt like I should have seen Toad 'pooting' by in his motor car, and ratty and mole picnicking on the shore...
I don't think my mom and Aunt were too impressed with our boxing day aftershocks - only a 4.9, bt it was centered under Christchurch. Did more damage downtown, and the shops lost even more business on their busiest day! Many places downtown were closed but have since reopened.
Next on the to-do list is to find a place to live - our lease ends in early Feb, and we will have to leave our 'villa'
more later!
S
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