M.T.P.: Arts & Gardens

Friday happened to be Show Day (coinciding with the agricultural festival at the time), meaning there were no classes, and I was able to spend my freedom with my parents. I arrived at their hotel room in the early sunny morning for breakfast consisting of fried eggs, orange juice, and buttered toast, homely prepared by Mom. Once our appetites were satisfied, we set off to explore the city of Christchurch. Although I mentioned the festival, my parents instead chose to explore Hagley Park and the downtown Arts Centre.

My parents were surprised at the size and well kept appearance of Hagley Park, with vast fields of green grass and tall trees. I led them to a crossing bridge over a small river, one of the many entrances to the Botanic Gardens. The river we crossed was filled with many ducks swimming upstream and competing for pieces of bread thrown from human onlookers. The gardens were bustling with tourists and Christchurch residents, enjoying a quiet section of land not consumed by urban development. My mother was impressed with the large variety of plants & flowers, professing that my grandmother (her mother) would be in heaven. My dad on the other hand was awe struck by the mammoth trees growing into the clear blue sky. We spent quite some time photographing flowers for memories and to send to friends & relatives.

Along the way, we visited a small art gallery featuring glass works by New Zealand artists. Like I mentioned before, too much space and not enough works. On the plus side, two contemporary glass works greatly impressed me (I wasn’t allowed to take pictures though): an aqua green curve and a black & silver glass tower. I was shocked when I was informed that it would cost me $40,000NZD to buy both works. And you thought gas prices were too high?

After the gallery came the Canterbury Museum, a large 19^th century looking building containing many exhibits on Antarctic expeditions, pre-historic to modern New Zealand, Maori culture, famous people, and of course, the gift shop.

Wanting a break, my parents & I had a light lunch at Le Café, located at the Arts Centre. The Arts Centre used to be a girls college in the late 19^th century. The campus buildings remain, but various shops, restaurants, and two theatres currently occupy the rooms. The food was well prepared, the three of us splitting a large Caesar salad, 4 small bacon club sandwiches, and a bottle of white house wine.

We would return to the Arts Centre later that evening to watch the funny/serious Israeli movie The Band’s Visit, recipient of many international film awards. The movie is about an Egyptian police band being stranded in the Israeli town of Beta Tikvah for a day because the band’s ‘playboy’ mispronounced the town they were supposed to perform in – Peta Tikvah. Lucky for the strict conductor, the performance wasn’t until the following day. I won’t go into details as to what happens but it’s a film I would definitely recommend to anyone.

Before the movie, my parents paid a last visit to Cathedral Square, the city centre of Christchurch. They were impressed with the layout of the cathedral whereas I felt uneasy seeing swastikas painted on one of the mural walls. I’m well aware that in ancient times the swastika was a symbol for good luck but a well known event spanning 12 years in the early half of the 20^th century has me thinking otherwise.

With evening approaching fast, my parents & I made our back to the hotel and stopped into a bar & restaurant named Soho! for beer and a light dinner. Soho! is managed by the Parkview On Hagely Hotel.

Now that I think about it, my parents saw a lot in one day and walked several kilometres in total. There would be much more sight seeing on Saturday.

To Be Continued . . .