Visitors - human and canine

I was lucky enough to have a visitor for a long weekend, Annie, my neighbour's cute collie. She s rather demanding, knowing how to make you feel bad for not throwing theball! Good company though and great walking every evening after dinner.

 

Dare I say, even cuter! Grandkitten Stormy who endeared herself/himself to me by her love of tea! Actually Stormy was thought to be female but now turns out to be male! Still gorgeous! I am sure he will be a regular visitor to my blog.

 

As in previous weeks I really enjoyed yet another glorious afternoon of music in the shade of the huge trees around the archery lawn of the Botanical Gardens on a very sunny afternoon. Singer this time was an Icelandic lady, Hera,  who grew up in Nz, and has such a melodic voice and relaxed style. I shut my eyes on a couple of occasions and felt as if I was floating along with this captivating sound. Singing seemed utterly effortless to her.

 

Then, an arrival from Pfaeffikon - Peter. It was great to catch up again and we have had a fabulous week looking around the Christchurch area. Hot day today, so instead of the concert in the park, we are sitting in my private park enjoying a very lazy day.

First stop is nearly always Riccarton Bush, so fantastic after a long flight and a great introduction to New Zealand. The forest is a haven on a blustery norwest day with its warm, drying winds. It is a magnificent remnant of ancient forest and with  the massive trees towering overhead , the roots of the trees spreading out wide. We were treated to a marvelous flying display of the many fantails , who were fluttering and twittering around us as they twisted and turned collecting insects. Peter was certainly given a wonderful first impression of this lovely country.

 

Brilliant shapes of the roots.

 

A trip to Christchurch is not complete without a visit to its beautiful, fragrant rose garden, which is at its very best now. The colours are so intense.

 

And of course, the city centre is of huge interest and every week I visit, I enjoy seeing the progress of new structures. This one in the background in front of our poor , fast disintegrating cathedral, is the library. What a fascinating way of building. 

A dream come true for me too, as a couple had put money into a washing machine which has been adapted to work as a music system, and were dancing on one of the city's amazing gapfillers. I have always wanted to dance there and so here I was surrounded by my beloved city , which has lost so much and yet remains a fascinating place to visit. It was great to forget all the demolition and damage all around and to just dance , as if no-one was watching!

 

Just beside the dance floor was the gorgeous street art painting of the young girl with fern, painted onto a brick wall when the buildong next door was removed. This is certainly one of my favourites. I hope she stays. She certainly enhances the parking lots which are there now in place of what used to be a fabulous bar.

 

This is my favourite cafe, previously called The Coffee House, with only the yellow building, but now the Villas, with two colourful houses with cafes inside with the most delicious food and coffee in a very relaxed and friendly environment.

 

Lyttleton is another place I have mentioned before and always visit with guests. The cute wee wooden cottages survived the quakes and make this place really special. Of course, the incredible weather helps to accentuate the colours of rooves, walls and flowers.

 

I loved this sign. Couldn't help thinking that Annie would be thinking of a tennis ball rather than a bone!

 

We had lunch at Governor's Bay one of the many pretty little bays overlooking this marvelous harbour area, previously the crater of Lyttleton volcano and epicentre of our most destructive earthquakes.  Looks too idyllic for that, doesn't it! Wish we had taken our swimming togs. The water looked so inviting. 

 

From the bay we wound our way up Dyers Pass to the Sign of the Kiwi where the views from the Crater Rim walkway were breathtakingly beautiful. Just over the hills in the distance is Akaroa, to be visited in a few days. How lucky we are to have all this so close to the city.

 

That evening we enjoyed a Summertimes theatre in the grounds of Riccarton Bush. There are dozens of wonderful events going on in summer around Christchurch, mostly free and usually excellent. So with a picnic, chairs and rugs, we set off and enjoyed a modern twist on the tale of Robin Hood, played by very talented and energetic young actors amongst the magnificent old trees of the first home settled in Canterbury. The trees were imported by the owner of the home because she was so homesick for Britain! It was a gorgeous setting.

 

Another seaside area I love is Brighton with its pier. Not as exciting as England's Brighton pier but still great to walk out on and enjoy the views. We had the most incredibly huge bowls of soup at a cafe  there to warm us up - it was a surprisingly chilly day.

The next day with perfect weather, no wind, pleasantly warm temperatures, we set off to Akaroa for a perfect day. 

A parking place under theshade of a  very colourful 'New Zealand Christmas tree', a pohutukawa. What a blaze of colour. 

 

Having done a harbour cruise recently I very nearly didn't go, but I am so pleased I did. The weather and sea conditions were perfect, which meant we could go past the Akaroa Heads and out to sea. This gave us the chance to visit a bay with dozens of fur seals with their pups. It was lovely to see them moving so gracefully in water and struggling on the rocks. It was also a beautiful part of the coastline where one could clearly see the lava flows and sediment. You might spot a couple of seals on closer inspection.

 

I have never seen so many of the world's smallest and rarest dolphin, Hector's dolphin. Very cute and very keen to be around the boat. It was a real treat. 

We had missed out on the Giant's House on my last visit, so I was thrilled we could visit it this time. I think it is one of the most beautiful manmade places I have ever visited. Actually it is the garden rather than the house which is the main attraction, though I am sure that staying there in the b and b must be extraordinary. 

 

Imagine  breakfast on the patio with these fabulous flowers everywhere and being serenaded by Edith Piaf's music playing from the grand piano!

 

What a magical place this is created by the owner, a landscape gardener and artist. She has transformed the garden into a masterpiece of colour, shape and beauty, made even more spectacular thanks to the views all around of the harbour, hills and native bush. Accompanied by the dulcet sounds of the bellbirds and the flapping of the wings of the massive wood pigeons, one wanders up and down stairs, inset with ceramic tiles and pieces woven into intricate designs

 

The different creations are all extraordinary and the number of hours spent on each design from start to finish must be amazing. She has kiwis

 

And fantastic seating areas, rivalling Park Guell in Barcelona!

 

The family area she has created has so much detail. It is incredible.

 
Believe it or not, the best is still to come. Afternoon tea in a beautiful shady spot overlooking the garden.

 

The fragrances, the music, the scenery, the intense colours and then a tray of tea made so beautiful by the simplest decoration of flowers in the tea and coffee spouts. 

 

It was a magical few hours before we set off back over the hills and winding road to Christchurch and a brief rest in my garden, which looked beautiful but rather plain in comparison, before heading out to a delicious Asian meal at a Noodle festival followed by the annual classical concert in the park. 

We were not alone! About 8000 were there wrapped in blankets as temperatures plummeted and the cold easterly wind started to blow. Our neighbour was very special. His face was just captivating with so many expressions!

 

a gorgeous, very well behaved creature who evidently enjoyed the music as he sat calmly throughout the evening. 

As night fell, the stage lights came on and the full moon came up (sadly not captured on camera).

 

then the Grand Finale to a very busy yet enjoyable week. Fireworks synchronised to music. It was exceptionally beautiful.

 

Now a quietish week before we set off for a short trip together and Peter will continue on around the north of the South Island whilst I come back to Christchurch.