childish delight

You might remember I had a snow day last month. It was rather a lot of snow for Christchurch, and I thought that was it - turns out a rather large snowy cloud was heading this way from Antarctica and our whole country seems to be swearing they have seen snowflakes - no matter how far north or coastal they are.

It's not UNUSUAL for Christchurch to get snow in the winter but it is downright extraordinary for cities further north, like Wellington and Auckland.

Stephen Fry, who is currently in the country filming The Hobbit, put it like this on Twitter: "Wellington is beside itself with delight. Snow falling in the nation's capital for the first time for 35 years they tell me."
Then, later: "NZ has, bless it, gone officially mad. First snow in Auckland since the 30s. Children running along with open mouths to taste the flakes :)"

Basically the whole country is delighted. It may seem very strange to people from places with large annual snowfalls but it's really lovely to see the visible, childish joy that seems to be soaring around the country right now.

This lovely video was filmed in Wellington. Highly recommended.

30 years today

The Springbok tour of New Zealand began on July 22, 1981. The South African rugby team came to our shores while most of the rest of the world refused to take part in any sports competition involving the country which still held onto apartheid. What's more, our rugby officials decided not to put any Maori players into the All Blacks team just in case it was offensive to the sensitive white Springboks players.

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I would like to think New Zealand has learned something from the tour. I hope it has, anyway, but feel slightly pessimistic.

It's so strange for me to admit that rugby is not just a game. The rugby world cup is coming to New Zealand this year and I am so thoroughly fed up with rugby-mania and misplaced national pride that I just want to scream with my hands in my hair - "IT DOESN'T MATTER!"

And yet professional sports are not just a game. Apartheid was not a game. I wish I could feel confident that the lessons of history are being learned, but if so how are we to account for the Beijing Olympics of 2008? The relentless disregard of basic human rights is not a game. Learn the lesson, New Zealand.

something cool

I came across this music video by a Kiwi singer I've never even heard of before - filmed in stop motion photography from Bluff to Cape Reinga, the deep south of New Zealand to the northernmost point. It gave me itchy feet and it's pretty awesome, so - here is the link:

Jonny Love, 'Weight of Tomorrow'

[ I would embed it on here, but it's too wide for my blog width! ]

job titles

Today on the back of a bus I saw a big advert for a new finance company in town. It featured some mildly famous rugby league player on the back, thumbs up, his signature scrawled down the bottom as if to say 'I guarantee this finance company will not screw you over.'

I won't even get into the disgust I feel at being supposed to care whether some rugby player thinks a finance company is good (or was paid to think so). But I did find this rather amusing:

Underneath his picture, it said 'Stacey Jones - Kiwi Legend'.

Next time I am asked for my job title I am going to write 'Kiwi legend'. Sounds much better than 'student' / 'unemployed'.

an introduction to the bach

I have been lucky enough, over the weekend, to stay in a bach literally across the road from the sea, in Akaroa Harbour, with a whole bunch of girlfriends from my school days. Apart from being a really relaxing, wonderful time, it was a great opportunity to enjoy bach culture again.

For those who don't know what a bach (pronounced "batch") is: It's a Kiwi holiday home. More than that, it's a holiday home with character. Baches must not be too luxurious. They can't be too big. A lot of holiday homes would not make the grade.

There are several common features of your garden-variety bach that I will share with you now.

Paua shells will lie around the place.

There will be a jetty nearby from which you can fish or jump.

There will be an odd assortment of furniture and old, obsolete appliances, and an even odder assortment of books. This bookshelf of bach-reading included The Art of Fencing - useful for a slow summer day - as well as a whole stack of Reader's Digests that were older than me.

Unbeautiful, dated artwork on the walls that somehow is JUST RIGHT.

A citrus tree of some type.

Sheep across the fence or some stray geese that will wander into your garden if you leave the gate open.

A tyre swing. (Not to mention an old shed with things growing all over it, and an old outhouse that is no longer necessary, thank goodness.

A snuggly fire, not to mention some lovely carpet, and a clock on the mantelpiece that doesn't work.