Terracotta Warriors

The Terracotta Warriors (funerary statues of soldiers and horses for the first Emperor of China) came to town and have been staged at the St. James Theatre for a few months. Here are a few photos I took this morning when I walked through the exhibit:

Did you remember to switch the lights off?

In 2007, the city of Sydney turned its lights off for one hour as a sign of support for urgent action on climate change. In 2008, hundreds of cities around the world joined in by switching off their lights. This year, thousands of cities have joined the symbolic movement. Have you? Please consider taking the first step at 8:30 PM on Saturday night. You're just one person, but there are over 6 billion like you.

Strange Resting Places

One of the benefits of living on Courtenay Place is the ready access to many live stage theatres. Tonight I went to see "Strange Resting Places" - three guys re-enacting stories inspired by the Maori Battalion in Italy (WWII). Equipped with a few guitars and  some creating acting, these guys really put on a show!

  

Walk to Work Day

Today was "Walk to Work" day in Wellington (you might recall that the city also sponsors "Go by Bike" day). The City Council sponsors the event each year to provide a free breakfast for those who walk (or bike) to work, and to raise awareness about the benefits of commuting on foot or bicycle. Here are a few photos of what I see on my commute to work each morning.

Eastern Cape

Here are photos from a road trip I took over the weekend to the Eastern Cape of New Zealand (including Napier (the Art Deco Capital of New Zealand), Gisborne, Whangara, Opotiki, and Rotorua). If you think you recognize the photos, you may be right - several of them were taken on sight where the Whalerider movie was filmed. Thanks to Kara for showing me around his home patch and to his father for showing me a tour of the marae in Whangara.

Tomorrow will be 2m 47s shorter

I am a bit of a weather buff - and I keep the Boston and Wellington weather links on my iGoogle homepage. The two cities, each being approximately 45 degrees from the equator, have provided an interesting comparison. In particular, it's amazing to see the difference that the continental land mass (the U.S.) makes with regard to distinct seasons that the maritime conditions of New Zealand just do not provide. What we lack in seasonal change we make up for with one great asset - WIND - lots of it!

But, today, I'm not writing about wind or climate. I'm writing about the sad fact that "tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 47 seconds shorter" (this is what the google weather page says, in terms of daylight). We're still managing more than 12 hours of sunlight each day, but I know I'll have to give that up soon. Perhaps it is time for me to move back home to the Far North.

WELLINGTON:

Sunrise: 7:12 AM NZDT
Sunset: 7:48 PM NZDT
Length of Day: 12h 35m

Tomorrow will be 2m 47s shorter.

Moon Rise: 7:31 PM NZDT
Moon Set: 6:58 AM NZDT
Moon Phase: Full Moon, 100% Illuminated

Newtown Festival 2009

I'm on my way to the Newtown Festival (website). I'll post some of my photos later, but for now I have borrowed a video from a post on Vimeo. My friends will find this funny because I don't like cats at all (and for some reason, a cat gets an inordinate amount of air time toward the beginning of this video). It is still a very enjoyable video about the festival in what I consider the heart of Wellington - Newtown.

Newtown Festival: Fair Day (4:45 min.) from Justine Flanagan on Vimeo.

Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra

On Saturday night I went to the Jackson Street Fiesta in Petone. The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra played and made it truly worth the trip out there. One of the best songs they did was Heartache (Bonnie Tyler). This made me smile for a few reasons - first because the group of ukuleles and one bass were so good, but also because my brother Mark used to have to practice to this song when he was learning to play drums twenty years ago (remember that, Mark?). It brought back some wonderful memories. 

This video (from You Tube) is of the Ukulele Orchestra - take a look and listen, they truly are a band for kids from 1 to 92! (Website)

A Beautiful Ray (on a spectacular day by the bay)

While running this evening along Oriental Parade, I saw an amazing stingray (probably 3 feet wide and 4 feet long). It slowly glided through water along the seawall and attracted increasing numbers of spectators as walkers and joggers stopped to take a look. It was quite remarkable that this beautiful creature could bring people together in such a unique way.

Every day since living in New Zealand, I have been within a few feet of the ocean - once in the morning and once in the afternoon. I've also made a point to run along the oceanfront and in the hills that look down onto it. Its colours change with the sun and clouds, and there's so much underneath that I still haven't seen. Today it felt like I had made contact with another world....

The Navigators (Fuse Circus)

Regrettably, summer is winding down in Wellington and the Earth is beginning to tilt its Northern half toward the sun... but NOT JUST YET! There have still been some entertaining events around the city. One example is the Fuse Circus show, the Navigators. I took some video footage, but this video covered by the New Zealand news station  is a lot better than mine. Take a look - the group is really fantastic! This is busking community theatre at its best with stage costumes designed by the crew that worked on King Kong and Chronicles of Narnia. 

LINK TO VIDEO