Tsunami

On Sunday morning I woke up a little after nine.  I just made my coffee and was shuffling out to the patio to finish waking up with it and a smoke when there was a knock at the door.  Wondering who could be knocking at such an hour on a lazy Sunday, I answered it to find a 40ish guy with a rather longish steel beard and an anxious face who turned out to be the neighbor who lives behind us. I remember our landlord mentioning him, a writer of some success since he managed to make a living at it named Phillip. He told me that there was a tsunami warning issued by Civil Defense. This was rather hard to digest for my sleep addled mind. Tsunami, yes I knew what that was, so of course there was a confused alarm. At the same time, it was beautiful and peaceful outside, so it was hard to grasp for a moment. But he explained that the Civil Defense had issued a warning that a tsunami was coming, waves about 1-3 meters high with me thinking ...how high is a meter?!?  Phillip, it turns out though, is a kind soul, because not only had he come over to warn us about it before making  his own escape into the hills, he offered up the key to his spare car. So after rattling off all sorts of rather hard to digest information, he left to head to higher ground leaving me standing in the doorway with a car key in hand and lots of confusion.  What a way to start the day.

Since I was standing there in the doorway after he left, I look around. It was a peaceful and beautiful day. Not only that, but there were people about. Not panicked people fleeing the beach side, but people out walking, jogging, pushing strollers, walking dogs. The entire view from my front door was the same as it is any morning here.  So I tried the TV to get more information, which my totally befuddled mind could not get to work.  I was starting to wonder if the kindly neighbor was putting me on. I mean if there is a disaster coming, why are all these people acting so normal? Then I woke Greg and Celia, because it’s better to treat it real then be sorry, especially since Phillip said it was suppose to hit the coast shortly which brought to mind visions of killer mile high waves crashing over the dunes and washing us all away. Greg, immediately into action, orders Celia to get dressed and to start throwing together a getaway bag while he and I went outside to get more information.

We stopped a woman outside of our house obviously heading to the beach and ask her about the tsunami, explain how the neighbor woke us up and then fled. She thought this was pretty humorous in a kind way, particularly since she was on her way to the beach to check out these so called tsunami waves, but she explained that if there was a real immediate threat, there would be sirens and police and emergency personal all up and down our street evacuating people. She dis confirm the tsunami warning, explaining that it has generated from an earthquake in Chili, but that the wave height was minor and reassures again that if there is a need to flee the government has plans for such things and will send buses to evacuate those in need. Well, that’s good then. So still rather stunned and a bit panicked, we go back inside and make plans. Celia and I head out immediately to the store to get water and supplies while Greg stays behind packing up getaway bags.  Near the store we encounter a makeshift Tsunami information center put up by the New Brighton community center. There we get pamphlets on their emergency plan, which confirms much of what the women told us. The guy staffing the info booth told us that high tide at 3pm was what they were most concerned about. It was about 10:30 am, so that was bit of a relief. We got water and small portable non-perishable food stuffs at the store and headed back to the house. Greg had gotten the TV going and by going across the road to the life guard station to speak with city workers sent to monitor the activity, learned we can get radio on our satellite TV receiver as well, so when we return he had it turned to the news.  It seems that an 8.8 earthquake hit Chile in the early morning hours which they had thought isolated to them until hours later it was apparent that it had disturbed the sea floor, prompting Hawaii and other coastal place such as ourselves to issue Tsunami warnings as they monitor the sea activity. In a about two hours we had showered, equipped ourselves with supplies and packed our essentials to evacuate if needed. Not the greatest response time, but we used the time given wisely and from that point there was just waiting, gathering information, and observing.

And observe we did, taking a curious contradiction between media news and reality.  Civil defense issued warnings, told everyone to stay clear of the beaches and seek higher ground just to be on the safe side while waiting to see if full scale evacuation was needed. This is broadcasted on news and radio in between normal programming and of course sounds rather scary. But then there was the observable reality of things. Kiwis all going about their daily business as usual were everywhere. Tons of people flowed back and forth from the coastlines just to check out what was happening. Surfers were thrilled at the waves and out taking full advantage of the great rides they provided.  Old people and women with baby strollers were out for their walks just like normal.  People were out with dogs, which was even more telling as the dogs were not upset or acting out of sorts at all. I’ve heard that animals are generally the first to react to a pending danger, but the gulls were still hanging about as always, just business as usual for them just like the Kiwi people.  While some, like our neighbor, took off for the day, most seemed undisturbed by it all, and many seemed to react by going down to gawk at the waves.  Nothing it seems will disturb the laid back vibe of the Kiwi.

We decided being prepared and watchful but not panicking was the best route to take, so we spent a good part of the day with our bags packed by the door, monitoring news and occasionally wandering across the street to check out what information the government people might have.  Sometime in the afternoon it became apparent that the waves generated from the Chile earthquake were not going to be much of a threat as it was feared they would be and many of the personnel across the street left.  We decided it was probably safe for me and Celia to venture to the library a few blocks up the street, though directly on the coast, to use the internet. 

At the library it was business as usual too, lots of people around.  Another observation which I find peculiar is about libraries.  In the US as small children we are taught it is acceptable to be somewhat loud outside, but always quiet in the library. Here it is strangely exact opposite. Here they are fairly quiet on the streets but the library is ridiculously loud. Celia named it accurately when she observed that the library here was more like a community center then a library. Yes, there are books and the normal assortment of magazines and newspapers. But they also have TVs, a huge computer access room generally dominated by teens, and video games.  Not just the games to take out of the library, but stations with bean bag chairs and TVs where you can play Playstation or Xbox and the like. And it is loud. I was sitting checking my emails when a kid comes by, flops down to lay across the window seat cushion beside me and promptly starts playing music on his phone at full blast.  A rather disgusted look from me chased him off, but it was perfectly acceptable behavior as no one reprimanded him or the other kids playing tag through the limited stacks.

By evening the warning had been dropped down to an advisory and the threat of evacuation had passed though they still observed the water activities through the night. The life guards even removed the no-swimming/danger signs, which really didn’t deter anyone as there were people swimming, including people with small children, at the beach when the life guard came by to pull the sign.  Around ten in the evening, Greg and I wandered down to the water to see what it was like under a particularly bright full moon. Under the silvery light, the water was severely receded causing the shoreline to be four to six times its usual width.  It was lovely and disturbing all at the same time.
 
Overall it was a rather peculiar day. Though I do have to say that I hope no real disaster ever hits this lovely peaceful place, because I somehow doubt the laid back populace would react fast enough to save them selves if it did. But for us, being Americans, we remember Katrina and New Orleans. We remember those who didn't heed warnings and the tragic results of not being prepared and taking action when needed. We're grateful though that this time nature was kind.

Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and Ko Tane Maori Experience

Yesterday we went out on a family excursion to the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve and Ko Tane Maori Experience. We started with the Maori experience. One of the men from our tour group, and older fellow with a good sense of humor, was selected as "cheif" for the evening to lead our group through the greeting ceremony. First we were introduced to a bit of Maori culture through a telling of their creation myth. I've borrowed this from Wiki:
    

Rangi and Papa are the primordial parents of Tani and Oma, the sky father and the earth mother who lie locked together in a tight embrace. They have many children[2] all of which are male, who are forced to live in the cramped darkness between them.[3] These children grow and discuss among themselves what it would be like to live in the light. Tūmatauenga, the fiercest of the children, proposes that the best solution to their predicament is to kill their parents (Grey 1956:2).
But his brother Tāne (or Tāne-mahuta) disagrees, suggesting that it is better to push them apart, to let Rangi be as a stranger to them in the sky above while Papa will remain below to nurture them. The others put their plans into action—Rongo, the god of cultivated food, tries to push his parents apart, then Tangaroa, the god of the sea, and his sibling Haumia-tiketike, the god of wild food, join him. In spite of their joint efforts Rangi and Papa remain close together in their loving embrace. After many attempts Tāne, god of forests and birds, forces his parents apart. Instead of standing upright and pushing with his hands as his brothers have done, he lies on his back and pushes with his strong legs. Stretching every sinew Tāne pushes and pushes until, with cries of grief and surprise, Ranginui and Papatuanuku are pried apart.

 

After this our group was lead through winding jungle paths in the really beautiful reserve where we encountered a group of Maori warriors who issued a challenge to our "chief" by making a show of fierceness then throwing down a fern branch at his feet. If the "chief" picks it up it shows the group of visitors comes in peace, if he kicks it aside, its hostility. Of course, since we came to see the show, our "chief" picked up fern and we journeyed on through the jungle to the Maori "Pa" or village. The journey through the jungle was lead by a Maori guide who paused here and there to give us insights into Maori beliefs and native New Zealand wildlife. The park had a great set up where it felt like being in the jungle with much growing naturally but with discreet fencing and the like for the safety of the wildlife living there. 

 

 

 

Upon reaching the village our "chief" greeted the Maori chief with The Hongi, or touching of noses. In this two people press forehead to forehead and touch noses together while clasping hands and shoulder. Forehead to forehead indicates shared thoughts, nose to nose represents shared breath of life, and the hand/shoulder clasp prevents a sneaky grab for weapons. I enjoyed this because it has much been my habit with touch forehead and nose to Greg, no idea why, just always liked to in an affectionate gesture and its nice to have a meaning to it that reflects how I felt about it even though I never put it to words before. 

  

  

  

  

 The Maori village, or Pa, is made up of low to the ground huts with very small entrances. This is for two primary reasons, one being low to the ground helps to keep in warmth and two the small door made it difficult for enemies to enter while villagers were sleeping. After the formal greetings and information about the village our group was escorted to a performance area where the Maori performed some traditional and not so traditional song and dance. 

  

The Maori women used an item called a Poi, which is basically a ball on a string, during the dance routines. Poi were originally used as a way of improving strength and flexibility in the forearms for warriors and women alike. After a few routines they had some of the women in the audience come up and try a routine with the Poi. The warriors came around tossing them to audience members and singled out Celia as one, who promptly freaked, dropped the Poi and refused to go up on stage, so I did instead. It was fun, I was totally uncoordinated and probably looked silly, but I did it, so it's all good. :) Greg was also invited up to do the male aggression stance thing, but he passed due to his back.

 
 

  

 After the performance we were taken on a tour of the wildlife reserve itself. New Zealand actually had no animal predators before people came. It had a large variety of land birds and the most common comment heard through most of the tour about a lot of these was "their curious birds, will come right up to anything interesting and there for were really easy to catch". The natural curiosity and trusting nature of much of New Zealand's wildlife it seems has been its downfall as much of what was in the park was endangered including the nationally treasured Kiwi.  The Kiwi is actually a shy species and nocturnal and NZ is making a great effort to bring back the numbers of the half a dozen or so varieties of them. 

Some of the more memorable critters we saw were the Kea, a rather large bird with the intelligence of a 6 year old child. They are smart enough to work in groups and apparently love to chew on rubber, which makes them a bit of a menace to cars traveling through their natural habitats. I thought these guys were just adorable and had a really enjoyable character.

   

  

 

 The Morepork is the only owl native to New Zealand

 

The Weka is a ground bird, rather large, who is very curious. The Maori use to catch these birds by simply tying something shiny to a tree limb and waiting a few minutes. They were quite cute and would come out to the edge of their enclosure anytime some one was near by. 

 
 

  

This is only a small sampling of all the birds we saw. I enjoyed them immensely. We also saw some mammals, including Greg's favorite, the Wallaby, which he called his "roos!".

 
 

  

  

And Celia just loved the Lemurs. She got video of them on her Ipod, but is currently asleep, so I'll try and add that a bit later. 

 
 

  

Overall is was one of the best days we've had here so far!

A quiet week...

It's been a quiet week in Kiwi-land. It rained quite a bit, so we stayed inside and worked on our various projects. Greg's working on his classes, though he's pretty much fed up with school and can't wait to work. His biggest complaint these days is the bed, which isn't too supportive and gives a rather lousy night's sleep. I'm half tempted to hire a rental bed for the short term just so the poor man can get some sleep!

Celia has been spending a lot of time socializing on computer and working on school work. Greg takes care of most of the supervision regarding her classwork, though I deal with the English portion. She still is hanging out in the house a lot, which frankly I don't understand. While I was pretty shy as a kid, I still was rather curious and would wander around in new places solo just to see what there was to see. Celia doesn't really show these inclinations, though I have been told repetitively to be patient and let her adapt at her own pace.

And I occupy my time with a variety of work. There are my classes, which are going well enough. And I also have my illustration work, which I have managed to adapt to pretty good. Part of this trip was an experiment in the theory I could manage my business anywhere as long I had a decent internet connection. The theory has proven true and I have managed to create a comfortable set up in which to work, though I really think that if this trend of travel continues I will have to invest in a better quality laptop and probably a cheaper secondary for Celia since we are on share time with this one. 


I have not been doing much in terms of personal visual art though. One I haven't gotten around to getting proper supplies, but more importantly I've just felt stronger about other creative outlets. I have been writing on the experience privately and also have taken a liking to photography. While photos aren't my strongest suit, I do find they work a lot better with how I am taking in the environment here. The natural beauty is incredible, big and small, and I have trouble trying to take what I see and translating it into paint or sketch form because simply it is perfect as is in nature so it's hard to think I could add much to it. So I capture what I see in photos and words instead here, which I'm satisfied with. Perhaps when we return the photos will develop into something more in paint and pencil. 


Currently I've been photographing the sea shore. I find myself fascinated by the treasures the sea delivers up in the tides. Though soon I know I will be photographing houses. I adore the houses here. In the states most neighborhoods look very cookie cutter, little houses all stamped out the same with the only variation being color, and not very bold color at that. Here, in New Brighton, each house is it's own individual expression. On any block none of the houses will look too terribly alike as you will have a brick bungalow next to a two story sculpted modern line stucco, next to a cottage engulfed in wild gardens. My eye is constantly engaged with the individuality of these homes, most having a wild or well loved garden as well as fences of all variety, weather worn or neatly maintained, wood or iron or hedgerow. But these sort of photos will have to be taken carefully, discreetly and likely on work day mornings when most people are not home because frankly I don't want to unnerve anyone by taking photos of what to them is a home and to me is a work of self expression and art.

Valentine's in Kiwi Land

Its been a wonderful and very busy past few days. Since it was Valentine's weekend Greg and I decided some adult time was definitely in order. So on Saturday we ventured downtown Christchurch for a few drinks and some live music. We had intended on checking out a Jazz club called Sammy's Jazz Review but after tracking it down we found that despite having web presence it had gone out of business and an Asian cafe was in its place. Undaunted we ventured on exploring Christchurch's nightlife and came across an Irish pub called Sullivan's. Greg told me that he has found these everywhere in his travels. In every major city there is an Irish pub serving up Guinness. Since I had never actually been to one, a tragedy since I'm half Irish, we decided to give it a try. I actually had my very first Guinness and managed to drink it and a second, an amazing feat since I generally don't like beer. But I have to say, as many people have told me, Guinness is different. So we had a few drinks, some talk, enjoyed the rowdy atmosphere and finished up the night with some BK which was insanely good after a few beers. 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

On Sunday, officially Valentine's Day, I took Celia downtown to the Art Centre to get hand made stuffed animals she saw down there last weekend and decided that she must have. The weather was beautiful and we wandered around the markets enjoying the arts and crafts. Unfortunately I was wicked tired and forgot the camera. But after wandering the markets we both had a craving for ice cream so we hunted down a street vendor selling sundaes. The sundaes were ok, good enough to satisfy the craving, but the ice cream was definitely missing that rich creaminess we find back home. Regardless, we enjoyed it and sat on a park bench watching other tourists punt down the River Avon.

After returning to the beach house for a few hours Greg and I headed out to enjoy another adult evening. We sought and successfully found a great bar and restaurant called Fat Eddie's. The entrance was a bit hard to find being off a courtyard in an alleyway. Strangely Christchurch seems to like to hide their night life. Once we found it though it was great. The courtyard had a Mini Cooper stuck to one wall, rows of bicycles on another and another building covered top to bottom in music bars with notes. A very kewl and creative atmosphere indeed. Fat Eddie's itself was up a narrow set of wooden stairs on the second floor. 

 

Once through those doors one finds a charming and eccentric place filled with rough tables, long couches loaded with pillows, glowing candles, decorative lights, and loads of old music and movie posters. One wall held a plasma tv showing Casablanca on mute. In another corner was a roaring fireplace surrounded by couches. And in the center of the main floor was a grand piano, lit up and awaiting its performer. We were immediately charmed. We grabbed a spot with a good view of the piano and couch for Greg, which was very comfy, and browsed the menu. They had great service and great food. Greg got all you can eat buffalo wings and was in heaven. I had a philly cheese steak to die for and some really great wine. At twenty after 8, Stig, the entertainment for the evening took his place at the piano. Stig, with his panama hat and long white beard fit in with the great bohemian atmosphere of the place and was a wonderful singer. We very much enjoyed his renditions of American favs, and of course my diligent darling remembered the camera so here are some pics. Over all the very best Valentine's Day ever!