"I'm A Vegetarian"

Ya-Ya: House of Excellent Tea
(from Ya-Ya's website)
I should begin by mentioning that I always seem to attract these sorts of people.

I occasionally help our good friend Diane at Ya-Ya House of Excellant Tea. In addition to selling and serving a good selection of high quality teas from all around the world, Ya-Ya's has a well designed Zen Garden located in front of the teahouse.

I should also mention that for some reason people just cannot seem to resist walking through or writing in or generally molesting the manicured gravel and sand of the Zen Garden.

Last Thursday I noticed a man taking pictures of the Zen garden located in front of Ya-Ya's.


Ya-Ya's Zen Garden
(also from Ya-Ya's website)

I watched this man for a bit and privately mused about how much time would pass before this man too would disturb the Zen Garden. Sure enough, not two minutes passed before he walked over to the garden, reached down, and grabbed a handful of the pristine white sand.

I was moved by the situation and decided to take immediate action: surely some form of penitance (or Karma, in this case :-) was on order. I walked outside and kindly suggested that perhaps he would enjoy the Zen Garden more with a cup of tea in his hands.

I certainly did not expect his response to my suggestion. He said, "I have never drunk tea or coffee: I'm a vegetarian."

The man's response seemed to be such a non-sequitor I was left speechless. I was born and raised in Southern California and the concept of vegetarianism is not entirely foreign to me.

I realize vegetarians generally do not eat meat; however, I am not aware of any vegetarian restrictions on caffeine, but I could certainly be in the wrong. I did perform a cursory search in regards to vegetarianism excluding the intake of caffeine, but did not find anything which supports the man's assertion that he does not drink tea or coffee because he is a vegetarian - It was a new one on me.

Scary Face

Just One Of The Guys

The Tamaki Brothers, who operate the Maori Village and Realm of Tane Maori cultural experiences around Rotorua in the North Island, have developed their newest cultural attraction right here in our own backyard - Tamaki Heritage Experiences - adjacent to Ferrymead Heritage Park.

Yesterday the Tamaki Brothers were in Cathedral Square here in Christchurch to shoot some video and help advertise Tamaki Heritage Experiences. As part of the shoot, two Maori war parties clashed with one another while a group of concerned Pakeha (Maori for non-Maori, European, Caucasion) huddled in fear and intrepedation.



Maori Warior

After the shoot was completed, the cast handed out pamphlets about the new attraction to curious onlookers. I couldn't resist a photograph of me taken with two of the Maori warriors. As I posed for the photo one of the fierce looking wariors kindly asked me to put on my "scary face" for the camera.

Gaby and I have reservations for this Sunday evening for one of the first public performances at Tamaki Heritage Experiences! Tamaki Heritage Experiences focuses on the first meetings between the Maori and Pakeha and the impact of Pakeha upon the Maori way of life. The experience includes a reconstructed example of a Pa (Maori fortified village), live performances, and a hangi (traditional Maori meal cooked in an "earth oven").

ANZAC Day

"They shall not grow old as they that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn:
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."

-The Fourth Stanza of Lawrence Binyon's poem For the Fallen, also referred to as the Ode of Remembrance.

Anzac Day Dawn Parade held at the War Memorial on the Bridal Path Road, Heathcote Valley




Why Wear A Poppy?
by Don Crawford

"Please wear a Poppy" the Lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head
Then I stopped and watched to see how she'd fare
Her face was old and lined with care
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street
Bouncing along on carefree feet
His smile was full of joy and fun
"Lady" he said, "may I have one?"

As she pinned it on I heard him say
"Why do we wear a Poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered "This is ANZAC Day
The Poppy there is a symbol for
The gallant men who died in war
And because they did, you and I are free
That's why we wear a Poppy you see.

I had a boy about your size
With golden hair and big blue eyes
He loved to play, and jump and shout
Free as a bird he would race about
As years went on he learned and grew
And became a man, as you will too.

He was fine and strong with a boyish smile
But he seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out he went away
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said 'Goodbye
I'll be back soon so please don't cry.'

But the War went on and he had to stay
All I could do was wait and pray
His letters told of the awful flight
I can see it still in my dreams at night
With tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire
And mines and bullets, and bombs and fire.

Till at last the War was won
And that's why we wear a poppy my son"
The small boy turned as if to go
Then said "Thanks Lady, I'm glad I know"
That did sound like an awful fight
But your son, did he come alright?

A tear rolled down each faded cheek
She shook her head and didn't speak
I slunk away, head bowed in shame
And if you were with me, you'd have done the same
For our thanks in giving, is oft delayed
Though the freedom was bought, and thousands paid.

And so you see when a poppy is worn
Let us relfect on the burden borne
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace may live
Then wear a poppy, remember and give.

Cenotaph Party



Dedicated to those from Heathcote Valley who died in the service of their country: You are not forgotten.

Menacing Mantis

I found this praying mantis crawling around on the front porch this afternoon. It seems rather large at roughly 6cm in length. I have seen quite a few of these around the house (both inside and outside) and couldn't resist taking a picture of such an awesome insect.



New Zealand praying mantis - Orthodera novaezealandiae

Note the distinctive bright blue patches visible on the inside of the raptorial fore legs. Also, though a bit difficult to see in these images, the pronotum is the same width as the head. These characteristics seem to be evident in the native New Zealand praying mantis, Orthodera novaezealandiae.



Orthodera novaezealandiae

Appearently, there are only two species of mantis in New Zealand: the native Orthodera novaezealandiae and a recently introduced (ca. 1978) Springbok Mantis or South African mantis, Miomantis caffra. According to Landcare Research, Orthodera novaezealandiae occurs only in New Zealand.

According to Landcare Research, the invasive, introduced South African mantis, Miomantis caffra, which mainly occurs in the North Island, continues to spread across the country as shown here (PDF 899KB). According to An Illustrated Guide to some New Zealand Insect Families, by Elizabeth A. Grant (ISBN 0-478-09326-8), "the pronotum [of the South African mantis, Miomantis caffra] is very slender and therefore narrower than the width of the head." (pg.30) Also, according to Landcare Reasearch, the South African mantis, Miomantis caffra lacks the distintive bright blue patches on the raptorial fore legs as evident on the New Zealand mantis, Orthodera novaezealandiae.

Furthermore, according to The Penguin Natural World of New Zealand: An Encyclopedia of Our Natural Heritage by Gerard Hutching (ISBN 0 14 301925 2), even though it appears European mantid copulations frequently result in decapitation of the male by the female, this behaviour does not seem to be the habit of the New Zealand mantis, Orthodera novaezealandiae. (pg. 277)

Mig 21 On Litchfield

Last week Gaby mentioned to me in passing she had seen a Mig 21 aircraft parked on Litchfield Street in downtown Christchruch, so I grabbed my camera and went to check it out; after all, it's not everyday you get to see a Mig 21 parked on the street - unless, of course, you live in Christchurch ;-).



Typical Rush Hour Traffic

It turns out the presence of the Mig is most likely a publicity stunt advertising a recently developed section of downtown called Sol Square (Sol is a not so very creative acronym for South Of Litchfield).



Dining Al Fresco at His Lordship's Cafe and Bar

The Mig is parked along Litchfield Street at the intersection with the newly developed pedestrian throughfare called His Lordship's Lane. There are several retail stores and restaurants situated in areas that were vehicle access ways or alleyways for the old mills which once occupied the buildings.



Flying Low along Litchfield Street

The wing of the aircraft extended rather close to traffic lanes and someone thoughtfully placed a high visibility vest at the wingtip in hopes of avoiding a collision.




The General Store: Objects for Home, Presents with Attitude, Accessories for Play

When I saw the sign for The General Store I wondered what sorts of intersting things were on offer there and wandered along the lane for a closer look. Unfortunately, it didn't appear the Mig was for sale...



Mig on Litchfield Street

There did seem to be quite a few folks interested in the Mig. Maybe a few folks were actually attracted enough to walk through the newly revamped back alleys! There are several downtown areas in Christchurch which have attracted development of the old industrial areas. Unfortunately, it seems most often these interesting areas lack sufficient advertisement/attraction to draw folks into these gems. I would encourage the City of Christchurch to spend some money to make these areas more attractive to folks on the street. Many of these pedestrian alleyways have great retail potential, but sometimes people walking along the street can be a bit leery of entering these back alleys - perhaps because some of them seem reminiscent of derilect intercity areas - not exactly the sorts of places folks seek out.