Trust Me, I Have a Plan

Monday, July 25, 2011

Christchurch Snow Day July 25 2011

An amazing amount of snow fell in Christchurch from Sunday night to Monday afternoon. According to some news reports, it was the most amount of snow to fall in 10 years. The university closed for the day, so I spent time at home writing and taking pictures.

Sunday Night

Early Monday Morning

Front Entrance of House

Side Yard

The amount of snow on top of the table is evidence of the heeps of snow that fell.

Neighbourhood Snowman Replete with Carrot

Snow Fort with Fallen Limbs

Cabbage Tree and Snow

One Very Snowy Garden

Snow Kiwi

Pukeko in Snow

Sunday, July 24, 2011

John Key Visits POLS 103 Class

John Key, the New Zealand Prime Minister, spoke to the POLS 103 class July 14, 2011. The Right Honourable John Key opened by telling the students that it was a great time to be a young person in New Zealand and that their futures held great opportunities due to globalization and the strong position New Zealand holds in the world. Topics discussed by NZ PM included: the economic crises across the world, the US debt-ceiling crisis, the NZ budget, monetary policy, the problem of small parties in MMP electoral systems, the Christchurch earthquake recovery, and his duties as PM. Following his talk he opened the floor to questions from the students. Questions posed by the students ranged from the capital gains tax to gay marriage.

PM Key discusses the importance of domestic economic health in times of international economic crises.

jazz hand

PM Key discusses economic stimulation in Christchurch.

Monday, June 20, 2011

More Pictures from Akaroa

Below are pictures from the Harbor Tour I took with Anna, Rachel, and Sarah earlier this month.

Our tour was run by Akaroa Dolphins. L-R: Sarah, Rachel and Anna

Our skipper Murphy

It was a sunny, brisk day. I wonder if the fellow in the shorts rethought his wardrobe choice as we headed out of the harbor. L-R: shorts fellow, one of our guides, hooded person, and Sarah

The New Zealand flag

We saw several Hector's dolphins. Hector's dolphins are only found in New Zealand. The are the second rarest dolphins in the world. The rarest dolphins, Maui dolphins, are found off the coasts of the North Island.

Anna

During severe storms, the waves completely cover the hole in the bedrock.

Back to the present day... I am back to work and blogging after our latest swarm of aftershocks on 13 June 2011. Unfortunately, the grading elves did not visit and grade my tests. My office was remarkably tidy for the size shakes we had. Below are two pictures.

If you look closely, there is a picture of the intact Christchurch Cathedral on the right.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Doves in Takamatua

I took a wonderful trip to Akaroa today with Anna, Rachel and Sarah. We had a grand time eating pies, touring the harbour, and walking around the town. We saw several shags, fur seals, and hector dolphins. On our way back to Christchurch we stopped in Takamatua at a farm. The farm is owned by Anna's friends. It was absolutely lovely. I would love to live there - ah, if only those numbers would come up. Below are pictures of the resident flock of doves.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

First in the Don't Let "Fill-in-the-Blank" Kill Your Kids Campaign

As I walked to the bus station the other day, I noticed a very odd ad on the bus stop billboard. At first, I thought I had misread the sign. A second look confirmed what I initially thought I read: don't let nana kill your kids. After closer inspection, I found the ad warns people of the dangers of unattended cooking not homicidal grandmothers - which I am happy to report is not an epidemic in NZ. Evidence that I am not pulling your leg is contained in the photograph below. It the first ad in the series I call the Don't Let "Fill-in-the-Blank" Kill Your Kids Campaign. I saw another in the series yesterday and will post a picture soon.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Pictures of the Cathedral from December 2010

Below are some pictures of the Christchurch Cathedral before the tower collapsed in the February 22, 2011 earthquake. I took the photos with my phone while I read at an Irish Pub next to the Christchurch Cathedral December 12, 2010.

It was a very lovely day, I look forward to sitting next to the Cathedral again.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Return to the Office

The English Building, home of the Political Science Department, reopened for business Monday morning. It is great to be back in my office.

View from my Office

This is what my office looked like when I opened the door on Monday morning. The quake moved the desks slightly and sent some of the items stored on the shelf to the floor. Overall, it was in great shape.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Pictures from Christchurch's Red Zone and the Surrounding Areas

When I restarted my blog last week, I decided that I was not going to have a quake-centric blog. I don't want each entry of my blog filled with pictures of something that was destroyed in the quake, examples of liquefaction, or raised sidewalks. I prefer to focus on the brighter side of my second home and the rebuilding of the garden city. However, after my walk around the red zone, I thought I would share a few pictures. I consider myself very lucky that all my friends in Christchurch are well and unscathed by the quake and its devastation.

Anna, Sarah, Snowy (Anna's dog), and I took a long walk around the parameter of the red zone with a few detours down adjacent streets this past Saturday. It was striking how much area the red zone covers. The task of rebuilding Christchurch is monumental.

Before rebuilding begins, over 900 buildings must be demolished in the Central Business District. On Friday, 13 May, The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, CERA, gave notice to owners of dangerous buildings announcing they had 10 days to submit a demolition plan. If the owners do not respond within that time frame, CERA will take over the demolition and bill the property owners.