Himalayas Himalayas Himalayas getting back to normal

Great news for lovers of Indian at it’s Best. Himalayas is preparing for a return to its original site, hoping to be open in a new building around the end of Jan or early Feb.


Getting our favourite Indian back within our 2 minute walk limit – gets a big tick from us!


JD (co-owner) dropped in yesterday with the good news and Aman (co-owner) came to see us today with some new menus and the latest news. According to them, the land under Himalayas Restaurant and the next door Pretty Things dress maker (before that it was a shop selling yesteryear items) is to be cleared and rebuilt. At this stage Himalayas is planning to have a wider street frontage but it’s still to be confirmed. Until then, Himalayas is happily providing takeaways and deliveries (no dine in) from 101 Main North Rd., Papanui. They will happily deliver after 5pm to almost anywhere in Christchurch.


JD and Aman have built up a restaurant with a reputation for good quality Indian food and so we were shattered to loose them from our list of recommended restaurants after the 4 Sept. quake. It was heartbreaking to see the glasses with the yellow serviettes sitting undamaged on the tables amongst the destruction that nature had wrought on us. This typified Christchurch’s disaster with some parts left untouched but others so close to ruins. We were buoyed soon after the quake when a “Reopening Soon” sign was up in the window and we are wrapped to hear that plans are in place for a reopening and getting back to normal. Yes, having great Indian food within 2 minutes walk is one measurement of normal!

 No doubt it’s been a tough 3 months for Aman and JD but they have stuck at it and not given up on their dream to establish a great Indian restaurant in Christchurch. So we say thanks for staying round, for taking the hit but standing tall and proud! Well done guys, your menus will be back in the room compendiums tomorrow and we look forward to getting some great Indian in the next few days!


Need your curry now? Call 377 8935 (deliveries from 5pm till late)

Our photo won!

 

Many thanks to all those who “liked” our entry in the TIA (Tourism Industry Association) Photo Competition.  We won!

Our photo has been selected to be the picture for September in next year’s calendar.  Very timely with the Rugby World Cup starting in that month!

The photo is of mr11 warming up for a game in the mist at Hagley Park one cold winter’s morning.  It was Naomi who was standing in the cold slowly freezing when she took the photo.  Our photo received a total of 57 votes.

So a really big thanks to everyone who supported our photo, our motel and Christchurch & Canterbury.  The biggest thanks goes to the older generation, who battled on to discover just how to “like” our photo (including us!!).  Be proud and happy - you’re now ready for next time and also ready to compete with the younger “click click click Facebook” generation who always give you THAT look when you ask how to do something online.

Anyone want a calendar??

How many friends do we really have?

It’s times like these you find out just how many real friends you have and it looks like we do not have that many.

We kind of knew that we are in the lower level of “friendliness,” meaning that while we don’t have a multitude of friends, we’re not in the single digits either.  49 people like our CentrePoint on Colombo Facebook page, Naomi Peters has 52 friends and Jeff Peters has 21 friends.  On Twitter there are 275 followers of our English account and 100 of our Japanese account.  So yes, we are low level friendly people, we thought.

But we are unsure if we are even that high up the “friendly” scale after seeing the number of votes for our Tourism Industry Assn. photo competition entry.  At time of writing, only 20 people have liked our entry despite our efforts to make our campaign go viral.  We have Tweeted, it’s on Facebook, we ask all our guests to log on and like it and have sent postcards to Aunties and Uncles.  We even asked mr15 to spread the word to his many “friends” but that was voted down – looks like we’re not cool enough (again).

Every year TIA has a photo competition to choose the next year’s calendar’s pics.  We entered one that Naomi took of mr11 warming up for a rugby game in Hagley Park one cold winters morning.  We made the finals, and now the last 12 (1 for each month) are decided by Facebook vote.  Easy, we thought! We’ll just get our multitude of friends to vote for us – but after 4 days we have just 20 likes.

So, what’s the problem here? Are our friends are not that friendly after all? Is the photo just not that likeable? Or are people having trouble with the double “like” process that is necessary to vote on TIA’s Facebook page? (first you have to like the TIA Facebook page and then the photo itself.) Or is our feeble attempt at viral marketing just that – feeble.

Time, and the number of votes will tell just how friendly we are no doubt. Voting closes 25 Nov. so click on this link and vote for your favorite photo - hopefully it will be ours! 

The Day New Zealand came to Christchurch 2

The smallest number in this blog is 1, the biggest is 17.5 million, and there’s lots other great numbers in between.

6 weeks ago it started with a single text message after a 7.1 earthquake and today it ended with 124,000 Cantabs (1/3 of Christchurch’s population) enjoying 9 hours of continuous music from 29 acts and $17.5 million being raised from all over NZ for the disaster relief at the biggest ever concert to be held in New Zealand.


Band Together was a free concert organized by NZ musicians for some light relief for Cantabs after the 4 September quake. Jeff, Naomi and mr 11 went but mr 15 found his own way there and back. Jeff’s Mum handled the motel which was much appreciated.


Jeff headed off at 8.30 to get seat space and relaxed till others arrived. The music started on time and was a who’s who of NZ music. The depth that has developed in NZ music over the last 3 years is quite incredible and it really showed today. The last 2 acts were good but definitely old-school NZ music and Dave Dobbin’s act really struggled to keep pace with the newer talent on display.


124,000 earthquake victims were treated to a wonderful cultural display. The logistics were incredibly well managed, the whole concert it was all done to clockwork using 2 stages side by side. That so many acts could keep time is probably unheard of in the music industry and no doubt due to the event wide alcohol ban – and that appeared to include the singers. In the crowd close to us, yes we did see wine confiscated. Good idea but sober people don’t dance much.


We were also visited by Mayor Bob Parker and Christchurch’s own John Key Prime Minister.


So thanks NZ for coming to Cristchurch for the day, it was good. Tomorrow we get back to getting Christcurch back to what it was.

Ron Mueck Exhibition at Christchurch Art Gallery

I was alone in the room with Wild Man – a magic moment I hope everyone also has the chance to experience, but I doubt it because there will no doubt be a long queue of people lining up to see this true to life exhibition.

I am not one to actively visit exhibitions although the pre-hype and an invite from the Christchurch Art Gallery got me to the preview one day before the opening and I was not disappointed. And after so much destruction around the city, and the venue being the Civil Defence Head Quarters after the 4 Sept. earthquake it’s great to see the Art gallery being an art gallery. The Art Gallery gets a thumbs up from me for organising this exhibition which is only being shown here.

Ron Mueck is an intensely private person said Neil, my guide to about ½ of the exhibition whom had met Ron only days before when he was in Christchurch for the exhibition preparation. Yet, despite his quest for privacy, Mueck allows his inner self to be shared in this exhibition including the sculpture of his deceased father complete with Ron’s own bodily hairs and an in-depth video presentation of how this exhibition came about. This, the lack of physical barriers in the gallery and the raw power of the expressions that Mueck has captured means the visitor is enveloped in the exhibition rather than being a mere viewer.

From the larger than life Pregnant Woman, In Bed and Wild Man to the minute yet intricate Youth, Two Women and Woman with Sticks, Mueck has created a surreal yet intimate world that will make you want to turn away with embarrassment. But don’t, along with expression of raw emotion is also the technical brilliance – these were all made, hair by hair, pimple by pimple by the artist. I recommend walking through the exhibition 3 times to soak up the artistic, emotional and technical aspects of this most wonderful exhibition.

Exhibition at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu - 2 October 2010 to 23 January 2011. Book your Christchurch accommodation at CentrePoint on Colombo Motel.

The Gallery says the graphic material may not be suitable for everyone.

The day New Zealand came to Christchurch

A big Shout Out to Television New Zealand!


It could be said that never before has Cathedral Square been so crowded. A lot of people go for the New Year concert but this was standing room only, shoulder to shoulder – packed.

TVNZ made the decision to move the Auckland based morning show “Breakfast” to Christchurch for Breakfast for Canterbury on 24 Sep. – a way to show solidarity with and give strength to those devastated by the Sep. 4 quake.

Both our sons (T2 and T1) were keen to go and so we headed off just after 6.30am. We entered an already crowded Square to which only more bodies were added. The area in front of the Cathedral was given over to the TVNZ programme and Paul Henry, broadcasting personality of the year this year, Pippa Wetzel, Tamati Coffey and Corin Dan lead a plethora of personaities including The Wizard, Crusaders Coach Todd Blackadder, and members of the Canterbury Rugby Team etc. etc. During the add breaks we were entertained by such local acts as Stella, Kids of 88 and The Feelers. It was good.

Also present were Prime Minister John Key, earthquake reconstruction minister Gerry Brownlee and Mayor Bob Parker. At one stage they and 2 others were in the middle of the set talking away animatedly, don’t know what they were talking about but it did add to the whole feel good atmosphere.

And just the fact that the whole of New Zealand had come to Canterbury this day was indeed something special was evident in the intense yet jovial, excited yet serious feeling enveloping the crowd. While the odd bunch of school girls added some colour in their own way there was not an over supply of exultation in the crowd. More than anything, everyone was pleased to have something so special to take their minds off the reality and they were happy that New Zealand had come to Christchurch for 3 hours. Thank you TVNZ.


What makes New Zealand such a great place? Read this and find out.


We went to the Square, T1 on his bike and Naomi, Jeff and T2 went on foot. We got close to the front and while I could see, T2 was stuck in his 130cm low hole, surrounded by adult bums and backs. But he was keen to get to the front to do something to be able to say “I was there.” He did get an autograph card and managed to get several signatures but other than that spent most of the time reading clothing labels. Today was the last day of the school term and so we couldn’t wait round till the end at 9 and so started to head home when T2 said, “lets go backstage.” Reluctantly I said, “OK,” and we walked past patrolling police officers to the barriers. What we found was Prime Minister John Key reading an official looking briefing paper – no doubt about Canterbury reconstruction! Took a couple of photos of our boss hard at work but then he put it down and wandered over to where we were.

After talking to another person John was right in front of us and so I asked can we get a photograph?” “Sure,” said John and I got out the camera, “is that the new iphone4,” asked John and I replied “yes.” He asked me how it was and I think I may have said something like that it was bloody good! We took the photo, shook his hand and I thanked him for coming down here today and for all the help he was giving Canterbury. T2 then found a local act, Kids of 88 that had played live and is making a name for themselves and got a photo with them – he was just so happy.

It is this kind of spontaneity – being able to meet, chat with and take a photo with the Prime Minister or a Popstar that sums up how great life is in New Zealand. And no matter how much the earth moves, it can’t take this away from us.

Christchurch photos after earthquake week 2

Photos from post quake Christchurch. See our previous blogs for news about how Christchurch is well on the road to recovery!


CentrePoint on Colombo Motel is open for business.


A lot has happened recently, destruction and reconstruction, here’s some of it in photos;


We lost our beloved Canterbury Cheesemongers, our hearts go out to Martin and Sarah (we hope they find a new shop soon) and all the other small businesses which have been forced out of business after the quake.

On day 6 the punting resumed and then on day 7 the Tram was running and playing chess in the Square was possible.

On a positive note, we were in Cathedral Square to see the Rugby World Cup 2011 countdown clock go 52 Weeks 0 Days 0 Hours 0 Minutes. One year to GO!

Road closures round the city made the city eerily quiet and deserted, and we feel for the business owners who are on the wrong side of the barriers.

It is still not certain if the MLC building, the tallest building in Christchurch when built in 1906 and a true beauty of a structure, will be saved.

When I was out and about, then cordons were relaxed close to 6pm and I was able to photograph the start of TVNZ news on Friday 10 September.

To make the city safe, cleanup continued into the darker hours of the evening.

Amongst all the despair, some parts of the city just kept on being Christchurch and the blooms of the season added colour and beauty.

The unfortunate demolition of buildings means that photos can be taken from previously unseen angles. This was the Asko Furniture building on the corner of Victoria and Salisbury Sts. And also the site of Canterbury Cheesemongers.

The Arts Centre received damage that will take years and millions of dollars to repair and while is currently being patched up, parts of it are still operating including the cafes, restaurants and the Court Theatre!

And remember there is always time to walk to the Botanical Gardens to get some quality time!