Ferrymead - A Glimpse of the Past

Ferrymead Heritage Park. A bit like MOTAT in Auckland but less crowded and a great place to reflect on life as it used to be. Simpler.

hehe - not so old - a bit of my everyday in Wellington until just a couple of years ago

Are we who we think we are ?

These arrived in the mail.

We spat in them and sent them back.

Wonder what matches will be found - and what surprises too ?

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

Gondola ? Cable Car ?

When I think of a gondola I imagine a boat on a canal in Venice. Why then are the little bubble glass carriages that transport loads of tourists and locals up the sides of hills in Queenstown, Christchurch and Rotorua also called gondola ? Whatever the reason, they are a great way to get up and down a steep hill and to enjoy the scenery as you go and from the top.

We decided to go one frosty clear morning to see what it was all about. It was a beautiful day, with clear skies - but hazy, probably caused by the city slowly thawing from the hard frost earlier.

It's worth the trip if you are in Christchurch and have the time. A 20 minute wait for hot drinks at the cafe was a bit hard to swallow, but at least we were told when we ordered and weren't left wondering if they had forgotten our order.

Actually Freezing

The Camellias are all bursting into shades of pink and red in the garden and there is the promise of Spring in other plants too. Bulbs are peeking through the cold soil and some even flowering. The Magnolia and Rhododendron have buds waiting for just the right time to surprise us and the cherry trees have wee buds growing on their bare branches. But it is still REALLY cold. There have been bone chilling frosts and even some snow - though only a dusting which just looked like frost and was gone by mid morning.

Glad this was a Saturday and not a rubbish collection morning - touching that handle would not be a great start to anybody's day.

Heavy dew, clear nights, great sunsets

Winter is here, air temperatures have been very fridge like. But, there is still more sunshine than I am used to for winter; hardly any rain, and not much promise of snow. What is with  that ? Winter in South Island - I thought - would bring more of these things - not just way colder temperatures.

...and the months keep marching by, bringing decision time closer and closer.