Local Expert
Liz Lewis
Liz is a freelance travel, health, and lifestyle writer. Having lived various places in the world (Hawaii, Crete, California, Germany, and Saudi Arabia), Liz now resides in New Zealand.
But living in…
Liz is a freelance travel, health, and lifestyle writer. Having lived various places in the world (Hawaii, Crete, California, Germany, and Saudi Arabia), Liz now resides in New Zealand.
But living in such a remote location has not stopped Liz from continuing to roam the world (real and cyperspace) in search of new and exciting adventures to experience and document.
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Air New Zealand is looking for bald heads to use for their new advertising campaign. They are seeking people willing to provide cranial billboards to advertise Air New Zealands new check-in system. Those chosen will have henna tattoos on the back of their heads for a couple of weeks and will be required to stand in lines in one of the country's three main airports.
Could be a way for travelers or locals to make a quick dollar or two. Those chosen will be given NZ$1000.
So if you're in Christchurch tomorrow (Tuesday 16 September), are folically challenged or willing to be, then head over to Victoria Square for the casting call. There will be barbers, free music, drinks, and a BBQ.
The two week Body Festival is due to arrive in Christchurch later this month, with over 20 events and 60 workshops to keep pretty much everyone amused.
It starts on 26th September with an attempt to break the world record in the largest synchronised dance. This event will be held in Cathedral Square and should be something to see. It's going to be led by the Real Hot Bitches, a 1980's lycra-clad dance troupe, who will be rallying the masses to dance Bon Jovi's 'Shot Through the Heart'. For anyone wanting to take part, there will be tuition and a rehearsal before the record breaking attempt goes live at 7pm.
Other events include speed dancing, a dancer's answer to speed dating, on October 12th at Sol Square in town. Sounds like a win for all the singles out there.
For the less active there will be a series of films on dance at the Christchurch Art Gallery (Oct 1, 4, and 5). And for the more adventerous, the gallery will also have a move-me.com booth where you can make your own dance video - sort of kareoke for dancers.
For more information check out the Body Festival site.
Festival will be running at various venues around Christchurch from 26th September to 12th October 2008.
The Christchurch Art Gallery is host to a Laurence Aberhart exhibit until 12 October 2008. Laurence Aberhart is one of New Zealand's foremost photographers, creating images steeped in history. Using a 100 year old camera, Aberhart's photographs portray the monuments, facades, and interiors at the heart of New Zealand's landscape.
The Christchurch Writers Festival is being held from 5 to 7 September at the Christchurch Town Hall. Three top writers -legendary war correspondent Robert Fisk (Lebanon/UK), Xinran Xue (China /UK) and Kate Atkinson (UK) - are headlining the festival of over twenty international and forty New Zealand writers that will be participating in seminars, workshops, and panels.
Download the Full Writers Festival Programme here.
The annual Christchurch Primary Schools Cultural Festival is on from 18th August to 22nd August at the Christhchurch Town Hall. Featuring multicultural performances by over 60 primary and intermediate schools, the Cultural Festival hopes to celebrate cultural diversity. There's music, performances, a visual and Wearable Art Exhibition and Pageant.
The Cultural Festival has been running for the past twenty-seven years, with each year getting stronger, livelier and more colorful.
Evening concerts run Monday 18 to Thursday 21 August at 7pm. Daytime matinees are on Wednesday 20, Thursday 21 and Friday 22 August at 12.30pm. Tickets are available at Ticketek.
I was walking along Worchester Boulevard the other day and spied a couple old Red Telephone boxes. I'd walked past them for years without thought, but having recently read an article by The Wizard of Christchurch about ‘The Telephone Wars' they caught my eye.
Very few of the old red telephone boxes still exist. But those that survived only did so through the determination and persistence of the Wizard. Back in 1988, Telecom (the country's only telecommunications service) decided to paint all the traditional red telephone boxes pale blue. There over 500 of them and by the time Telecom had painted 90 of them blue, the Wizard was seeing red and organized a campaign of ‘historic restoration by direct action'.
Targeting the now blue telephone box besides Captain Scott's statue opposite the then Christchurch Visitors Center, the Wizard repainted it red.
Telecom repainted it blue.
The Wizard repainted it red.
And so it went on...until Telecom backed down.
The telephone boxes remained red, but it turned out the Telecom was planning on removing all the boxes by the end of the year and replacing them with modern plastic boxes. So it was a bittersweet victory at best.
But the ‘Telephone Box Wars' have not been forgotten. Sitting alongside the tram stop outside the Christchurch Arts Center is a traditional Red Telephone Box.
Don't believe me ... come see for yourself.