I once had a conversation with an Australian woman about the nature of Kiwi’s, “They’re more British than the British she said.” Now, asking an Australian to define the nature of a Kiwi (or vice versa) is never recommended, and you shouldn’t expect an unbiased answer, but in the case of Christchurch …she may have been on to something.
If you stepped into a transporter and were told you were being dropped into say, Oxford England but ended up in Christchurch, it may take you a while to put things together. There’s a huge Gothic cathedral in the middle of town, most of the buildings are appropriately quaint, there are wonderful hedgerows all over. In fact they may be doing England better than the English. It’s like visiting a Disney version of England on the Canterbury Plains.
To that end, they’ve removed all of the mountains! There are no mountains here, unlike everywhere else we’ve been in New Zealand. Sure they say it’s the effect of a huge geological shift in continental plates, induction zones and all that, but I know better. They just wanted to simulate the English countryside a little more accurately.
A telling sign of the Disney influence is the fact that there are street performers everywhere! Everywhere I tel ya. I defy you to walk through a public place – the City Center or a pedestrian mall without being entertained by a mime, juggler or performance artist. Surely part of this is due to the fact that we’re here during the start of the World Buskers Festival, a festival of and for street performers from all over the world, but that can’t explain it all away.
All in all, good on ya for Christchurch Kiwi’s! You deserve a big slap on the back and a pint.