What a glorious day! Shining sun, clear skies. Even today's meeting was zero stress. I feel so good. I'm properly 100% relaxed for the first time in months.
...
Naomi and I checked out Kobe in King's St Wharf last night which was really cool. Service was a little slow because they were very busy, but we didn't care; we weren't in any rush. Food and drink was very good. So much to choose from but unfortunately the Sobe beef was out of stock - especially a shame since they describe it as better than Wagyu. I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see to confirm that one.
Today was another great day. Sitting down at Ball's Head with views of the bridge and Opera House in the sun. Simply fantastic.
Oh, and Jenny (my sister) passed her portfolio with flying colours :)
Liquidity
Well, here's the second in hopefully a long trait of blog posts. First, I'm not a food critic and I don't pretend to be - just someone who records where they enjoyed having a meal.
Had dinner this evening in Liquidity at the water's edge in the centre of Christchurch. An old building with modern exterior and interior styling; the setting could not have been more beautiful and relaxing as the sun set. The outdoor heating included a fantastic gas fire place in the middle of the outdoor area made perfect by a glass of fantastic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
The food was simply divine and very well proportioned. Tenderly cooked swordfish in a very light but flavoursome Teriyaki sauce. Followed by a porcini chicken on bed of pumpkin salad perfectly flavoured by garlic and (get this) olives. I actually enjoyed the flavour the olives gave to the meal - a tough feat.
Service was incredibly pleasant and relaxed. Note, the menu says to let the staff know if you're in a hurry - no-one seems to be in Christchurch.
To summarise; food was superb, the setting was perfect with very pleasant table service. I really, truly, thoroughly enjoyed this place.
An evening in Christchurch
Arrived in Christchurch in my funky refurbished apartment ...er... motel room. Yes, I said motel room and my first reaction to that word is somewhere crossed between Norman Bates and Earl Hickey.
But surprisingly, really surprisingly, this place is really nice. It's brand new and kitted out with good quality, swanky furniture and fixtures. Everything is sleek, white or silver and very clean. I really like it. The only thing that reminds me where I am is entering and leaving the place, the occasional whiz of speeding cars down the main road, the clumsy neighbour who seems intent on putting his or her head through the wall.
Still, Brian - the owner - is incredibly friendly and helpful. Fyffe's on Riccarton is a good spot and deserves it's 4+ Qualmark rating though if I was visiting Christchurch myself, I'd probably head a little closer to the city centre. Having said that, it is only 5 km out.
I decided to go a run in my new Nike Air's because I'm like a kid at Christmas. That and being cooped up in a plane for the guts of a day meant I needed out and about. I only saw the memorial bridge and some of the restaurants by the river, but what I saw looked very nice and relaxed as I panted past the sights.
A young English fella stopped me looking for a supermarket - I can't remember an Aussie or Kiwi ever calling Cole's or Woolies a supermarket...
Anyway, when running, it occurred to me that I travel a lot and visit a lot of hotels and restaurants but never record any of the details. Perhaps I should.
So, based on tonight's escapades, I highly recommend the McDonalds on Riccarton just West of the mall; it's uniquely similar to every other McDonald's except with bored Kiwi kids in it. ;0)
Something else I spotted that Dan Le Changé would love. An Indian restaurant called "Arjee Barjee"!
Which reminds me .. my OneNote Mobile has a few things worth blogging...
Sitting in Auckland airport...
I remember the first time I was here. Very early morning with a number of other UK travellers whose day had become night, evening had become morning, in a hazy, delirious, sleep-deprived state surrounded by the neon orange glow of the lounge. But that was now nearly four years ago...
Well, it's been a while since I last blogged personally (not that I've blogged much professionally either recently for that matter) but it's also been a while since I've had the time to have the inclination.
Any free time I've had has either been spent sleeping or thinking of sleeping - it's good to have the space. Though, being perfectly honest, I'm absolutely shattered. Just off a three hour flight from Sydney to Auckland and having to jump on another plane to Christchurch.
I currently have a very active appreciation why frequent travellers are more susceptible to psychotic episodes. Fight Club is personified.
In spite of this and the single-serving friends, I have reason to be optimistic, if not outright excited.
I've never been to Christchurch. This is a new city for me. New places to eat out. New people to meet, undoubtedly with different outlooks on life. Another city to try and find a good running route in. A city to try running in a decent pair of trainers! It will be interesting.
The funny thing is though, that I think the only reason I'm blogging is that I'm sitting at the slowly filling gate without Internet access, noting my thoughts via Live Writer to publish later. The truth is, as much as I love the Internet, I have to pry myself away from its never-ending depths. I get easily lost in it, consumed with task lists, research, learning and always trying to achieve more for myself - almost to the point of burnout. The blessed curse, the poisoned chalice, the "double-edged sword" if you will :) Yes, I use the buzzwords part in jest, part in a bid to maintain my sanity. Anyway, that's a thought for another day.
It is fascinating how different the experience is when you've a Gold card. Qantas could not do enough for me on the other side of the Tasman. Here, within seconds of chatting to Air New Zealand I'm being dictated to, forced to handover my hand luggage and with no option or choice of seat. I am suddenly another statistic again. A customer to be tolerated, not embraced. When you travel frequently, you think having a Gold card isn't that much better - you're still herded and tiredness is tiredness.
But the contempt is more noticeable from those members of staff on pseudo-Nazi power trips of their very limited authority. I'm sure many will take umbrage at my comments and to be perfectly fair, I completely empathise because every flight has some joker who thinks he doesn't have to put his seat back up or turn off his phone or - as in my case - hand over his hand-luggage because he flies frequently... Funnily, in all my flights, I've yet to see a defiant women - I find that very curious.
Of course, my first experience of Air New Zealand (and subsequent ones till now) were somewhat different with a couple of hundred thousand Star Alliance points in hand. How it changes.
Now all that awaits me at the gate is the unfortunate family with the screaming children, followed by the inevitable announcements of delayed flights, keeping an eye on your bags for security reasons, making sure you've only one piece of hand baggage before the rabble finally rushes at the ground staff to scan their boarding card, repeatedly getting in each other's personal space while apologetically placing our belongings in the overhead compartments and await another pre-flight safety demonstration. Calm as Hindu cows.
The irony is, I still love flying. And yes, my flight has just been announced as delayed. Some things are simply not worth worrying about.
Christchurch, here we come.
