Fire and Water

It was a wonderful weekend. Porter was finally over his ear infection and the weather decided it was summer.

Saturday, we headed off to the beach for a stroll and to feed the seagulls. Porter thinks this is quite fun. It was one of those days that the waves were raging and people were out surfing. However, this little boy of mine did not care how scary the waves were; he was heading straight for it. After some time of chasing him and bringing him back to safety, I thought we would spend the rest of the day inland.

That evening, we went to “Light up the Leafy Night”. It is held in Hagley Park for the kids…well, I think the kids and the adults enjoyed it equally. They lit up the trees, had fire dancers, mazes, and sound effects. It was quite spooky at some times, too! Porter enjoyed watching the fire dancers but I think the darkness got to him when we strolled around the park. He’ll enjoy it much more next year when he can hold his own torch (flashlight)…they call a flashlight a torch down here.

On Sunday, we spent some time at the kids Discovery Museum. Porter finally discovered the fish tank and made sure everyone knew he had found it!

Looking South

Looking North

The seagulls were hungry!

Run Porter!

He will catch a bird...he will!

The grass is so tall!

Fire Dancers

More Fire Dancing

Tree acrobatics

I love the winter flowers

Butterfly room

These were as big as my hand!

The knot hole looks like a face..spooky.

I captured an orb...super spooky!

Discovery

Orange Tree

This weekend, we ventured out into the city and saw some sights. The photo on the right is of an “orange tree”. While most of the decorations on the tree have come down, it was done up in “safety” orange to mimic/pay tribute to all the workers that have come to Christchurch to help rebuild.

We also toured the grounds of the Museum and found the boat shops. It was a bit cold so they weren’t too popular but we MUST revisit when it is warmer. Then, we wandered into the Museum. What a sight! There was so much to look at and do that we didn’t have time to see it all. However, there is a children’s discovery area that we HAD to go to; this must be the coolest learning area, ever. Porter was completely enamored with the stairs because they had different textures. He wanted to go up and down the stairs for about an hour. Once he decided he had mastered the stairs, he decided to have a look around at everything else. 

"no, no, wait. Stop, you're killing me!" lol

Once again, we stopped at Willowbank. This time, I gave Porter the opportunity to get out of his buggy and walk around. I don’t think there was a bird in the place that wasn’t fearful for their life! However, the Clydesdale put him in his place. 

Look at those teeth!

Work to be done

Peacock Fountain

Museum Grounds

Museum

There is actually a fort inside the tree for kids to play

Creepy Scarecrow

Boat Shops

creepy!

Worst Nightmare

T-Rex

Porter with the T-Rex shirt to match the dinosaurs

Socks?

Porter is unsure about walking on the glass

So many places to look at and explore!

Canned vegetables? I don't think so.

It was hard for me to get a head-on photo cuz he was everywhere!

Holding my hand :-)

A drawer full of butterflies

A drawer full of gross things!

Fish Tank

Canned fruit???

"oh my, I don't know where to go next!"

Old Expedition vehicle

I love the old bridges here!

Snoozing ducks

Pheasant

New Zealand otters having fun

Ring-tailed lemurs

These chickens are glad there is a fence!

He's bound to catch a bird!

I think he has one cornered.

Kea

The Kea is close!

Beautiful tree on the Museum grounds.