Mothers Day in a Blizzard in Christchurch

Sunday May 9, 2010- What a beautiful bright sunny day! In the morning we took a spectacular walk through the near-by Botanical Gardens. People here like to walk and be outside, even the children. The trees and flowers were on full dazzling display. Here are just a few examples.
After the walk, we visited the weekend market at the Arts Center, packed with local arts and crafts, street performers, and food stalls. Also on the site is a small interactive museum dedicated to Sir Earnest Rutherford, the kiwi Nobel prize winning nuclear physicist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He studied here when it was Canterbury College, and his lecture rooms and lab space has been re-created. He did a lot to discover the structure of the atom and how to split it. My favorite quote from the exhibit was something to the effect (and I paraphrase) "If you can't explain your theory to a char-woman, you don't really understand it".
We then drove out to near the airport to enjoy the Antarctic Centre, which calls itself "The World's Best Antarctic Attraction". I cannot confirm or deny that claim. The Centre is associated with the campus for both the US and NZ Antarctic endeavors. The flights into their base camps on the continent begin here. It is part Disneyland, part science. This is where the blizzard comes in. They have a special room that simulates an arctic storm with temperatures with wind chill down to -18' C, an experience they describe as "exchillerating" (something Fayne might disagree with). Of course there were also more blue penguins (rescue birds all), an aquarium with antarctic sea life, and a spectacular 17 minute film. It was worth the visit.
The day was capped off by meeting Paula Cohen's brother David and his wife Susan. They have lived here for ten years, and it was wonderful to get to know them a bit. We had dinner at a very nice restaurant where their son Avi works before going off soon to study in Europe for a while. Paula had tipped off David that I had referred to him in a previous post, but he took it in stride. Overall, a fitting end to Mothers Day in New Zealand, and Happy M D to all you mothers at home.