Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Yellow fields
We spent the weekend in Timaru, about two and a half hours north of Dunedin, because I was leading a seminar there. Timaru is close to the southern end of the Canterbury Plain, a wide plain that stretches north and south of Christchurch. We loved the fields of rapeseed in bloom after we reached the Canterbury plain. The first photo loooks west towards the mountains, and the second photo looks east to the sea. The sea around Timaru is often very turquoise, as you can see in the second photo. It's amazing to me how turquoise the sea can be around New Zealand, even as far south as we are. These photos are taken at the same latitude south as Oregon is north, and there's no turquoise sea by Oregon, at least I've never seen that color sea there. Someone told me the sea is more turquoise in the Southern Hemisphere because the sea is more salt. Most of the rivers that dump fresh water into the ocean are in the Northern Hemisphere, so the sea here is saltier. I wonder if that's the reason.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The monument with a view
Just outside of Dunedin is a World War I monument on top of a hill with an amazing view. I was there a few months ago, without my camera, and Dave went about a month ago on a clear day to take pictures. The monument is on the Otago Peninsula, only ten minutes from the southeast corner of Dunedin. Before I show you the photos, I need to say something about the two world wars and New Zealand.
In both wars, New Zealand lost more soldiers per capita than any other country. Almost every town has a World War I monument. My own father fought in World War II, so I'm used to hearing about that war. Here it goes even deeper than anything I experienced. They lost two generations of leaders, and the people who came home from both wars were, in many cases, deeply scarred. We learned all this after we started asking why there were World War I monuments everywhere.
Now, for the photos. The first photo shows the monument, the path you walk on to get to it, and then in the background you can see the mouth of Otago Harbour to the east.
All the rest of the pictures are taken from the monument itself. This next one looks in the same direction as the previous photo, east toward the mouth of the harbour.
In the next shot, Dave turned a little to the left and is looking to the north. The harbour is very shallow, and you can see the channel that is dredged for boats to use as they come toward Dunedin, which is off to the left. Notice the sun glinting off the water. This photo was taken in the early afternoon, and the sun is to the north. One of the hardest things for me to get used to here has been the noonday sun in the northern sky.
The next photo is yet further left, to the northwest, and you can see part of Dunedin. Our house would be off to the right, outside the picture, behind a hill. And the university, where I teach, is straight ahead on the flat part of town, with downtown Dunedin to the left of the university.
The next photo is a little bit further to the left, looking west to Dunedin. That pointed hill in the background is Saddle Hill. We used to be able to see it from our rental house, which is on the top of that ridge in the foreground in front of Saddle Hill.
Turning further to the left, looking west and a little bit south, the next photo shows a the part of Dunedin that is closest to the beach. In the background you can see the coastline heading further south.
Turning further to the left, and looking south, there's the ocean stretching out toward Antarctica, about 1500 miles away.
A turn to the left again, and you'd be looking back out to the mouth of the Harbour.
In both wars, New Zealand lost more soldiers per capita than any other country. Almost every town has a World War I monument. My own father fought in World War II, so I'm used to hearing about that war. Here it goes even deeper than anything I experienced. They lost two generations of leaders, and the people who came home from both wars were, in many cases, deeply scarred. We learned all this after we started asking why there were World War I monuments everywhere.
Now, for the photos. The first photo shows the monument, the path you walk on to get to it, and then in the background you can see the mouth of Otago Harbour to the east.
All the rest of the pictures are taken from the monument itself. This next one looks in the same direction as the previous photo, east toward the mouth of the harbour.
In the next shot, Dave turned a little to the left and is looking to the north. The harbour is very shallow, and you can see the channel that is dredged for boats to use as they come toward Dunedin, which is off to the left. Notice the sun glinting off the water. This photo was taken in the early afternoon, and the sun is to the north. One of the hardest things for me to get used to here has been the noonday sun in the northern sky.
The next photo is yet further left, to the northwest, and you can see part of Dunedin. Our house would be off to the right, outside the picture, behind a hill. And the university, where I teach, is straight ahead on the flat part of town, with downtown Dunedin to the left of the university.
The next photo is a little bit further to the left, looking west to Dunedin. That pointed hill in the background is Saddle Hill. We used to be able to see it from our rental house, which is on the top of that ridge in the foreground in front of Saddle Hill. 
Turning further to the left, looking west and a little bit south, the next photo shows a the part of Dunedin that is closest to the beach. In the background you can see the coastline heading further south.
Turning further to the left, and looking south, there's the ocean stretching out toward Antarctica, about 1500 miles away.
A turn to the left again, and you'd be looking back out to the mouth of the Harbour.
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