Lyrical Sunday Theme (Week 12): My home town (supporting Blog4NZ)

From 21-23 March people are ‘blogging for New Zealand‘ to let the world know that the recent earthquake in Christchurch hasn’t stopped New Zealand from being ‘open for business’! You can follow people’s contributions on Blog4NZ or via ‘Blog for New Zealand on Facebook‘.

With this in mind we’ve set this week’s Lyrical Sunday theme as ‘My home town‘. Charlotte and I will be writing a poems about Wellington. We hope you will join in and write a poem about your home-town. Please link up on Sunday 27 March – or anytime next week.

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, ranging from the alpine scenery made famous in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy to lush native bush and clean, sweeping beaches. The natural wonders of the world, from geysers and smoking fumeroles, to glaciers and volcanoes, are all here to marvel over.

The marine life is rich, with whale and dolphin watching opportunities all around the stunning coastal waters of Aotearoa. Bird lovers will delight over the unique indigenous species, ranging from cheeky mountain parrots to yellow-eyed penguins. Species once thought extinct, like the takahe, have been brought back from the brink of extinction.

The towns and cities of New Zealand are welcoming, friendly and full of smiles. New Zealanders know how to offer great hospitality, with cafes offering fine home-made and home-grown food.

We are fortunate to live in the vibrant capital city of New Zealand, Wellington. It’s known more for its wind, but on a fine day it is unbeatable.

Wellington has a rich and diverse cafe and restaurant scene. The arts are well catered for with a range of theaters and home to the New Zealand Ballet. Famous writers of the past and present have made, and continue to make, Wellington their home. Artists too are attracted to Wellington for its wonderful light, ever changing scenery with the seasons and the weather. The art galleries and national museum, Te Papa, provide rich and ever-changing exhibitions. There is something for everyone; sailors, mountain bikers, walkers, kayakers and plenty of family friendly playgrounds and parks too.

For me, personally, it’s the hills I love and living in a city that’s friendly, culturally thriving, has beautiful bush walks and beaches… and serves very good coffee!

This coming weekend I shall be joining a group of fellow Wellingtonians in ‘Welly Walks the Walk for Christchurch‘. We are a city built on a major fault-line and are fully aware of the dangers. Should ‘the big one’ strike in our life-time we would wish to feel the support of our fellow New Zealanders. This weekend, we are giving our support to Christchurch. Stay strong x