Thoughts beyond my life & my travel - Bel

The weather is so unpredictable in New Zealand. In the morning and at night it can be below 10°C,  while in the afternoon it is hot like summer at 26°C. The wind direction plays a big role when it comes to the actual temperature. The forecast said 17°C, but I was wrapped head to toe in winter clothes on this summer day.   The sun is always so bright that sunglasses have become essential. If you put your feet in the water on the beach, it is not so bad, but the further you go towards the sea, the colder it gets and the waves get bigger.  In late spring, the temperatures are usually perfect for having a coffee and eating outdoors. Find a beautiful lake, a farm overlooking with snowy mountains, a beach, a pier, or even a park, to lie down and stretch those aching muscles. Bring some chairs to your favourite garden, sit down with a friend and happily have a bite of good sandwiches, apples, and cheese.  I enjoy the luxury of being so close to nature on my travels. It...

  The agriculture show resumed in Christchurch, New Zealand after a two-year hiatus. This show has put a lot of emphasis on sustainability with its online advertising although the plastic cups and plates have not yet been replaced with better solutions. However, the organiser claimed that they sourced local and climate-friendly partners, used recycled and decomposted materials as much as possible, and of course donated materials to the community after the show.  I'm glad to lear that such efforts were made to protect the environment.  I absolutely love saying hello to a variety of sheep, cattle, and horses at the show. The food stalls were of great variety and good quality. The selection was excellent throughout the day. There were lots of fun competitions such as gumboot throwing, wood chopping, and educational stalls on recycling aimed at families and serious workers. I hope there will be more shuttle buses and signages in the future.

My friend kept giving me useful tips on how to look out for rich farmers in New Zealand. Pay attention to the cars they drive, how many acres of land they own, and very small details. No wonder there is a reality show in Australia where girls compete to win a farmer's heart.  I've found that farmers in New Zealand are respected as much as other professions. There are a large number of farmers in this country. With the diverse landscape, farming seems to be the jewel of New Zealand. Sheep farming, cattle farming and dairy farming are all  major contributors to the country's GDP. These farms can be run with specialised technology, so that their yields can be increased without compromising quality. Kiwis are proud of their local products and like to support local businesses. Australia is their competitor but the two countries remain on friendly terms. Hong Kong has imported quite a few avocados from Australia. Kiwi avocados are rarely seen, but some top quality free-range orga...

The population of New Zealand is around 5 million in 2022, but this vast country recorded 3.4 million residents only in 1990. Its size is 240 times of Hong Kong where its population has already reached 7.8 million.  This island country covering 268,021 km is slightly bigger than Great Britain. With the abundance of land resources, farms are everywhere. The bungalows are so commonly seen on the South Island, rather than duplexes and houses with multiple stories. The island simply has a lot of space where people can enjoy single-story home living. One can easily access the living room, backyard garden or garage without the hassle of going up and down. Town houses, cottages or cabins may be more susceptible to potential earthquakes compared with taller buildings.  As far as I remember, there are far more duplexes and multi-story buildings in the UK and Canada even in rural areas. The bedrooms are usually located upstairs, and the dining room, living room and kitchen are located o...

The Botanic Garden in Christchurch is nothing like the gardens in Asia. The vast space, the debris on the ground, vivid colours of flowers, and giant cabbage trees are some of its distant features. It’s like a wild soul being open to imperfections. Peaceful. Calm. Nothing is in harmony, but a diversity of plants is mixed but not matched. Flowers of different colours are arranged so close to each other that they are trying so hard to stand out among their “competitors”.   Plants are sculptured and well-arranged with a perfect balance of leaves, petals, and trees in Asian gardens. New Zealand gardens are not manicured in this way at all. My friend told me he found the beauty of dead roses. This belief is definitely shared by many kiwis. New Zealand gardens are not meant to look perfect and can be full of dead leaves or withering flowers. Now I understand why my friend structured his garden not in a “perfect way” like the Japanese garden. It is wild, untamed, disorganised. A bit...

  星期六下午，一班人合力畫圓圈畫，很是新奇，畫紙由十二張普通A3紙組成，我們十二人，不同背景，但又有著不同的經歷，但都很享受和珍惜這次活動的安排。 部分人很專注著眼前部分的畫紙，研究如何以大陽和笑做題材創作。我就不假思索，圓圈內加了星星和一些禪繞的筆法，很簡單地自由地畫，但也留意著身旁朋友如何畫她們的圓圈，我們笑說有一個似菠蘿，另一個簡單的圓形由別人加了幾筆變成了一朵耀目的太陽花。 大家亦可以自由發揮，不受拘束地為其他人的圓形添加色彩、花紋和圖案。轉眼間，那個圖形可能已變得不一樣，也沒有人介懷別人為您的圓形裝飾，大家開懷地、放心地彼此合作享受一心一意繪畫之餘，也好像認識大家多一點，互相欣賞共同的創作，十二張湊合一起後，造成一張色彩繽紛的畫作，過了一個愉快和充實的下午。有朋友說，畫中亦隱藏了一些公仔，就像我們一樣，有時隱藏在人群中，不要忽視自己的存在，自己的能力、使命和才華。 活動籌辦人也跟大家說，支持大家一起走這段路，很是感動。最後這十二張紙再一次分開了，我們每位帶一張回家，重温開心而富有意義的時光。