Sunday morning, perfect weather, and I arrived early at the Botanic Gardens to take part in the Labyrinth Workshop which was a feature of the Festival of Flowers. I entered past the five metre high Kaitiaki installation.
Kaitiaki-Atua
And the welcoming penguins.
Topiary penguins
The workshop was basically a ritual walk in a small group – a good start to a tour of the festival sites
Labyrinth
The labyrinth is made from over two hundred stones from the Waimakariri River which students from St Michael’s School have decorated with messages – everything from Christian prayers to “Live long and prosper”.
Labyrinth stone spelling out Christchurch
There were topiary animals
Topiary deer
and a chamber group playing lovely music
Festival music
as well as floral bungalows to admire and clever arrangements in port-a-loos (pictures of these to come in a future post).
I discovered that all the seats on the riverbank were roped off, presumably because they’d recently been stained. I ducked under the rope and sat there anyway enjoying the cicada song, with occasional canoes paddling by amid the ducks.
Later that afternoon there was a very enjoyable Flower Power Concert from Graeme Wardrop and Valdi.
Flower Power Concert
“A seat roped off is bound to be
just right for a rule-breaker – me!”
Ka pai Ruth. A relaxing and fulfilling time methinks
Carol, it was a lovely relaxed Sunday. Hope you’ll come down and spend some relaxed time here before too long. XXX
I missed this post – have just caught up. Love the labyrinth – what a wonderful idea. St Matthews in the City is to set up their pre-Easter labyrinth again, using river stones and candles, and I’m looking forward to walking it.
Walking a labyrinth is such a wonderful grounding action isn’t it? I’m waiting for a chance to walk the St Luke’s one again – with bare feet.
I love the welcoming penguins. What a rich festival you have enjoyed Ruth plus a bonus rope-jumping act of “rebellion.”
It was great to see so many families enjoying all the exhibits. I even saw one couple following my example and using a ‘forbidden’ seat.