"My winter holiday in summer" a Christchurch Travel Page by knerten

I left summer in Norway for winter in NZ. Pretty stupid, I know, but it was the only time I could get off work for 2 months to do my research on my PhD without upsetting my boss too much.
Judging by the summer weather in Norway so far, the swap wasn't too bad, and winter in Christchurch has proved itself to be a pleasant surprise.

Make that a "so far", because today, August 15th, it snowed! Well, it is supposed to be winter alright...

For the record, I left NZ on August 25th.

What is the most intruiging thing about Christchurch, or short Chch, as called by the local kiwis, and what really took me by me by surprise here, is the Asian, particular Korean, population. Albeit they only muster some 10000 compared to the total population of 300000, they make a distinct mark on the city: Korean restaurants and Sushi takeways abound. I would say that if you're anywhere in the city centre, you'd never have to walk more than 5 minutes to find one. They seem to run all the small 7-11-like shops, you'll find more Asian food stores than traditional corner dairies, and they're all over campus! At times I feel more like in the Far East than in good ol' rustique New Zealand.
I love Asian food, and after a 3-day stopover in sumptious Singapore I was preparing myself for 2 months of baked beans and sausages and some fish and chips, but this is heaven...almost.

Christchurch lies on a river plain and most of the time in winter it's not that windy, so the smog settles pretty quickly. Add to that all the fireplaces and woodburners in people's homes than you have a recipe for bad air. It's supposed to have been worse 10-20 years back, but I think it's still bad. So bad that when I went to Wellington on a short trip, and after cleasning my luings with the fresh air there, I noticed that all my clothing, my bags and myself smelled like "soot" as if I'd been lying smouldering in a fireplace. Yuk!
The air is generally clean on windy and rainy days, but if you suffer from asthma, don't count on those days for your visit.