Asteroids, Vegetables and Opera

Saturday began with us wondering whether asteroid 2012 DA14 would actually miss our little blue planet, or if perhaps the scientists could be wrong.  Thankfully, the scientists were right and the asteroid passed exactly as predicted, just after 8:30 AM local time.

Having survived a potential armageddon, we decided that we needed vegetables if we were to survive another week, and so we set off for the farmers' market.  We visited all of our usual (it is our third week) organic vendors and picked up at least a week's worth of fruit and vegetables.  The farmers' market operates year-round, with whatever is in season available in any given week.  Thankfully we are here for apples, plums, nashi and summer veges and not silver beet and cabbage.  We always hear a variety of foreign languages being spoken at the market, among both the vendors and the buyers, so it all seems quite international.

In need of fortification for the trek home we stopped at the Red Gallery Cafe for a drink and date scone (the best scones that we have found in Nelson).  Marlene tells me that she likes the organic coffee and organic milk that is used in their lattes, but I think the real reason that she likes it is that they use double shots of espresso.  For me, it is definitely the date scones - I love this cafe culture!

Then Saturday night was Opera In The Park, presented by the Nelson City Council in Trafalgar Park, which is the local rugby venue.  This is the 14th year that the event has been held, and we were not disappointed.  The music and singing were great, but we were also impressed with the organization and the behaviour of the crowd. 

The gates opened at 5 PM for a 7:30 PM show, so lots of time to stake out a spot and have a picnic, while listening to the pre-show programme.  The park was divided into sections for picnic blankets and legless chairs near the front, a special section for the elderly and disabled (this would not work in Parksville....everybody would be sitting in the elderly section), with standard height chairs behind.  Walkways were well marked with white lines on the grass and the ushers were helpful at finding you a place to sit.  You could bring your own picnic, including beer and wine, or you could buy food and drinks from several vendors around the venue.  There were people there of all ages, and everyone was well-behaved, despite the availability of alcohol, and lack of visible security personnel. 

Despite it being an open-air event, smoking was not allowed in the park, and the target was zero waste.  There were no rubbish bins (that is New Zealand speak for garbage cans) and the expectation was that you took everything with you that you brought in.  They did provide food composting bins, and my chick pea curry and rice was served on a paper plate with a wooden spoon.

We sat in the front section on a blanket borrowed from our apartment owners, even though it was almost 7 o'clock when we arrived.  The ushers would ask people politely if they could squeeze up a little and make room for the extra people, and people complied.

If I was ever to be evacuated to a park because of a disaster, I think that Nelson would be a good place for it to happen, as everybody seemed to get along.






What about the show you ask?  The show was a mixture of opera (Verdi, Bellini, Puccini, and others) performed by two sopranos and a tenor, accompanied by Orchestra Wellington, plus some more contemporary music performed by local New Zealand artists, also accompanied by Orchestra Wellington.  A total of 23 pieces were performed, with a twenty minute interval in the middle of the programme, over 2 and a half hours, and all for $15 per person.

We thoroughly enjoyed the show and the whole experience and we will be looking for similar events in the coming weeks.

 

The pictures below are a little blurry (night time photos on an iPhone held above one's head are not great) but they will give some idea of the stage area with the big screen so we could actually see the performers up close.

The final piece of music was "Montagues and Capulets" from Romeo and Juliet, which played during the fireworks display.

After the fireworks, everybody left the park in an orderly manner and we headed up the coastal pathway towards home.  We passed a skateboard park, and despite it being 10:30 PM, the lights were on and there were two boys doing stunts on scooters - not something that would be tolerated in Parksville. 

As it was a clear night, we then sat outside our apartment for a while checking out the stars using the Starmap app that I had downloaded on my iPhone.

Altogether a busy day that mixed asteroids, vegetables and opera, but we enjoyed it all.