Submitted by Alexandra Diamond on the 2020 winter session program in New Zealand sponsored by the Department of Animal and Food Sciences…
On Sunday January 5th, I visited the Riccarton Market in Christchurch, New Zealand. Each Sunday, all the locals gather at the empty racetrack and set up shops in each of the empty horse stalls. The products ranged from hand crafted wood all the way to home grown fruits and vegetables. I was shocked to see how many vendors attended and how many unique items were there. It was much different than any flee market or pop up shop I’ve ever attended in New York. I spoke with many of the artisans who helped me understand why they did it. An older woman spoke about how she hand crafted soap, which could also be used as shampoo. It was created with all-natural ingredients including coconut oil, so it wouldn’t dry out the skin. The owner of the stand used to suffer from cracked skin and said she hasn’t had a problem since she made her project. I made friends with her dog named Odyn, who have me lots of puppy dog eyes and kisses.
After the market, we went to the city of Christchurch where we saw the Botanical Gardens. It was absolutely beautiful and very different from the one in New York City. The garden was acres and acres, located outside, and had other aspects like the fern house, rain forest room, and even contained a desert area. I also saw a flower named Titan’s Arum which only blooms every 7-12 years, and when it blooms it smells like rotten flesh. Overall, New Zealand has been a dream and I can’t wait to start classes and get into the full swing of things.
