Friday marked the start of the Lantern festival, three days of celebrations of Chinese culture in Albert Park with amazing lanterns, displays of art, dance, music and food stalls. We enjoyed watching a demonstration of dragon and lion dancing by some boys, including some who looked very young, and the lanterns looked wonderful once it got dark. Some were a bit strange though, including an Arctic scene including penguins and polar bears together, which we all know live at opposite poles!
On Saturday night we went to a BBQ in the suburb where Eminem was performing a concert, so we were serenaded by his dulcet tones while we ate our dinner. It was very busy because there was also the Nines rugby tournament in the same area. They estimate that those two events and the lantern festival attracted an extra 200,000 people to Auckland last weekend, not including the three cruise ships that were docked.
On Sunday we hired bikes and cycled along the coast road. It was a beautiful sunny day and the views across the harbour were amazing. We got back in time to watch a huge cruise ship sail in to dock. In the evening there was a firework display to mark the end of the lantern festival.
Yesterday I visited a school out in the eastern suburb of Bucklands Beach. It is a high school with 2600 Y9-Y13 students. It was interesting to see what was similar and what was different to the UK. The students were very polite and well behaved and barely spoke in lessons. They all have to wear school uniform until Y13, including regulation brown sandals or clumpy black lace-up shoes. I can't see that going down well at Belvoir!
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