People enjoying the hot weather on Sumner Beach, Christchurch. Photo / George Heard
People enjoying the hot weather on Sumner Beach, Christchurch. Photo / George Heard
OPINION:
I received an interesting text message the other day from a friend who lives in Orlando.
She was flabbergasted at a photo I posted on Instagram showing a sold-out crowd at the Isaac Theatre Royal.
She asked why there was no social distancing and why no one was wearinga mask.
It was a moment that made me feel proud to be a New Zealander, but I also felt a great sense of sadness knowing that her country continues to see thousands of residents dying from Covid-19 every day.
I'm glad she texted me because it reminded me to be grateful about living in Christchurch. I wasn't keen on going to the theatre that night, but my friend twisted my arm to get me out of the house. And this brings me to my next point.
We're fortunate we can go about our daily lives in a "pretty normal" fashion.
The biggest complaint about Covid-19 in New Zealand is the inconvenience of having to line up at drive-through testing stations when there's the occasional community case.
More than 100,000 new cases of Covid-19 plague the United States every day. Yes, it's a massive country with a huge population, but people are still suffering.
According to the latest data, the USA has reported the highest number of cases, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and then the UK.
There are at least seven entire countries in full lockdown.
A few weekends ago I had to remind myself to "snap out of it". I was complaining to my friend about being a bit bored. It was one of those typical overcast, windy but hot Christchurch days.
But there's no excuse to pack sads. This year, I'm making even more of an effort to attend events in Christchurch. There's never been a more important time to embrace all the things happening in our city that are free or otherwise.
New Zealander swarm a local beach as Covid-19 restrictions are relaxed. Photo / NZH
Those of you who follow me on social media know I love supporting many events in Christchurch, by filming highlights and sharing them.
While some media outlets love to indulge in outdated stereotypes of Christchurch, our city is getting on with it.
Every year, Christchurch is host to the extremely popular Diwali Indian Festival of Lights, and Holi Festival of Colour.
Later this month Culture Galore will take place in the city - a multicultural festival that celebrates Christchurch's diversity with food, arts and crafts, music and dance performances from more than 30 cultures who call our city home.
I'll be there, with my video camera capturing the day and sharing the highlights with you.
