MMC2025 :: Day 14 :: Noisy Neighbours

Mono Month Challenge 2025

A diplomatic incident on a No.8 bus to the Gondola…

During our many visits to NZ we have never travelled on a regular city bus, maybe it was time we did, after all what could go wrong?

The Christchurch Bus Interchange is very impressive, it reminds me of the Greyhound Bus Depots we used in the late 70s. The No.8 bus wasn’t busy just a few couples no doubt headed like us to the Gondola. Soon after starting out we passed the new sports and events stadium being built. The following conversation broke out:

Male Passenger (MP): ‘Do you think they’ll be able to play cricket in there?’ He had an accent I couldn’t place but referring to cricket I suspected Oz or Kiwi.

Me: ‘Not for most teams except England, they wouldn’t hit the ball far enough to worry the crowd.’

He gave me a finger! 

Me: ‘I’m talking as a Brit…’

He change the one finger to two and gave me a smile.

Me: ‘Where are you from?’

MP: ‘Edmonton, Alberta but I’m from Essex originally, my wife is Canadian.’

Me: ‘Are you not worried you’ll have the wrong passport when you return home?’

MP: ‘If its America then we return we may not want to return.’

Now what are the odds that on a local bus of about 10 people the couple sitting across the isle from them would be American? What followed was an education and I’ll not repeat it here. All I’ll say is the partner of the American lady engaged in the listing of the rights and wrongs of the world just stayed quiet and fixed his stare out of the window. WW3 was averted when the bus arrived at the Gondola and the American couple stayed on board. 

Back to my Blip. It wouldn’t be a trip to NZ without me posting a photo of a Morris Minor. This one is in one of our favourite burger outlets and used as a table, it is a pick-up and the back has a huge counter across it.

Postcard: Top - leaving the bus interchange in Christchurch. Middle - Lyttelton as seen from the Gondola outlook. Bottom - a sign that says it all… ;o)

If we had visited yesterday we would have seen a large cruise ship in Lyttelton, we did see the crowds in the city. Most of the trams were full as where the shops, this morning we had a tram to ourselves.