Local Poster Design Competition

Franz Tormers, a local shop and artspace, located on Bedford Row, has put out a call for submissions to local graphic artists, graphic designes, artists, and other creative individuals to take part in a poster design competition called "Too Big to Upload". The winning poster will be showcased online as well as at an open night on the 25th of March at Franz Tormers Artspace.

The deadline for poster design submissions is the 16th of March. Click here to download the entry form and to learn more details about design submissions. For additional information about Franz Tormers visit our previous post on Franz Tormers Store and Artspace.

The Eastern Album Release at Wunderbar, 26 & 27 Feb.

The Eastern is celebrating the release of their new album with two shows at Wunderbar this Friday and Saturday (26-27 Feb). A Blues/Bluegrass/Country band based in Lyttelton, The Eastern has played in venues around the world, but enjoy most playing in their home country rather above chasing the dream of fame abroad.

We first heard The Eastern play at the Arts Centre, as part of the Buskers Festival, and can attest to their talent of performing foot-stomping music that get the crowd really going. For a bit of insight into The Eastern's style and flavor, we use their own words - The Eastern"believes in kicks and sadness, heartbreak and hope, 12 bar blues and 12 round rock’n’roll, fistfights and dust, road songs and trains, justice and freedom, holding it up and putting it down, that long lonesome sound, the river rise, the gospel plow, scratches and skips, static and hum, bleeding fingers and beating hearts, pages and type, ink and lead, rain on tin, iron and wood, 33 and a third, 45, 78, boots on the floor, dirt in the cracks, guts, harmony melody and soul, thinking and walking, the road and the lines between, closed signs and flickering lights, nightfall and sunrise, Kerouac, Guthrie, the end of the golden weather and the night of the riots, sheds, collections and dreams, Strummer/Jones, Morrissey/Marr, the Hanks Chinaski and Williams, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Devlin, Memphis and myth, the south from gore to the Cargill and back…". Local Vanguard loves this description and couldn't have said it better ourselves.

For a taste of The Eastern's music, and to find out when even more of their shows are on, go to the The Eastern's MySpace Page.

The Crumpet Club - Crumpets by Day, Tapas by Night

We recently had dinner at the Crumpet Club, a local tapas restaurant, and were truly impressed with the fantastic flavors and the relaxed atmosphere. Philip Kraal, owner and head chef, opened the Crumpet Club a few years ago, initially as a catering spin off of Bon Bolli, the long-time popular restaurant at the Arts Centre. Forced to leave the Arts Centre location due to rental hikes, Philip found a new location offering a spacious kitchen in an old warehouse building. Once Bon Bolli Catering was up and running, Philip and his team decided it was time to renovate the old warehouse section of the building for hosting a breakfast and lunch cafe.

They developed a concept around crumpets, inspired by the opportunity to take a common food from NZ culture, make with better ingredients, and give it a creative spin. "Have you ever looked on the back of a crumpet package?" asks Philip? "Unlike, store bought crumpets, ours are made with just flour, free range eggs, and milk". Crumpet Club also shapes its crumpets in triangles, in order to further differentiate them from the round, store-bought variety. These triangular shaped delights are used as a substitute for toast in many dishes. The breakfast menu includes a creative take on french toast - Caramelized Crumpets with fresh mango, mascarpone, and drizzled with mint syrup. For lunch - Field Mushrooms and Hot Griddle Crumpets are served with truffle oil and tangy gruyere. Gourmet pies, such as Venison and Blue Cheese, and Chicken and Brie with Sweet Corn, are also very popular with the local lunch time crowd.

Following the success of breakfast and lunch, Philip extended Crumpet Club's hours for a casual dinner service and culinary adventure that Philip refers to as Tapas Espinasian (Spanish and Asian influences). The Tapas Menu includes a Grilled Venison Burger between two crumpets with a mango and beetroot salsa, an Indian inspired Hoggit Curry served with aubergine chutney, raita, and naan bread, and a Slow Roasted Pork Belly stuffed with garlic, lemon, ginger, and onion, served on a sweet onion crystallized ginger jus.

We ordered several dishes, among them the Hoggit Curry and Slow Roasted Pork Belly. These dishes in particular were amazing, but was all pretty brilliant - absolutely delicious! The atmosphere in the Crumpet Club is cool and relaxed...a great spot for a couples' night out or evening with a group of friends. All in all - a local hot-spot we'll definitely make return visits to.

The Crumpet Club
218 Durham St. South (corner of Durham and Tuam Streets), Central City, Christchurch
Opening Hours: Mon-Tue 7am-4pm; Wed-Thu 7am-11pm; Fri 7am-11:30pm; Sat 9:00am-11:30pm

French Film Festival Starts Tomorrow

The French Film Festival starts tomorrow in Christchurch and will run until Sunday 28th February at Rialto Cinemas (corner of Moorhouse Ave and Durham St). A variety of French films will be shown throughout the week - three showings per day Tuesday-Friday, and an additional two showing times on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are only $12.50 for an adult and less for students and seniors. For a description of the films, to view trailers, and to see a timetable of showings click here.

The French Film Festival is organized by the French Cultural Trust.

Local Sights

Photograph taken by sarahraisel on Flickr
Location: Hagley Park

Reader's photos are regularly selected to appear on the site. Submit your photos on our Flickr Group.

Christchurch Urban Revitalization Strategy Released

The report, created by urban design guru Jan Gehl and commissioned by Christchurch City Council, that strategizes revitalization efforts for the city centre, has just been released for organizational and public debate.

The report identifies the city's strengths (such as flat wide streets and large number of heritage buildings) and weaknesses (such as traffic dominated city and a city centre only heavily active during work hours), and puts forward 110 recommendations that emphasize pedestrian activity and encourage more cycling in the city centre. Recommendations to support these goals include continuous cycle lanes, a traffic reduced city centre, a reduction in the number of buses in Cathedral Square and on Colombo Street, and only allowing bus lanes on the periphery of the city centre.

Councillors are set to decide next week which recommendations will be given further investigation. Click here to read more in The Press's article about the release of the Jan Gehl report.

Smith's Bookshop

Wandering around the city on foot, or have some time to spare? Check out Smith's Bookshop. Smith's Bookshop is a long established New Zealand bookseller stocking over 150,000 new and secondhand books on all subjects, fiction and non fiction, reference etc., as well as vintage Kiwana photographs, old prints, antique maps, postcards, and classical LPs. They have two central city shops. We frequently find ourselves at the Manchester Street location and end up loosing at least an hour exploring all of the shelves. There are new discoveries to be found with each visit. Another fun and assuming little gem of Christchurch.

Smiths Bookshop
133 Manchester Street, City Centre, Christchurch (pictured above)
nother location at 11 Regent Street, City Centre, Christchurch

Oui, Ces Macarons sont Fantastiques!

"J'aime les macarons" is French for "I love macarons". Amanda McBeath, is proprietor and baker of J'aime les macarons, a boutique macaron bakery in Christchurch. Amanda first discovered her love of macarons during an overseas experience in Paris. Upon returning home to New Zealand, she went into cheffing and worked for a catering company, for which she executed many themed desserts. She enjoyed working with macarons in particular, due to the many possibilities of combinations, achieved by simply changing color and flavour. Amanda took a break from the professional world to have children, and then started playing with the idea of opening a macaron business. She first opened a stall at the Christchurch Farmers Market at Riccarton House in November of 2008. After gaining a popular following in just one year, she opened the J'aime les macarons shop on Norman's Road (Nov, 2009).

Amanda uses an Italian meringue and ground almonds to make the shell, and either a butter cream or chocolate ganache for the filling. She describes the event of biting into one of her macarons in a deconstructed manner - a slightly crispy crunch on the outside with a pillowy soft chewy layer on the inside. No matter how the experience unfolds in your mouth, you will undoubtedly agree that these macarons are simply melt-in-your-mouth spectacular!

Macarons can be purchased individually or in sets of six or twelve, and come in a variety of rotating flavours - from traditional vanilla, to passionfruit, lemon, rose, coffee, raspberry, and licorice. Sets of six or twelve come in lovely decorative box, making them a perfect treat or gift for tea/dinner parties. Amanda also enjoys putting together themed macarons and packaging concepts for holidays and special occasions, such as weddings and Valentines Day (as shown in the image above).

So if you haven't already discovered J'aime les macarons, pop into the Normans Road shop for a wee treat. I'm certain that once you do, you'll find it hard to stay away!

J'aime Les Macarons
9F Normans Road, Strowan, Christchurch
Opening hours: Tue to Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm

Local Sights

Photograph taken by nicolas burrowes on Flickr
Location: 29-35 Latimer Square - This is one of the more iconic 60's modern style buildings in the city centre. The strong presence and significance of this architectural style on the fabric of city centre was recently profiled in The Press.

Reader's photos are regularly selected to appear on the site. Submit your photos on our Flickr Group.

Harbour Kitchens Cookbook

Harbour Kitchens Cookbook is a collection of recipes celebrating Lyttelton's location, history, and people. Over 150 recipes were collected from local parents, business people, artists, writers, and prominent chefs. Softbound and printed in colour throughout, the book is divided into four seasonal themes. The gorgeous photography helps bring the dishes and region to life for the reader or cook, which makes it a perfect gift for those with a connection to the area. Plus all profits from the book are used to benefit Lyttelton Main and Lyttelton West Schools.

You can purchase these cookbooks from selected retailers in the Christchurch and Lyttelton community (here is a list of locations), or by emailing harbourkitchens@gmail.com.

Lyttelton Festival & Street Party - Fri 19-Sun 28 Feb.

Project Lyttleton, the organisation that brings us the popular Lyttelton Farmers Market, is also the primary organizer of this annual summer event. The Lyttelton Summer Festival is a ten-day long festival celebrating arts, food, entertainment and community culture of Lyttelton, a suburb and primary port town of Christchurch.

Events include free musicians and bands, wine tastings, coffee tours, interactive culinary evenings, historical walks, photographic and art exhibitions, a bio-diverse gardening display, and a chance to up-cycle your old clothes. The festival will conclude with a fun filled street party, filled with music, food vendors, and quirky performances (Sunday 28th Feb 2010, 12-6pm). Click here for a full line-up of events held throughout the week.

Image source: mrsteve1_nz on Flickr.
mrsteve1_nz is part of the Local Vanguard Flickr Group. Join our Flickr group to have your photos posted on the site.

Historic Flashback - Victoria Sq. Bike Commuters

In honor of tomorrow's Go By Bike Day, here's an image of cycling commuters near Victoria Square in 1949. Perhaps it will inspire more of us to participate in tomorrow's event and to support the re-adoption of this sustainable form of getting to/from work and around town.



Image Source: Canterbury Heritage

Free Breakfast for Bicycle Riders Tomorrow, Wed. 17 Feb

Three Christchurch organisations are putting on free breakfast events from 7am to 9am for commuters who bike into work tomorrow (Wednesday, 17th Feb.), as part of a national Go-By-Bike Day celebration. These breakfast events will be held at:

• The Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology, Corner Madras and St Asaph Streets,
• New Zealand College of Early Childhood Education, 50 Victoria Street, and
• Canterbury District Health Board, Corner Oxford Terrace and Antigua Street.

Mayor Bob Parker will be trialling several electric bikes at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology breakfast. The Council is also launching the new and improved 2010 Christchurch City Cycle Guide, which will be handed out at all of the breakfast locations. The guide will also be given to organisations that registered for the Bike Wise Challenge (a campaign that encourages groups of employees within a business to take up biking to work), will be available at Council's service centres, or can be downloaded from Council's cycling information webpage.

The national Bike Wise Month campaign is funded by the New Zealand Transport Agency and Ministry of Health.

Local Profile: Ralph Bungard, Brewer-Three Boys Brewery

Ralph Bungard is the owner and brewer of Three Boys Brewery, a growing craft beer company based in Christchurch. I recently met up with Ralph and had a fascinating conversation with him about his craft and motivation to start Three Boys Brewery. Here's what I discovered:

• What motivated you to get into brewing beer and starting Three Boys? I started out studying wine and horticultural science at uni, with the hopes of getting into wine making and viticulture. Instead I ended up a scientist and university lecturer of plant chemistry and physiology. I really became enthusiastic about beer while living and working in the UK years ago, due to the amazing range and varieties of beer in that part of the world. Upon coming back to NZ, I started thinking about starting a brewery while continuing work as a university lecturer at Canterbury University. I started collecting bits and pieces, volunteered with some breweries around town (including Harringtons) and really started diving into micro-brewing and recipe development. I began doing three boys full time in 2006, first in a smaller premises in Woolston’s Industrial Area, and then moved into the current building in the same area 2 years ago. The Twisted Hop was the first bar in town to start carrying Three Boys beers, as well as Canterbury University’s events facility and staff club (which Ralph notes probably has the best craft beer range on tap anywhere on the South Island). I’m pretty much the brewer, manager, and wear a lot of hats. But I do get part time help to come in to help out with the workload at times, like young brew lovers interested in learning the craft. I just recently had two travelers helping that were on a one year visa from Mexico, which was great, and fun for them because they were learning a bit as well.

• What do you enjoy most about your work? The process of making a product – taking primary ingredients, like malt and hops, and ending up creating something so different. I grew up on a farm, so I have a great sense of respect for taking these types of primary ingredients, and the process of grinding up the malt, adding the hops, and boiling it. I enjoy the physical nature of the work. I believe some men need something physical, either in work or a hobby, to keep their life in balance. I also like the fact that I come across a variety of people in my daily work - from farmers, suppliers, serviceman, and the community of artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the Woolston Industrial Area - such as sculptor Andrew Drummond, the bakery beside us called Breads of the World, cutting edge clothing companies Kathmandu and Skinz, as well as more modern cafes servicing this community like The Coffee Workshop on Cumnor Terrace. It’s an interesting area in a stage of rebirth.

• How long does it take to brew the beer, from the very start to the finished product? It depends on the style of beer. A wheat beer will take about 3 weeks, the ales about 4 weeks, and pilsners take about 2 months.

• Where do your ingredients come from? Almost all of the malt is grown in Canterbury, apart from a little bit that is a special roast from overseas to give some styles a different color. But 90% comes from a small business down the road that grows the barley and then malts it. It’s a relatively new business that can stay afloat partially because of our business. The hops come from two long established suppliers in Nelson and Motueka. Then of course, we have great water in Canterbury, which is an important aspect. There is no chlorine in the water, so nothing to remove. No need to treat it in anyway. This kind of untreated groundwater, that has natural sulphates and calcium, makes great brewing water…and that’s what we naturally have here in Canterbury. So Canterbury really is a perfect region for brewing beer, since we are so close to the essential ingredients - we have good malt and good water. In fact, this is the reason that the Canterbury region had several good micro-breweries before the big breweries took over in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.
  

• Which is your favorite beer at present? I love all of the styles, so it depends on the day. On a hot summer’s day, it’s hard to beat a wheat beer. On a wintry day, I enjoy having the Oyster Stout, which is a seasonal brew. In fact, the Oyster Stout is one of our most popular beers and an interesting style. It is one of the three traditional kinds of stouts - milk, oatmeal, or oyster. In the olden days, stouts were thought to contain a lot of iron and nutritional properties, and thereby considered a “health drink”. Adding in oysters to stout became a common practice because of their high nutritional properties. While we now know a bit more about the true science and nutrition behind beer, the traditional tastes have stuck. In our case, we add bluff oysters to the boil, which gives the beer a hint of briny ‘seaside-iness’ that gets the taste buds working and goes really well with food.
  

• When you aren’t at work, where are we likely to find you? When not at work or home, the other places I go are usually beer related. I enjoy a bar called Pomeroys because of their range of good craft beers, their good bar environment, and it is a place where the kids can come too for a fizzy drink. There are also several great cheap eats in the city that we go to with the kids, like Malaysian Delights or Osaka off of Gloucester Street. I also enjoy involvement with the cricket community here. I play, as well as the boys. Through this involvement, we get to meet and enjoy the company of other locals that we might not necessarily come across otherwise. We also like to get out of the city as a family, my wife and the boys, to camp, fish, and to be outdoors.

• Fill in the blank - “I do this work, because at the end of the day I have something tangible that I have produced and that is a good product that I can enjoy."
  

Beers from Three Boys Brewery are available throughout New Zealand. Christchurch locations include The Twisted Hop, Pomeroys, The Village Grape in Sumner, The Grape Escape on Centaurus Rd, Franks Liquor in Ilam, and Merivale Fresh Choice.

Chch Looks to be NZ's First City w/ Electric Car Network

Christchurch City Council and the Renault-Nissan Alliance have joined forces to investigate the introduction of zero-emission vehicles to the city in 2012.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker wants the city to be the first in New Zealand with an integrated network for electric cars. Nissan says the Leaf model will be ideal for Christchurch, due to the flat geographic landscape of much of the city.

Promoted as the world's first affordable, zero-emission car, the medium-sized hatchback can carry five adults. It runs off a lithium-ion battery and has a 160 kilometre range. Motorists will be able to charge the car at home and eventually from charge points around the city, which is anticipated will provide opportunity for new private business ventures in the city. Click here to read the full article in The Press.

Bicycle Show on Saturday at Goodbye Blue Monday

After you've got your bike all fixed up at the Free Bike Workshop on Saturday from 1-3pm (an event we covered a few days ago), you'll be ready to cruise over to Goodbye Blue Monday at 4pm for their 1st Annual Bicycle Show.

GBM is kicking off this annual event in honor of their one year anniversary. In this past year, GBM has been proactive in fostering and supporting the young creative community of Christchurch by hosting events and a providing a space and online blog platform that city's young creative types are drawn to. From offering up cutting edge musicians, such as Daedelus a few weeks ago, to hosting Tuesday night ping pong sessions, and now this annual bicycle show, GBM has in many ways become a kind of go-to and a central hang out spot for creatives in Christchurch.

This Bicycle Show should be a good time - for drinks and checking out some of the city's sweetest rides from garage hobbyists Bishops Cycles and other bicycle hobbyists. So come check it out, rain or shine.

Goodbye Blue Monday
Poplar Lane, Central City, Christchurch

Annual Vintage & Modern Airplane Show on This Sunday

"Warriors at Wigram" is the theme for this weekend's annual Open Day event at the Air Force Museum in Wigram (Sunday 14 February). Watch as planes, like some of the ones in the image above, are taken out of the hanger and off the ground by the Royal NZ Air Force, the Royal NZ Navy, and NZ Army. Flying displays will include the Iroquois, Classic Harvard, Red Checkers Acrobatic Team and the Kiwi Blue Parachute display Team. These displays will be coupled with static ground displays which allow you to get up close and personal with the modern equipment of the current Defence Force.

Air Force Museum of New Zealand
45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch
Sunday 14 February; 10am-4pm
Entry Fee - $20 family or $10 indiv. adult, $5 indiv. child

Image source: mrsteve1_nz on Flickr.
mrsteve1_nz is part of the Local Vanguard Flickr Group. Join our Flickr group to have your photos posted on the site.

Local Sights

Photograph taken by Kerry McCrory, cror1950's on Flickr
Location: Redcliffs, Christchurch at dawn

Reader's photos are regularly selected to appear on the site. Submit your photos on our Flickr Group.

Local Eats - Dimitris, A Favorite Souvlaki House

Kiwi's love a good takeaway souvlaki. There are several fantastic souvaliki shops in Christchurch, such as Sami's in Riccarton, Costas in the city, as well as Dimitri's Souvlaki. Each shop has their own unique style of sandwich...be it due to the bread, the way of cooking the meat, or the sauce on top. But all are loved and have a dedicated following.

Dimitri's has always been on of Chirstchurch's most iconic souvlaki shops, but was forced to close the doors of it's 15 year location, on the corner of Colombo and Hereford Streets, in June 2009. The closure was due to complications in the renewal of the lease, as the location was slatted for a Taranaki Savings Bank branch. After closing, Dimitri's was able to maintain a presence in the central city with a stall at the Art Centre, and after six months this local favorite was back into a proper shop, newly located on Cashel Street Mall.

I had actually tried a Dimitri's lamb souvlaki while traveling through New Zealand in 2004 at their old location. It was delicious then, and just as fantastic as I had remembered, upon recently giving it a go again at Dimitri's new location. And it seems as if Dimitri's hasn't skipped a beat, with locals pouring into the doors of the shop at lunchtime. So I'm curious - what's the local favorite on the menu - is it the lamb or chicken souvlaki? Or is it something else? Give us your tip - what's your favorite thing to order at Dimitri's?

Dimitri's Souvlaki
79a Cashel Street, Central City, Christchurch

Free Bike Repair & Maintenance Workshop - Sat. 13 Feb.

Do you have a bike that requires some work or has been lying around neglected in the shed? Then come along to the free bike maintenance/tune up workshop at the Linwood Community Arts Centre this weekend, Saturday 13th February from 1-4pm.

This event was started by a group of bike enthusiasts who were motivated by the high cost of basic bike repairs at bicycle superstores. On this day, these enthusiasts will be on hand to provide time, tools, and help with basic bike repairs. Attendees can participate in the process of tuning up their bike, and learn the basics of how to maintain it (fixing tire punctures, lubing chains etc.). So drop by with your ride to do some fixin' while getting to know other bike lovers of the community.

Back 2 School By Bike Maintenance Day
Linwood Community Art Centre, 388 Worcester Street (corner or Worcester St and Stanmore Rd)
Saturday 13, February

Image Source - Biker in Christchurch taken by Mark-of-Cain on Flickr. Photo submitted to Local Vanguard Flicker Group.