Christchurch
Trip Start
Dec 09, 2007
1
9
52
Trip End
Jul 07, 2008
Christchurch,
South Island,
New Zealand
Friday, January 25, 2008
Mike almost gets kicked out of one of the Buskers shows for being too loud. This really bothered me but was an interesting lesson in NZ culture for Mike and I. NZ is in some things very conservative. Mike had so many cool and witty interactions with locals I don't think he ever picked up on this. I'd read about it quite often in various travel blogs and guide books before coming and had a couple more weeks of exposure to NZ than Mike There was this really funny performer on stage which just seemed to be beyond most of the NZ audience. Mike being the personality he is as well as aficionado of quality humor laughed louder than anyone and often chimed in with the leading questions or answers that the performer was clearly wanting and fed off of. His timing was impeccable and they made a hilarious and natural partnership. But it all was beyond the crowd of a couple hundred or more and before long glances started coming our way, then scowls, and then you guessed it, a security guard in plane clothes saying, "I'm sorry sir You're going to have to quite down or I'll have to escort you outside."
Well that killed it. The performance went down hill from there as well as most of our fun. And I think I saw a piece of Mike's zestful love of NZ start to shrink a little or at least become a little confused or vague. The shows went on for a few days and I think I saw all the ones on my list, some more than once. My favorite were this crazy couple from San Francisco called the Daredevil Chicken Club!
