Chinese New Year – Kiwi Travel Writer talks food, travel, and tips

Wellington welcomes the Chinese year of the rooster

On a windy Wellington day it cannot have been easy to keep the dragons and flags under control.

Thanks to all the participants who help us celebrate our city’s cultural diversity.

use-websizeduse-img_1110 — the wind encourages the dragon to escape if it can!

On my way to watch the performers prepare for the parade I come across some non-parade action outside some Chinese food shops.

. . . and then I went a round a couple of corners to watch the parade assemble

. . . then left to go to the waterfront to watch the parade go by

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See more I’ve written about the year of the rooster

Happy Chinese New Year – but roosters, beware of danger ahead

Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Hey Fat Choy, and 新年快乐

cropped-rooster-by-barbara-else — Rooster captured on film by children’s author Barbara Else

It’s not long until the Chinese New Year (28^th January 2017) will be celebrated – this year it’s the year of the rooster. I am a rooster.

And, oh no! I have just found out that when it’s the year of your Chinese birth zodiac sign it’s never a good year for you. That fortune in all aspects of your (my) life will not be very good and therefore, we roosters should be careful during 2017 – it’s a fire rooster year.

Apparently 1945 was a wood rooster so maybe I’m safe from a bad year. Also, just so you know a wood rooster is ‘energetic, overconfident, tender and unstable’ I of course, couldn’t comment!

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/rooster.htm

It seems to bring myself good luck in this zodiac year of my birth I need to wear red so will check my wardrobe – I don’t think I have a lot of red although my winter coat is full-length and red, so covers me completely so I’m ok for winter

Red of course is one of the luckiest colours in Chinese culture, standing for prosperity, loyalty, success, and happiness. Apparently, it can also drive away bad luck and evil spirits.

Research tells me I can wear red belts, socks, shoes, or other red clothes. Apparently red underwear is highly recommended but another ‘rule’ that we roosters need to pay attention to, or the red won’t ward off bad luck, is I cannot buy red underwear for myself.

Now you know what I need for gifts this year!

One good thing, as well as wearing red, I also need to wear Jade accessories– so will be wearing more pounamu (NZ Greenstone/Jade) and that’s easy for me.

However, it gets even more complicated, it also seems I need to adjust my furniture and dwellings to face east “to get Tai Sui behind them”.

All I can say is crikey, Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gong Hey Fat Choy and 新年快乐

Chinese gardens were high on my Dunedin ‘to-do’ list.

The Dunedin Chinese Gardens were high on my ‘to-do’ list and I suggest you put them on yours too. Along with the Scottish settlers, the Chinese have been in the Otago region since 1863 (incidentally, the same year my mother’s family arrived on Banks Peninsula, from Cornwall.)

This Chinese Scholar-garden, Lan Yuan, is tucked in beside railway tracks and the Toitu Otago Early Settlers Museum in the city centre – on the corner of Rattray & Cumberland Streets. It’s the only authentic Chinese garden in New Zealand and in fact is the first in the Southern Hemisphere and one of less than half a dozen outside China which surprised me.

Despite being in the city, it is an amazingly peaceful and quiet place and I know when I’m back in Otago I will revisit this wonderful garden.

Look at the photos and I know you too will love them.

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