CULTURE CLUB

Liam Stretch Culture Editor

This month’s theme focuses on ‘eating and exploring’ – two of my favourite things. When I think of times when these have been combined with my cultural loves, one adventure stands out.

It was 2019, and I was in ‘San Francisco of the South’, Invercargill, for the Pink Floyd Experience’s rendition of The Wall.

It was prior to arriving at the stunningly restored Civic Theatre that I had the best tempura of my life – so far. This little Japanese place, Koji, in a former fish and chip joint, served up the freshest fish tempura, which I’ll probably never forget. It’s funny how that night is printed into my mind; the musicians from The Experience were also unforgettable.

Anyway, enough nostalgia. Here are three things that I’m loving now.

I never thought I would find myself listening to new Willie Nelson music. He didn’t strike me as having the energy to produce new tunes. Oh, how I was wrong, and I’m glad I was. His latest LP, A Beautiful Time, coincided with his 89th birthday and is raw, intelligent, and exceptionally listenable. My favourite track is the introspective Energy Follows Thought – it’s what you get when you’re a country artist who is also a hippie.

Our Flag Means Death, created by David Jenkins, is a refreshing take on the pirate world. Not since Jack Sparrow’s buffoonery have we been able to laugh at pirates in pop culture, let alone identify with them. This clever television series has some familiar Kiwi faces, with Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby taking leading roles. It’s absurd, funny, and oddly, extremely heartfelt in places. It’s a mustwatch on Neon.

The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes To Live To 100 is beyond a cookbook and centres around the ‘blue zones’, the top five places around the globe where people live the longest: Sardinia, Okinawa, Nicoya, Ikaria, Loma Linda. This is a social study of those that have unlocked the proverbial fountain of youth and their recipes. The photos are excellent also, worthy of your coffee table as much as your kitchen.

The last Spire Apartment is selling now. This 5th floor, two bed, two bath, quality home enjoys elevated views over Christchurch’s cityscape. Whilst it doesn’t include a carpark, your commute to the CBD is just a 30 sec trip in one of the building’s three elevators. 506/64 KILMORE ST $799,000 VIEW Contact Aaron Pero 0275 227667 aaron.pero@harcourts.co.nz

Dinosaurs are descending on Canterbury Museum in a new exhibition that will be a hit with families and dinosaur enthusiasts alike. Dinosaur rEvolution: Secrets of Survival features skeletons, fossils casts, and huge animatronic dinosaurs. But these aren’t dinosaurs as you know them – new fossil finds in China, including dinosaur skin, feathers, and quills, have forever changed our image of these primeval giants. Discover how horns, spikes, quills, and feathers helped dinosaurs survive and learn about the true evolution of the dinosaurs. Entry is $10 per adult and $5 per child, with family passes available. On now, Canterbury Museum canterburymuseum.com

The Girl on the Train follows Rachel Watson, a recent divorcee whose life has completely fallen apart. The ‘girl’ in question, Megan, part of a couple that Rachel watches from the train each day, suddenly disappears, leading Rachel to involve herself in the investigation. As Rachel delves deeper, she unearths secrets that no one was prepared for. You’ll be guessing until the very end. 21 May–25 June, Court Theatre courttheatre.org.nz

Two dynamic choreographers from the New Zealand Dance Company will indulge your senses in a transportive performance dashing between fiction and reality. You’ll float through time and space with The Fibonacci by NZDC Co-artistic Director Tor Colombus. Then, you’ll be ground down with feeling in the world premiere of emerging Māori choreographer Eddie Elliott’s Uku – Behind the Canvas.

4 May, James Hay Theatre, Christchurch Town Hall, nzdc.org.nz

Described as a one-of-a-kind film and music experience, The Magical Music of Harry Potter is a unique and enchanting evening where original actors, star soloists, a choir, and an orchestra bring the boy wizard’s world to life! Be mesmerised by a programme filled with music from the films, and the evening will become truly spellbinding with illusions from Rob Lake, one of the world’s leading magicians. 29 May, Isaac Theatre Royal isaactheatreroyal.co.nz