August 2009
Glorious view is all I can say! From the back: “This Tudoresque stone building, a familiar landmark on the Port Hills, looks out across the Canterbury Plains beyond Christchurch to the distant Southern Alps.”
I needed more information and, happily, Wikipedia was glad to provide it: “The Sign of the Takahe is today a function centre and tea rooms built in the style of an English Manor House. Designed by J.G. Collins, construction was carried out between 1918 and 1948. The Takahe also provides one of the better panoramic views of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, the Canterbury Plains and the Southern Alps.
Named after the flightless native New Zealand bird, the Takahe, it was initially one of the roadhouses planned by Henry George (Harry) Ell as part of his scheme to preserve the natural state of the Port Hills which overlook Christchurch and Lyttelton harbour.”
Ok, so they’re not postcards … but they could be, simply by writing on the blank backs. They’re the same size as postcards, too, so they fit into my postcard albums. I picked up this pack of five cards at a recent visit to Ikea, one of my favorite places to while away a few hours dreaming and shopping! 🙂
We visited this mine just to the east of Charlotte because my son did a project on it last year and wanted to visit in person. From the back: “Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site in Cabarrus County, NC is the location of the first gold discovery in the United States. Visitors can take underground tours, see exhibits and pan for gold seasonally.” Being claustrophobic, I skipped the tour. And my kids “panned” for gold, given a plate of dirt, finding no more than one teeny, tiny fleck. They still enjoyed it though–enough to go back for “seconds!” Others were finding more gold than they did, so I guess it is possible! 🙂