I've been asking myself why, despite having largely grown up in Christchurch, I haven't felt that way. It's not?

it highlights the fluidity of the word "home"

I have lived in places that were never home – not cities, but individual houses. I'd probably been at uni a couple of years before I was living somewhere that felt like home, and then I would "go home" (meaning not so?

Taking the place of the Wellingtonians who now live in Auckland, I suspect – me being one of them. We are legion!

Yes, the Christchurch thing....I have minor dealings with a firm down there who seem to have disappeared into the liquefaction.?

Interesting: I can relate to that myself, but for some it seems to be the other way around. For some people, the networks?

I lived there for five years and I still like to think that in some small way I'm a?

Interesting: I can relate to that myself, but for some it seems to be the other way around. For some people, the networks and rituals of high school seem to define the rest of their lives

Ah, that's true, I just don't know any of those people. (None of my?

I?

Born?

Exactly, and the flip side of that explains I don't build those "home" connections so easily. I have moved around a fair amount, so haven't always?

But if the question is 'where?

Dunedin – still have many family members down there, and going back there for university was good while it lasted, with?

I know someone?

When asked where?

We could band together and commonly commiserate about being from Hokitika, or Masterton, or Oamaru ? unless you were the guy from Auckland we were making fun of.

I was that guy from Auckland. Skipped the halls, and made common cause with other refugees from the North Island, and none?

I don't know if I could reinhabit my own childhood homes

We had to think about this recently, because the first question with the estate was, did any of the children want to buy Mum's house. We moved around a lot when I was little, so that was my first?

I know exactly what you mean. (Note to self: stop driving past old houses of now-departed relatives to see if the new people are keeping up the garden.?

And it avoids the embarrassing "Earth? Where's that?".

But then every time there's a supernova way out on the Perseus arm, you're besieged by concerned Andromedans who imagine it must be right on your doorstep.

Maybe, but it's inextricably tied to and is part of what your politics and philosophy are, don't you think?

Cash in! Claim to be the last of your species, and the Andromedan chicks will be gagging for it.

And did he?

Or something :)

Do you have to have minimum length of residence for a place to qualify as 'home'? I was born and brought?

Here, unless the person actually knows there way around the UK, it's "50k from London" unless I really want to explain exactly where my town is.

For Aucklanders who once stopped for a pie in Dunedin, but want to be associated with a?

I found myself cycling through the Domain every morning?

Generally though I?

Often people who ask me that question expect me to say "England" despite me having spent a whole six?

Generally, yes. But my father-in-law has lived in Australia for over 50 years out of his 70 year life, and yet still does not really consider himself an Australian. It doesn't help that?

That's an interesting one: I'm from "now" – but that "now" has very long roots*-
from personal & family memories, to whakapapa that go back over a?

Me too, although I grew up in the Wairarapa from age 5. Going down to New Plymouth after my father's death and seeing that mountain! Such a presence! But it was the place my parents met?

I remember doing School Cert Maori,?

When I lived in Auckland, the fact that I was originally from Hamilton was seldom brought up. No one asked me where I was from, and I never had conversations about what it was like having moved to Auckland.

But when I moved to Wellington, I got "Where?

My pet hate is mumbled Niewzildspeak. So, good on you! Good?

Home on Mother Earth.

Home, is where I want to be/But I guess I'm already there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqg_ZGcuybs

Re accents: I get accused of being an academic (gasp!) or coming from the UK (only distantly my dears – )because normally I speak quite clearly. But hey! I can speak N/Zild with the best of us, and?

cos there's still so much to do, eh

Anyway, on a more serious note, this?

And Emma, if you want to know what's the goss in Timaru, this was the only game in town last night.

Mnnnrgh. You've heard me on Hubbard after a few wines. Just imagine I said that again, with a few notes about blatant fucking pandering added in.

Wellington ( late?

One notable house I lived in during my years in Christchurch was on the sweeping bend of Carlton?

The Greens compare the government's patient concern for the welfare of Hubbard's investors (despite chances to stop underwriting them) with the short shrift delivered to those whose livelihoods have been disrupted in Christchurch.

So unthinking Government support?

I'm amused that I have picked up some Englishness from my?

Strangely I mostly support the Hurricanes. Only lived in Wellington for a year, but find myself more in tune with?

Spoken like a true cantabrian.....

Can you imagine me remembering that with being bollocked from all directions??? I don't know but I DO remember Canterbury lost....

Yes, if you can understand it. Not sure if you were referring in your post to what I said, Isabel, but it saddens me more to have to ask people to repeat themselves, sometimes embarrassingly __many__?

Then The Aussies started to predominate- so we got "Uneee"...

5th here.

Was that the blue house, Geoff, or the one next door?

Late 1990s in CHCH Jacqui

When I arrived in 1990 it was already firmly 'uni': I never heard it?

Absolutely, the Dux,?

-speaking of which,
say these words to yourself
clear, clare, clair-

notice how your tongue moves?
And how the sound doesnt change all that much?

I passionately love N?Zild and have defended how?

Reckon. Maybe Dr Hay could drop by and talk to us about this topic a bit #nudge

I think this is why I'm sometimes mistaken for a non-kiwi. I'm not aware of doing it but when I hear recordings of myself I talk in a very slow and deliberate manner – I have a nasty suspicion that I?

About the only thing I can find worth quoting from the chair-talking guy

To use Tom?s Christmas analogy, way back on the first page, I always say I am going home for Christmas. Because I am. But when I come back to Wellington, I am coming home too.

Christchurch is home. It?s where most of my family is, where?

I'm trying to slow down, I swear!

I?

... On the other hand, a smaller-scale followup study of children's speech (Robb & Gillon 2007) found that NZ children spoke more slowly than American children.
In both studies, the authors explain the observed difference in speech rate in terms of differences in vowel pronunciation (e.g. higher?

Hence the Builders' 'Clifford Flat'?

I should have said, a librarian (and a sports monitor, and crossing guard – is that what we called them?) at?

The song before Clifford Flat on the Builders compilation [[http://www.newzealandcds.com/products.asp?product_id=896|Pyx vol?

national character?

That was Andrew Schmidt, wasn't it? He has a new popular culture blog — http://cautionweirdlode.wordpress.com/ — but I?

Emma: a big, two-storey wooden house and, I think, a very faded blue. There were a great bunch of people living there and it was rather sad when it all fell apart (I set off to do postgrad studies?

No, no, I prefer the New Zealand approach. It doesn't induce impatience.

Whilst I was at UoC I was recruited to help with filming GPP in Christchurch. I found the bloke who was willing to take out his teeth and eat an pie, and organise a string quartet to play in the Arts Centre. I?

I've never had anything?

Maybe it is a rural thing, but town/country was a pretty important division growing up, so despite?

That's quite an unlikely talent... ;-)

That?s it exactly. I?m not against a New Zealand accent ? for heavens? sakes, I?ve got one myself!
@ Sacha: Catriona McLeod is a prime example?

My mother is slightly obsessed with how she pronounces 'strengthening' during the weather report. 'Where is the g? She's saying STRENTHening! I can't bear it!'

shudder

Although actually, in spite of having lived in Milan for 27 years, I am not properly home until I visit the village where my grandparents lived, where I spent a fraction of that time. But some?

New Jersey?

I think we featured in a British UK series back in the ?70s ? Mogul / Troubleshooters when in one shot they arrived in Auckland, drove?

There's a large home in M?ngere, where I spent the first 19 years of my life, still occupied by my parents. It, and the rest of Auckland still fits me like a warm glove

Wellington?

Hey, NZ On Screen?

It?

You certainly don't have an accent when you write :), so am I wrong in thinking you don't have an accent when you speak? And that's why we'd never guess?

For me, where I am from is quite a different question to where is home.

I can never answer where I am from without covering parents born and raised in Timaru, me born in Wellington and leaving at 18mnths old for Auckland,?

I still have no idea how those of you who live in ChCh are brave or strong enough to choose to stay

Or lazy enough. The practicalities of leaving are crushing: how would we sell our house? so how could we buy another? Finding new jobs, new schools for the?

Sorry, that does sound a trifle confused. Two quite unrelated casting decisions.

I have just been reading through the page proofs of the Te Papa Press New Zealand Film: An Illustrated History book, due out in July. It looks wonderful and will most likely?

In my hubris (a word that sounds so much better than arrogance) I used to think I didn't have much of an accent, or much of an easily recognisable Italian?

While I?ve travelled quite a bit overseas, I?ve never managed ? wanted ? to stay away from here for longer than 6 weeks. I know I could?ve been a great deal wealthier (in $$$) and maybe would?ve learned much?

For me it's complicated. My T?rangawaewae is more conceptual, Aotearoa as a whole. Mostly I remember specific places rather than houses or people. There's still a pond next to a creek just north?

After the events of yesterday, that is both apposite and poignant.

Are you sure that's not some obscure town in the UK? Next to Upper Diction, and mortal enemies of Diction On Jubblies?

The new "Places" tab on all NZ On Screen clips takes geographical information provided by users.

Example here.

Like Emma said, a lot of it is in the practicalities – this is where we have friends and jobs and schools and commitments and starting over somewhere?

The Front Lawn ? When You Come Back Home

The one that gets me is 'Tomorrow Night', especially in the verse when she comes back from the UK and flies in over Oriental Bay. Sniffle. And I've never even lived in Wellington.

Jacqui, there was a running joke for a?

My father was unmistakably a FOB Italian, even twenty years after he arrived. I was so?

It surprises me when ex-pats still refer to the country of their birth as ?home? ? even after they?ve lived here for decades.

I've lived here for decades but Canada will always be home for me, this place -the landscape, lifestyle and the customs are all very nice but completely?

Yessity yes yes yes. And I'm a bit judgeypants about people who don't.
Actually, I may?

I was in Ottawa for six days and we spent exactly six minutes outdoors.

Born in Nelson but moved to Christchurch for Uni and then work. Loved CHCH for 10 years but missed my geographical locators (hills). It seemed kinda wierd, almost claustrophobic, that the sky came down to meet the plains without the buffer?

I was in Ottawa for six days and we spent exactly six minutes outdoors.

Giovanni, you do know that I?m from Vancouver, which is more than 4,600 km from Ottawa?

I?ve been to Ottawa once and skated on the Ridout Canal, (dodging commuters dressed in business suits and carrying briefcases?

The presence of multiple boutique-sized volcanic cones is such a bonus. It takes a degree of fitness to get up some of them, but none are?

And of course, you can Guess Who he went to school with.

Fine. Is anybody allowed to say anything about any other part of Canada?

named after your beloved, too – how sweet

Watch the 2 year old doing the Grouse Grind and you?ll feel better. Canadians are big on safety and providing for all levels of ability.

I feel like I may have said this before, but: I was teasing you, Dyan.

(See, it's funny to me because you said you missed?

Yeah. Nice, that.

*With the help of many many possum carcases- they trapped possums?

forced drinking straight off the plane and unruly saloons full of stetsons.

Dude, that _is_ my experience of Vancouver Airport. I had an enthusiastic Canadian forcing me to drink clam juice before I landed.

Though to be honest, my parents left there when I was three, and moved around for a few years and settled finally in New Plymouth when I was eight. They're still living in the house?

Really hoping that's a euphemism.

No, absolute truth.

Oh yes, me too: it's got amazing emotional feng shui (apart from the small matter of fault-lines). The way the hills hug you, and the harbour shining?

In support of both this and Dyan's contention, I am reminded of a winter visit to Ontario during which I thought I might die of being frozen to death on the?

...after half a century plus, I was growing fond of Christchurch
warts and all, but now its faults are losing their charm ....

To the general amusement of Canadians, I can't pronounce "pawn" and "p0rn" differently, try as I might. I have, however, managed to distinguish "beer" and "bear" (something?

Outside of Vancouver/Victoria life is indeed rather different, and extremely "interior-ized"(?) for the majority of the year. When it is above -15C (yes) in winter I will often jog home from work, and encounter somewhere between 0?

A Mangonui story from the early 1950s around the time of my birth – major floods and slips had taken out the Mangamuka Gorge road and the alternatives, Kaitaia was?

Kia kaha with the treatment, and I hope you are feeling better every day.

enthusiastic Canadian is a suspicious conjunction, eh

Oh, you have not met my friend Sinead. She does go out a lot, too.

Had a memorable school trip to a forestry camp at Te Wera with an awesome flying fox to transport goods (and wide-eyed kids) across a big valley. Ta for prompting me to break out the map.

I did wonder – no sign of even the camp on Google Maps or perhaps I wasn't looking hard enough. Mind you it was some time ago and the trees have all likely been harvested. By lumberjacks, perhaps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6-knLM7MZA

*clam juice: I have tasted this in Vancouver. This is the stuff we throw out after lightly steaming the?

Clark – Crown Lynn – New Lynn – my Dad most definitely from there rooted in that same clay, his father improved the?

When people here ask?

Hey Chris,seeing as you are a Peria boy, this Peria boy might be the right person?

Love that term. Up north it?s a ?bach?. And the way people from Invercargill say the name – Invercarrrgill.

And thanks for the link to the Canterbury Heritage site. My great grandfather, Enoch Barker, was the first Government Gardener hired?

"Because I've moved around so much, home has become the place where I'm not. Or the place?

I'm really not sure I have the physical home some of you are talking about. I was born in Palmerston North (which gives me the right to bag it mercilessly). Grew up in?