Calligraphy Workshop – Christchurch.
In August of 2024, I had a wonderful weekend in Christchurch teaching two workshops! I was asked by Angela and then Carol if I would consider holding workshops there and my answer was a resounding ‘YES!’ It was a great opportunity to keep spreading my love of lettering and to visit another part of New Zealand.
My husband joined me on the adventure and off we flew to Christchurch. After landing, we jumped in a little Swift rental and headed up in the mountains to Castle Hill Village. Castle Hill is located in the mountains about an hour from Christchurch and is the most picturesque little place. It is a high alpine village settled below the Craigieburn ranges.
I was warmly welcomed by Carol and a group of eight keen learners. We enjoyed calligraphy, yummy snacks, and hot drinks in a winter wonderland!
After the workshop, my husband and I had time to explore the amazing Kura Tawhiti boulders. This is an area of huge, limestone rock formations of cultural significance to Ngāi Tahu. An absolute must see! You can read more about this conservation area here.
Then we headed back down the mountain to check in to our Airbnb. Angela, a long time customer, had invited me to teach in Christchurch and we had a very cosy and comfortable night at her beautiful Airbnb. It is a gorgeous sanctuary in the heart of Christchurch and is so convenient to restaurants, cafes, and close to the CBD. We enjoyed lots of pampering there with all the extra special treats Angela provides. This is her lovely accommodation here
The next morning we woke to an extremely cold but beautiful sunny day. We headed out to the Lincoln Event Centre for the second workshop with ten lovely learners. We had a great time using new writing tools, learning foundation strokes, and practicing calligraphy letterforms. Learners wanted to learn calligraphy to write thank you notes, do greeting cards, make gift cards, and write in their journals so I hope they achieve their goals!
After the workshop it was a quick lunch and back on a plane to Auckland. What a great trip! It would be great to go back and do calligraphy workshops in Christchurch again some day.
A special thank you to Angela for helping and hosting! And a huge shout out to my biggest supporter, driver, photographer and all round good guy, my husband John Hagen.
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Calligraphy Workshop – Christchurch August 2024