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[Lots of flowers, people, and photos. Karen Mullaly, from the beautiful Avoca Valley, visited Christchurch's Ellerslie International Flower Show and tells us what it was like. Be sure to visit our Gallery, where you can see more of the photos she sent. Perfect for those of us who weren't able to make the trip!]
As the saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words”, and as you will see from my photos, Ellerslie certainly fits the bill. I saw some totally delightful, cleverly crafted and totally unusual exhibits, and I have tried to photograph all the variety for your perusal.
I went on the Friday with a girlfriend and, when I saw the crowds of people, I was extremely thankful I had obtained a pre-booked ticket. I quickly realised however that the massive queue ahead was not for ticket sales but entry into the show! I took my place at the back and tried to be patient as I waited my turn to enter the gate.
With the queue finally behind me I was able to gaze around and my first impressions were "Wow, it’s BIG", but more importantly, it was very spacious. Despite the huge numbers you never felt crowded in.
I was really impressed with the layout and variety of the show, unfortunately the marquees all had extremely longs queues. At different times I asked a few people near the front how long they had waited to get that far, and was told approximately 30 minutes. I was not prepared to wait that long so we walked and enjoyed the exterior displays and exhibits.
An important exception was the Woolworths marquee (which had no queue) where we tested a variety of food and wine samples and a couple of culinary purchases were made! I dearly hope however that the organisers spend more time in planning marquee entry in 2010. With six marquees equating to a possible three hour wait, it's more than any person can bear!
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