And, of course, for the keen sports fan, plenty to watch.
Be it the hitting of willow or racquet or the sound of thundering hooves, one can take time to watch.
First up was the twenty20 match between the Otago Volts and Wellington Firebirds at University Oval on December 17.
It did not start because of the wet conditions.
Well, yours truly sat on the bank for 45 minutes and did not get wet at all. An Ethiopian would not have even called it rain. It was the lightest of drizzles.
The bowlers were out warming up and going through their paces but it was deemed unsafe for the players. It really did rain about two hours after the start and the game was abandoned but some play should have happened.
Never mind.
Next up, how about some New Year’s Day racing at Waikouaiti?
The alarm bells started going as soon as driving down past that roundabout to the course. Jockeys were out looking at the track when they should have been parading in the birdcage for the second race.
Get to the course and within 10 minutes the call goes out — the meeting is abandoned.
Damn, but we’re off to Alexandra on Wednesday — we can duck out to Omakau to watch the gallops.
Ah, sorry, you can’t. A dodgy sprinkler soon put paid to that. The track was unsafe so come back Friday.
We did — with about three others. The races had about as much atmosphere as the United Future booze-up last election night.
That is the luck of the draw. Surely after a trip to the beach, we can go and watch our beloved Black Caps take on Pakistan at the University Oval last Saturday.
Well we could, if we could get a ticket. It seems the lounge at home holds just as many as the University Oval.
Ah well, back to work, holiday over. Plenty of sun, sand but not much sport watching.
There is though a worrying trend and theme to all these delays and cancellations — the ever-increasing culture of health and safety.
Now we all want to be safe, we all want to be healthy but are we getting a bit too precious? Just erring a bit too much on the side of caution? A tad too quick to call things off because something could happen, someone could get injured?
No doubt the track was dangerous in places at Waikouaiti, the outfield at University Oval a bit damp and the bank at the Oval could have got a bit crowded.
But life is a risk, isn’t it?
One thinks of the quote attributed to an American major after the heavy bombing of Vietnamese city Ben Tre: "It became necessary to destroy the town to save it".
Are we so busy looking for reasons to make everything safe and protect all and sundry that in the end no-one will turn up to watch and sport will die?
Who is going to venture out to Waikouaiti next New Year’s Day if there is a bit of rain about? Go to a cricket match if it is cloudy?
There is lots to do these days — plenty of it more exciting than sitting on a bank watching a bunch of prima donnas cry off.
But never mind, we push on — there is always the Australian Open to watch.
Well, maybe not. Apparently now it is too hot in Melbourne.
A word of advice to these millionaire tennis players — it’s a summer sport. It’s hot in summer.
Get on with it.
