Long live your dreams
New York, New York
Sydney
Climbing for Dawn
Photos from Sydney
The Land of the Long White Cloud
Christmas
Jumping high, jumping higher
My birthday
North to South
27th December 2005 - posted from Christchurch
Aotearoa, it's original Maori name, renamed New Zealand by the Dutch, is a remarkable country. After three months here, while doing a lot, I still feel like there's a lot left to come back for. I've done somethings I never thought I'd have the privilege to do, like sailing an America's Cup racing yacht in Auckland, I've done some things I've wanted to do, like sky diving, and I've done some things I wasn't going to do but did anyway because I couldn't think of a reason not to do them while I'm here, like bungee jumping.
When I thought of New Zealand before I came, I thought of Lord of the Rings style scenery, everything being outdoors. I could name only one or two places. Arrogantly, I knew nothing of the Maori culture that existed before Europeans arrived in the late 1800s. While the scenery is there, stunning as it is, there is a lot more to New Zealand. There is only 4 million people - it's like the population of Berlin living in the whole of Germany - but they make up some wonderful towns and cities. Having been here for so long now, it feels quite small, as we've nearly covered every corner of the country - on both islands, but there's plenty more to come back for. The people are wonderful, genuine and polite. Kiwis, they call themselves, have a similar average income to Spain - with farming being the main industry, likewise. For them to visit Britain on holiday would require years of savings - hence why when you meet a Kiwi in Britain, they are normally there to live and work.
Traveling for this long, in any country, lets you really start to feel what it's like. Walking around Christchurch today, I understand all the adverts, I know the products in the shops. We no longer convert things into pounds to work out how much things are. When a cash machine gives us our balance in pounds, we have to convert it into New Zealand dollars for it to mean anything to us. While it is no where near really living here, paying taxes and owning a house, we feel like we know it well now.
Their transport links are good, with plenty of links for tourists to get around the country. We had a van for much of the trip and enjoyed driving in a new country. The rules are very similar to home, drive on the left, give way to the right - but that last one on a whole new level, you always, always give way to the right. Say you're driving down the road and you're going to turn left into another road, but coming down the road towards you is another car, intending to turn right into the road you're going into. You must give way to that car, even if it means that you have to stop and let traffic behind you slow down. This also applies to junctions. Some consider this illogical, but they have some much more sensible laws too; when riding a bicycle on roads or on tracks, you must always wear a helmet.
Going from place to place, especially on the south island, is very easy - there is just one main road that goes from one place to another. If you want to travel from the Franz Josef glacier to Queenstown - a drive of about four to 5 hours - there is just only one road.
The general culture of New Zealand today is very British and European. Many places have British names (I'm currently in a district of Christchurch called Richmond, the airport is near Addington). The food is mainly European, but there are a few Indian, Chinese and American places too.
There is also a Korean and Japanese presence, especially in big cities - this includes many of their restaurants and due to laws in Japan, many of their cars over 10 years old end up here too. In Queenstown there was a shop of New Zealand gifts, owned by a Japanese family, which was always full of Japanese tourists. On top of that, most of the gifts inside were made in Japan. It's a small world, as they say.
Television and radio is fairly limited - with just three main channels, a few extras channels only in cities and then a basic satellite service. Most of the programmes are imported, mainly from Britain, the USA and Australia. The line up on one channel was week was Neighbours, The Simpsons and then Vicar of Dibley.
Away from the towns and cities, life is simple and easy. The vast landscapes are stunning - there are very few places where you are not greeted with an awe inspiring view. This TV advert shows some of the places we've been quite well. The water is that clear, the scenery is that amazing.
If you ever get the opportunity to make it this far around the world, it is a must. I'm sad that I have to go up to my room now, pack my bag and have my last night in New Zealand.