Swan plant

Should just point out that the swan plant featured below under "Monarch butterfly" is so called because of it's fruit. Can you see it?

Golden Bay

The track ends in Golden Bay. I spent a couple more days in the area exploring the beautiful landscape before returning to Wellington and a new home.

Abel Tasman track

Just been in the north of the South Island for a week, which involves catching the ferry from Wellington to Picton. I hooked up with my friend Kaya, who I last saw in Gokarna, India a couple of months ago, and went tramping for 4 days and nights along the Abel Tasman track. One of NZ's nine Great Walks, it is mainly coastal path, with some bits of native bush in between bays.




Native bush usually has a high percentage of ferns in it, including tree ferns - or ponga (pronounced punga) - amongst the southern beeches and manuka trees. This makes it feel pretty primordial. Why? I guess because all the artists impressions one sees of dinosaurs include ferns. They are known to be one of the oldest forms of plant life still in existence.

The manuka trees remind me of tamarisk trees in Greece.

One of our campsites.

I was dreading this. Kaya loves feeding all of god's creatures..... especially the cute ones..... ..... and possums love being fed, and are cute, and are a real pest around campsites. One of them actually tore a hole in the side of my tent to get at my scroggin one night. So perhaps you can understand why I really didn't want Kaya to meet one. But whaddayaknow....

Oh yeah! Scroggin. Kiwi for a high energy mix of chocolate, nuts, dried fruits and seeds. This was a particularly deluxe mix of my own creation.

Birthday party

It was Ema's 30th birthday party a couple of weeks ago. On display here are Ema, and some gatecrasher, both sporting some of Ema's inflatable collection. She started collecting on a trip to the US and UK when she was 13, thinking to take the biggest things she could get in her suitcase. Smart girl.
The gatecrasher, you may notice, is also sporting a rather curious asymetric Kirk Douglasesque dimple on his chin. The result, I am told, of an earlier infection.

Monarch butterfly

Ema has planted a swan plant in her garden because it is the only plant the endangered Monarch butterfly lays it's eggs on. I caught this beautiful, large creature in the act.

Paterson House

And then I got offered a room in this fantastic house. It has this beautiful garden with a lemon tree (in front of the deck chairs), two sunrooms, cool creative housemates, and is right by Mount Vic for when I want to go running. Happy man.

House truck

I was beginning to think I might have to build myself one of these.

Ema

To date I have been living with Ema - seen here on the right playing Canasta with her mum, Tina, and Naj - who has kindly been putting me up while I search for more permanent accommodationj. I know Naj from London and Tina is his boss here in Wellington.

Newtown Fair

Newtown is an area of Wellington about 2km south of the city centre. It has a nice multi-cultural feel, which was on full display at the weekend during it's annual fair. The crowd seen here dancing to an African band in front of the set of a Western film. Only joking! A lot of the high streets look like this.

Cuba Street Carnival

Biggest event of the summer here in Wellington is the Cuba Street Carnival. Two days of music, films and fun ending in a big procession of floats, samba bands and dancers on Saturday night. Here the Real Hot Bitches rehearse for their world record breaking attempt on synchronised dancing.

Fringe festival

All this month is the Fringe festival featuring music, theatre, installations, dance. It is a lottery, but at about £4 a show and on average an hour's running time each, there is very little to lose and much to enjoy. Jo and I went to see "Lovers of Central Park", which had half a dozen love stories set in the park, interwoven with each other. We had to walk through the whole park to see the play. No falling asleep on this outing. Definitely won my Best of Fringe so far.

Kiwi Home

This is a model of a typical kiwi home. A few planks of wood and some corrugated iron. Most of it needs replacing after about a hundred years, and it isn't very soundproof. But it's a home, and it doesn't cost the earth!

The New Dowse

I went to see this great new gallery yesterday to the north of the harbour, in the Hutt valley. Really inspiring. The New Zealanders are rightfully proud of their creativity. I wonder what it will inspire in me.

Although one of the best things was this stratum of concrete in the cafe bar rather than an exhibit.

Venice

And then you turn another corner and you're in Venice.

Trafalgar Square

Just in case I ever feel homesick for Blighty, the local council send this old Routemaster around on its way to Trafalgar Square. The air here is very clean and can do strange things to your mind.

Trouble inside

Just noticed this sign on a box in my room. I picked it up to use as my filing cabinet. There are definitely no bottles left inside, but as for the rest is anyone's guess.

Galaxy Xmas

This is what I woke up to on my porch in Goa on Xmas Day.

Rugby 7s

Wellington hosted the rugby sevens this weekend. Mainly an excuse for all the local 20 year olds to get dressed up for a huge fancy dress party on the terraces. A lot of beer got consumed. Not sure how many of them actually saw the rugby - which is a shame because the play was quite exciting. Each game only lasts about 20 minutes. Because each side only has 7 players, there are lots of gaps on the field resulting in a lot of tries. Perfect rugby.

Cricket

This one's for Simon. He thinks NZ is a cricketing nation, when the only language the men here talk is rugby!

Ohiro Bay

So, cycle south from central Wellington for about 15 minutes, turn right, walk for another 10 and you arrive on this beach. No, it isn't sandy, but I still think it's pretty cool. Especially if there's a southerly blowing! (There's nothing between here and Antarctica.)

Oriental bay

The weather isn’t great here. But on a nice day the harbour can look like Lake Como. Not that I’ve been to Lake Como. But I imagine. Oriental bay is a beach in the inner city which has been created with imported sand. Not a bad investment metinks.

Wellington

Back in Wellington after two years and ten months. Don’t know how to convey Wellington’s charm. Hillsides covered in ferns/ ponga trees and native bush, with the odd wooden house perched wherever they can find a foothold. The hills surround a large natural harbour, which opens on to the Cook Straits. Behind the harbour here you can see the Rimatuka range of mountains.

Mumbai

Last day in India. Took overnight train to Mumbai/ Bombay. Caught evening flight to Wellington, NZ via Sydney, Australia.

Sick boy

Suffered various skin infections in my last few weeks in India. Initially around the eyes. Here on my chin and nose. Not pretty. A lesson in vanity.

Vehicles

I love the Indian vehicles. The Royal Enfield motorcycles and old Ambassador taxis. All the bicycles conform to this ancient design as though gears and cantilever brakes had never been invented. Can sometimes be painful watching the rickshaw drivers set off with a heavy load.

There is obviously a weakness in the design of the front forks, but rather than re-engineer them, extra bracing is added.

Cricket

Sometimes think I should show you all more of the squalor in India. The rubbish that pollutes every corner. But that would detract from it’s beauty. Obviously Tom.

Perving

This is a word I learnt from the gays in Sydney, who would go down to Tamarama beach every Sunday for a perv at the talent. Here in India the Indian men arrive in a pack early in the morning to walk nonchalantly up and down the beach and suddenly find something interesting to look at/ talk about whenever in the proximity of a scantily clad female tourist. What to do?

Sunset

Gokarna

Reunited with Avital for my last week in India. Left the family to go back to the coast in Karnataka and hook up with my lovely Israeli friend. The family followed a day later.

India is full of Israelis. They too travel as a family - mishpuche in Israeli. If you are Israeli, you need never be lonely in India. Although their tendency to travel as a pack, haggle hard, and translate directly from their own language into English (rather than be aware of the politeness of English+Indian spoken English) does not always make them popular, they tend to be friendly and open.

Afternoon at the reservoir

Julie, Sally and Kaya (aka Hilly, Marge and Edna) havinalarf. Should explain that we all had alter egos on this trip. I was called King Arthur. You’ll have to ask Hilly and Marge why. Must have had something to do with my innate wisdom and authority.

Packed lunch

This is how Indians transport their lunches to work, or if they are going for a picnic. Stainless steel dishes stacked and locked together holding rice, dahl and chapatis.

Elephant stables

Hampi kids 3

Hampi kids 2

Hampi kids 1

And one for the kids

One for the ladies

One for the men