The USA

The weather was warm, dry and sunny and despite my concerns about US customs I sailed through with no major problems.  Out on the street I was reminded very quickly that I was in Hollywood as I was stood next to Keiffer Sutherland waiting to cross the road. Then as I crossed the road Tricky, the singer/rapper from Bristol, crossed the road in front of me. Welcome to Hollywood!  My cousin had arranged a shuttle to their house in Westlake and the over-sizing began with the shuttle bus driver. He was pretty big. He also expected me to give him directions to where I was going. A bit strange considering I'm a Brit being picked up from an international airport. He complained about this as the journey went  and I was struck by his incredible laziness. I didn't know at the time but this was a representative introduction to West coast American service.

I had planned a short visit to the States catching up with friends and family rather than seeing the country. First stop was my cousin Iqbal and his family where I would base myself. I haven't been to America in 11 years and I have only been to LA but it really hasn't changed very much. It was nice to see Iqbal and the family again as I don't get to see them much. We had a couple of days together and then I hired a car and went to Glendale to meet an old Armenian friend of my fathers from Iran called Vartan. Glendale is a town east of LA which holds the largest Armenian community outside Armenia and Iran and is a little like being in Tehran with Persian and Armenian food everywhere and the same climate as Iran. In fact California is so close to Iran in terrain and weather it's small wonder that the largest Iranian community outside Iran is in California. On the way I dropped in on another Iranian friend called Parviz and his wife who run a dental practice on Wilshire Boulevard in LA. Last time I was in LA I stayed with them. They were very surprised to see me so we made arrangements to meet up later and I went on to see Vartan who used to ski with my dad in Iran. Last time I was in America we had a really good time and they are lovely people.

The driving in California is terrible. They drive in robotic trains as if they are driving in the only direction that exists and everyone must be going the same way. They don't signal, don't give way and can't seem to compute or react to anything out of their pre programmed journey. They don't know how to brake either. At 90MPH on the freeway they will stamp on the brake pedal for no apparent reason what so ever. The car is just an extension of the living room where people sit, eating and drinking whilst on the phone and oblivious to the world around them and this oblivious attitude became apparent throughout American life as the trip went on. That morning I had been contacted by my friend and colleague Adri, a photographer I work with in London. He was going to be in New Mexico the following week and invited me down to work with him so I set about making the arrangments. I stayed with Vartan for a couple of nights before he headed off to Armenia and then went back to Iqbal's via Santa Monica up Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. PCH is what you imagine California to look like. As you cruise up the coast surfers unload their boards from their cars in the sun and girls roller blade on the board walk. It's a great commute. Back at the house I spent a few days with the kids and Iqbal. We went to a birthday party at a bowling ally on the weekend which sounded like fun. I was introduced to the father of the boy whose birthday it was and he seemed very jolly and happy in his loud Hawaiian shirt and bermuda shorts having just parked his Hummer outside. 'So you've been around the world huh?! That's great, what was your favourite place?' ... 'Laos' ... 'Really what did you like so much?' ....'It was like stepping back 500 years. Their way of life is different and so amazing' I said. And I'd lost him. He seemed to just lose the ability to talk and looked at me like I was talking some strange foreign language. 'Great, great....Laos' he said and he just walked off! He briefly spoke to me again saying 'Laos huh....great, great' and walking off again. That obliviousness again. Californians seem to live in a bubble and the outside world is totally irrellavent to them.

The weekend was soon over and it was time for me to go to New Mexico. I left at 5am on the Monday morning flying from Burbank this time which is a small, and that morning, a rather chaotic airport. My flight was from Burbank to Albuquerque, via Denver. The only other option was to fly via San Francisco which seemed ludicrous. The flight went well but as we landed in Denver I felt the plane was coming in to land but couldn't see any land or ski or horizon. We just never seemed to leave the cloud and this seemed very disconcerting until suddenly as we got close to the ground I realised I couldn't see it because it was white. Denver was covered in snow and a freak blizzard was raging! I only had a fleece and a couple of T-shirts. The temperature in LA had been 100 and Denver was 30 which made me worry a little about the temperature in New Mexico. I went into the terminal to wait for my next flight and found that all flights were delayed by at least 2 hours due to the freak snow storm and the queue for deicing. We were then all told to get on the plane and sat there for 5 hours! Yes 5 hours sat in a plane burning fuel. I was sat next to Navaho Indian from Arizona who was very sweet and funny. She was at a teaching conference with a group from her community and some of them had not been on a plane before. As we talked she told me that she has a niece who is a single mother and is in the army stationed in Germany. She was apparently due to be sent to Iraq which they were very fearful of. I couldn't believe that there was actually a chance that a single mother would be posted there and this reminded me that I was in a country that is at war.

Eventually I arrived in Albuquerque and met up with Adri. It was strange to see him after some 11 months but only because it was not very strange at all. It seemed like I'd only seen him yesterday and we went off to pick the car up. We decided to drive straight to Santa Fe a couple of hours north. Arriving in Santa Fe we booked into a motel and went to a diner. Santa Fe is a nice town with a very weekend away tourist feel and we had a look around before heading to Los Alamos where the first atomic bomb was developed. We went into the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos where the history of the bomb's development is on display which felt like a celebration of the bomb and somehow didn't feel right. Of course some Americans feel it was right to drop the bomb. We asked if we could take some pictures and one woman was very nice and helpful. Another woman who worked there came over and seemed to be an irritant to her. Her expression seemed to say 'Oh god she's going to speak'.  As we setup our gear the second woman came over and said 'Please could you keep me out of your pictures as I work with counter insurgency and I don't want to be identified'.  She stared strangely which was due to the amount of Collagen and botox she had pumped into her face and I suspected she had had a face lift too as her face seemed a little tightly stretched over her bulging eyes. Her nose had also been done. Looking at her in her brightly coloured clothes I realised that we had found the twilight zone. In fact I think we were at the centre. I got the feeling over the next few days that the 'Twilight Zone' had not been a sci-fi TV drama at all but more an early reality TV series based in a small American town. I had found it hard to keep a straight face talking to Mrs. X (we wouldn't want to reveal her identity now would we) as she slurred her words probably because of the prosak or valium. Adri had to remind me to remain composed. There were a few elderly visitors as we set the camera up and one man enquired what we were doing. We had a discussion with him about the bomb and combat and this led to the current combat in Iraq. His rational was astounding, 'we wouldn't have to be at war but the bad people have the oil' he said. If only he knew! I knew American thought like this but I was still taken a back to hear this as he was nice friendly and quite open man in his 80's who looked like he is probably a great granddad. People just think in the craziest way. The oil has been there for thousands of millions of years and the people have been there since the beginning of civilisation, but because Americans want to drive their Hummers we become the bad people because they don't like paying for their oil. It's incredible.

We stayed in Los Alamos that night after having to make do with some super market food which we ate in front of the telly as everything shuts so early out there. You can eat late as long as you're happy to eat junk. We hit the road for Taos next morning and also took in the Rio Grande again which we had seen from another point the night before. It was very beautiful and is like a mini Grand Canyon. We covered a lot of ground and at the end of the day headed back to Albuquerque stopping at Los Alamos again to try a Vietnamese place we had seen the night before. It was great and relieved the severe food boredom we were feeling. We stayed in an airport hotel and the next day were both flying out, me to LA and Adri to London. I flew via Denver again and this time my connection was over booked so they offered a free internal round trip flight to anyone who was willing to miss the flight and fly later that day. I jumped at the chance and went to get some Mexican food as you don't get fed on internal American flights, much to my annoyance. I also rerouted to LAX so arriving back in LA I went to pick up a car and headed back to Iqbal and Jamie's house and to another weekend with the family. The weather again was fabulous and over the weekend we went for Persian food, hung out in the jackouzi and I went to Yoga class with Jamie which was pretty cool. Then it was off to Malibu for an evening with Parvis and family at their house on top of the seafront by Pepperdine University campus on PCH. It's an amzing house overlooking the sea and sunset. More Persian food and I set off down PCH to Orange County to visit my cousin Kian whom I had seen in Bangkok when I stayed with his father Kew.  I arrived late and met his mum briefly before we headed off to his place. We only had 2 days but I got an idea of Orange County at least.

And that is the Californian experience, a bubble where the rest of the world doesn't really exist or if it does it is in some kind of parallel universe. Anyway after the brief visit it was time for me to catch my plane and fly to NYC from LAX. I thought I had a direct flight but I was flying via Chicago on the red eye. Chicago was a surprise from the sky. It has massive residential suburbs but the high rise city area on the coast is tiny. But that was all I saw. Then back on the same plane to LaGuardia airport in New York and after some haggling and aggravation over my ski bag, I got a shuttle to Greenwich Village where my cousin Babak lives. On the drive over New York was another surprise and looks really quaint and pretty in an unkempt kind of way a bit like London. I was very surprised how much like London it is in fact.

I haven't seen Babak for many years and he's changed quite a lot. We went off into town for a look around heading straight for Ground Zero which is surprising again in that it's such a small area and some very old buildings close to the twin towers were unaffected. They literally came straight down. One building very close is warped from the heat. It's a huge building and claims that it is warped and dangerous have been denied. I spent a few days seeing the town including the Empire state where the queue was massive but the view was excellent. The Empire state itself was pretty under whelming as a building and the tourist circus they have setup inside is ridiculous. The Chrysler building is stunning however. After the Empire state I went to MOMA, The Museum of Modern Art, which was great.  It's not the Tate Modern but great. The metro is good but like all big cities it has a system that takes a while to understand. Best of all though the food improved at last. There is plenty of good, cheap food in New York and no strip malls.

For the weekend I went to Phillidelphea to visit Tom and Amanda who I met in Queenstown in New Zealand. They were good fun and invited me over to spend an evening in Pennsilvania and Philli. I got the New Jersey link train from Penn Station and they picked me up. Tom and Amanda took me for Cheese stake, pizza and cheesy chips.  Not healthy but good. and that evening I went out with Tom and the boys to a local bar where we had a fair few beers after which we did burn outs all the way home in the V8 pickup truck while they whooped out of the window! Can't get more American than that, although the truck was Japanese. In the morning we got up and all went for breakfast at a diner followed by a lovely Italian lunch back at the house and then I was on the move again back to New York where I was straight out to dinner with Babak and some friends in 'The Village'. And that was it all of a sudden. The next morning I was getting ready to leave. Babak was flying to Paris and so we took a car to the airport that evening and checking in I was all of a sudden on my way home spending the last night of my trip on a 747 over the Atlantic. America was such a blur I didn't really think about getting home. After 11 months and 2 weeks I arrived in London to warm weather in November where my parents met me at the Airport.

I've been back about 3 weeks and I'm working already mostly on freelance web design and in the studio a little where I got to look at my film from the trip for the first time. It's been a bit strange to be home but not in the ways I had expected. I've been super busy which is why I haven't written for a while and I guess I'll have to write a mail about home. Anyway I'm home now for those who didn't know so say Hi. Somehow I'm not sure I'll be around that long ;o)

Ciao,

Kaveh.

Leaving New Zealand

Hello, it's been a while so I'll have to split this email into 2. I thought my emails would be more frequent once I began to move again but I have had little time to sit down and write.

Despite some late snow I didn't ski again in New Zealand. There were many injuries in the last week so it was a good idea. Instead I spent my last weeks in Wanaka swimming in the local pool and getting things in place to move on. The car was up for sale and I was very low on money so I did agonies a little about what to do next.  I was finding it difficult to leave Wanaka and every time I decided to leave I found a reason to stay so I forced the issue by giving my land lady notice thinking when my notice was up it was time to leave. Of course friends offered me a place to sleep for free so I was tempted to stay another weekend but the night before my rent was up I went round town saying goodbye to friends. The car was getting little genuine interest but as I prepared to start the 5 hour drive to Christchurch someone rang about the car and came to have a look. He seemed interested and I gave him till lunchtime to decide but he never got back to me. It was a shame as that would have made life very easy.  So, I packed the car, went into town for one last pie from the 'Dough Bin' and set off towards Christchurch.  My money had run out and the trip north would be pricey if I had to go all the way to Auckland but I had heard that the market for cars was far better.

Over the previous fortnight people had been slowly leaving town.  One friend called Pascal had decided to cycle to Bay of Islands north of Auckland. His van had packed up while in Wanaka and when he found no economical way to fix it he had to give the van away and decided to make the trip on his girlfriends push bike which was too small, with an improvised tent and a didgeridoo made from a piece of plastic plumbing tube. It's a very long trip but the weather had been fine with spring having been virtually bypassed for full summer. As soon as he left town though, a cold front hit the south island and he had 3 days of snow as he made his way past mount cook. As I left town he contacted me randomly to tell me where he was and knowing I would be passing I arranged to meet him in Geraldine where he was staying in his home made tent!

So I began my journey and before long the scenery began to change very dramatically.  Having become used to the valley settings of Wanaka and Queenstown where you are over shadowed by the mountains all day I was surprised by the more open and dramatic scenery I experienced as I left that area behind and headed towards mount cook. Up here the mountains become bigger but the valleys under them are more open.  There was a lot of colour and the road twisted and turned gently which made for a nice drive. The car was going well.  I had a small leak which dripped onto the wiper switch when it rained and switched the wipers on permanently and of course it began to raintermittentlyitantly so I didn't really need them on. The only way round was to pull the switch out and sit it to dry on the heater. I still loved my amusing car though and the idea of parting with her made me sad as we had become companions on these long trips. On the way we passed some funny little towns that had a very small town feel to the point of being a little odd sometimes. The weather was fabulous and constantly changing like proper New Zealand weather does. I passed Lake Tekapo and then Mount Cook and although the peak was shrouded in cloud it was still very beautiful. The crazy bright pastel blue rivers which ran from the mountain glaciers looked amazing in the sun which broke through big dark clouds that moved rapidly overhead.

Eventually I arrived in Geraldine. It's a funny little town in the middle of nowhere and after some searching using Pascal's very Italian directions I found him in a camp site on the outskirts of the town. The centre of the campsite was an old wooden church which was now being used as hostel like accommodation with a big wood burner and small wood paneled rooms. Pascal had set his tent, fabricated from various tent pieces and tar poulen under a tree and had been there a day already. It was nice to see him as I had felt quite lonely being on the road on my own again and not knowing anyone at my final destination. It had been a very strange feeling as my departure from Wanaka had been very non eventful and quick. We had a long chat and made a very nice meal of steak, onions, potatoes and couscous with bean salad. It was delicious and massive. Pascal had had quite an adventure since leaving Wanaka and seemed very enthused by the experience. It seemed to be a lot of fun and he had the time and space to loose himself in his journey. It got late and I didn't really fancy continuing with the drive to Christchurch in the rain and dark so I took a bed in the old church. I was the only person sleeping in there and Pascal assured me that there must be a lot of ghosts as it was a church. Thanks man! It was a spookyspookey with the fire banging and cracking through the night and the funny little windows. I had a very sound and warm sleep though considering how cold it was. Next morning we had an early breakfast and I saw Pascal off before heading off myself to Christchurch. The drive changed again and was flat and straight on the straightest road in New Zealand. It was nice to just relax and drive in a straight line for a change and it was a relief to the fuel bill also. Arriving in Christchurch was strange. I had becomcountrifiedtryfied in Wanaka and the sprawling suburbs and industrial look of the city didn't sit well with me. I felt very out of sorts with no view of the lake and mountain and a more scruffy urban environment surrounding me. After looking around at a couple of hostels I decided on Foley Towers which was setup and is still owned by the founder of BBH which is the best and most popular hostel organisation in New Zealand. It seemed a little quirky at first but soon became like a home and is a fantastic hostel. By the end of the first evening I was making plenty of friends. I had noticed that one girl was a north Londoner and I was pretty sure she was Greek so she was probably from Southgate or Palmers Green. When we spoke she was from Grange Park, where I live in London, and once she told me which road I knew who she must be. I said is your name Constantinou and she nearly fell off her chair. She turned out to be the sister of a guy I went to school with who's mum went to school with my mum. I'd say 'small world' but I can't stand that saying. The world is massive. These things just happen. We had a lot of laughs over the next few days.

The purpose of going to Christchurch had been to find to a better market to sell my car but after checking things out the rumors proved to be empty and the mass of people now arriving for the summer season were in fact to be found in Auckland where cars were selling in large numbers and quickly. I was disappointed and the thought of driving that distance and staying in Auckland just to sell the car didn't fill me with joy. There had been a few people looking for cars at the hostel but no-one wanted to spend as much as I was asking. One chap in particular wanted a jeep to carry his hang glider.  He could give me $1500 which is what I had paid for it and I was very tempted.  I had also been thinking about what I really wanted to do next and deep down I had no interest in going to Fiji, Cook Island or Tahiti. They are all just too touristy and my budget would not allow for a decent diving trip.  A quick visit to Air New Zealand made my mind up. My flight went from Christchurch to Auckland, Fiji, Cook Island, Tahiti and then LA.  For a mere $100 (£40) I could fly to LA direct from Christchurch that weekend on a half empty plane!  And so I went to the hostel, told Matt he could have the car for that price and the following day we did the deal and my flight was booked. It was such a relief and it gave me a few days to enjoy Christchurch which had grown on me a lot having made many friends in the hostel. Over the next few days there was much drinking and late nights in the hostel living room playing 'shit head' and 'Jenga'. I ate out a lot and spent a fair bit of cash on some music as New Zealand music is very good but hard to get hold of outside the country. There is a lot of reggae and folk music which is excellent. I also bought a merino wool jumper as I had gotten into the habit of wearing New Zealand wool clothing I had bought for a few dollars in a recycle centre. It's fantastic stuff in the cold. Some of the snow boarders from the Rookie course in Wanaka also came up to Christchurch for the weekend and we all had a night out on the town before going our separate ways.

So it was time to leave and on Sunday 2nd October I got packed and my friend Leonardo kindly drove me to the airport. I was a little concerned that David another Italian friend was kindly smoking a joint over my luggage in the back of the car and filling the car with smoke. Turning up at LAX airport with luggage stinking of weed could be interesting. I already have a passport which says born in Tehran and more trouble in the airport was not really what I needed. Then once Leonardo left the airport I realised I had left my rather expensive MP3 player which is also my back up drive for photos on the book shelf in the living room of the hostel. The 1st time I had forgotten things on this trip. He kindly brought it to the airport for me though and I checked in. I felt very strange about leaving New Zealand which had literally become home. I have family in the States and my trip there was more to see people than the place but I didn't relish the idea of going there and in my mind my trip was already over. New Zealand had been wonderful with it's clean air, smoke free bars and the simple outdoors lifestyle had made me very healthy, relaxed and happy. It's a place I could live very happily and life has a good balance. You sometimes do miss the culture and hustle bustle of Europe but it is a wonderful place. I had made so many friends and the summer was bringing a very different feel to traveling there which I would have loved to stay and enjoy but I knew it was time to go home for various reasons most importantly, money. So I left with very mixed feelings.

Next..... America! Oh my goodness!

NZ Ski season ends

Hello everyone,

How are you all doing? It feels like a long time since my last email and things haven't changed a lot. I have been in Wanaka for almost 3 months now and have been making the most of the ski season even if it has been the worst in New Zealand for 25 years. Having moved into a house on the edge of town I settled into the routine of driving up the mountain everyday and spending the day skiing. Leaving between 8 and 9 am and with the lift closing at 4 I had been getting about 4 or 5 full days per week. The excellent free physiotherapy available throughout New Zealand had sorted some knee injuries and the tuition from Mike has done wonders for my skiing. I have progressed from The Remarkables, to Cardrona and finally Treble Cone which was a big progression and I have spent the bulk of the season at Treble where I have slowly progressed from the Main Basin's Green runs to the Black Shoots of saddle basin and finally the hike to the summit, skiing down in relatively untracked snow. As well as skiing I was going to the gym every day towards the end of the season, which helped my skiing progress even faster. The Austrian ski team, have been in the gym and the pool too which is cool and I have had the opportunity to see Herman Meyer up close. It was a shock to find that he is the same height as me! Each of his legs however is the same size as both of mine. He is very nice and seems to have endless time for people, as did all the Austrians. Being overtaken by them is a little overwhelming as they are insanely fast.

The season has been bad snow wise and now the snow is now melting very fast. Some people on courses are still going up. My last day was over a week ago and I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours learning to snow board which went very well linking turns in 2 hours. Despite the snow being bad it has been very good for my skiing having skied ice, powder, hard bumps, soft bumps, slush, sugar, moguls, concrete covered soft snow, fluffy covered ice and concrete snow and every other kind of snow imaginable. I feel I have had the best of the season and have now decided to stop skiing as the snow is very bad and it's not worth going up to hurt myself and ruin a so far so good season. It is threatening to snow as I write though. Unfortunately Mike had to go home early due to a family bereavement. That was a great shame as we had planned some free skiing and lots of fun for the end of the season and we had become good friends. On the other hand he has missed nothing in terms of snow and managed to pass his level 3 Canadian ski instructors exam a week early which is pretty impressive. Since then many people have left as courses have finished and money has run out with everyone in the pub due to dwindling snow. Ski people are a funny bunch and I have found some to be good fun but in general they are a little dull chasing snow all year and having little interest in anything but skiing, drinking and dressing badly although apparently they look cool! The more serious the skier the nicer they seem. The snow boarders and park skiers are especially tiresome as I find they are trying so hard to be cool that they begin to look quite ridiculous with their jeans worn beneath their buttocks, the crotch hanging low between their knees. WHY?! It looks so stupid! Many of them are very young too and I am again one of the older people around. The Japanese population is huge here as so many come here for the snow. They look the most ridiculous in their gangster snowboard fashion wearing lots of bling and kneckercheif/bandana things. They tend to stick together and don't mix much with others. When they do mix they are good fun. Strange, but fun.

So my days are now filled with thoughts of home and I have been slowly gearing up to leaving New Zealand. Wanaka has become home and the routine of life makes it difficult to think about moving but the mental and cultural stimulation I have become used to on this trip is sorely lacking here and with no descent skiing available there is no fresh mountain air and adrenalin to keep me entertained. So it's time to move on and this means going through the business of selling my car and stripping my belongings and baggage to the bare minimum again in readiness for the trip to Fiji. The car passed the warrant of fitness the other day and had a bath. It looks very smart with all the mountain dust and dirt removed. The prospect of selling the car here is a little bleak as everyone is leaving and the notice boards are full of cars for sale. This was to be expected and I can only hope that my car being a little different and better than most will mean a local may take an interest. The price of oil has hit New Zealand quite hard with fuel going up in price on a monthly basis so a big gas-guzzler like mine is a little unfashionable right now. If there is no interest I will probably make the drive back up north as the next load of backpackers should be arriving for the summer over the next 2 months and I may find a better market place in Christchurch or Auckland. It would also be a great trip with the weather being so fabulous. Summer is here already and even this far south I have been out in a t-shirt everyday. Skiing has been replaced with swimming and sipping coffee on the lakefront. It's pretty much a waiting game now but for how long I'm not sure. My flat mates are driving me crazy and it would be great to just leave now but the drive north could be expensive and waiting around in Auckland to sell a car could be painfully dull. Hopefully things will go smoothly and I will be across the pacific and in America by the beginning of October. I very much feel that I am on the home straight now and am actually quite keen to get to the USA and see family and friends there. It has been difficult recently to be constantly in the company of people who don't know me very well and to be in the company of people who are quite self absorbed which I have found to be the case with the snow bum fraternity with some notable exceptions of course. Perhaps I have been spoiled with all the fantastic people I have met on my travels so far. Whilst life in New Zealand is simple and relaxed there is a lot of pretentious bullshit that comes with skiing, snow boarding and being cool all the time. As the snow has run out I have found that conversation about the day on the mountain and the coming day ahead has been replaced by some very surprising chats that show people’s true personalities coming through and I have been shocked by some of the racism I am hearing. Ski culture is predominantly white and as such people feel safe blurting out words and comments that I find utterly disgusting. What’s more worrying is how young these people are and where they come from. Australians have managed to remind me how racist they can be.

I have had some moments where I have been terribly home sick but for Asia rather than home. I had a very surreal experience the other night when in a Thai restaurant. The flavors, smells and voice of the woman serving put me back in Bangkok. The sudden feeling of comfort and understanding made me want to be back there so badly. It makes me wonder if I really want to go to Fiji, Cook Island and the States but that is still the itinerary and with some of the best diving in the world in Fiji I guess I should stick to it. I may not be out here again for a long time.

A few myths have been dispelled whilst here. Skiing in New Zealand is not cheap. What with getting up the mountain everyday and the expense of ski gear and clothing here I don’t think it is really worth it financially and the widely promoted cheapness of NZ skiing is not really true. The ski season relies on the fact that it’s one of the few places in the world you can ski in the northern summer but I would try South America next time. That would be more interesting as you can mix cultural experience with skiing and it is incredibly cheap. Lifestyle wise I would say it is worth it though. It is a great place to concentrate on your health. The air is clean, the food healthy. There is no congestion and so many activities available to work on fitness and health, which are kiwi obsessions or ‘Getting amongst it’ as they say here. It has allowed me to live the very cliché lifestyle of the web designer who has gone skiing as I have been working on projects at home over the Internet in the evening and weekends and skiing during the day. I had heard about this illusive lifestyle but didn’t think it really existed and it happened completely by accident without planning. There are three of us doing this out here. Seemingly none of us are in love with web design as a job and it is very difficult to sit in front of a computer for a long period of time when the rest of your life is so active the rest of the time. The more active you are, the more active you need to be. So would I do a ski season again? Yes. There is no other way to learn how to ski properly. It’s just not possible to improve this much by going on holidays here and there. The lifestyle is extremely healthy as long as you don’t indulge in too much après ski. I think next time I would like to do a season in Iran. It’s cheaper, the snow is much better and the culture much richer. It might make me crazy but I think it would be very interesting and a hell of a lot of fun. I miss the Iranian influence in my life, as this is longest period of time I have been away from it and I notice it very strongly.

So again there is movement again which at first feel daunting until you pack and remember how the routine works.  Living out of a bag again unsure of where the next night will be spent.

I hope you’re all doing well. I do miss home too and I miss Europe very much. It will be good to be back soon.

Lot of love,

Kaveh.

NZ Ski season begins

Well Having gone to Queenstown I arrived just before the winter festival. On first impression Queenstown was very nice but before long I found that the atmosphere was not the same as Wanaka. There were a lot of people here for the Lions tour and a lot of wealthy tourists here for a short ski trip. The feel in Wanaka had been that of a relaxed alpine town with a lot of skiers here for the season. It felt homely and relaxed whereas in Queenstown it was hard to settle in as everyday I had new room mates who were backpackers just stopping for a couple of days, usually to do a bungee and get hammered. The hostels are pricier too and often have a 1 week only policy to prevent long term residents staying for the season.

I spent a day or two applying for jobs and had fairly good response. I even had an interview with Magic Memories, a company which employs photographers on the mountain to take pictures of people and sell them. Unfortunately the interview began with the chap sticking a very bad photo in front of me and telling me that I would be expected to sell crap pictures taken by colleagues and I would have to be ok with that. I wasn't and had already lined some work up to sent over from home and that was that.

My first day of skiing was at the Remarkables. I got up early and went up in the car. Skiing in New Zealand is a bit different to Europe. You basically have to drive or get a ride up the mountain everyday. Many people drive to the base and hitch up or even get a ride from town. The road to the Remarkables is pretty dangerous. It's unsealed gravel and mud which turns to snow and ice further up and there's no barrier protecting you from the sheer drop over the side. Going over the edge is pretty much game over and my first trip up was quite nervous. Once at the top though, you are pretty much at the lift. I hadn't skiied for 6 years and then only for 2 days so I started by going down the nursery slope to try things out. After a few goes I decided to try the green run and was surprised that I could still ski. It was great and the sun was shining. The snow wasn't fantastic and the runs are small compared to Europe but I was skiing and didn't care. In fact I was last off of the lift having skied for 6 hours. The drive down was worse than the drive up and there were almost a few accidents with people over taking in crazy places.

I had the next day off as the wind was high and that usually means closed lifts but was up the mountain again the following day and now felt comfortable on the road picking up a load of hitchers at the bottom to make the 45 minute journey more interesting. I had another good day and that night in the hostel I met some nice people and agreed to take a Japanese guy who spoke no English up the mountain the following morning. It was an interesting experience and Hyrado generally comunicated by pointing and going 'AAAAWWWWWGHGHHH!!!!' in the way Japanese people do with a look of stunned amazement on his face. It was a bit like being in some strange episode of 'Monkey' where monkey swaps his cloud for a snowboard. Both tired we cut the day short and picked up a couple of hitchers on the way down.

My interest in Queenstown had dwindled and I felt the need to go back to Wanaka and the friends I had made there. Hyrado was heading for Wanaka too and wanting to avoid the winter festival I decided to head back giving him a lift. Arriving back felt like arriving home and everyone was amused at my return as they all knew I would be back. I met a chap called Mike in the hostel who was doing the Rookie academy course ski instructors course with some other people I knew. He has just finished season as an instructor in Canada and was doing his next level to be an examiner. Being a Londoner we got on well and decided to make the drive to Remarkables as the snow in Wanaka wasn't up to much. Over the next 2 days I basically had free tuition all day from Mike who is one hell of a skier and my skiing went from beginner to intermediate in 2 days.

With Queenstown fully booked for the next week a decision had to be made and I decided to stay in Wanaka for the season. It would mean buying another season pass but staying in Queenstown for 3 months just wasn't something I wanted to do. A chat with a girl who worked in the hostel resulted in me moving in with her and her boyfriend who were looking for someone to share the rent in a house on the edge of town. So I began to settle in for the season which will end in early October. It has gotten off to a very slow start with pretty poor snow but to be honest it's good enough for me and there will be better snow. The fields in New Zealand are mostly in the South Island with The Remarkables and Coronet Peak near Queenstown and Cardrona and Treble Cone nearer Wanaka. Myself and Mike decided to try a local ski and gave Cardrona a try which was great. It was much better for me than The Remarkables. We met up with Sam who works at the hostel and is doing an Avalanche patrol course and had a great day but having tired legs I ended the day falling over on some mogals so we went home early and the next day had a day off to sort my place out. With poor snow a few of us had some time off and went on a fishing trip. Well Mike, Richard and Chris fished and I took pictures. It was a good way to sooth some minor aches and pains and Rich even managed to catch a rainbow trout.

The snow having been pretty bad for a few days and with bad winds closing ski lifts, Mike, Charlie (another ski instructor) and myself decided to take a look at Treble Cone before going on a walk to the Rob Roy glacier. Treble Cone is regarded as the best skiing area down here and is also where the Rookie academy do thei training so a lot of my friends are up there in the week so I bought a weekday season pass. On the way back down we came across a smoking car and lent a helping hand. That's the third car I've rescued in New Zealand! Then took the 20km drive from the base of Treble Cone, or TC as it's known, to the base of the walk. The coutry here is very cool with cows, deer and sheep wandering across the unsealed road. Getting to the base of the walk we began the steady walk to the swing bridge and we crossed onto the mountain where the going got steadily harder. Being in the shade it was pretty cold especially in the cold wind so the abundant tree cover was not only very pretty but a welcome break from the cold breeze. It took about 2 and a half hours to get to the view of Rob Roy glacier and upon arriving there was a loud cracking noise which echoed through the valley like thunder. It sounded like thunder but it was the glacier cracking and sounded amazing and quite scarey considering we were in the valley bellow and could see people entering an ice cave in the base of the valley. We carried on higher and went to a better view point where the parrot like birds called Keas hang out and bother you for food. They hang around on the ski fields too and are big green parrot like animasl with hooked beaks (http://www.doc.govt.nz/Conservation/001~Plants-and-Animals/001~Native-Animals/Kea.asp). We had a lunch while the Kea's entertained us and then began a precarious climb down a steep, dry, bouldered river bed. Reaching the path again we stood and admired the glacier one more time before heading back and as we did another loud thunderous noise of tearing ice ripped through the valley as the glacier broke and a small avalanche began. It was amazing to see and hear and we were lucky to have been there.

Having had a bit of a cold I was a bit knackered by now and I was hiking with 2 super fit ski instructors. My legs were tired and I managed to slip and hurt my knee on the way down but not badly. Apart from that though it was a successful hike and we got back in good time and before the last of the sun dipped over the mountains. That night Mike and me had fish and chips and enjoyed an open air spa. It was a good end to the day. After that a rest was in order as I was worried about my knee and health so I sat out a few days of skiing and waited for some better snow which sure enough arrived a few days later. Better late than never. People have been going stir crazy here but at last the snow is looking better. Down in town it is generally sunny, fine and warm with snow only above 500 meters or so and this makes for a nice climate and environment. I eventually started to ski Treble Cone this week and got 2 days in before my knee began to feel the strain so today went for some physiotherapy and descovered that I have bruised a ligament in the back of my knee but am still ok to ski as long as I take it easy and behave myself so I'll be back up tomorrow. The Prime Minister of New Zealand was visiting Treble Cone today so it was a good day to miss as it would be packed.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the season's skiing and don't feel like I am travelling anymore as this is much more like normal life. The urge to constantly see new sites is gone as I feel in New Zealand much of what you see is the same and a lot of it is ticking off boxes on the backpacker list of things to see. Just having my own place where I can put my keys and wallet on a table and hang my clothes up is a real relief and so relaxing. Stopping here and doing the season is much more interesting right now even if it does make for less eventful emails.

Well it's sunny outside and I should get out and anjoy it while it lasts.

Chiao,

Kaveh.

South Island, The west coast

Well I've managed to stop driving for long enough to catch up and so far South Island is very good but I must say that North Island gets a bum rap. I actually think north Island is very nice,very diverse and has some great sights towns and people. It's much more cosmapolitan and has great weather up north. Also there are the Maoris who are lovely and who I have missed in the south as they are few and far between. I have been mistaken by the Maoris as one of their own many times now which is funny and the true Maoris often look very Iranian. They often come up in a bar and say 'Hey Bro, you from round here' and are very surprised when I reply in home counties English with hint of London init! The conversation has even ended in some nose rubbing! True Maoris look very different from Islanders once you know and then you realise that there are so many Islanders (Pacific Islanders) in New Zealand and not as many Maoris as you first thought.

Anyway onto South Island. It's 10 days since we boarded the night ferry to South Island at 1.30am and arrived in Picton at 4.30am. It's much cheaper to travel at this time and also saves a night in a hostel but there is not really anywhere decent to sleep on the ferry and I had to stop in Picton to try and sleep at the side of the road. Maartje snores worse than my dad and grandad put together though so there was no chance of that. I gave up at 5.30 and started driving towards Nelson through Marlborough Sound on the very windey clifftop road in the dark. I was so tired though and pulled onto a cliff top lookout with the car pointing at the sunrise so if I couldn't sleep I could at least watch the sun come up. The part before sunrise was eary and wonderful but I soon fell asleep.

After a couple of hours I started driving again and made it to Nelson by midday. I had heard a lot of good things about the place but have to say I really don't see what people love about the place. It's small, dead and not particularly attractive. The hostel we checked into was fantastic however and it was a good town to go and watch the Lions play the Maori All Blacks in the pub. We had a couple in our room who seemed nice enough and who were heading south and I offered them a ride down the West Coast as they wanted to get to Dunedin to watch a Lions match. So the next morning I had a full car. This was good as I didn't have so much in common with Maartje and found her not the best of fun to travel with. We headed to Able Tasman national park and Golden Bay to do some tramping, that's kiwi for trekking, on the coastal tracks which are famed for their beauty. It was a steep windey drive for a while and we pulled into Takaka and went up to Golden Bay to see the Farewell Spit, the longest natural sandbar in the world. It was really beautiful and very remote with few people. The beaches look tropical up here but you are wearing a hat, thermals and ski jacket which is quite nice somehow? Later we pulled into the Muscle Inn which was a lovely wooden lodge with great food that we couldn't afford but really good beer. If I pass that way on the way home I will have to eat there. If all looked yummy.

A hostel called Barefoot in Takaka had been recommended to us by some girls who we met on a scenic lookout on the road earlier that day. They said the owner made a huge comunal meal for everyone if paid a few dollars. That sounded great to us so we checked in and planned our walk. I really liked the hostel. It had a very homely feel and Maralyn who runs the place was very sweet organised and friendly and baked delicious home made bread every night. She also knew a lot about New Zealand and the local area and was a great source of information. We had planned to do the 6 hour circuit of Able Tasman and a waterfall the next day and sure enough Maralyn offered to make a roast for everyone the next day when we got back.

In the morning we checked out the Murchison falls which is accessed via a swing bridge. That was fun and very beautiful and although we had made a late start we felt confident about the walk which began a bit further along the road. A Dutch chap called Robert had asked if he could join us over breakfast and so the five of us set off up the steeper than anticipated start to the walk. It was already very beautiful and strangely very similar to first part of the hilltribe trek I had done in northern Vietnam. The climb was long and weather fine and the descent the other side equally long and steep. We would go over 3 or 4 hills like this before the end of the day, each separated by clean untouched golden beaches will clear turquoise water. Even in Thailand I had not seen beaches like this. They were beutiful. The walking was tough though and we added another hour onto the walk by taking the optional path to seperation point, the most northern point of the Able Tasman park.

As we finished the walk some 7 hours after starting, the sun was setting over Golden Bay and the Farewell Spit which we were afforded an amazing view of. We were tired and getting very cold but it was spectacular. Getting back to the car the last rays of sunlight had gone and the thermus of tea in the car was very welcome. Back at the hostel Maralyn had a full roast with ginger sponge cake and ice cream waiting. The hot spa tub in the backyard, a very popular thing in South Island hostels, was hot and ready for our aching muscles too. The Barefoot is a great place to stay and Paul and Colin (long term residents) may seem like a couple of missfits at first glance but are lovely guys. Maralyn is fantastic and has some great travel stories from far flung places.

The next morning we were off again though and headed south for the glaciers Fox and Franz Joseph. Robert was hitching north so I offered him a lift out of Able Tasman and to the highway where he could pick up a lift. The car did struggle over the hills with five and luggage but we got there and Robert got picked up before we had even pulled away. Hitching is a very popular way of getting around in New Zealand and you see many hitchers. I have even seen some people walk to the end of their driveway and stick a thumb up for a lift. We had long drive ahead of us and set off on the short cut Maralyn had given us directions for. It was another great drive through dramatic scenery but I was becoming irritated by the others obsession with music in the car. It's an old car with no CD player and they seemed incapable of sorting it out themselves expecting me to do that and drive at the same time. It was distracting on the long drives and I longed for them to go to sleep. Although we had had fun I had noticed that they were all rather selfish and Neil had been especially irritating with constant music hopping and stupid questions when I was trying to keep the car on the road through the winding roads. His constant indecision was very frustrating too. We usually had a plan and he would then blow that plan out of the water half way down the road when he finally woke up and realised he wanted to do something else. Maartje and Kat who both had an eye for Neil would obviously agree and I was left feeling like I was just a bus driver. They behaved like teenagers sponging a lift to the pub. At first this was ok as we did some cool things. Instead of going all the way to Greymouth (half way to the Glaciers) we stopped in Reefton where we picked up a key to the lodge in the ghost town of Waiuta which is a deserted Gold prospecting town from the 1800's allegedly haunted by several ghosts.

We had the whole lodge to ourselves and fired up the coal stove for the night, made dinner and got very drunk. It was fun but marred a little by the fact that the guys wanted to avoid paying by hiding in the back and so we only paid for 3. It was very cheap accomodation and well looked after. I found it silly and unecessary especially as the caretaker visited twice that evening. It's gotta be travellers bad Karma to do that I recon and added to my frustration with my companions attitude towards travelling. They were happy to spend $30 dollars on wine but not $15 for a bed!?

Our next stop was Franz Joseph glacier which we reached after a very long and hung over drive. The guys had slept all the way and I had had some peace in the car. It was a very impressive drive with the snow capped moutains looming large in the moon light ahead of me all the way there on the dark frosty and sometimes foggy roads. I enjoyed it very much but the roads were very slippery and I was very tired. Pulling into the glacier village we checked into glow worm cottages, a fine resort managed by a French couple. The next couple of days were a little strange as there was little harmony in the group. The others made a big fuss about doing the glacier activities only to be underwhelmed by the glacier. Having seen glaciers before I opted to just do the free walk and photograph the glacier as I find glaciers quite beautiful to observe. This one has retreated dramatically and has a very steep face. I must say that glaciers in Icleand are much more interesting and beautiful. In fact I think the landscape of Iceland is far more magical and unspoilt than New Zeland's south island. Whilst any glacier is beautiful the european glaciers are far more dramatic. The others did their iceclimb in the rain however and after a couple of days we headed off south stopping at Mattheson to see the reflection of Mount Cook in it's mirror like waters.

The weather was not great as we headed to Wanaka and the ski fields of Queenstown but we made good time and checked into a nice little hostel in Wanaka. The others were unimpressed with the hostel but I liked it and there are some nice people staying there. A Belgian couple, An Italian diving instructor and his Kiwi girlfiriend who is a photography student and a British couple. Andy a set and costume designer and his girlfriend who has worked with David Tressider from Arup on an indoor diving complex idea in Milton Keynes (Is that going to happen guys???? I thought it was another Arup pipe dream ;)). Most moved on today but I am still in Wanaka and will give Maartje, Neil and Kat a ride to Queenstown tomorrow where we will part company and I will come back here. I have spent the last few days up in the hills and farm land surounded by sun bathed snow caps and working with the camera which I have thoroughly enjoyed. The others have finally worn me down not letting me sleep with their late nights, fumbled attempts at silent love making which have been torture to listen to wondering when it will be safe to go to the toilet! and the crappy cooking they're so proud of.

I'll be down here for a while and will probably explore further south as the skiing is not very good yet but I will come back when the season is in full swing. Who knows, I may even work here for a while? I'm really comfortable here and have gotten over a bad bout of home sickness which comes and goes. Queenstown maybe another story though. I'll find out tomorrow. I am looking forward to coming home soon.

Lots of love,

Kaveh.

Exploring North Island

Hello everyone!

Well it feels like it's been a while as I have done a lot. After my last email I packed up the car and headed north to explore the northern tip of New Zealand. The weather had been pretty bad with a lot of rain and when I say rain I mean rain like you've never seen. When it rains here it really rains. For some reason I quite liked it. Reminds me of home perhaps. Heading north through Auckland it changed from driving rain to sun with showers from hour to hour. I hit Auckland at a good time and missed the traffic so carried on with the aim of getting as far north as I could in one day. I got to Whangerai on the Northland East Coast pretty easily in about 4 hours along the demanding but good highway. Whangerai is a fairly big town and I didn't fancy staying there. I wanted to get as close to Cape Reinga as I could so I got some supplies and carried on. I aimed for Kaitaia, another 3 1/2 hours north. I was making pretty good time. The scenery was more beautiful the further I went. The roads had little traffic and as I got north they became more and more demanding especially as it got dark. There are many fatal accidents on NZ roads and I can see why. In the driving rain and dark the roads are very hard to read. They snake through the hills and valleys with steep gradients and varied surfaces. It felt very much that I was in the wilderness and the landscape was impressive but sometimes quite lonely. Many big logging trucks are on the road in this heavily forested area and it looks much like the pictures you see of Canada and Montana but with subtropical coastal beach towns breaking things up. Sort of Canada meets Fiji. By 7pm I was quite tired. I had been following a logging truck quite fast through a very tricky road. The rain was very heavy and there was a thunder storm not far away. It was very dark but despite the car being quite old it coped pretty well. I'd say the roads are some of the most demainding and hardest to read that I have seen and are much like the roads of Cornwall and Wales.

I passed some small petrol stations in the middle of nowhere and some single street towns and eventually came to Kaitaia feeling very tired after 7 or 8 hours behind the wheel. My plan was to get north quickly to catch the good weather and then head down slowly exploring. There is little in Kaitaia and only 1 or 2 hostels. They aren't the best either and rely on the fact that they are close to 90 mile beach and there is nothing else about. I think the prices have gone up for the Lions tour as well which was unfortunate. I didn't get much sleep either as a large group of Dutch guys were very noisey. They shouted over the TV for most of the late evening and early hours. Not sure why.

I left early the next day and headed for 90 mile beach. It's not 90 miles long but it is big. I cought the morning low tide and decided to make the 1 hour drive up the beach to Cape Reinga on the northern tip of the island. The wide flat beach makes a great highway and is much faster than the road. The weather was dramatic with big white and black clouds and a big surf both being driven by a very strong wind. This meant that there was bright warm sunshine which was broken by the clouds and showers. I made it all the more beautiful though. They call it the winterless north and with temperatures not much lower than 20 degrees it's t-shirt weather in the day. It does get pretty cold at night though. On the beach I had stopped to take photos and as I snapping away when a man with a large backpack approached. I had passed him earlier and he seemed to be walking barefoot with all his gear. He turned out to be a Lebanese called Whasseem who was walking around the country. I offered him a lift and we set off. Apart from the tour buses I was pretty much the only car and after a long drive we eventually got to the end of the beach but no lighthouse and no road? Luckily a couple of cars were there and I asked the local Maori driver where to go. He explained that I should drive up the nearby creek and so I went looking. Seeing what I was about to drive though I stuck the car into 4x4 Lo ratio as I had already noticed that some places were soft and the car wanted to get stuck a few times. The creek drains from the hills onto the beach and I looked for tracks to find my way out. It was great fun but you had to keep moving to prevent the car digging itself into the sand. As we went further we passed through huge sand dunes where some jacked up tour busses brought people for sand boarding. It was an amazing landscape with the creek running through it but I had to carry on as I wasn't sure about the tide and didn't want to get stuck. The car was great and got us through with little trouble. Shame I got no pictures.

Where the road meets the creek you can start heading in land on the rough gravel so I headed for the Cape Reinga lighthouse on the northern tip. It was a longer drive than I had imagined and I was going pretty quick on the very enjoyable gravel roads. We got there after a good 1/2 hour though. Whasseem didn't say much and I think he had become used to his solitude. Arriving at the Cape there were a few tourists by the lighthouse. The car was covered in sand and some other people said they had watched us flying up the beach at over 80km/h envious that they couldn't take their hire cars up. It did look cool covered in sand! Whasseem said he fancied a walk but only if it was a 2 hour one so I said I would wait and take pictures but he decided to go off with his pack and make a 2 day walk through the bush to the next village so we said goodbye. Strange chap. Several bus loads of tourists turned up so I left after snapping away myself. The state of my car was a source of amusement for some.

I headed south on the road as the tide would be in now and I fancied seeing what was inland. It was a pretty long drive on gravel and then tarmac before I came to the first services. It didn't look very exciting so I went on. The counrtyside was very beautiful with sheep and cow farms, hills and valleys and the coast visible in the distance. I filled the car up and enquired about a place to stay. The fuel is very expensive up there at $1.70 per litre compared to the norm of $1.30. I was pointed in the direction of the YHA hostel in Houhora Warf nearby and checked in. Very pretty place and a very characterful little hostel on the waterfront. I made a dash up to Cape Reinga again to try and catch the sunset but was side tracked by the lovely countryside with the camera. I made it just for the last rays of sun but no photos. Some people were camping in the adjacent bays and I thought about sleeping in the car but wasn't really equiped for that. Back at the hostel I had an early night as there weren't many people around.

After little sleep due to a young American girl's incredible snoring I made a late start towards the beach again. This time I approached the beach through a thick forest half way up which is a major logging area. Again I was on rough gravel roads until the huge trees parted and I arrived on silver sand with the sea crashing away in front of me. It was a good day to drive down on the beach so I went back to fuel up and returned to the beach with a campervan following. As I sat on the beach the brand new hired camper drove down to turn round and sank straight into the sand. He called me over and I basically told him he was stuck good and proper much to his dismay. They were a Welsh couple on holiday. I knew the tide was coming in soon and we had an hour or 2 to get help and pull him out so I went like the clappers back to town with his wife to get help. Great fun....I had a reason to drive as fast as I could! The local tow truck was called and as I left a huge 1950's monster of a thing pulled up with huge sand tires. The lady kindly gave me $20 for my trouble and I left them to it making my way to the Bay of Islands by road.

It was another good drive and it was dark before I got there having taken the very long but very scenic route. I arrived in Paihia which is the main town along with Waitangi where the Maori's signed the treatty with the British. Bay of Islands was a surprise. It was lovely with a wonderful beach town feel, excellent hostels and a couple of good bars to while away the evening. I felt very relaxed there and spent the evening having a few beers with some kiwi's and a brummy in a wood fired bar with excellent live music. The beer is excellent here by the way. My dad would love it. The next day I spent driving around Bay of Islands and Russel which I got to via the ferry. It's a fantastic area and would make a perfect holiday. I found some very idilic bays with a couple of boats, a few holiday homes and a quiet silver beach where maybe 1 person would be walking a dog. I stayed a second night and went to the same bar which was very quiet but had even better live music. I would have happily stayed longer but I was keen to start heading south to the snow and to meet up with Maartje who I had met in Cairns and who was now in NZ heading north to meet me in Rotorua. We planned to head to Queenstown together and hit the slopes. So I began the drive back to Tozan's in Hamilton. Along the way I stopped to take a look at my friend Olivia's farm in Northland. I hadn't expected it to be quite as remote as it was, between Whangerai and Dargville in Northland. The landscape became different again with rolling hills and farmland and little people or traffic. To get to the farm I had to turn off the sealed road and travel on gravel for a long way. At one point a cow was sitting having a rest in the road but after a minute or 2 kindly got up and moved so I could carry on. It was a lovely drive and very much like the rally stages in Wales and I would have loved to sprint down it in a rally car but the Pajero was good to. After having a nose around I planned where to go next and whilst snapping a few pictures I was approached by a farmer in his ute. He asked if I was ok and I explained I was just taking a few pics. He said 'You're not one of those council people taking photos of my farm so you can tell me how many trees I need to cut down are you? Cos I tell them to fuck off! Fed up of people telling me how to farm my land!' I explained that I wasn't and found him quite funny and very nice. Sorry Liv! Didn't mean to upset the neighbours.

I carried on south and all was going well until I overtook a big lorry going over the Brynderwyns just south of Ruakaka. At the top of the hill I could smell coolant and the temperature gauge was climbing so I coasted down the other side and pulled over. It looked like a hose had sprung a leak but it could also have been the water pump gasket as it wasn't clear so hoping it was the hose I called the AA who sent a mechanic out from Ruakaka. He turned out to be a 60 year old Dutch guy who had lived there for 40 years and like all old mechanics he loved to swear F'ing and Blinding all the way to the garage in his strong Dutch accent. We both checked the car out and it was the gasket so I would have to spend the night at a motel paid for by the AA. This place is nothing in the middle of nowhere and motels are lonely places, plus the only shop closed as I got to the door and the owner completely ignored my attempts to get his attention...NICE! I was so hungry. At least the TV is good on a Friday night. In the morning I bought a pie and beans and stuffed my face. The car was fixed quite promptly and for about $180 which is 70 quid...not bad really. By lunchtime I was well on my way and the sun was out too. I arrived in Hamilton that evening very tired and it was nice to be back at Tozans. The car still had half of 90 mile beach stuck to it though so we spent the next day gardening, cleaning the cars and eating as usual, and the weekend was spent eating, shopping and going to the cinema where we saw Bride and Prejudice which had us in stiches. After the weekend it was time to move on and say goodbye to Tozan. I had gotten used to being there and it had been really nice to catch up with such an old friend and it felt weird to move on. I had ejoyed staying in Hamilton and Tozan had been great fun and looked after me well especially when it came to food!

By now Maartje was in Rotorua 1 1/2 hours south and I set off to meet her. Neither of us wanted to stick around there as it's very touristy and expensive so we headed to Taupo another hour south. Taupo is lovely and home to some of the cheapest sky diving in the world. It's set on the massive Lake Taupo which is overlooked by Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings. We checked into the very good Rainbow Lodge and Maartje booked her sky dive. I hadn't really thought of doing one and was put off by the price but decided to go watch. It was a long wait but she got her dive at sunset which is pretty special and it was all very cool. I was quite jealous and nearly put my credit card on the counter but it seemed like a lot of cash for 5 minutes and would have eaten my diving budget for Fiji. Maartje was buzzing with a big smile after that and we went to the pub where we met some of the others who had done the dive and took part in the pub quiz. Nice pub, nice town and nice food from the night cafe after.

We were on the move again early in the morning heading to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. It was a long drive with great scenery and some interesting stops which took all day. Pulling into Wellington I was very surprised at how cool it looked and how buzy with cafes and bars it was. It feels very Scandinavian and is pretty with a lot of characeter. Finding a hostel with parking and cheap beds was a bit tricky though and we opted for a little place with a querky reputation near the centre of town called Beethoven House. Beethoven House is owned by a Singaporian man who loves music and who has strange reputation but alas we never met him. It's an old house and is like a student house but it was cheap and relaxed so we gave it a go. There were a couple of nice guys there but also a couple of Kiwi guys who were very simple and very strange. They made everyone quite uncomfortable and myself and Maartje spent little time there which was good as we explored the city. We saw the Te Papa Museum, rode the cable car and sampled the fantastic cafes of Cuba Street. The city is very trendy and the people have a nice style which is very north european. We spent a couple of days there before it was time for us to leave North Island on the Ferry to South Island.

That was a few days ago but I have been on the road since and the internet has been expensive in the touristy south so I'll bring you up to date soon. I hope everyone is well and enjoying the summer. It's winter here!

Kaveh.

Last days in Cairns and on to New Zealand

Hello!

Last time I wrote I had just come ashore after my diving trip on The Great Barrier Reef and was recovering from a pretty heavy night. Having arrived back in town I had gone to a hostel called Leo's with some guys from the boat. Leo's is a cheap place near the town centre and is owned by a stocky and extremely cocky Italian Australian called Charlie. I noticed that most of the staff were travellers and usually pretty girls and that Charlie was a bit of a pervert coming onto every female who walked through the door no matter how young. He had a load of croanies working there too who all had that way about them. The place seemed relaxed though and also had the best coffee in Australia, which isn't saying much. The coffee was awful in Australia! Most of it tasted more like Bovril.

The first day we had a pretty bad hangover and went to the cinema where I met up with Diana again. It was the first time I had been to the pictures since Myanmar and I was shocked at the price and the fact that the theatre was empty. We saw Amitiville Horror which scared the crap out of me and then Sahara which was very cheesey but good fun. Afterwards I went for dinner with Diana and it was very nice to spend time with someone more on my wavelength again. The backpackers had become a bore and the guys were slowly moving on one by one starting with Sean who flew back to the US and Matthias who flew back to Zurich. Then Daniel and Joachim who were driving down the coast to sell their van. Daniel was going on to Asia while Joachim was going to try and hitch a ride to Darwin to search for a place on a yaht bound for Malaysia or Indonesia. They had been great fun to hang out with and when they left, things were a little boring and the hostel began to give me the creeps. I had met a Dutch girl called Maartje in the hostel who had been propersitioned by the owner. She had been asked to move room and was given the choice of a dorm or Charlie's house. He later asked if she would sleep with him anyway! He generally tries this with every girl who walks through the door and gets them to work behind the bar as soon as he can. The cuter the girl the more likely it is that she will get the job, much to one German girl's disgust when her shift was cancelled the moment two blonde 18 year old Swedes arrived. They were very pretty though! Maartje really had the creeps after Charlie's offer and soon left bound for Darwin.

I spent the following evenings with Diana. One particullar night we went out for some drinks and being late I walked her to her hostel where we found a group of 18 year old backpackers fresh out of school, sitting up drinking and listening to music. The manager came out and ordered everyone to bed and an immediate stop to the music which was fair given that it was 1am or so. One kid decided to turn it up so I asked him why he wanted to get everyone kicked out. His reaction was to turn the music up and down saying "is it too much for you, is it too loud" over and over making sure he interrupted our conversation at every opportunity. Any of you who know me well will know that this is not the ideal approach and my blood began to boil. Being about twice his size I decided I'd just go home but I really was about to remove his head from his shoulders as he had ruined a very nice evening and had become so aggressive. It was past his usual bedtime I think and his mum wasn't around to give him a clip around the ear. I think it all went to the poor boys head. This unfortunately is a tipical night out in Cairns. Lots of very young backpackers, away from mum and dad for the first time and with too much money to spend on beer. The Woolshed is the worst place with kids getting very arrogant and aggressive. Many older travellers just stay in and do some cooking or read a book avoiding the organised pub crawls put on by the hostels. One group must have had 50+ people. At least I had finally learnt that the smaller hostels were a better bet. The large megahostels are just not worth the hastle and cost.

The next day myself and Diana met up and decided to get away asap and head up to Cape Tribulation. In the morning I went to get a car and then back to the hostel to checkout. Charlie was on form and told me it was a public holiday and I couldn't checkout. This went on for half an hour and then he stopped pulling my chain and let me check out but only when he explained that he would keep my $10 key deposit as a booking for when I returned in 2 days which I had no intention of doing. I knew what he was playing at but also knew he would happily stand there and feed me line after line of crap until the cows came home. Wanting my camera out of the safe with as little fuss as possible, and there was a little fuss about that too, I left my $10 and went to pick the car up. When filling in the forms the woman behind the counter asked where I was staying in Cairns. When I said Leo's she broke into laughter. 'I used to work there!' She had quit one morning having had enough of the charming Charlie. Figures! I have to say though it was all very colourful.

I picked up Diana and we set off with the most beautiful weather I have had in Australia. As we drove up the coast we stopped a couple of times at the various beaches. On one beach which was especially beautiful, there were hundreds of small blue crabs running up the beach. It was like being in a David Attenborought film. They were so cool. If you chased them they just dug a hole and dissappeared in seconds. We stopped in Port Douglas on the way which is a very nice holiday town. It's small and underwhelming given the rave reviews you get from other travellers but it is very nice. In town there was a market which we had a look around with lots of fresh fruit and veg, art and handy crafts. We bought some fruit and veg from a wonderful Italian green grocer from Sicily. He was very charming, funny and cheeky and made Diana blush, 'Oh you arrrre veery beaaaautiful laaaideee!'

After the market we headed up to Cape Tribulation stopping at Daintree on the way. Daintree is so tiny it's quite rediculous. We did see a crocadile though from the jetti for the boat tour that seems to be the only attraction in Daintree. The scenery was beautiful just driving around the Daitree river so we didn't take the boat tour and took the ferry to Cape Tribulation across the Daintree river. This was my 2nd time up here and it is such a lovely area. Very relaxed and very naturally beautiful. It would be great to come up here in a 4x4 as there are many unsealed roads leading into the rainforest. We checked into 'Beach House' where I had stayed before and had a break from stodge and chips with a big salad, cheese and wine! The next day we took a steady drive through Cape Trib stopping for some walks and some food including a stop at the Daintree ice cream factory. We then took the return ferry and headed back to Cairns via the northern Tablelands which I had missed last time. It was very beautiful farm country with cows sheep and horses and as the sun set we passed some gorgeous scenery. Again the people were much nicer out or Cairns.

As we pulled into Cairns we both checked into Bohemia where I had stayed before and liked very much. It's a great little hostel if a little far from the town centre. We had a great little trip and I felt I was only just started to enjoy Australia which goes to show what a difference the right company can make. I was due to fly to Auckland the following morning and Diana was due to catch the bus to Townsville so we went for a walk and got some Chinese food before heading home. I was tempted to carry on down the east coast now that I had found someone good to travel with but had my heart set on New Zealand and time was pressing on. So the next morning I dropped Diana at the bus stop and headed off to the airport. It felt strange to be moving on again. Although I had not been in love with Oz I had been there for about 5 weeksand become used to it. At the same time it felt good to be on moving on and I had a lot of fun in the last week travelling around with Diana so I was leaving on a high note.

The flight to Auckland was longer than I had anticipated and I met an elderley couple from Whangerei, North Island, on the plane. They were into scuba diving, bungy jumping and canyoning! and were very nice inviting me to stay should I pass that way. I had heard about the hospitality of people from that area and it was a good omen of things to come. Arriving in Auckland I had no accomodation booked and calling around gave me my first eye opener. Mobile phone calls cost a bomb here. I booked into a hostel and got on the bus. The very friendly bus driver turned out to be quite a traveller and had spent some time in Vietnam which we had a long chat about and he let me travel for free! The drive into town passed through the wooden housed suburbs and then into the busy town with small, bars and cafes everywhere. This is much more like it! It reminded me of a cross between Hampstead and Stockholm and I felt comfortable immediately. I had booked into Auckland Central Backpackers, the largest in town and while it seemed to be a huge processing centre for travellers it is in the centre of town and has all the facilities I needed to get started. My room mates seemed very nice too. At last people of my own age!

On my first proper day I met up with Olivia who I had travelled through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with. It was great to see her again as we had become good friends and we got the chance to catch up over the next few days. I also changed all my flights as I had made a plan that I was happy to stick to. I had decided to take advantage of the New Zealand winter and do a season of skiing which begins in early June so I will not leave New Zealand until 19th August giving me 3 and a half months here. I had to fix my flights now as the flights across the Pacific Islands to America are so busy especially over the next 4 months with many Americans holidaying in the Pacific. I also decided to buy a car for the trip and buy some skis rather than waste money hiring. My search for a car in Auckland was unsuccessful leading me to a backpacker auction which was full of crappy vans, the owners' faces lighting up desperately when I arrived as there were no customers. Definatley a buyers market then. One quick look was enough to tell me I didn't want any of these cars and I left.

After a few days I got a call from Tozan who is a very old friend from home. We grew up on the same street and I knew he was living in New Zealand with his girlfriend Tracey who is a Kiwi but about 18 months ago Tozan knocked on my door in London out of the blue and we got chatting. This is when I decided I would visit New Zealand and the idea for this trip began. Tozan lives in Hamilton which is about 1hr 30mins south of Auckland. He came and picked me up and after a beer in Auckland harbour we headed down to Hamilton. I was surprised to find a really nice town after being warned off by it's boring reputation. That evening we went out, Saturday being the busiest night and the night life was great with lots of little bars and a very continental feel. The people were really nice and friendly and it didn't take long to meet people which is a huge contrast to Australia.

There are many car dealers and auctions in Hamilton making it an ideal place to search for a car. Auctions are very popular here and much safer than home. You can test drive the cars, get a mechanic to check them for $65 (27 quid) and all cars have a history check done. I found a 1988 Mitsubishi Pajero 4x4 at the back of the lot which nobody wanted. It was a lovely old honest car with everything working, a brand new MOT and registration till September and I haggled them down to $1500 (£600!) Bargain!!! It even had a ski rack and cow bars. The outdoor shops are also much better here as life is much more outdoor oriented here than in Auckland. By the end of the week I had found some warm clothes and a ski jacket. The climate since arriving was varied with cold spells followed by warm sun followed by rain and wind. Not many people have central heating here either and the week in Hamilton had become very cold.

Kiwis love the outdoors and sport. Tozan plays football every week and Tracey plays netball. We went to watch Tracey play netball and I had a real feeling of role reversal as we sat watching and talking about clothes while the girls shouted loadly and got worked up about the game. We were at a huge park with dozens of netball courts where the local league takes place every weekend. All the games run to the same schedule with load speakers signalling the end of each quarter. There were hundreds of girls playing and they all wear proper uniforms and take it all very seriously with sponsors and proper referees. The role reversal carried on at home when Tracey and Megan, Tracey's team mate, sat down to watch the netball on TV with a drink while we made dinner. Quite funny.

I was enjoying a break from the travel and a slice of normality so for the last coupe of weeks I've been doing a lot of cooking and cleaning and just catching up on healthy food and sleep. I also bought some 2nd hand Rossignol carving skis and some really cool Salomon boots from a great shop in town that sells skiing and diving gear. The boots were a pretty good deal as they were in last years colours. I bought ski pants, gloves, poles and goggles too as well as a ski holder for the rack on the car. In between all that I went to watch Tozan play 4 aside football and caught up with Tessa, who I had worked with at Arup, and her boyfriend Jon who have been travelling in the oposite direction to me having just come from South America. We spent a day at the thermal springs around Rotorua and then I brought them up to Hamilton in the Pajero. That evening we went to a pub quiz and the following day I gave them a lift up to Auckland where me and Tozan went up the Sky Tower. This was great fun and gives a fabulous view of the whole of Auckalnd which is very beautiful from up there. Some people choose to throw themselves off on a bungy. I preferred a coffee in the Sky Lounge thanks....caffeine man....what a rush! After that we had a kebab and went home to Hamilton which is where I am now.

The last few days I have been getting over another cold and making litres and litres of Humous with Tozan (he's Turkish) which he intends to try and sell to the local kebab shops and restaurants. We might have go around town pretending we've just arrived from the middle east selling it in a cart...who knows. I should be moving on soon and am looking forward to enjoying the landscapes with my camera and skiing with as little injury as possible. I think I'd better check my insurance!!!

Although it's very nice here I must admit that I still miss Asia and I have at long last found the time to put all my pictures online. You can view the organised sets at http://flickr.com/photos/kavehshirdel/sets

The latest images are on the homepage at http://flickr.com/photos/kavehshirdel

I am further from home than ever before so let me know what's happening.

Love Kaveh.