The JaYmes Escape

It was the hangover from hell for a three and a half hour flight on a deserted 767 and then the first new country I’ve seen for five months. Maybe it’s Kings Cross, Paddington and Hyde Park or maybe it’s the filth, hoodlums and grumpy people, but my first impression of Sydney is that it reminds me of London. Is this a good or bad thing? Only time will tell.

My last few days in Auckland are a bit of a blur. After coming back from my Coromandel trip I watched the Lions suffer a humiliating defeat by the All Blacks. I never really liked rugby anyway. Then I just seem to remember a lot of card games and NZ alcohol of various forms, a quiz night at the Dogs Bollix and a big game of Poker with monopoly money.

Some things I’ll remember from my time in New Zealand - Flying ‘Supaman’ across the Buller Gorge, Climbing through ice holes on the Franz Josef Glacier, Serving drinks at The Tap Room in Christchurch, Losing my hat on the TranzAlpine, Running around naked on a beach near Takaka, Parliament from the public gallery in Wellington, Watching the sun rise at the East Cape lighthouse, Walking around a volcano at White Island and hanging out and working in Auckland.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I’m not going to make a long list of names. You know who you are.

OK, so it’s June, but down here in the Southern Hemisphere they’ve started celebrating what they call ‘Midwinter Christmas’. The supermarkets are decked out with Christmas trees and the like, and Christmas hits replace the usual tat on the soundsystem. Apparently some people eat turkey and Christmas pud today, the 25th June. It’s all a bit of a lighthearted joke but it does liven up the season a bit.

The first Lions v All-Blacks test match is tonight.

As an NZ swansong I took advantage of the pleasant-ish weather yesterday to spend a day and a night out on the Coromandel peninusla, a scenic holiday area a couple of hours drive from Auckland. Whilst there I saw Cathedral cove, where a high rock tunnel links two beaches through a cliff, and Hot Water beach, where volcanic activity produces hot water below the sand.

Photos of the Coromandel trip are online along with a few more from Auckland.

…playing cards in The Brown Kiwi last night. The Englishman was me, and the scene isn’t at all uncommon. Our little hostel is regularly home to Irish, Swiss, Dutch, Germans, Austrians, Belgians, Italians and plenty of French and English. One of the striking things about the other side of the world has been how one often feels more affinity with other Europeans than with the locals. I’ve been racking my brains as to why and I just can’t figure it out. New Zealand is a beautiful place full of incredibly welcoming people, and a former British colony with a shared heritage and language. Yet there’s this chemistry amongst the European visitors that the Kiwis and the other foreign tourists just can’t get into.

My time in New Zealand is nearly over. I’ve just booked myself onto a flight for Sydney next week. I’ve had a blast in this country and will in many ways be sad to leave. I’ll be posting some retrospective highlights and reflections in the coming days.

1) We already have Schengen, Euro and EEA areas separate from the EU. Why not have a seperate CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) area so Britain can get out of it and stop subsidising farmers for producing overpriced food? We can then keep low-cost airlines, major sporting events on free TV, the right to travel/live/work anywhere across the continent and everything else that’s good about Europe.

2) There’s nothing wrong with a simple ID card, other than pointlessness. But Tony Blair’s plans are not for a simple ID card, they’re for a big computer database that contains all your personal information. What if it gets hacked or infected with a virus? And anyone who says “If you’ve nothing to hide..” might as well install a webcam in their bathroom and send the Labour party the address with the message “I’ll trust you not to watch it (unless I’m a terrorist)”.

3) It’s a good idea to stop shameless profiteering by people who purchase pieces of paper and sell then on at an immense profit. I’m sure we can all survive without the stock market.

4) The Lions beat Wellington 23-6 in front of a largely hostile, booing, mainly-Kiwi crowd. The commentators on local TV described the Lions’ performance as ‘uninspiring’. Maybe both teams could have had a bit more ‘conviction’ but it’s funny how sport becomes ‘uninspiring’ when your team loses isn’t it?

5) I’m still in Auckland. It’s stopped raining all the time.