Welcome to Aotearoa New Zealand

Kia Ora!

The flight from Honolulu takes nine hours. I watched three very good films including The Island which I think Dave would really like, it reminds me so much of all that early science fiction we used to read, and boasts a new variation on the hilarious clone-kills-clone-in-identical-persons-pretending-to-be-each-other-shootout theme. I also watched Valiant which is a cartoon about carrier pigeons in WWII and Ricky Gervais is just so damn funny - even as a pigeon, it's too good to miss.

I was delighted to be met at the airport by Cath Andersen and her man Dylan with whom I am staying here in Auckland. Cath and Dylan are showing me a very good time and exercising considerable generosity while I wait for a cheque to clear into Ellen's bank account. Last night we saw Monsters of Metal play at the Kings Arms (the music is to be described as small-town stadium rock); after the band we enjoyed comedy by Neal Hamburger, who is a very very sick man.

Aotearoa lives up to it's name so far - not a hint of sunshine in sight, quite a beautiful hazy grey sky. Reminds me of Portsmouth, Hants.


Actually, Auckland city reminds me of Bristol, and to be more exact it reminds me of photographs of Bristol in the late 19th Century. There are lots of hills about, and trees and brick buildings. Shop fronts on the Kay Road appear to be original, with cast iron awnings right out onto the pavement. Auckland is a welcome change from Honolulu; I was so sick of all those Sports Utility Vehicles. So so sick.

Auckland is a fragmentary isthmus between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. We are planning to go fishing soon. Ellen arrives on Sunday and then we'll prepare to leave for Wellington which is a long drive and should present a chance to take some photography.