First of all, apologies for the lateness of this update...  Internet access in most of New Zealand is pretty shocking.  In most places you're limited to coin-operated machines that swallow $2 coins every 15 minutes and which are deathly slow, if they work at all.  Since I'm now in Auckland, there are proper internet cafes...This will have to be a quick run-through of the last couple of weeks, since I'm flying to Fiji in a few hours.&nbs...

It's been a while since the last update. Sorry about that, but I'm not going to take all the blame. As was the case with the last update, I've mainly been staying in areas where there is precious little internet access, and what there is is either too slow or depends on coins being shoved in every ten minutes. I'm in Wellington now, a.k.a. The Big City, so I can actually bring this up to date now... After retracing my steps and heading back up the east co...

It's been a while since the last update. Sorry about that, but I'm not going to take all the blame. As was the case with the last update, I've mainly been staying in areas where there is precious little internet access, and what there is is either too slow or depends on coins being shoved in every ten minutes. I'm in Wellington now, a.k.a. The Big City, so I can actually bring this up to date now... After retracing my steps and heading back up the east co...

This'll be another whizz-through, I'm way behind again due to spending the last week in the middle of nowhere. Thanks again to Orange, for destroying my e-mail account and being unavailable by phone. My new e-mail address can be reached through this website. What's the difference between apples and oranges? ANYWAY... I arrived in Wanaka from Queenstown, full of enthusiasm for the Wanakafest - a popular snowboarding/skiing town with its own festival? Bri...

There are certain things that, when one is staying in backpacker hostels, one should avoid whenever possible. "All-male dorms" is one, and "sharing a room with people who work in the hostel" is another. If one is over six feet tall, add "beds with a metal bar at the foot that prevent you from being able to lie comfortably". And at all times one should add "people who snore". For good measure "bed linen washed in what appears to be powdered glass" can go on th...