[excerpt from my LiveJournal]

I’m home.

For now, and without wishing to sound a dick, I just want to say thank you to those of you who were in touch while I was away, even via the odd text or comment, or especially to those beautiful NZ-dwellers. You each helped make my trip even more wonderful.

And it was wonderful.

For now though I feel tired but really don’t want to sleep yet. I’m not exactly jet-lagged – the route and flights I took home worked out that I slept at proper times, just not for long enough.

I now have a few days to get back into the real world thing and then back to work on Friday, and start the new job on Tuesday.

Where on earth is my head? I think I mean that literally.

*****

Thank you so much for reading my journal and looking at my photos. I hope you have enjoyed re-living the journey as much as I have been.

If you have any questions, queries or comments, feel free to drop me a note below. Beyond that, maybe I’ll see you over at paulcapewell.com?

Thanks again. Ka kite ano.

x

My poor nose; Camp A Low Hum, 3 February 2008

[excerpt from my LiveJournal]

I’m at the airport. I’ve had a few wines. I’m not sad about leaving though. I’ve grown used to missing people and places. I’m good at it. Or bad, depending on your viewpoint.

It is a beautiful evening. The sun is streaming into the building and I am flicking lazily through the Listener. In the background I can hear hundreds of individuals, all doing exactly what I’m doing, and a TV playing golf, accompanied by that banal, cricket-esque commentary.

My flight departs in about half an hour. In twelve hours’ time I will land in Los Angeles and the time will be twelve hours before it is now. I’ve had a few wines and my mental capacity for even conceptualising that equation is waning.

I have a small backpack which contains my camera, a spare shirt, chocolate, my iPods, my journal and Listener and Wired. In a carrier bag is a 200-pack of duty free cigarettes which work out at 81p a pack. I cannot even begin to conceptualise this equation either. The irony is, it just makes me want a cigarette even more.

I hope Qantas serve dinner soon after we hit cruising altitude. I quite fancy another wine…

Tom Bradley International terminal, Los Angeles International airport

[2009 update]

My five hour layover in Los Angeles International airport (LAX) was made better by trying to call a friend in Chicago on a payphone, simply for the novelty of being in the same country as her for once, and chatting with two lovely English folks, and having a few (too many?) beers with one chap at a horrible airport bar.

Throughout the course of the LAX-London flight we bumped into eachother on our strolls round the cabin and stopped for chats. At Heathrow Airport’s baggage carousel, I gave him a plaster as he had cut his hand taking his baggage tags off. We parted ways then, and I cannot remember his name.

Parnell

[no journal entry]

I can only imagine, given how this was my last full day in New Zealand after seven weeks, that I spent the day wandering around trying to soak up my favourite elements of Auckland and New Zealand as I could, whilst trying to make sure I had made all my purchases, and was ready for my flight home the next day.

It bothers me that I don’t have a record of this day, but I hope you’ll forgive this attempt at filling in a gap.

For more photos from this day, click here.

[excerpt from my LiveJournal]

Today [in Auckland] it started off heavily raining. Real tropical, raindrops-the-size-of-buckets rain, and to sit on my bed watching it cascading off a palm tree outside was something to behold.

It abated after a few hours though, and I ventured out to the bus. As I got on, I heard someone call my name. Weird, I thought, but I didn’t even look up as no-one knows me here. Turns out it was Kim, a girl I met at Camp A Low Hum! What are the odds? Turns out she’s working in Auckland for a bit. She wasn’t on for long, but she said we could meet up before I go, which’d be nice.

And that time is fast-approaching. It is Saturday evening now and I fly out on Monday evening. My flight times have the wonderful illusion of it being a short jump across countries – indeed I land several hours before I take off on the first one, thanks to the wonders of the International Date Line! Also fortunate is that the longer of the two flights is first this time, so I hope it will make the journey feel better. That’s disregarding the five-hour layover in Los Angeles airport… I plan to just get rather drunk.

I’m quite looking forward to getting home now really. I am very satisfied with my trip and I suppose to put a finger on it I am at the point where I am getting a tiny bit homesick. The other factor is this feeling of constantly moving on. It’ll be nice to be home and know that my life is constant again for a few short months. It’ll also be nice to be near friends. I know it’s not like I see them all on a daily basis, but it feels better somehow. A few of them are going to be bugged the hell out of by me in the coming week because I miss you probably more than is healthy.

Another portion of friends will be whisked away from me for the unforeseeable. This is sad. It’s life, but it is very sad. I try not to think about it.

This afternoon I trawled Real Groovy and JB Hi-Fi for CDs and DVDs and such. Real Groovy was actually a let down. A mess, frankly, and with quite a poor selection. JB unreservedly thrashed them for range of stock, not to mention prices. I have two or three bags full of stuff. I have another book or two to get and may need a new bag to carry extra things – I am being as mindful of my baggage weight limit as I can.

I haven’t much more to do in the next couple of days, and the weather is looking less than favourable. It is warm and humid – the air feels moist and the cicadas and crickets are absolutely loving it. I just feel damp. I will miss the warmth though, and I hope the sun pops out briefly before I go so I can revel in its sublime power one more time, as it will be many weeks before I feel the same intensity in England.

For more photos from this day, click here.

[excerpt from my LiveJournal]

It’s such a joy to fly from a cool, grey morning [in Queenstown] to a warm, sunny afternoon [in Auckland] like I have today. The reverse will happen on Monday.

I am on the Airbus from the airport, listening to Radiohead. My flight was ok. Still not in love with the stomach-lurching bumps, but mostly fine.

I have two full days left in New Zealand with which to buy a few bits and pieces and gifts and soak up as much of Aotearoa as I can. This afternoon though, my agenda is to check into my hostel, have a shower, find some lunch (I had a Danish for breakfast and a paltry blueberry muffin on the flight) and see what’s on at the cinema tonight. Having seen There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men and Juno in recent weeks, my next film will have to be quite something if it is to match up to the others.

Even though I can feel the air conditioning, I am standing and I can feel beads of sweat in between my shoulder blades. Between songs I can hear and see a pretty girl from a country which calls NZ Novy Zeland from the guidebook she is holding.

For more photos from this day, click here.

[excerpt from my LiveJournal]

Yeah.

- It’s comforting how relationship-based politics are universal
- It’s great having someone random to talk to sincerely who doesn’t really know you
- I’m flying to Auckland tomorrow
- I need to make more of an effort with my ‘local’ friends
- I am smoking a lot, but I am on holiday so that is ok
- I want to upload photos but I forgot my USB cable – maybe later
- Queenstown is very pretty, but so busy and touristy and overcrowded and such
- Beers last night were grand, got lots of talking done
- I don’t know what else (lots, though)

Gosh I’m gonna be home in like five days.  I’m actually feeling alright about that! :)

For more photos from this day, click here.

We were up earlyish [in Wanaka] to be picked up by the girls, soundtracked by The Postal Service. Quick stop at Maggie’s place – amazing wooden features, beams and doors – then we hit the road for Queenstown.

We dropped Katie at the bungy place on Shotover Street for her to do the Nevis Highwire. The three of us then decided to go up the Gondola and go luging, which was so much fun. Perfect weather, and it was pretty empty as it had been a bit grey and drizzley earlier on. Awesome fun.

That occupied us til we needed to meet Katie after her bungy jump, so we all went for a beer down on the waterfront. I introduced them to Steinlager Pure, then we had a lovely Italian at Luciano’s. We also had a bizarre brief look in Lassiter’s Casino – a very depressing place. Very small too.

More drinks followed and Jamie and Katie were getting quite flirty and close which was sweet. Things continued that way until nearly 10pm when the girls had to leave for Wanaka.

We had a long, sweet goodbye before Jamie and I went back for a few more beers and more over-analysing. Always fun. I talked about some of my past flings, and Jamie texted Katie about possibly meeting up with her in a few days, and we both retired to bed a pair of tired, drunken, giggling schoolgirls.

For more photos from this day, click here.

The next morning I woke up to a voicemail and messages from Mia [in London], asking a favour whilst I was in Wanaka, to do some research into a ski school company.

There followed a quiet day of research and wandering, but in the afternoon we met up with Katie for a jetboat ride on the Clutha river, which was amazing. So much fun, and I’m so glad we did it as I wouldn’t have done it had I been on my own. Really awesome. The three of us had a couple of beers after that, and some really bizarre conversations about fetishes, family and all in between.

Maggie, a Texan who Katie was staying with, soon joined us and we went for an Indian. We got on very well, the four of us, but the evening ended abruptly as we all had early starts. Luckily the girls were able to offer us a ride into Queenstown the next morning. This left Jamie and I the evening to have a few beers and discuss life, death, girls, etc etc. Really great to have someone to have such conversations with, and it turns out we’re actually pretty similar.

For more photos from this day, click here, or scroll down.

Photos by Jamie Kenningham:

Up nice and early for the bus to Wanaka [from Dunedin] and the trip was pretty uneventful until we paused at Cromwell to transfer a few passengers. Jamie got talking to a fellow with Down Syndrome and it was a really lively, funny conversation which followed. He was from Yorkshire and had dual nationality. He was lovely, but had a filthy mind and we had a great time with him. Before long, an American girl who was sat a row in front got drawn into the conversation and the subject turned to women, sex, “plums”, Baywatch, lifeguards, animals etc etc. We were all laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes.

After one of the most surreal bus trips ever, we went our separate ways, but Katie, the girl on the bus, hung around and exchanged details so that we could meet up and do something, which was nice.

Gorgeous weather, and I was immediately thrilled to be back in Wanaka. We had a lazy day of wandering and found the cinema – which is amazing, and was showing Control [Joy Division biopic] that evening! Awesome. Great cinema, really unique seating, including half a car… Control was superb and we picked up a few beers afterwards and chatted for a good while, finishing up with some Trivial Pursuit.

For more photos from this day, click here.

I was up early to extend my stay [in Dunedin] as Jamie had convinced me to ditch my plans of going on alone – “fuck Wanaka!” – and go driving with him. To justify it, Jamie’s great and I’d far rather spend the last week of my trip in good company than alone doing stuff just for the sake of it.

Considering the night before and only having had 4 hours’ sleep, I was up and feeling good. I spent the morning in front of the box but soon discovered it was gorgeous out and rounded up Jamie and Rachel to get some snacks and booze and have an impromptu picnic on the grass in the Octagon.

Lovely afternoon was spent lazing around in the sun drinking bubbly with Rachel and eating lovely snacks, while Jamie investigated our rental car.

It turned out he’d had trouble finding available or affordable cars, so we changed our plans to get the bus instead. First stop? Wanaka! Haha. I love the place though; I’m just thrilled with his company. Hopefully meeting up with Rachel in Queenstown as well, as I feel we will both miss her.

Corncobs, quiche and coke for dinner…

For more photos from this day, click here.