Ramo1985

As a keen hiker, I can't resist sharing some of my favourite hikes in the Fiordland area. The region provides a range of varied, challenging opportunities, and is also home to the 'Kepler' and 'Routburn' tracks, both deemed 'Great Walks' and therefore attracting hundreds of thousands of hikers a year. However, as I have eluded to in a previous blog, I have a 'love/hate' relationship with hiking in New Zealand. Justifiably, the DOC (Department of Conservation) are keen to preserve the natural habitat and prevent erosion. Therefore they regulate tourism by declaring a dozen or so walks 'Great' and charge fees for participation, consequently spending this vast income on maintenance, conservation and accomodation. This means that the DOC can control tourist numbers in the popular areas, and also leaves dozens of equally special hikes across bot ... read more

It would be impossible to start this latest blog entry without mention of the horrendous devastation caused by the latest earthquake in Christchurch in February. To date, over 182 people have lost their lives, with many thousands injured and left homeless. Water, sewage and power services have been severely affected, with hot meals and clean water no longer taken for granted. Having recently passed through Christchurch myself (a month after the earthquake), the area seemed like a warzone, with the city centre sealed off and controlled by the army. The implications for New Zealand as a Nation have also been felt, as many Christchurch residents have taken to the road for respite, comfort and re-housing; some temporarily, some perhaps forever. They all have a harrowing story to tell. For a country of only 4 million residents, ... read more

"So, has anyone got any questions about England?" I enquired of the year 1/2 class that I was teaching that day. I find this question a good introduction to the day, and it usually follows a familiar format. "Yes I have been on a red double decker bus. No, the Queen doesn't tend to invite members of the public into Buckingham palace for tea. No, I don't think I do know your aunty Sheila, even if she does live in England.....". An angelic, shy-looking boy meekly raised his hand. "Matthew.....are you bald?" The answer to that question will remain in that classroom, but let's just say 3 years in the teaching profession and the associated stresses haven't been conducive to good hair retention! I write this in Picton, having just arrived on the ferry after completing ... read more

First of all I would like to apologise for the 'delay' in the publishing of the first New Zealand blog entry. As I actually arrived in New Zealand over a month ago, perhaps 'delay' is perhaps an understatement. Empires have been built in less time. However, the wait is now over. Pull up a chair, crack open a beer (or a glass of milk, Randlay children) and prepare for an introduction to life as a 'Kiwi'. So where was I? Oh yes, tucking into steak and New Zealand Pinot Noir as we soared high above the pacific towards New Zealand. Despite the hushed atmosphere of the cabin which was very condusive to sleep, I managed to obtain a grand total of 0 hours 'shut eye', and stumbled off the plane bleary eyed into the grey, winter ... read more

As I drowsily became accoustomed to the morning sunshine and the heavy humidity, I hesitantly poked my head out of the tent. As I expected, we had reached a new low in 'slumming it'; we were sleeping in a car park. Upon arriving very late the previous evening, we had found the campsite closed and so therefore had just pitched anywhere. However, as I tried to smooth out the gravel indentations in my back and straighten out my twisted spine, I realised that this was likely to test even Rich's resolve. Amazingly, he agreed! Tonight we would sleep in a hostel. We had arrived the previous day after a slightly tedious day on the trains, this time crawling upwards through Honshu, where the gorges and tumbling forests were replaced by a more industrial feel as we ... read more

Richard and I exchanged bemused glances. How had we arrived here, in a beauty salon at 9pm in rural japan, looking like a cross between a burns victim and a papier mache model? It had been an interesting, slightly surreal day...... A few days previously I had travelled from Nagasaki to Shiminoseki, where I had met David Brent, sorry, Richard off the ferry*. In an attempt to save money, Rich had bought a tent in China, and we planned to find camping spots wherever we could and work our way up the west coast of Honshu, before eventually arriving in Kyoto. After a night's camping in a park on the Shimoneseki hillside, we crawled our way through plunging gorges and windswept coastline up the JR rail network, arriving at a station just outside Matsue in the ... read more

When entering Nagasaki, you almost feel as though you are back in Europe. The port and thickly-wooded hills provide the backdrop, as trams effortlessly slide through the streets and exposed wires hang down bustling side alleys. Cafe culture thrives. Lisbon, San Francisco and Naples are all cities that come to mind, and are referred to proudly by locals as points of reference. It is therefore hard to believe that just 65 years ago, 4 square km of this vibrant city was flattened, and pain and sorrow brought to so many in an incident that changed warfare forever. At 11.02am on the 9th of august 1945, the 'Fatman' nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the second bomb to be dropped on Japan after Hiroshima's only days previously. Ironically, it was only by a twist of fate that ... read more