New Zealand, 2010

I’m in Wellington now. In fact it is shrouded in mist and rain, but very beautiful. It’s a very compact city, right on a bay surrounded by green, treed hills. It reminds me a bit of Geneva, but it’s probably more beautiful. I had planned to go to the museum this afternoon, but it’s tempting to stay under the bed covers and keep warm.

I am sitting in the cafe in Te Papa (Our Place), which is the museum in Wellington. It is an impressive space with some stunning exhibitions, especially of the Maori and islander history, culture and art. Most remarkable of all (for me) are the wood carvings. I think the detail and quality surpass anything I have seen anywhere else, except perhaps Thailand.

Apart from traditional culture, the museum also tells the story of colonialism. I will copy some of the treaty ‘Her Majesty’ entered into with the Confederation of Tribes. It is so blatantly exploitative as to almost seem like a joke. I have to say, I’m not one who believes that colonialism was all bad and remains the root of everything that is wrong in developing countries.

Had an enjoyable few days in a chilly, but beautiful Christchurch, New Zealand. Favs were New Brighton Pier and the Arts Centre. Chile next. Fog has delayed the flight from Christchurch to Auckland. Luckily, my connection to Santiago is not too tight. Looking forward to Latin America.

I just had a delicious winter vegetable soup with home-made bread, and now I am sipping a port and scribbling away. The Arts Centre here is quite lovely. It used to be the university campus and all the buildings have an English abbey kind of feel to them. There are numerous galleries and also studios where you can watch the artists at work. One of the most interesting is someone who does ‘stone kinetics’ – essentially photography of semi-naked hunks in various poses with stone sculptures.