We have Kalvero Oberg to thank for the term culture shock, Its probably the most widely used travel term out there, With regards to his experiments I'm still very much in the honeymoon stage although I would possibly use G.Bush's favourite expression (after, errrr...) 'shock and awe,' for my view of Singapore. In a way I probably didn't know what to expect, I understood the former British, far east trading post to be cosmopolitan and high rise, but in actual fact its far more than that. On the face of it, it's how someone would imagine the 21st century to be in the 1840's. The underground is by far the best Ive seen anywhere in the World, and I've navigated a few in the last year, It makes London's adhoc system look like a medieval cesspit, moreover its completely litter free, not even a cig butt in sight, even in the districts of Chinatown and little India the streets are relatively well kept. I suppose this is the kind of write up the Singapore government would want to read, although I appreciate all is not hunky dory and many see Singapore as effectively a one party state,the PAP have held power since the 60s. Interestingly Singapore's politicians are some of the highest paid in the world(5x that of B Obama), from my short time there it seems they are earning their corn. All this certainly breeds contempt of my own government but on the other hand walking round old colonial areas of the city and sipping a rather expensive Singapore sling, in Raffles also made me immensely proud, at least in past decades we new how to do it! Some people would argue that British rule undermined the local populous, it with out doubt did, but what remains is a Futuristic, forward moving city which has moved on from its bloody past, and has learned not only from its foreign rulers but from its near neighbours how to live, and more importantly how 'not' to Govern. 
Arriving in Auckland then was always going to be a strange experience, After spending a sleepless night in a CLOSED and freezing Brisbane airport, I arrived dog tired to a city of just over a million people. 'The Big smoke' was wet, windy and grey and not at all inspiring after the bright lights and malls of the Lion city. I grabbed a couple of Tui's and went to bed!

That bottle is as big as it looks!!

 Next morning I explored a bit further and was more impressed with the city of Sails, a city with an area twice the size of London, I quickly realised most of this is water. Several islands make up this fascinating city and is certainly those areas that I would be up for exploring in the coming months. I realise after just two and a half days there I'd not taken one photograph, I suppose in my mind this wasn't the New Zealand I'd come to see, it was, like Brisbane and Singapore, a stopover city In a wider area of travel. Yesterday and this morning was more like it, after catching the bus in Auckland I was treated to an interesting hour of conversation on New Zealand's past from one of the locals, I was informed of why some towns are pronounced with an F sound, such as Whatangei, and what pit falls to avoid! More interestingly she got off at the township known as Waipu and indeed WAI, PU when you can Wee! I awoke this morning after a noisy night in the PIPI patch hostel, to a wonderful day.After sorting laundry and a lovely beach stroll, in the town of Paihia, I treated myself to a fry up and enjoyed the view.

So, i gets on this plane right..

Boiled sweets, a pack of cards and a newspaper was all i thought I had for entertainment as I stepped on the flight from Manchester. What I failed to realise as I sat down was millions of passengers have been in this situation before and been entertained wasn't something I would be short of. Its a tad disconcerting when a 8inch screen in the back of a seat, contains more films than I own! Plus a back catalogue of albums John Peel would be proud of. Suitably brought into the twenty first century I hastily shoved my day trip to Scarborough entertainment into my bag, and settled down to sucking Yorkshire mixtures whilst playing space invaders, listening to Led Zeppelin and laughing at the woman in front, who had yet to work out what to do with the warm hand towel.....Twas to be a long flight. As we reached a decent altitude, drinks were brought around, out of politeness I settled with a coke, politeness and ignorance, as I didn't realise alcohol was also free(you can take a man out of Yorkshire....) This mistake was never made again, although the greatest mistake I made, as anyone who has been on any length of journey, with a few pints in them will understand, the toilet is always the next port of call. The problem is when you've got a chap at the side of you who looks a cross between Bernard Manning and the chef bloke out of pie in the sky, with the temperament of Harold Shipman. The last thing you want to be doing is nudging him every five minutes.  I would have to wait....time ticked by and the more I flicked the entertainment channels the worse it got....
Music.....
Select...
rainy night in Georgia...
...get off this I'll put the National Geographic channel on, surely that will bore me off the need to urinate....
(queue dramatic Documentary music)
 "tonight on Discovery in partnership with Emirates....The building of a hydro electric dam in Canada...see the gallons of water gush through this amazing structure, look how masses of water......" 
Fuck this!
I turned to see the portly chap nodding off, I didn't care, excuse me sir, I almost knocked him into the aisle. "aha a week bladder I see"to which I should have replied "aha high cholesterol and the waistband of a hippo I see." I was in no mood for fraternizing, and nor should he have been unless he wanted his hand sewn Prada flight bag filling with piss. I made it, in the nick of time. Suitably relieved I returned to my seat, tired by the ordeal and the ever quickening darkness outside, I nodded off....

Our friends in the North....

I suppose it's going to be a Topsy turvy trip for many reasons, it's the first time I will have crossed the equator. Which in itself Isn't a really big deal but just getting my head round the fact I will be on the underneath of a giant, red hot, fast moving, ball of rock is quite daunting. It's not that however that stirs me, Its also the furthest I will have headed south....and this is a big deal.
    
 I think Stuart Maconie made, or stole the idea, that being Northern is a state of mind, its quite a valid point. Many people who know me will know my somewhat passionate point of view and had it thrust upon them over a pint of good local ale...or as far as Tetleys goes soon to be not so local. I suppose its an idea of belonging, its not a choice you have much say in but an act you grow into and get particularly defensive about...but its for good reason. You can say to someone I'm from the North and they will have an instant idea of what you are about, it automatically places you, or you can say I'm from an alienated group of homogenised twenty to thirty somethings from a 'multicultural' area around the Thames, in short London. Nobody says I'm from the South, it doesn't stand for anything. From macams to scousers, smoggies to cod heads to mancs and loiners its who you are, and that crosses all boundaries and divides.

The point I'm probably trying to make here is that this question is not about Geography, when I arrive in New Zealand I will be Immediately heading North, the divide couldn't be greater over there, I'm going to the Northern part of the North Island. Over here I live smack bang in the centre of Great Britain 200m from London and a similar amount from Edinburgh yet apparently I'm a quintessential Northerner. I'll be interested to find out whether being above an invisible, unidentifiable line in another country, will carry such a tribal stigma as it does over here. The place where I am headed, Hokianga, is a natural harbour, an area steeped in Maori tradition............ http://www.hokianga.co.nz/

It is said to be the birthplace of the Nation, The general area itself is known as Northland or the Winter less North and is only dissected to the south by New Zealand's mock capital and largest city Auckland. To the North there are no trains, public buses or traffic lights, just plenty of sheep a somewhat familiar (generalised) view of the 'North.' What I'm trying to get at is this, I'm going to an area that is more or less the top of the country, as the compass points, the true North, It has the the largest and 'apparently' most vibrant cities. The majority of the countries history, The most successful sports teams, its biggest stadium (Eden Park Auckland 48 000.) I'm sure you can see what parallels I'm trying to draw here, I just hope these Northerner's are as: passionate,dyed in the wool,companionable, droll and warm hearted as my own homeland brethren.

A LIST * 

12 1/2 DAYS

18,000 MILES

A TRIP TO 

EXETER 

LONDON?SKINT.

MITCH'S 

LEAVING DO...

TETLEY'S/GUINNESS

WHISKY/TAXI.

LAST WEEK

AT WORK

PRINT

BANK/

TRAVEL DOCS/

ITINERARY

BUY...

BORROW....

STEAL THINGS.

ORGANISE

PACK

HELLO///GOODBYE.

*The A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, and/or the most bankable in the Hollywood movie industry. Or is in its simplest form a list of tasks to  hopefully achieve in a period of time, or never.

The title might sound a tad highbrow, however its not an attempt to justify any big adventure. Thousands of my fellow twenty somethings head down under, as it says on the immigration website 'an infinite number of 18-30's from the UK.." My travel itinerary will be no different from any one else's, but the main point about travel, the reasons why we head off, somewhat on the hoof, is because its quite the opposite. It doesn't matter what route you have followed, your flights, the same map, same hostel's, bars,same bogs! The motivation is individual, its what experiences you decide to hold yourself. The other thing about this quote is that it's from a kiwi interested in the outdoors! Which is where I hope to spend the most of my time in NZ, lets face it if your digging for inspiration, or just a few words to stick at the top of a blog, there ain't many bigger than EH.

“Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.” EH