Barefoot boxing

Auckland - Nov 3, 2006
I emerged from Auckland airport to witness the sunrising on the southern hemisphere, slightly unnerved that Nov 2 had escaped me somewhere en route. From this point on I was following the traditional plan - push on and see what happens. On the Skybus into town I carefully reviewed my accommodation options and used the tried and tested method of selecting one - pick the first in the list.

First impressions of Auckland:

1. There seem to be a number of people without shoes (and not homeless and not crusty hippy types either), just padding about barefoot out of choice. I have to say they usually weren't wearing suits atop. (This phenomenon got out of control further down in the south island.)

2. There are a similarly large number of people carrying cardboard boxes. So many so that I noticed it and it started to fascinate me. Maybe it's a bit like when you're a kid and your parents got a new car (well, usually secondhand but new to them anyway) and all of a sudden the roads seem to be packed with the same make and model. Who knows? Certainly not me.

Rather like with the Mexican Goths of Morelia I was a little too shy to whip the camera out and snap these two strange facets of Auckland life.

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Memo to self: do not take up a career as a journalistic photographer

"Errr..sorry to bother you, would you mind if I took a picture...silly question, of course you would...sorry...how crass of me...please forgive me...here, have a Milky Bar...I won't trouble you any more...I'm off now...sorry...forget I ever asked..."
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Instead, here are a couple of snaps of the city of Auckland. If you look hard, I'm sure you'll see someone barefoot and carrying a box.

Downtown in the City of Sails, so called because everyday there's at least one shop that has discounted the price of its wares. [Must have a word about the spelling error with the City Council.]

A volcanic crater (I forget the name of it...let's call it Tongatingariro) looking north to the city

PS How sad is it that I'm doing this on Christmas Day? I think it's time for a sherry.

The San Fran Plan

I like to plan things thoroughly. However my definition of thoroughly deviates from the Oxford English Dictionary definition in that it means:

'To give some thought to your actions at some point usually just before standing still staring at the fast approaching lights becomes dangerous or after something has gone critically wrong.'

After all, planning with hindsight is a lot better as you have the benefit of hindsight, which everyone wishes they had when they were planning ahead of the 'event'. Logic, see.

So The Plan. Well, it's much the same as the rest of the trip really. Press on and see what happens. That said, there's some people I know in San Francisco (Christian Gentle & Holly and Helen & Stuart Kibby) where I can cadge board and lodging. Also, by chance, my dear friend Baz is going to be showing his giant mooning face in town 'at some point' on some work gambit so there's an opportunity to give him a karate chop in the head. Jot all this down on the back of an envelope et voila - THE PLAN.