NEW ZEALAND

My last trip on SS Nevasa as a 3rd Mate I met a New Zealander called Annie - she was a nurse on this school ship... Nothing untoward took place, but she said I should visit her in Auckland & see her beautiful country.

Not long after that I swallowed the anchor & left the Merchant Navy & being curious, I went to New Zealand House in London to enquire about emigration - the reception I got was pretty sniffy but I bought the book "New Zealand in Colour" from which I stole this photo.

My crazy cousin Jez Bragg holds the record for running the entire length of New Zealand north to south & paddling his way across the Cook Strait https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jez_Bragg he nearly killed himself doing this - he has Crohn's Disease!

I went to art college instead!