A while ago I was invited to give a presentation in Christchurch for the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. Rather cheekily the inviter added something like, “If you’re going to come all the way to Christchurch, you may as well take a couple of days’ holiday while you’re here.”

“A couple of days?” I replied. “I’ll take the lot.”

Why the reaction? Well, you’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime I’ve been back to New Zealand once again, in 2010 (good on you if you’ve picked up something missing here). And I planned a further trip in 2012, but, well, that didn’t work out.

But signs are looking good for a further adventure at the beginning of 2013. So this will be my blog on the preparations and the journey itself. Instalments will come initially twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays), and then we’ll have to see how things are, as the journey takes its course.

Lee Traynor is a Senior Lecturer in English at the Centre for Applied Languages, Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany, and a keen tramper and photographer.