FIRST ELEVEN

Links to websites and the people behind them that make up my starting lineup.

Aaron K - Road trip companion, photographer.
I met Aaron in 1995 on my first day at work at Income Support in Wellington. I had been living overseas for five years and was glad to be home and making a contribution to NZ. Back then Aaron was a promising swimmer with a creative mind. Now he is dedicated to producing high quality and challenging fashion images.
www.aaronk-photo.com

 

James Allen - Landscape sculptor with soul and strength.
James is from the West Country of England pretty close to where my Granny lived. I met James in BA the week after Bristol’s Massive Attack had played here and shortly after he was part of the Centurion team. Thanks to James we got a Dart board and wound down our Friday evenings with darts and cervezas. Now back in the UK James is using his mind and his muscles to produce functional and beautiful gardens and stonework.
www.incastone.co.uk

 

Kia Kaha - Mental, Physical and Spiritual strength.
The Maori people of New Zealand use the words Kia Kaha to describe mental, physical, and spiritual strength. In 2001 with my good friend Arturo we established a gym in Buenos Aires called Kia Kaha, our aim was not just physical training and interaction but spiritual and mental too.
The gym is gone now but Kia Kaha is forever strong.  
www.kiakaha.com.ar

 

Oceanic Dreams – Beautiful and scary photos of sharks taken while freediving.
I did a scuba course a few years ago, the feeling of breathing under water was fantastic but I also felt cumbersome with all that equipment. Now I prefer the freedom and simplicity of free diving. One breath, dive down deep, look up at the surface and watch the fish swim over you before floating slowly to the surface.
www.oceanicdreams.com

 

Alive – Andes survivors official site. Truly inspiring
I find feats of survival incredibly inspiring. My first exposure was to Shackleton’s amazing expeditions in Antarctica. I dream of visiting the frozen continent. In 2003 I was privileged to be able to make a journey to the Alive crash site and also to meet survivor Fernando Parrado. The plane crash was a tragedy, but also a great triumph of the human spirit.
www.viven.com.uy

 

NZ Rugby Museuem – heart, soul and statistics from NZs rugby culture.
Growing up in New Zealand in the 70’s and early 80’s the embroidered silver fern on the black jersey filled me with pride. It wasn’t a brand or trademark as these things are known now and didn’t need the words “All Blacks” written underneath. It needed no explanation as everyone knew that it meant “the best a rugby player can be”. That the All Blacks were the best team in the world was never questioned.
www.rugbymuseum.co.nz

 

NZedge – is a new way of thinking about our identity, people, stories, achievements and role in the world. Home to a global community of New Zealanders.
www.nzedge.com

 

UK Independent Newspaper – Great news and writing.
Especially from Chief sports writer James Lawton and Rugby's Chris Hewett.
“However sceptical we are about the haka as a timeless statement of warrior intent, it has one supreme redemption. It can live free of the heaviest ridicule only so long as New Zealander rugby players continue to play the game not just with their bodies but also their souls. This means it can be booked in for at least another 10 years. An empty-handed rugby team has no business flaunting the haka, but though England won they are unlikely to challenge the All Black performing rights” James Lawton after England scraped a win in 2002.
www.independent.co.uk

 

Torino Cobra.com - Mike the Cobra's great site about this soulful car and its survivors from a generation past. In 1999 I saw a cool looking muscle car parked nearby my Buenos Aires apartment. I stuck a note to the windscreen “Great car!, If you are interested in selling it please call” A few weeks later the 1971 Ford Torino V8 was mine. I looked around the internet and found Mike’s great site. My dream is to drive the Pan American highway from Argentina to USA and meet Mike.
www.torinocobra.com

 

Bahia Bustamante - Tiny Argentine costal town dedicated to seaweed harvest. Also a superb eco tourism destination hosted by Matias Soriano and featuring Argentina’s most beautiful beaches, amazing wildlife, and a petrified forest.
Aaron and I met Matias and Bustamante on the Patagonia 55 Road trip. We headed south from Camarones on an isolated and unsealed road. It wasn’t a great road, dusty as hell and with patches of soft dry mud – our theme song for this stretch was ACDC’s Hells Bells! After an eternity we arrived at this amazing place. I see Matias whenever he is in BA and cant wait to get back to BB. 
www.bahiabustamante.com.ar

 

Masterlyinactivity.com
Cousin Tracey and husband Colin’s site featuring their bicycle touring adventures, trekking expeditions, and tasty and experimental cooking. Also book reviews.
www.masterlyinactivity.com

www.stats.challengeeverything.com.ar www.challengeeverything.com.ar/webmail

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