All I Kow About New Zealand

New Zealand is ideal for travelling in the backpacking style. And more and more people are now choosing this kind of holiday thanks to not just the stunning landscapes but also the huge variety of excellent accommodation and activities available: from basic to luxurious and sedate to exhilarating.

New Zealand is a dream place in which to travel in the backpacking style. This is a compact country with sweepingly different scenery between the main towns and cities. Getting around is simple, and better still, your choice of routes, activities and accommodation is as wide as the Pacific Ocean horizon.

Roads in New Zealand are well maintained, it's hard to get lost, traffic is minimal and there are plenty of places to picnic or stop for a break. So travelling by campervan or rental car is a hugely popular choice.

Campervans are great fun – and a cost-effective option for groups of people travelling together. So many people want to pick up a hire vehicle in the North Island and drop it off in the South Island, or vice versa, that rental companies offer excellent ‘relocation rates,’ generally from south to north.

If you want to skip around the country quickly, hop on a plane - New Zealand has a comprehensive domestic flight service. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how affordable domestic air travel is and booking online makes it even cheaper, and simpler too. Air travel is now the new, affordable way to experience New Zealand.

But let’s not forget the traditional backpacker mode of transport: buses. You can use Flexi Passes to buy travel by the hour on the nationwide network of Intercity buses. Or try the convenience of a Travelpass to go directly from A to B but get on and off as you like.

Magic Travellers Network and Kiwi Experience buses take you off the main routes and also allow you to get on and off as you choose (even taking you to the door of local hostels). With Magic Bus you can even tag on a train journey such as the spectacular TranzAlpine or TranzCoastal. Then there are the smaller bus operators like Bottom Bus in the lower South Island that let you get into some of the wildest scenery in the country.

The New Sutra

The fulfilment of women is at the heart of the experience of sex and the lines between sex and sensuality, as between social mores and individual desire, are indeed fine and must be understood deeply. That is the basic message author-diplomat Pavan K Verma tries to send across in his brave new book, Kama Sutra: The Art of Making Love to a Woman.

Verma’s tribute to the 300 AD immortal treatise on sex by Vatsyayana comes at a time when, in Verma’s own words, “there is an avalanche of flesh in cinema, TV and magazines”. “The subject is such that it is more than capable of nurturing more than one interpretation,” Verma said, speaking at the launch function. Varma is also the director-general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), a former ambassador to Cyprus and a former spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs. But why do we need another interpretation of this world famous treatise on sex? “We need to resurrect the Kama Sutra from its various misinterpretations,” he said. He emphasised that Vatsyayana was clear about one thing: men and women are equal partners in sex and that it is important for the man to ensure that the woman gets her full share of fulfilment. “This book is not about technique but about attitude and right approach,” Verma said, while describing how Vatsyayana laid great importance on the environment in which a man and a woman make love. Talking about society’s prudish approach to sex today, he said, “There was a time in our history I am sure when desire was taken out of the dark and put out in the sun as an essential aspect of our life.”He said that the rise of Islam and the Victorian morality that came in with British rule changed Indians’ attitude towards sex forever. “Why, there was this Englishman who sued Lord Krishna in court for lechery!” Verma stated. Asked what the book has for the younger generation, Verma lamented that he was sure the young would look at illustrations rather than read the text. “But please go through the text, it is important to understand why a great sage —a mahamuni—like Vatsyayana wrote a book on such a subject so long ago.” However, Verma seemed to be at a loss for words when a member of the audience asked, “What does the book offer to senior citizens?” “A good lover has to be sensitive to a woman’s needs.”