Housekeeping

I live a life of variety, I'm pleased to say. Just when things are getting a bit boring, fabulous trips like the African one pop up into my inbox. I've been going back through my blog posts, and discovered that dodgy internet connections in the bush left out the text in some of them. I've put in better photos, too: so if you're interested, you could pop back and do some catching up.

First world problems

I don't know if this is going to last, but travelling around rural South Africa and going into schools and communities has given me some perspective on things that loom a bit too large for so many people in our world. My pinot noir on the plane last night didn't come till I was halfway through my boeuf bourgignon, and it was too cold; and my seat on the long Joburg-Sydney leg would recline only a couple of inches. But that was nothing, having just seen the thin reed mats that poor people sleep on, on the ground, and having stood in the dormitory of a school bush camp hearing how the kids had to be shown how to use a bed, how to flush a toilet, how not to scald themselves in a shower. And how these same kids had to get up really early in the morning at home to carry water - a 25 litre jerry-can weighs 25kg, remember - before walking up to 15km to school. And then the same again at the end of the day.

The people tutting with irritation over the slightly messy organisation for boarding the Auckland flight should get over themselves. It's not "shocking", having to wait 10 minutes to get onto a plane. What's really shocking is children wearing their shoes undone because they're far too small, but it's a matter of pride not to go barefoot to school. It's shocking that there are so many child-headed households because the parents have died of Aids, and these kids can't go to school at all because they have to look after their younger siblings.

And everybody in New Zealand today, cast into gloom by the failure to win the America's Cup after such a long and emotionally-gruelling struggle, should remember that actually it's just a race for rich men's toys; and that even though Team NZ pushed themselves to the limit, it's all pretty trivial really when you consider facts like 95% unemployment, like an elephant being killed every 15 minutes, like rhino horns being hacked off with axes while the animals are still alive, left to bleed to death. So cheer up! In Africa, things are so much worse!*

*"The floggings will continue until morale improves."

Time to make a difference

They have some classy stuff in the shops at Joburg airport: lovely jewellery, clothes, carvings and household items (also plastic vuvuzelas, natch - and I saw some bought. What larks ahead!) overwhelmingly adorned with elephant, zebra, giraffe and lion. You have to look for the rhino.

Pretty much like real life, then. Except for us on this trip, with our exclusive focus and contacts: we were literally up close and personal with these 50 million year-old prehistoric creatures, big and little, black and white, and it was such a privilege. I come from an elephant home, thanks to one chance soft toy 22 years ago (go, Ditty!) but I'm a rhino convert now.

They're so massive, so odd-looking, so totally harmless if you leave them alone. All they want to do is eat grass or leaves and get on with producing their ridiculously cute babies (I glimpsed a 10-day old black calf - totally adorable). But through an evil combination of greed, ignorance and ruthlessness, they could all soon be gone. And that would be inexpressibly sad. www.imakeadifference.co.nz

Salani kahle

I've never sat on the loo before, stroking a cat balanced on the rim of the basin, while watching monkeys leap along the wall outside. This trip has been crammed full of close and astonishing animal encounters, far surpassing my expectations in that respect, and for that reason alone I would love to come again.

Even more, though, it's been the people. We've been so lucky to enjoy the unlimited hospitality of the Hedges family, all of them so friendly, intelligent, knowledgeable and passionate about their country with all its faults and difficulties. South Africa is a country of huge resources and potential, hampered by its government but kept going by the will of its people, and everyone we've met has had in common a determination to make things better. It'll take time, but it will happen.

The rhino issue is the perfect symbol: a unique and very special animal, threatened by greed and corruption, but inspiring wonderful and varied effort from all sorts of people, from all over the world, united in the cause. They must succeed, and we all must help: www.imakeadifference.co.nz

Yebo!

There are a lot of gaps to fill in once I'm home, thanks to dodgy Internet connections in the bush, tch, appalling. It's our last full day in Africa after two nights spent at the very elegant &Beyond Rock Lodge at Phinda - private plunge pool, sherry decanter in the room, oodles of delicious food at frequent intervals and super-enthusiastic ranger Matt partnered by spotter extraordinaire Joel. (Not, of course, that there was time to get into the pool or even sip the sherry.)

The focus shifted from animals to people: the hard lives of the locals, and the inspiring work of others trying to help them to make a difference to their own circumstances. Marvellous people. We went into communities, actual houses and were treated with courtesy and generosity by people who had so little.

And then of course there were more animals: a walk through the bush tracking giraffe, and a rather too close encounter in the Kombi with an irritated rhino, who approached, snorting, to within 2 metres of where I was sitting at the open door. No photo of that, unfortunately. I was somewhat preoccupied.

Thrilling.

It's not a word I use often, but it's perfect for today's finale. First there was walking to within 30 metres of a black rhino - that would be the more aggressive of the two varieties. Then there was the standing in the open back of a pickup, in a pool of blood from a freshly-shot impala, watching two cheetahs just 10m away crunching on another as we watched from inside their enclosure.

Then, driving away, we stopped to inspect a pride of five lions as they watched us equally closely - still in the back of the pickup, still with the blood and the impala.

And finally, on tonight's game drive here at &Beyond's Phinda, there were four hungry cheetah, a mother and three male cubs, looking gaunt. We were sad, but as we followed them, bouncing off-road in the Land Cruiser, they found a herd of nyala (small antelope) and as we watched, they ran down a young one, the mother hampered by her useless sons, and finally killed it and filled their stomachs. Hooray! But not so good for the nyala, of course...

A rhino sucked my toes

Yes, really. A cute little year-old white rhino baby, orphaned by poachers and being raised with two others in Umfolosi Reserve for eventual release into a game reserve - she sucked my toes after inhaling a trough of milk formula. Such a dear little thing, she made noises like a whale. Apparently her wailing when she was found was heartbreaking to hear.

And then we spent the night in fancy tents on a solid floor with a lovely bed and bathroom and all, but went to bed disappointed nonetheless because the promised hyenas didn't show up at our customary braai; though a bush pig did. There was cause for celebration because a lone elephant in a river completed our Big Five: lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant.

Today we drove to Phinda, a really classy lodge near Hluhluwe, to Rock Lodge built on the cliff. It's all varnished wood, high ceilings, thoughtful touches and views from everywhere including the loo and the shower. Outside there's a plunge pool that we would dearly have loved to er, plunge into on this 45 degree day, but there was no time. We were out on another game drive with Joel the spotter on the front of the vehicle and Matt driving. As well as all the usual suspects we saw a cheetah with two grown cubs, crocodiles and a couple of porcupines.

It's been lovely, but so busy, and tomorrow we're up at 5.30am again to go and find black rhino. Good night!