The journey there and back will take longer than his Afghanistan aid mission, but Dunedin aid worker Michael Potts hopes his trip to the war-torn country to supervise harvesting and storing of potatoes will ensure the locals have food over winter.
The St Leonards man leaves Dunedin today for Chagcharan, in the mountainous Ghor province, beside Bamiyan province.
His trip will take 12 days in total, over half of which will be spent travelling.
For the accomplished aid worker, the mission to the highlands is unprecedented for its brevity. Funded by the US Government but carried out under the banner of Catholic aid organisation Caritas, the visit is to ensure harvesting and storage is done properly.
Mr Potts was there earlier this year, in April, helping plant the crop, and has visited the country several times in the past three years.
Once out of the Afghan capital, Kabul, he felt relatively safe.
He said the Hazara people of Ghor were friendly, well disposed, and highly intelligent.
The war had affected supplies of fertiliser and good-quality seed for crops.
He and another aid worker, an American, would work alongside local farmers and local aid agencies. His wife, Chris, said while the US aid trips were well organised and safe, she was always glad when "he touches down at Dunedin airport".
Communication in the area was patchy, with no cellphone reception, but Mr Potts was able to use the internet phone service Skype at regional offices.
The Potts returned to Dunedin about two years ago after living in Uganda, where they had adopted Raymond (8) and Francis (6) from an orphanage.
