This is it! I’m down to less than 24 hrs left in New Zealand. The sun is shining and I’m itching to get to the beach, but I thought I’d stop for one last NZ-related post reflecting on the highlights of my 5 weeks in this incredible country.
New Zealand in Numbers:
6400 kms of driving; 2 rental cars; 3 hostels, 5 DOC camp sites, 6 nights of ‘freedom camping’; 18 wineries with more than 75 tastings; 5 visits to 4 homes where we were welcomed like family; 17 honks at fellow Wicked campers; at least a dozen pies in a dozen different towns; 25 beaches; 1 pair of stolen flip flops.
Top Food Experiences:
Eating fresh raw kina in Wellington; Dux Dine in Christchurch; coffee at Big Wave; cinnamon rhubarb pastry at Cereal Killa; scallops three ways and crayfish in the Coromandel; Luke’s Kitchen in Kuaotunu; lamb salad at the Raspberry Café en route to Akaroa; MILES BETTER PIES!; homecooked lamb dinner with paua fritters in Wellington; the lamb Fergburger in Queenstown
Top Scenic Experiences:
New Chum’s hike; Milford-to-Te Anau drive; Cathedral Cove for sunrise and Opito Bay in the Coromandel; sunset from Mt Eden; White Cliffs Beach in New Plymouth; seal spotting and sunset in Kaikoura; the sunset from the top and bottom of Dyers Pass Rd in Christchurch; driving in Canterbury; Waiau Falls in the Coromandel; exploring “the gorge” – wherever it was; driving north up the 25 into the Coromandel
Best of “Other”:
Morning coffee/walk/inukshuk in Makorori; Team NZ boatshed tour; jetboating in Makarora/Mt Aspiring NP; our Nelson region day
I’ve mentioned it before and it’s listed briefly here, but I’m still overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity that has been demonstrated while we were here. Maybe it comes from spending time overseas or having children go overseas, or maybe it’s just Kiwi nature, but we have been so fortunate to meet up with friends old and new along these roads and have enjoyed every minute with them sharing coffee, food, wine (and more wine), cards, cricket, and picnics learning about the country’s history, sport, culture and lesser-known spots. So Kylie, Ren, Al, Jane, May, Colin, Karen & the kids, Graham, Diane, Ryan, Scubs, Michelle and Nick: thank you so much. It was an absolute blast.
There were other bits and pieces of treasure along the way – laughs in the van, great roadside vistas, lazy days on beaches – but the other great thing about this trip has been getting used to once again being a wife and having a husband present every day. Two years is a long time to spend apart and it takes getting used to when you have to work together again. As someone pointed out over a glass of wine one day, travelling in a van could be far more intensive marriage counselling than you bargain for, but we’ve been lucky. Or maybe it isn’t luck; maybe we’ve just learned to cope with one another and talk things through better than I remembered. Either way, it’s good to have him back.
Next up: a night-time drive back to the city, a snooze in the Auckland airport, a night in the Bangkok airports, then on to Kuala Lumpur and Borneo. But for now, I’m off to the beach!
