Woke up this morning in our own bed, and don’t quite know what to do with ourselves. We’ve had a simple routine for the past 13 days: get up, pack up, get on the road. Now there’s all these choices of things to do. Well, it’s not that hard to decide: there’s a pile of washing to be done. But apart from that, I don’t feel like doing much of anything at all. The garden is looking flush and lush and is in need of some weeding. Clearly there’s been rain while we’ve been away. And some work has arrived in the Inbox for me. I’ll deal with that later.
Meantime, here’s a few observations on the trip. First and foremost, it’s reminded me of how beautiful the land and seascapes of New Zealand are. And so much variety. I’d also forgotten how warm it could be, accustomed as I am to Wellington weather. It is a shock to be home and be reminded of how much cooler it is here, relatively speaking, because of the wind factor. We were, of course, as tourists, lucky with the weather, though it’s worth remembering that what made for good travel is causing country folk worry and distress as paddocks get browner and barer and water tanks emptier. Ironically the Covid-19 threat also made for easier travelling in that there were few logging trucks on the road and fewer overseas tourists in rental cars and campervans. And virtually no tour buses, though that’s possibly because we travelled the secondary roads, and off the main tourist beat.
What were the standouts? Hard to say: the whole trip was great. And even though it was only a fortnight, days and events get blurred and the early part of the trip seems a long time ago. But here’s some things that come to mind.
Castlepoint was lovely and given it’s not too far from Wellington, a place I hope we return to soon. The whole of south Wairarapa was lovely, both on the coast and inland. Hm, actually, that applies for everywhere we went. Impossible to pick favourites. Loved the night on the coast in the glamping tent and hearing the sea so close. Loved the Govett-Brewster gallery in New Plymouth, loved the Forgotten World rail trip and the Forgotten World highway, loved all the lighthouses, all the coastlines, all the country landscapes . . . . Loved the New Zealand-ness of it all. And the simple road trip-ness of it all: as mentioned above, it was get up, pack up, get on the road. Apart from our last night in New Plymouth, we didn’t spend much time in larger urban centres, and when we did, we couldn’t wait to get out.
So that’s it for this trip. Waiting now for the next one.
Off Highway One 