Are We There Yet?

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After nearly a full week of sleeping in the same city I’m ready to write about my travel experiences in the south island. Up to this point I couldn’t find the inspiration to get the writing juices flowing. I believed that the thought of writing about my experience would bring to a close my south island road trip that I enjoyed immensely. Then late last nigh or perhaps it was early this morning that the mental block was breached. A combination of rum and Coke, the lights of Buggy Wonderland (anyone in Auckland will know what I’m talking about), or maybe the oppressive humidity of an early Auckland morning that drove me mad and brought me to the realization that I had to close the journey out.

A trek of this scope and magnitude will inescapably leave one forever changed. With innumerable hours of time to think, points of destinations that bring you more than the physical reality of that place, wanderers encountered (some lost, others postponing a date with their destiny, others that seem to have found their bliss) one cannot but be left changed.

By far the most interesting and rewarding part of the journey was the time spent with my travel companions. Put four very different people in a car for two weeks and it was a social scientist’s dream come true. Spending two weeks in close quarters with three people that a couple of months ago you had no idea existed in itself was an episode that I will only reference in abbreviated form. Put together two Canadians, shout out to Marcos and Jen; cheers to Sarah, a fellow American from the Cheesehead state of Wisconsin, and myself; we were a motley crew if there ever has been one. By the end of our time together we had seen the best and perhaps the worst of each other? No regrets though, the worst wasn’t that unpleasant at all, I like to think of an Irish saying that goes “may the best you ever see be the worst you ever see”. I’d have to say without a doubt that if this is the worst I’ll ever see I’ll take two doses of it every day.

That Friday, the day before we left I had yet to pack and it was approaching 7pm. I’d only just gotten in from the office “Season Party” the drinks were cheap and the entertainment left a lot to be desired but that is neither here nor there. I got the call from Marcos that I had been anticipating for the last few days, he and Jen would be unable to make the road trip due to some muscle and joint issues she’s been battling for the last number of months. The plan had been for us all to meet at 6:00am Saturday morning for our eight or nine hour drive to Wellington. With the change in team roster we were now not going to meet until 7:30am.

In the morning we stopped by Jen and Marcos’s place to wish Jen all the best. Jen was the big driving force behind the success of our planning and to see here miss out on the rewards of two months of planning was disappointing. Fortunately, Jen had a change of heart at 8:00am. This decision brought on a mad dash to dress, pack, repack the car and run down the list of things that could have been forgotten. With all the extra baggage there was still room for the tin from Stephanie that contained a Christmas cake (fruit cake) that I helped her make. I never knew how difficult it is to slice and dice prunes, raisins, etc… And then I got to beat the devil out of the cake that’s a lot of fun, oh lest we forget the my wish after licking the bowl. Who ever knew fruit cake could have so many complex layers of meaning? But I digress, back to the drive. Thanks Steph!

We didn’t end up leaving until nearly 9am. Giving us exactly nine hours to make a drive that could take as much as nine hours to compete with ideal conditions.

The drive to Wellington was at the very least fast. With a quick stop at a KFC; let the unhealthy eating commence. And another stop at a town that is the same as Jen’s surname we made it to Wellington with very little time to spare. The ferry departed the terminal at 7:00pm for Picton, our Start/Stop point for a road trip of untold miles.

On the ferry we harassed a Peter Jackson look-alike to a point that we ended up getting a photo with the poor guy.

We stayed in Juggler’s Rest, a hostel that caters to people that have a soft spot in their heart for the art of juggling. We arrived at 11:00pm for the first of many nights on the road.

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Photos

Assume Road Trip Positions
Marcos, Jen, Donavin.
Our late start meant that we had to drive at full speed and hope that we didn’t hit bad traffic if we were to make our sailing time. The back half of the car fortunately seemed oblivious to our predicament but in the front of the car the anxiety could be cut with a knife at some times, especially when we hit five miles of stop and go traffic an hour outside of Wellington.

Mt. Ruapehu -- Halfway to Wellington on the 1 (South)
This section of the landscape reminded me of the drive south from Oregon to California and Mt. Shasta off to the left; scrubland and a seemingly out of place mountain peak.

One of Many Fast Food Meals on the Road.
It's taken me a week to feel that my diet is back in order.

Meet Levin
An hour away from Wellington.

I Knew That Flask of Pig Semen Would Cause Troubles.
This sign was at the ferry crossing in Wellington. You have to ask how big of a problem this is.

Wellington Harbour (NZ spelling for Harbor)
No Stephanie, I like North America's spelling better.
The downtown CBD reminds me a lot of Portland, Oregon. If not for the weather I think I would have preferred Wellington to Auckland.

Wellington and the Beehive.
The Beehive is the parliamentary office complex.

Poor Peter Jackson -- We did a pretty good job of irritating this look-alike.
I'd make for a dreadful paparazzi. I didn't have a heart to get up in this guy's face. Here he is giving Jen the evil eye.

Comments

[Marcos]

Oh Boy
And I thought I was making my entry too large by splitting it into two parts. How many installments are we expecting? I eagerly await your next update.

[Uncle Cliff]

Pigs and Pictures
No more Pig pictures, Please.....I'm still sick from those Haloween pics