The Road Trip North and a Kiwi Thanksgiving

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Fern and I did a road trip up north! We stopped to explore so many little towns and beaches along the way that we hardly noticed our four or five hour car ride turn into a nine hour expedition. Each stop along the winding state highway reveled another small coastal town full of trendy little boutiques displaying colorful sundresses in their windows, dusty old thrift stores, and ice cream parlors. With only the time on the parking meter to soak up as much of each little town as possible we laughed about how we should probably avoid all second hand shop and any camping supply outlet. Our track record for getting out of either of those in any kind of timely manner is pretty poor. But somewhere around our third stop we wound-up parking right between the mother of all thrift shops and camping store that just happened to be having their yearly 60% off sale. So really all hope was lost before we even left the car.

Fern was barely able to pry my hands off the most perfect sleeping bag I’d ever seen and push me out the door as I whimpered and questioned how necessary it really was for me to get home anyway. But when you’ve on a budget tighter than “jeggings” you can’t spring for that perfect fuchsia colored down sleeping bag even at $400 off.

Other highlights of the day included a free lunch of sausages on bread generously provided by a group spreading awareness for white ribbon day (to stop violence against women) and a brief drive-by sighting of the world famous tree house restaurant.

We got to Fern’s aunt and uncle’s place in Okaihau around late afternoon. It being Thursday evening we dubbed the roast beef dinner we were having quite suitable for a Kiwi style Thanksgiving feast and toasted to it with a fine bottle of New Zealand wine. We discussed the much debated American pumpkin pie and I regaled them with tales of family Thanksgivings past when my sisters and cousins and I would spend the whole holiday writing, producing, and performing our own original Thanksgiving themed theatrical productions.

Pete and Sue (Fern’s aunt and uncle) were surly one of the liveliest couples I’ve ever met and after hours of laughing, more wine, and several stories that started with the phrase “One time when we were traveling through Africa…” we settled into bed. But not before taking full advantage of the hot tub right outside the guest bedroom!

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