Where did the last week go?

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That's really what we're trying to place. As the days roll by and we make our way inevitable Northwards zigzagging throughout New Zealand (2500 miles at last count) just what have we been up to. Well for the last week all we can place are some mysterious bruises, some friendly locals (sheep) and the feeling we have the place to ourselves. Perhaps that's what New Zealand is like for everyone. There may be a million tourists but there's only 4 million locals (not sheep) and so bumping into one can be a once a day kind of affair. When you add to this our desire to find camp sites that are as cheap as possible, and hence in the middle of nowhere, you can see why we spend days on our own.

We feel, however, that this week in finding the middle of nowhere we took one step further. When people say 'the middle of nowhere' they tend to mean that there were maybe four cars in the car park and a lonely dog staring at them when they went for a walk. When Nic suggests spending the night in the middle of nowhere you know that not only are we going to have to drive for 45 minutes into the blackness of the forest on a dirt track Landie would have loved (We have a 2WD Toyota - hmm). Thankfully after this excursion you can guarantee that you will have the entire forest to yourself. Actually, better than that you will have the entire National Park the forest is in to yourself - now that's isolation. A beautiful wilderness that is so hard to find almost anywhere else (actually try the West Highland Way (especially in Winter)).

As if this wasn't enough we decided that after some rather dull city experiences to embark upon the Lost Highway through the middle of the North Island. Now 'Highway' is a word that in most places will mean at least 2 lane road, hard shoulder and central reservation. The kind of road with motels, rest stops and well other drivers. In New Zealand there are no people, no motels and no petrol for 150km. The Lost Highway even becomes a single lane dirt track at times heading into lush tropical forest that clings to the side of the mountain - more South America than South Seas. If this seems like madness, however, it wasn't. In our vain attempt to travel to all the countries of the world we couldn't possibly miss -

The Republic of Whangamomona

A delightful and charming country in which we stopped for lunch and to get our passports stamped (Nic had Bangers and Mash, Duncan had an All Day Breakfast for those keeping score). The story goes that some high edjit in Wellington decided to change the regional boundary and move this same Republic and its capital Wangamomona into a different council. Only problem was none of the people were asked and they didn't want to move. They wanted to decide they're future and in a move Alex Salmond would be most proud of - they declared independence. New Zealand's powers that be failed to respond (notice) and hence The Republic stands today! After visiting the local pub/passport office and spending some time at the national sports center (swings). It was time to head back to Kiwi land and leave this peaceful republic to its own ways. Still lets hope the passport stamp confuses the hell out of the Americans at immigration.


Oh and by the way for those hanging on the edges of their seats about just how the bruises were sustained, well we tried our hands again at surfing and lets just say we may have been out of our depth. Ocean 1 us 0.

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Photos

Is this too many books to travel with
This is no joke we are actually carrying all these books Over 20 at last count!