New Year's Eve Rapscallions

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New Year’s weekend offered us four more days to see the countryside of NZ. This time we were on our own as we loaded our gear into the Pathfinder…er, Honda … and set off. Heading in a southeast direction on Route 1, we passed a myriad of the Canterbury region wineries. It wasn’t long into our journey when the car started to let out an obnoxious “BEEP BEEP”. Alarmed, we pulled over at the next petrol station and popped the hood of our 1988 hatchback. A fella approached us as we scratched our heads. After a brief investigation, he grimly informed us that we had obviously been speeding. Lo and behold, our smart car is equipped with a sensor that warns us whenever our traveling speed exceeds 105 kph (65 blazing mphs). We were quite happy that nothing was wrong with the car, but mildly annoyed that we had a “smart” car. If only the radio worked like the alarm…

We set our sights on the Timaru carnival, but it was closed. We soon learned that when New Zealanders “go on holiday”, the country nearly shuts down. Factories close, shops shut down, and travelers take to the outdoors. Not familiar with the hot spots of the area, our New Year’s Eve consisted of a quiet dinner over a camp stove, and then we set off to find a place to sleep for the night. We turned down a side street that appeared to head towards the Waitaki River, and soon found ourselves on a narrow rocky road that became a river itself. We backed the car into a secluded area of tussock and set up for the night. We were not sure if we were on private or public land, but were on high alert when we heard a car driving into “our spot”. It was just a carload of teenagers, and they took off as quickly as the came.

A while later we could hear some voices not far away, so we decided to take a walk and see if we could find some evening entertainment. A huge bonfire blazed in the distance, and the unmistakable smell of rubber wafted through the air as we approached. The fire set an eerie glow on the dozen deadbeat cars that encircled it. Two scraggly teenage boys sat on one of the rotten cars and one teenage girl waltzed around with a bottle of wine in hand. They quieted as we approached, and our attempts to strike up conversation were blocked. The kids joked about living in the cars and burning “rubbers” that were “already there”. We realized that we adults were unwanted, and soon bid our partings.

As we drove back towards the main road in the morning, we pulled over to allow an oncoming vehicle to pass on the narrow path. The driver stopped and asked us if we had seen any kids with a bonfire last night … they had been stealing tires off of his farm. We wished him luck as we pointed him in the right direction, but had a hunch that the kids were long gone. Further up the road, we came to a dead stop in the road … for fifteen minutes … as cow after cow crossed the road, free after their morning milking. We happily welcomed the slower pace of 2006, as we analyzed the simplicity of the cow culture. We left the hooligans of 2005 behind.

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Photos

Blue driftwood
Some kids on the Timaru beach created a driftwood haven, complete with large screen TV.

Road ends here
Our Honda was challenged on the backroads near the Waitaki River

Cow crossing
The cows seemed to just know what to do. No one was around to guide them across the road.

Comments

[Ellen]

fun
hope you are both enjoying yourselves!