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Published: April 14th 2008
Big Stretch
Birds on the beach at KaikouraWhile sleeping just outside Kaikoura we discovered that the secluded riverbed we picked for our slumber was also picked as a gravel site by some big trucks. When the first truck came, we rolled over. Then three others came and we decided to move to a rest stop off the highway and hit the proverbial 'snooze bar'. When we pulled into the rest stop, Christina saw a dirt road that veered off into the bush toward the beach. Curiosity can kill cats, and also ruin a morning snooze! The road continued on a ways and then suddenly the roadway became sandy, so sandy in fact, that we ended up sinking in. Then to try and get back out or turn our wheels we kept sinking deeper into the sand. Our snooze bar turned into an adventure with a sand bar instead.
"There must be a way..." was among the first thoughts, "looks like someone else was stuck here". And because the other vehicle was no longer stuck, we agreed that there must be a way. After taking turns trying to rock poor Tui back through the sand to no avail, we had to resort to more innovative strategies. Christina's suggestion
Whose Idea Was It???
Using innovation and brawn we began digging ourselves out of the mess we were in. Sinking sand is a bit different than getting stuck in deep snow, but many of the same principles still apply... like stubborness, which we'll call "determination" among others. was a tow truck. Kirby's was to get logs and dig them under the tires to slowly get past the worst sand toward more solid ground. Kirby's determination and farm boy ingenuity could not be stopped.
We gathered wood, dug sand, and he put all his might into pushing the van, and even lifting its back end as Christina wedged wood beneath the treads. It began to work! On the wood, the tires got traction and only when they slid off did we begin again. We made it two feet, then three, then six! Each time moving a few inches and re-setting wood and stone under the wheels. After about three hours we made it through the sand pit and toward the solid bank - about 3 car lengths from where we started. It wasn't until the tires began sinking through the sandy ground and plants on the 'solid' bank that we became fully discouraged. Getting out of sand is similar to getting out of being stuck in snow, except typically there is a solid road somewhere under the snow...
Anyway, Christina got to use her suggestion too, and ventured to the highway to flag down someone with
Sticks and Stones...
Sticks and stones may break our bones, but they can be really useful when your tires are sinking! We managed to get Tui three car lengths by bridging logs and stones over the sand. Unfortunately, three car lengths wasn't quite enough. a phone to call roadside assistance. We are so glad we have it! Just so you know, if you are a CAA member, you can register for up to 6 months here for free because they are affiliated. Anyway, we were happy to see the tow truck driver and his big flatbed pull up, and then became nervous when he almost got stuck, but with a jolly laugh he got out and pulled us out too.
All too glad to be out, we stuck to solid roads and headed south toward Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. For those of you who have seen the Australian movie "the Castle", you may know why we were eager to watch Greyhound races. We weren't sure what to expect when we walked in to the track, a race had just begun but the stands were nearly empty. Then something happened.
A mechanical error with the rabbit.
The dogs caught the rabbit and were fighting over it in the middle of the track! Barking, yelping, yelling, and workers in suits and ties sprinting toward the dogs - it was chaos. Dogs were pulled apart and checked for injuries and
All Other Ground is Sinking Sand
A hymn comes to mind with this one. We went from sinking sand to sinking sand, but isn't it impressive how far we managed to make it??? We thought so, then Christina went and flagged someone down to call a tow truck. the race was delayed twenty minutes as they inspected the rabbit. One dog was carried off to the vet. We stood wide-eyed and watched, then decided to place a bet.
It took a while to get a grasp on how it worked, and in the end we picked some dogs to place on whim, vibe, and their names. We did well - we placed four bets and won with three! On $5 bets, we ended leaving with $50 winnings - it was exciting! Should we bet on another??? We then decided that we should not be gamblers and shouldn't let this become a habit, and left without squandering our winnings. Our winning dogs were named: Space Hopper, Elara, and Owney Joe Tarr (Winsome Grace didn't win some).
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Riley Armstrong
non-member comment
That sand adventure sure was a pain in the butt, we know the feeling well, we got the motorhome stuck three different times. Amazing to think that CAA card came to the rescue that far away from home, I'm impressed! Could you put $5 down on Fiddler Socks next time you're at the races?