New Zealand

June 16, 2016

I got up early today and walked to get my campervan.  It was about a 5 mile walk.  Very nice in the early morning air.  The van is HUGE, and it is stick shift.  Yes, I have to shift with my left hand.  It still feels weird, but I drove a lot today on windy roads, so I guess I’ve got the hang of it.  It is a nice van, with a full kitchen, fridge, microwave, cook top, and double bed.

Today I traveled from Auckland to Russell.  It was a windy long road, through a lot of cow country.  When I saw the beach, it was spectacular.  I stopped in a little town called Wellsford for some food and to go potty.  The only toilet anyone would let me use was at the McDonald’s!  It was a long walk, and tough when you gotta go.  They had a “Georgie” meat pie that was wonderful.  I ate some of it for lunch and finished the rest off for tea.  I cooked half a steak and had a baked potato.

I am spending the night in a caravan park in Russell.  It is a huge place, with very nice facilities.  I did my laundry, which after so many days really needed to get done.  I am just working on this now, and then I will turn in.  Tomorrow I am going some place really special, but I’ll talk about that tomorrow.

 

June 17, 2016

Not a lot in the way of pictures today.  I drove about 300K to get to Cape Reinga.  This is at the northern most tip of New Zealand’s North Island.  Cape Reinga is a very special place.  There is a light house there, built in 1947.  It isn’t the light house that makes it so special, however.  The Maori consider the Cape as a jumping off point for souls on their way to their ancestral home. Yes it was a long drive, but I felt drawn to it.

The road was long and windy.  I swear, I am getting good at driving stick with my left hand! Driving the Beast, as I have loving named my campervan, is interesting.  It has a very off center profile, very high up, so all the twists and turns have made me very vigilant.  When I got to the cape, I expected a little town, but here was nothing.  Just an archway that played eerie music when you walked through it, and several long trails.  I went halfway down the path, but then saw an unpaved path to a very high hill.  This hill was higher than anything else around, so I thought it was perfect.  When I got to the top, there was a young man kneeling beside a small flag he had implanted there.  Knew this was the place.  He left,and I walked around the small plateau looking for the right spot.  From the top, you could see where the Tasman Sea nd the Pacific Ocean come together.  It is a very violent confluence not unlike a war-time battle.  I sat for a long time looking at the ocean.  I knew this was the spot, so I took the small baggie from my pocket, and deposited a small amount of john’s ashes.  This was a place where he and I could have sat for hours, just watching the ocean and being together.

Once I left the Cape, I retrained my steps, and spent the night at Pukuleni Caravan park.  What an excellent experience. When I drove in, a woman came out to great me, and after registering, she brought me over and introduced me to the oldies who obviously live at the park.  They were a lively group, and made me feel right at home.  One gentleman told me they had had a huge catch of snapper that day, and offered me some. I have to say I have never had fish so good!  The filet was easily 2 inches thick.  I don’t have much here in the Beast, so a little salt and pepper, and that was it. YUMM!

June 18, 2016

This morning, I left Pukuleni, and headed back towards Whangarei.  It is pronounced “Fangeray”.  I was really tired of driving, so I check in early at a very nice campground, and walked into the CBD.  It is apparently Maori New Years, and there was a huge celebration going on.  Very fun.  When I got back to the park, I did laundry, and ate the rest of the snapper and a little bit of steak I had left over.  Surf and Turf!.  A bit of laundry, and I’m ready to sleep.

A couple of things that happened today.  First, there was this one town in the middle of nowhere, that had the craziest toilets.  This sounds weird, but apparently some German ex-pat moved there, loved sitting on the loo, and designed these crazy public toilets out of bottles and such.  Lots of people taking pictures, so I did too.  (I even used the toilet! LOLOL) BTW for my American friends and family, they call then toilets, not rest rooms.  To us in the US, toilet seems almost crass, but that is exactly how they are called, so Rachel, do be afraid to call them that! No one will understand if you ask them where the restroom is!

After that, I went through a lovely town called Kaitia. I stopped at the McD’s for a coffee, and then found a big grocery store.  Reminded me of Food for Less. After the stop, I drove through town.  For a Saturday, it was very busy.  As I was driving through the CBD, an old fart on a scooter crossed in front of me.  I was watching, so no drama, but boy did it hit me hard.  After that, as I was puling away from the town, s song that John used to sing to me every day played on the radio. “Have I told you lately that I love you.” Ok, choked me up a bunch.  Yeah, he was just letting me know he is still with me.

On that topic, I opened up the suitcase, and there was this powder all over.  OHG! I thought John had  had a blow out!.  No. Upon further inspection, it was my protein powder.  Damn, that old man is such a pain!

Tomorrow I head back to Auckland.  About 180k.  I will return the Beast, and check into a nice hotel for the night.  Then it’s off to Australia.

June 19, 2016

Turned in the beast today.  Nothing really special.  I stayed at the Jet Park Motel. Nice to be in a bed for a change.