On Planet New Zealand

Written on 5-28-17 in New Zealand!

      We are in New Zealand, and it’s fantastic!  Currently, we are in the Honda James rented for us, and we are on our way to Wellington.  We have already had our small, tearful, and joyous family reunion at the airport, toured Hobbiton and the Waitomo Caves, and stayed one night by the west coast at New Plymouth.  It’s been a whirlwind vacation so far, but a fantastic one, for sure.

      These are some of my impressions of New Zealand.  First of all, gorgeous!  Just gorgeous!  Although it’s fall, it’s green hills and plains everywhere.  We are seeing fall colors, too.  We are in what appears to be the middle of fall, with some trees completely bare, some partially done, and some just beginning to turn.  I’ll get back to the scenery in a bit, but what follows are some noticeable differences I recognized straight away.

      At the airport, we don’t look for restrooms; we look for toilets.  All toilets I have seen so far have the option of the small flush or the larger one, something America should replicate everywhere.  And, its’ not an exit here, it’s a way out, and along that same line, when driving, it’s not to yield, it’s to give way.  I have been riding in this rental for more than six hours, and I am still not used to vehicles here driving on the left/wrong side of the road.  Thankfully, James acclimated within the first 20 minutes or so, especially since he has been the one doing all of the driving.  He is doing a more than respectable job of driving and navigating our way around here, especially because he doesn't even own a car, or drive, in New Zealand…until now.

     Everywhere we go, sheep dot the hills.  Or, cows on pastures.  It’s fascinating to see the sheep grazing on the sides of the steep hills.  James says they are leaner because they have to do so much climbing to get to that higher grass.  That’s funny.  The tree varieties are numerous.  It may be that same way in New Mexico to a newcomer, but I don’t think so.  Trees here are all different shapes, sizes, colors, and varieties.  It’s not only greener here in New Zealand, it is also cleaner here than in America.  I see less trash, graffiti, and pollution.  The air is clearer here.  James says the winds blow out any pollution on a daily basis, and yes, it has been windy at times.  It also rained steadily this morning, but it’s sunny again now.  When we toured Hobbiton, we had the best, fantastic, comfortable, fall weather.    

     Of course, it’s all metric here, so we are dealing with distances in meters and kilometers, and we are filling up the Honda with liters.  Currently, for example, I just topped off the Honda with around 35 liters, and it cost close to $70.00, and we are around 75 kilometers from Wellington.  When fueling up, those numbers really fly.  Everything here appears to cost more than when in America.  We keep saying, to help us feel better about it, “It’s okay.  It’s in New Zealand dollars.”

     That’s enough for now.  We are 55 kilometers out.  Next time, I’ll comment some more on the incredible scenery.  Here’s a preview, though.  It’s like another planet.  I will also comment on some of the similarities.

Until next time…