The school system hear has a unique schedule. One school year consists 4 terms that are divided by short, enjoyable vacations, also known as holidays. During my first school holiday I packed up Dora the Explorer, aka my 1990 Honda Concerto, and left Napier heading south for a 2 week excursion of the southern Island. I stopped in Wellington to watch the Hurricanes Rugby game with some friends. After, I caught a 2:00 AM ferry across the Cook Straight which separates NZ’s north and south islands. The ride was easy and the waves rocked me to sleep for most of it. I awoke to find myself on the south Island in the town of Picton at 5:30AM. It was here that Dora and I enjoyed our finest sunrise drive ever. Just north of Kaikoura I came across an early morning surf session. I stopped watch and capture some photographs. Back on my way, my kind nature convinced me to pick up a hitchhiker. He was an odd man, mid-forties, bad odor, and had been jobless for eight years. A few smelly hours later, I finished my pro-bono therapy session and arrived in Christchurch. It was here that I reunited with my parents. After a quick stroll through the botanical garden’s and a dense catching up, the three of us were starting our two-week tour of New Zealand.
On Banks peninsula just outside Christchurch is a small French settlement of Akaroa, where the worlds smallest dolphins live. Kind of cool but not as fun as the one track road with “no tar seal” we chose to drive on to get there.
A pleasant drive through Canterbury’s farm lands lead to Mt. Cook New Zealand’s highest peak.
“ If that’s central Otago Pinot Ill be back for that as well”… Central Otago is home to great wine, snowboarding, bungee, Queenstown and heaps of tourists.
