There was a handful of people that made a difference to our
trip. They seemed to have one thing in common, they were driven by a passion for what they do.
Firstly there was Carol S., the owner of
Sea Perch. We didn't actually meet her in person, but she opened her
home to us as though we were family. We loved staying there and felt totally at
home. While there, we could feel her passion for creating, decorating, and her life
at sea.
Dianne at Harcourts tracked me down in the hardware store.
She was the booking agent for the Sea
Perch. She thought I was concerned about Cyclone Lucy, and wanted us to know
everything was going to be fine, and she was there if we needed anything. As it
turned out, we were fine and weathering Lucy at Sea Perch was the way it is in
New Zealand when there's a cyclone. We wouldn't have traded the experience for
sunny weather.
Steve is a customer agent at Go Rental cars in Queenstown.
This young guy was prompt, friendly, efficient and effective in his job. He's a
young guy taking a year in New Zealand from his home in Ireland. If I opened a car rental agency, I'd hire him
in a minute to manage it.
Shawn at Go Orange, drove the bus and crewed on the boat at
Doubtful Sound. While driving the bus on twisty gravel roads, he provided a
wonderful commentary of the area with humour and substance.
Pricilla is from Fiji and was working as an intern at the
Hilton in Queenstown. She was an engaging young woman. She spoke volumes about
the folks that the Hilton hires, and while serving us breakfast, convinced us
we needed to visit Fiji.
Some other thoughts from our trip;
I learned to drive on the left side of the road. The most
important lesson was to put my mind in gear before putting the car in gear.
New Zealand exceeded our tramping expectations. Their tracks
are too much. We learned to love hiking while in Switzerland, and in New
Zealand they take the sport to a new level.
It was fun to chat with the guys that pumped gas into our
car. We haven't seen that in this country for a long time.
New Zealanders drive very fast on their winding roads, but
for the most part they had patience for new drivers. If you go to New Zealand,
watch out, even their 100 kmph roads have single lane bridges that allow
vehicles in only one direction at a time. They have a system to designate who
gets the right of way.
It was neat to see the folks living and working by the sea,
planning their activities around not only the weather, but also the tides.
New Zealand takes environmental issues very seriously,
recycling, parks, protection of their indigenous animals, anti mining, and more.
They recognize how fragile their environment is, and commit the necessary
resources to protect it. One third of New Zealand has been designated national
parks.
We didn't cycle in New Zealand, but there's wonderful
opportunities there. Before you go, check
the topography, look for bike trails or roads with paved shoulders to ensure a
safe route. There are many roads with a 100 kmph speed limit that are twisty
with blind curves and need to be avoided.
Compared to hiking and biking, driving a rental car took a lot of adventure out of touring.
Mother Nature didn't come through with rain for a real life
Doubtful Sound experience, but sunshine was second best.
We love the mountains and the sea. New Zealand had great
diversity and included the best of both.
Blogging about our trip has become a passion of mine. At
times, I error by posting a story without a final polish. I often go back when
I have time and edit, but by then many people have already read it. The trade-off is keeping readers current versus writing and rewriting.
Thank you for joining us down under. We hope you enjoyed the
stories and maybe learned something you
didn't already know about New Zealand; we did.
