Driving in New Zealand is a little different than in the US and not just because you're on the other side of the road. Most highways are small, two lane roads that go right through each little town. The speed limit would drop from the usual 100km/h down to 80 or 50 as you enter the town and there would be a restaurant, a bathroom, and a gas station. I quickly found out that none of the pay at the pump gas stations worked with US credit cards and so would only stop at stations that had a person inside to take my card payment. What I didn't realize however is that everything in the smaller towns closes by 7 or 8pm including the attended gas stations. With several hours of driving left and our fuel supply dropping we searched for any pump that would take our money. I started to wonder what our new life would be like in the small town of Ohakune when we ran out of gas and got stuck there forever. Maybe I would open my own bakery or a gas station that accepts US credit cards, didn't sound so bad. But my dreams were cut short when at 8:01 we pulled into a BP. The attendant was locking the door but held up just long enough for us fill our tank and pay. Saved, for now.
Back on the road and making some progress towards our destination. Then I noticed a warning light was showing on the dashboard. It was a fuel light but looked a little different. The gauge was showing full so I didn't think that was the problem. Then I started wondering if in all the rush to fill up had I unintentionally pumped unleaded instead of diesel. I didn't think so, but I couldn't be sure. Was the van going to explode or just slowly die? Hopefully not, but it hadn't exploded yet so I figured I best keep on pushing forward.
We were headed to the South Island on a ferry boat. You can travel between the islands on planes but sea travel seemed like so much more of an adventure. As we got closer to our departure time we got an alert that storms were coming in and some of the ferries were being cancelled. Our schedule was pretty tight so missing our ferry would be less than ideal. But we got word our boat was still going to sail despite the forecast and to prepare for rough seas. Good? I am very prone to motion sickness. I can't do roller coasters, I hate riding in cars if I'm not driving, and boats are always questionable. A ferry boat sounded as mild as you can get but as soon as we entered the Cook Strait, the ship pitched and rolled violently. Tables and chairs slid around and fell over. Glasses flew off the shelves and shattered on the ground. And apparently it was so intense that some of the cars on the lower decks smashed into each other and one passenger was even injured. The captain described the conditions as extreme and he wasn't kidding. It continued like this until we reached the safety of the mainland. Most ferries that day got cancelled but we made it across, maybe a little greener in the face, but no worse for wear and ready to continue our journey.
 |
Teddy was the only one brave enough to try the Kiwiburger. |
 |
World's Coolest McDonald's |
 |
The kids' favorite in-flight meal ever. |
 |
We love Taupo! |
 |
The road to Mount Doom. |
 |
That's Mount Doom right behind that cloud there. |
 |
Simply walking into Mordor. |
 |
I will take the Ring, though I do not know the way. |
 |
Carrot Land! The public restrooms in this town were located inside this vegetable-themed park. |
 |
Charlie is so excited about vegetables. |
 |
The calm after the storm. The ferry ride coming to an end. |
 |
Everyone else still smiling. |
 |
Entering Picton. |
Comments
Post a Comment