Travelling Through Life

Mkl’s inside our favorite food store (yay for Countdown!), picking up some end-of-the-trip needs (coffee, of course! “milk”, nutella, maybe a brownie, and probably some bananas…) So, I thought I’d sit in the lot, enjoy the sunshine, and type up a post about driving in NZ (remember, I’m doing all the driving, he’s doing all the dumping/refilling/cooking/cleaning; we both do the diesel).

So, driving in NZ. Yes, they drive on the opposite side of the road, and, their drivers sit in the opposite side of the car (still in the front, tho!). I’ve been driving on the other side of the road for oh…20+ years, so there was a bit of an adjustment period. Fortunately, we had that private tour of Australia first, so I got to sit as a passenger and “feel” what it’s like to drive on the other side of the road, watching her moves, how she turned, and what to do at the MANY roundabouts. There are very FEW “lights”/intersections in NZ, almost all are actually “roundabouts”/circles and you enter them on the left over here and go clockwise around them, rather than entering toward the right and going counter-clockwise, as in the states.

Especially in the beginning, after every “turn”, I think to myself “stay LEFT”. So, turn right, STAY LEFT. Turn left, STAY LEFT. Approach roundabout, STAY LEFT. Etc. When other cars are on the road, this is a bit easier, as the direction they are driving in reminds you of the side of the road you should be on. When there are no other cars around, this becomes a bit more challenging.

This also applies to parking lots, (and, walking trails) – STAY LEFT.

Fortunately, Kiwis are quite good drivers, both considerate and generally, not aggressive. Also fortunate is the fact that camper vanning is SO popular here that they have arrows on most of the entrances to the roads indicating traffic direction. That’s VERY helpful, especially when there’s so many variables to consider (pedestrians, etc.)

Speaking of pedestrians, that’s different, too. I didn’t realize it, but apparently, I’d gotten into a habit with how I “crossed the road”. Look left, then right, then left, then right, then if clear, cross. The cars come from the opposite direction down here, which I wouldn’t have thought was a big deal for pedestrians, but it really does throw you off when you look left and it’s clear, but then you look right and see a car zooming toward you in the lane you are considering stepping into. Next time you walk across the road, think about the cars coming from the opposite direction than you’re used to and see how odd it feels. Or, maybe it’s just me 🙂

The other consideration when driving in NZ is safety on mountain roads full of wildlife, rock falls, mudslides, curves, curves, curves, tourists from all over the world, and lots of campervans! So far, on the highways, easily 75% of the vehicles are other campervans, and the remaining 25% is made up of mostly work trucks and a few kiwis. I think that the roads are mainly used for tourists and people preparing for tourists! Back to the curves, yeah, being from southern NJ, we rarely drive on mountain roads (well, except when travelling, that is!) Here, pretty much EVERY road is a mountain road! The speed limit goes from 100 km/hr to 15 km/hr and back again every few Km’s! And, you’re on the side of a mountain! Like, one edge drops down as a steep cliff and the other side shoots almost straight upward as a steep rockface! Reminds us of our time on the Amalfi Coast – the steering wheel just goes back and forth, back and forth as we hairpin left, then right, then left, then right… for kilometres and kilometres and kilometres…

But, it’s part of the fun, really!!

Speaking of fun, I’m REALLY enjoying driving Beethoven! He’s a Fiat Diesel something-or-other and he purrs like a lion in the wild, scrambles up and down steep grades with confidence (usually), and grips the road like a tree frog, hanging on when needed and zooming along when the rare straightaway presents itself. In addition to the daily challenge of driving in NZ, I’ve gotten a few chances to express my driving skillz – from backing out of a muddy riverbed and up a narrow, steep hill, to ascending a windy, steep, limited-access mountain road up to the summit, to navigating tight parking lots, camping spots, and picnic areas. It feels good when the guys have that look of awe and “driving respect” when they realize it’s a “girl” that just gracefully got out of that tight spot that they figured for sure we’d be stuck in. 🙂

Well, mkl has returned from his adventure in the Countdown and it’s time to plan our next stop. Gotta run!