Of a Road Trip - Summary

So that’s that. Home. Auckland.This has been such a good and important trip for me, on so many levels.I just loved the driving. For the first time in memory I was able to fully relax. I was able to disconnect from work and the world and fully relax. I had deliberately made an effort to leave everything unplanned, random. The only fixed things on the itinerary were the Cook Strait crossings. It was an interesting trip in that as it was a solo effort. I did things for me. If I was traveling with someone there would have been a hugely different dynamic in play. We would not have done such long distances and would have done more ‘activities’. It would still have been fun and relaxing but a different holiday entirely.My favourite roads would have been the West Coast heading south, and also the mountain passes where you were winding through soaked rainforest cloaked in cloud, following the paths of majestic rivers. I loved Central Otago with a passion. It was a place I felt peace. I loved the mountains, the tussock, the fields of stone. I have reconnected with New Zealand in a very profound way.For me, one of the highlights on this trip was meeting people. People I’d previously only had an ‘online’ connection with, people I’d not seen in 8 years (or 21 years in one case). People who have left Auckland and I have missed. Family - both biological and adoptive. I also loved meeting locals at every stop. Shopkeepers and staff, Backpacker staff  and backpackers. A couple of hitchhikers (only for 13km which was a shame as they were cute Spanish girls).I am a talker by nature (who knew?) and love hearing the life stories that people have. I am humbled by several people taking me in and putting me up for the night. (Thanks Gillian, Scott and Geoff).A fact: twenty years of living in Auckland has softened me. Yes, its a shock to you all, I know!! I grew up in Palmerston North and spend many weekends and holidays under canvas or in bivouacs that I had constructed out of branches and pine needles. I wanted to see if that ‘hardness’ had been completely destroyed by too many lattés in Ponsonby. I bought a tent with the intent to do ‘cheap and cheerful’ for at least five nights. I also wanted to push myself a little and put myself in unfamiliar territory. I did two nights in the tent in Blenheim and five nights in Backpackers lodgings around the country, sharing rooms with up to eight other people. And I loved it. I have rediscovered a simplicity in traveling that I am capable of and comfortable with. Don’t get me wrong, I still love nice things, top quality and labels, but I am not bound by these things.I also learned some important stuff about who I am and what makes me tick.I have made some observations:- Aucklanders are pretty much universally loathed.- People instinctively know that they can take the piss out of me within two minutes of meeting me.- I am quite possibly the worlds softest backpacker.- Motorcyclists are insane. Speeding, overtaking on blind corners... and they wonder why their ACC charge is higher than cars.- Cycling Tourists are insane. West Coast roads, torrential rain, and they’re there in their incandescent clothes pedaling furiously.- Other drivers are completely unaware of vehicles around them and fail to pull over when they’re driving slow.- There is little or no law enforcement on the West Coast.- I have no idea what people actually do in small towns.- There is an over-abundance of corrugated iron artwork and signage in the Waikato- We live in an amazingly beautiful country. Every turn, every crested hill delivered a vista that took my breath away.Some technical information.Car: Subaru Legacy 3.0 wagonDistance Travelled: 4092 KilometersFuel Cost: $976.00Fuel Cost per Kilometer: $0.24cMost Expensive Fuel (Haast Junction): $2.54 per Litre.Longest Drive (Dunedin to Picton): 713 KilometersHighest Speed achieved: *cough*So that is it.An important journey. Lessons learned and hopefully not forgotten.I am making a commitment to get out of Auckland more regularly. To make sure I don’t lose touch of the parts of this country that I love.- Simon