So things are going well in NZ. I spent my last night in Auckland at a friend of a friend of a friend's place. It was great. My host was extremely accommodating. He gave me a comfy bed, good directions,travel advice, a nice conversation and he even cooked me dinner. Thanks Robyn.
I left Robyn's place in Westmere, Auckland early Thursday morning. I took the bus down to city center where I got my rental car. I decided to rent because it gives me the most flexibility as I go. Which is especially nice since I'm not really sure where I'm going. So I got my car and drove south. I needed to be in Rotoura by 5ish, but had plenty of time to get there, so I took my time and stopped off at Mt. Maunganui. I had a nice lunch by the water followed by a hike up to the summit. Now I had done some walking in Auckland, but clearly that didn't get me in shape. The supposedly easy hike to the top nearly wiped me out. I made it, but was totally embarrassed each time I was passed by joggers and the elderly. It must have been jet lag. In any case, the hike was beautiful all the way up and even better at the top.
After returning back to the ground I treated myself to an ice cream and I was on my way to Rotoura. I was pretty proud of myself for being such a good driver. After all, I was in a foreign country, driving on the left with the driver's seat on the right side of the car all by myself. Well, things were going well. Stupid round-a-bouts. I'm not exactly sure what happened. Although, I'm pretty sure it was my fault. And after we pulled off to the side of the road, the scruffy kid laughed as he explained that it was my fault and that I cut him off. "No worries," he said. Sure, no damage to his car. He had a big truck with those huge black bars all over the front bumper. They protected his vehicle, and put a pretty good dent in the side of mine. Hmm. Well, it's a rental. I have insurance. Lesson learned. But now I'm even more nervous in the stupid round-a-bouts.
No comments:
Post a Comment