Daily Quiz

Either of these clues gives then name of a popular sweet - sorry, there are lots of vacant hours to fill on a long trip (answer below):

It's all in the walk

We are running out of these - please send more

Answer: ecnim/stnim reicalg s'xof

'Alf a Pass

There seem to be two types of tourist on the South Island: Clockwisers and Anti-clockwisers. We are one of the latter. That’s why we left Christchurch and headed west over Arthur’s Pass. It’s one of the few ways over the Southern Alps to the Tasman coast. It must have taken heroic feats to build the road and then maintain it in the face of avalanches and rock falls.

And the other thing is the bridges. There are lots of them and they all seem to be single file. I guess that it takes a lot less effort to build them that way and from the little traffic we’ve seen (mainly those clockwisers coming the other way) you don’t really need much more, plus you get a chance to wave. New Zealanders are a friendly bunch and it rubs off.

It makes you think what it was like for the early settlers with every few miles a river to cross. Moving down the west coast would have been a nightmare. If there was a ferry you were in luck but mostly there wasn’t. Plus the rivers aren’t navigable. Their main use may have been as an opportunity to meet other pioneers coming the other way - the early clockwisers. They were likely ones who had decided to head off back to Christchurch to escape the rain and the sandflies. But Sally and I are made of sterner stuff, We are heading on.

An "Anticlockwiser' with a single lane bridge

'Alf a Pass, on it's side (actually on another waterfall walk nearby) 

All packed and ready for the road

Early Daze

12 hours in New Zealand and I like the people already. It started with Amy at ‘Rent-a-Dent’, our hire car company of choice. When I called from the airport for our pick up she was all welcoming enthusiasm and that continued through the ride to the depot. We got her life story and upcoming vacation plans in a short 10-minute ride. It was great.  And then on to meet Sandy our AirBnB host and the waitresses at the local bar and café – all friendly openness. Yes the omens are good.

Why go anywhere else?

Friends Again

Good news. Sally and I are talking to each other. Better than that we are actually friends.  This is important news as we have 8 weeks ahead and it’s best we get off to a good start.  Those long-time married couples amongst you will understand: of course you love each other but being friends is what counts.

But if we do fall out over something trivial, like taking missing a turn on the road, then we have a new friend to help us out. It’s Sandra, our New Zealand SatNav. She’s great: always calm, knowledgeable without bragging, and sooo understanding. If I take a wrong turn then there are no histrionics. She calmly points out that I may, perhaps, have unwittingly made a small insignificant error and then will guide me back to the correct route with some soothing words.

And if Sally and I should ever fall out on this trip then I think Sandra will be there to help us patch up our differences. Yes, Sally and I are friends but Sandra, well she is just programmed to help.

No Remission

It started off fine. Our allotted seats may have been lousy but then the only spare seat on the aircraft just happened to be right next to Sally so she could stretch out a little.

Then we changed aircraft in Dubai and they locked me in my prison cell, next to the window, with Sally and A.N.other between me and the facilities. You learn to cope, moving to lockdown mode for the next 24 hours. I even started to coordinate my bladder control with Sally’s so as not to disturb our new companion too often, but you really don’t want to know about that.

And then as an extra punishment, just when you are ready to make a dash for the loo, they block the aisles with the drinks trolley or turn on the seat belt sign due to some unforeseen turbulence.  It was no good. I finally gave up, sat tight and resorted to watching the Shawshank Redemption. It seemed most appropriate.

Then, two days later they let us out in Christchurch. It is just as well. I had lost all ability to open another plastic-sealed cheese snack. Things had got that bad.

False Start

Just before we set off I told a friend that we were going to arrive first in Christchurch on the start of our trip.

“Oh”, he asked, “what state is it in?”

“Err, Canterbury? I replied, dredging up my school boy geography.

“No. After the earthquake, what state is it in now?”

Of course, I had not done my homework, so could not reply but it got me thinking: one of the attractions of visiting New Zealand and Australia is that we are countries united in the opportunities to be misunderstood. So that will be the theme of this blog: mischievous miscommunication.

In other countries, trying feebly to speak other languages, I blunder through attempts to make at least one joke on every trip. Here, I can relax, confident in the knowledge that the possibilities are endless and hopefully the waitress, shop assistant or YHA staff won’t just give a blank look and ask me to repeat what I said. No risk of that; they will get the pun immediately and then join in the fun. Yep, no worries mate.