The great NZ road trip

I hate driving long distances.  Hours of monotonous motorway driving fills me with dread.  The classic road trips have never appealed.  Route 66, the Garden Route or the Great Ocean Road?  No thanks.  I once considered the Mongol rally but that was more the pull of adventure in foreign lands than it was about the mode of transport.  So, it is a surprise that I have enjoyed my New Zealand road trip so much.

Six weeks. Three islands. 6659 kilometres.

And only two short stretches of motorway. I might have travelled along State Highways 1 through 99 but motorways they are not.  Most State Highways are equivalent to single-lane A roads.  Some are windy B roads with hairpin bends. Definitely not boring.

As someone who likes to get of the beaten track, I was determined to see some of the quirkier side of New Zealand. Also known as Kiwiana. Boot fences, independently-declared republics, museums dedicated to such delights as sheep-shearing, teapots and fossilised giant penguins.  Random stops to investigate an old-world garage or the possibilities of a brown road sign.  And some weird tick-list items like Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu which beats Wales’ Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch by quite some way.  But I also wanted to see some of the more touristy sights.  Rotorua, Napier, Milford Sound. They are popular for a reason after all.

But gone are the crowds of Chinese, Americans and Aussies.  Kiwis are out in force ‘backing their backyard’ but in comparison, places were pretty empty.  I had waterfalls, museums and walking trails all to myself.  As someone with an aversion to other tourists, it was bliss.  The only thing to thank Covid for. 

So how did I entertain myself for hours on the road?  Podcasts kept me company.  I became slightly obsessed with quirky mailboxes and Lilliput libraries, doing many a U-turn to go back and take a photo.  But mainly I just enjoyed the views.

There were highlights. Many. I LOVED Mackenzie Country.  The tussocky hills and aquamarine waters of Lake Tekapo.  The old gold towns of Central Otago stand still in time.  The Forgotten World Highway did indeed seem to have been forgotten; I’m not sure I saw another car the whole way.  Places that surprised me like Aoraki/Mount Cook, Waitomo and Stewart Island.  And the Maori settlements and wild, wild coast of the East Cape.

But there were disappointments too.  Disappointments because things were closed due to Covid/winter/lambing.  I’ve had glimpses of Maori culture but still don’t feel I’ve been allowed in to learn more.  Disappointments because the weather didn’t play ball.  Wanaka may be a highlight for some but on a bitter rainy day it didn’t do much for me.  And by the time the sun had some out, it was too far to redeem itself.  And some places I just didn’t get.  Queenstown is this country’s tourism capital but I didn’t see the allure of a wanna-be high-end resort (in the rain).  Give me the open spaces of Mackenzie Country any day.

One question followed me as I racked up the kms.  Does New Zealand justify its many accolades as most beautiful country?  We all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Speak to most visitors and they rave about the beautiful mountain landscapes & dramatic fjords. Kiwis are confident (slightly arrogant?) in their belief that they live in the most beautiful country in the world.  But for me, beauty is green rolling hills, sun shining on shimmering water.  Hence why I loved the King Country and the East Cape’s coastal cliffs so much.  But that quintessential mountain landscape is too barren and stark for me.   NZ is more than that stereotypical image.  From volcanoes & geo-thermal activity to glaciers; from snow-capped mountains to the Canterbury plains; from rolling farmland to endless coastline.  There is something for everyone here but as an entity?  Sorry NZ, but for me, the jury is still out.

But those landscapes still inspired me.  My overwhelming take-away from this trip is the feeling of space and freedom.  It’s hard to put into words (and may have something to do with escaping the real world for six weeks) but those wide-open spaces and beautiful views gave me a sense of peace.  As I work out what my plan looks like after I leave NZ, that sense of peace and freedom is something I want to replicate.  Whether it is possible once back in the real world, I am not sure.  But that is the piece of New Zealand I want to take with me…

So….would I do another road trip?  Am I a convert?  Definitely.