Winter 2019 - NZ2 Driving North

NZ2   Driving North

We had our rest at the IBIS Hotel; we rested enough for a fortnight, so now we have to find our way out of this Airport, out of Auckland, heading north. North as far as this Island allows us to drive. We said no highways for us, but then… we could hardly get out of town without their version of a highway. Plus, we had to pay a toll, had to figure out how to pay the toll because for a foreigner like me, it’s not clear how to pay for it. We asked and found out you need to pay at a certain gas station and they then put your license plate into the system so you pay automatically. Not that easy to understand, it took me a while to get it. There are very few real ‘Interstate’ highways in NZ but if you go north and use one of their special roads, it’s a toll road. Especially driving north, the way we were going to go, there was no other road to avoid the tolls. It became evident soon enough that we picked a bit of a forgotten area in NZ when we decided to visit this part of the country. 

Curvy Roads For Most of the Day

Driving in NZ is easy enough but it’s driving on the left side of the road, a la Great Britain. A lot is copied from England; I guess they still consider it the Motherland.

But first I need to give you some basic history of NZ, it’s just a must read, stuff few people really think about when talking about NZ. But this needs to be remembered when I write about NZ.

The total population of NZ is only about 5 million people. That is it… no more!  Just 5 million! That includes all cities, all towns, both Islands… heck, China has 10 cities that have more than 5 million in each city.  NZ is not very populated, remember that.

Pastoral Scenery

Before the year 1250 AD, just about 800 years ago, NOBODY lived in New Zealand.  Even the Maori, the original first settlers were not there before that. NZ was the last major landmass to be occupied by humans. 

Even the Europeans only arrived there in about 1642. But this first visit did not go well, so the Europeans had to wait until 1769 (250 years ago) to settle on NZ.

So here was a HUGE country kind of empty. 

 

NZ is as big as the U.S. state of Oregon, or Colorado. That is it. NZ is deceiving to look at because it is stretched out, but compare square miles and the numbers match with Oregon.

Sea Sickness Inducing Roads

And we are on our way north, driving on the left like I said. The roads are very winding, very narrow, there is no shoulder on the road, and the road surface is pitched to the sides, for water to run off. Driving over some not so high mountains going north made for twisty roads that weave back and forth, with a lot of blind corners to be aware of. I have driven left before, a few times in fact, but after about 5 hours in this new terrain, I was bushed. We stopped early that first day, just taking a hotel by the side of the road. The town was called Kaitaia; the Motel’s name was Loredo Motel. 

Loredo Motel

Sticker shock hit me when I was faced with the Hotel prices, by all the prices in general. This was not Bali any longer; this was 1^st world, expensive living we came to now. I try not to harp on the cost of traveling in NZ but it’s expensive. A hotel room, excluding breakfast is about U.S. $100/night or more. Gasoline is given out per liter and the prices are around U.S. $1.86 ($7.00/gallon). I paid for a cup of coffee U.S. $5.50.  It adds up to being an expensive trip. But enough of my ranting: just remember: NZ is not a cheap place to visit.

Our Room Has the Blinds Open

The town of Kaitaia is really a town that time forgot. It’s falling apart, the stores are hardly stocked, the restaurants are not open, and the whole feel is of abandonment. Our choice to eat something that night was Subway, the sandwich store.

The Motel Loredo was somehow cozy, though. The room was very large, the bed comfy, we had our own ‘kitchen’ and another bed if need be, and it had A/C and great, easy parking. Yes, the price was a bit steep for what it was but we found out later on, compared to the rest of the prices we paid, it was a fair price we paid in Kaitaia. 

Is It Gigantic Aloe Vera?

I slept great that first night of our road trip. I guess all these uncertainties, new impressions add up to a mental wipe-out. I wondered if it’s my age that is creeping up on me, or was it just all the past traveling Carol and I went through. All the logistics need to add up to make a trip a success. I tell myself… no mistakes here, don’t mess up. I guess I used to be better at this when I was younger. 

Tomorrow we are at our destination: Cape Reinga.