November 25, 2023
The suburbs of Auckland from the air. We drove on those streets!
Riding roller coasters by the age-challenged is not necessarily a sign that the said age-challenged has acquired the supposed wisdom that should accompany those plentiful years. But then, there is always the little kid hiding in you that pokes and teases. So, at 71, on Day 3 of 100, I rode the Pony Express roller coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm, a feat I regretted just a second before my little “pony” plunged straight down the tracks and went nearly horizontal at a million miles per hour…
And that was the same feeling I had as I approached the intersection. The most death-defying part of New Zealand, much like swimming in the darkness under a cave wall in Fiji, is making a right-hand turn, particularly onto a divided road with a median and no oncoming cars to help define where you should be.
In the U. S., right hand turns are as mundane as it gets…but then to add to the terror, is the turn signal.
Again, considered mundane and automatic for me, at least it has been for the 56 years I have been driving, the turn signal is on the WRONG side as both Nick and I have discovered MANY times. The windshield wipers definitely work on the car that we are borrowing, but they lack the ability to warn other drivers that our car is about to make a turn. So far, I have wiped less windshield than Nick, but we are only on day one of driving.
“Thanksgiving” dinner on Fiji Airways. Chicken Masala. Not quite up to the standards of the third generation’s opulent feast at my sister Sue’s house.
Clearly, we have arrived in New Zealand and were welcomed straight out of customs by Gordon (Nick’s brother who lives in Auckland), his wife Rose, and their 6-year-old grandson Caston, who immediately adopted Nick as his favorite person. In the few short days we have been here, they have helped us navigate the basics of staying in NZ: SIM cards, debit cards, and other essentials. Gordon handed over the keys to his car last night and let us practice. We survived, as did the car.
Proof that we are in Auckland. Behind us is the Auckland Sky Tower. We went sailing on this boat as part of the New Zealand Maritime Museum.
Right hand turns are definitely scarier than the plunge of the Pony Express. However, just like 90 seconds of the Pony Express ride, I could not remove the grin that was plastered to my face. Yeah, the little kid is still there.
~Wendy and Nick