10 Days in Wonderland

I have just returned to Wellington from a 10 day road trip to South Island, my first trip to that part of the world. It lived up to, and maybe even exceeded, our expectations. I shall be writing about the trip in detail with pictures in due course. There was not really many chances or enough time to make a day by day diary during the trip. Internet access is pretty much limited to Internet cafes and their wireless hotspots. Away with Tarja and Tessa, two eager social networkers, I was happy to enjoy my spare time minus any sort of extended digital activity whenever I was free of driving. And there wasn't much chance of exploiting mobile media services either as half of South Island seems to have no mobile phone coverage whatsoever, let alone 3G networks.

I should also note that we were never really lost or in need of help from 'Nigel', the voice of my phone-based GPS. A few not so detailed maps and a skilled orienteerer in the passenger seat proved that, in a landscape with few major roads, there is really little added benefit to be had from a digital navigation system. Not knowing what's around the next corner is really one of the most enjoyable parts of a road trip - just finding neat things, people and places that you had no idea existed and that immediately strike a chord and become significant.

It was a great trip, and we had a lot of luck too, finding neat places to stay just in time and daring to be a bit more adventurous and exploiting some of the great activities and services that can be found all over this outdoor wonderland; helicopters, small planes, inexpensive overnight accommodation in beautiful locations and, of course, world famous bungy jumps.

Tarja and Tessa fly back to Finland tomorrow and Tessa is a bit worried about the backlog of school tasks she has to complete before Thursday. At least she'll have masses of time on the flights to complete those providing she can stay awake; a small price to pay for two weeks away from school and winter-bound Finland for her extended 'skiing holiday'. They leave somewhat loaded with local ceramic art which I really hope makes it gently back home in their suitcases through the numerous transfer points on the 36 hour journey. And then there is Tarja's collection of stones from South Island, to add to the other collections of stones from various parts of the world, collected through the years. A couple of those might still pose some weight challenges. One of the new finds is about the size of a rugby ball!!