Travel Notes: New Zealand Part 4

May 29

We are home and I miss New Zealand already. I do love it there. I miss the small town feel, the beautiful countryside, the majestic snow-capped mountains, and most of all I miss Grandad, Oompah, and the rest of them. There is something about New Zealand that feels almost magical. I can’t say it feels like home but I am glad to be a kiwi. New-Zealand is my land. I don’t think I would live there, for it does feel isolated, and is a bit expensive and socialist like Australia, but I would like to live somewhere like it. It is difficult to capture New Zealand with words. I do hope I’ll be back again before too long.

  The trip back to Melbourne was lengthy and stressful. We drove back to Christchurch through the Lewis Pass, a gap between the mountain range that runs down the middle of the South Island. The countryside felt remote but it was beautiful. At one point, we were driving through a green valley that was surrounded by mountains on all sides. The addition of snow on some of the mountains was magnificent, like a dusting of icing sugar atop a cake. We stopped in Murchinson, Culverton, and Amberley, and also a couple of times we stopped on the side of the road to take photos and empty Hannah’s sick bowl (poor child). 

  In one of the towns, we stopped for a toilet and coffee break and the coffee shop I ordered from had a cool sign on the door that said, “We do not discriminate based on age, gender, or nationality, [then get this] vaxed or unvaxed. If you accept the NZ Bill of Rights you are welcome here.” I thought that was pretty cool. Then inside they had a bunch of humorous freedom oriented quotes and sayings on the walls around the place. I felt glad to support a place like that!

  In another town, by contrast, we tried to sit down inside a fish and chip shop to eat our dinner, however the girl at the counter told us that, no, we couldn’t sit there because of covid. We had to sit over there. Over there was a bench with stools along a window a few metres away. I don’t know what the difference was between sitting over there and over there. Clearly covid was on that side of the room but not on that side. We were still sitting close to each other. But anyway, it’s crazy. 

  Driving to Christchurch took about five hours from Richmond via the Pass. Once there, we visited Dad’s cousin and his wife, then stayed the night in the quirky guest house at Dad’s friend’s place, but I didn’t get much sleep. We left early the next morning to get RAT tests before our flight, drop off the rental car, and take the shuttle to the airport. Getting the RAT tests before flying is rather suspenseful because there lingers over you this sense of “what if?”

  Things were alright leaving the country and we didn’t have to wait exceedingly long to board. Except that Dad was on the phone to Mum back home because she had broken down in Dad’s land rover on the side of the road. He had to help and find someone to go and rescue them. There were unfortunately few good movies on this flight but I watched the new movie “Belfast” which was actually quite good. The beef macaroni I had by way of plane food was delicious too. 

  Melbourne airport is bigger and busier than Christchurch, and customs didn’t like us Aussie citizens coming back into the country on NZ passports. They pulled us aside and asked to see our papers and when they saw our vax exemptions they let us go. 

  Sam was at the airport waiting for us when we came through those glass doors. He didn’t know the airport and so had parked in one of the long-term car parks. We had quite the walk in the dark with our heavy luggage trollies. But it was okay.

  Then we were home. It was nice to see everyone, including lil Misty, but I was sad that it was over and was missing everyone. But such is life. It is okay. It was a nice trip and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to go and took it up. I think the others appreciated it too. But already I am ready to hop on another plane and begin the next adventure.