"drive the road to your surrender..."
Returning to the UK hit me hard. I gave up the lease on my flat in Cheltenham, and moved to my friends place in Crowthorne (Berkshire) to live with her and her daughter.
For a while everything was fine. They both needed some stability in their lives, and I think it's fair to say that I gave them this. I got very attached to the little girl, as she did to me, and never having being a father myself I guess this was as close as I was ever going to get.
Unfortunately, my friend took up with her ex-boyfriend and things soon changed. I was only now required as a glorified babysitter and I began to get itchy feet and crave a return to New Zealand.
With no work on the horizon which brought about the possibility of a hefty tax rebate, I decided to use these impending funds and return to New Zealand, initially for the whole month of March 2009.
I booked my flight and hired a campervan, as I intended to tour only the South Island this time, staying on the coast as much as possible, and driving around the whole island starting and ending in Christchurch, travelling in a clockwise direction. I had a rough agenda, but I was totally flexible to vary this as it suited me, as I had no fixed timetable.
I honestly didn't know if I would come back this time, as I didn't feel that I had anything to come back to, and I had a romantic notion that maybe whilst travelling out there something would turn up to enable me to remain there longer than originally planned.
Once I arrived in Christchurch I met up with my good friend Ange, who I had been communicating with via e-mail whilst in the UK, and we shared a bite to eat and a drink or two. Although I agreed to meet up with her again just before I was due to travel back, I was otherwise completely on my own for the whole trip, free to drive wherever the mood took me, and enjoy everything that was New Zealand.
I planned to do some trekking, and spend more time taking in the beautiful surroundings of the lakes and mountains. The climate in NZ in March was perfect for travelling, as it was late summer/early autumn.
A typical day involved rising at about 7am, getting on the road for around 8am, and then driving until early afternoon, stopping off for breakfast and a coffee on the way. I would then park up and look to explore my current location before settling down for a relaxing evening with a few ice cold Mac Gold beers, and starting the same routine again the following day. I had decided to mainly use holiday parks/camping sites to stay in and use their facilities rather than those onboard my campervan, but every four or five days I'd treat myself to a hotel and a proper bed for the night.
My journey started travelling south along the main highway from Christchurch on the east coast, and stopping at places such as Timaru, Oamaru, and Dunedin. Once I hit Invercargill I then started travelling northwards and found an idealic spot in the beautiful, peaceful, lakeside township of Te Anau.
I spent an extra day here as the place felt so comfortable and homely, and I experienced wonderful hospitality as well as good food, drink and company.
Te Anau forms part of the region known as Fiordland & Southland, and is a main stopping point for travellers on their way to the previously mentioned Milford Sound.
I was surrounded by various mountain ranges and Lake Te Anau was right alongside my camp site.
The scenery only got better over the coming days as I moved on my favourite place, Queenstown, before continuing to another stunning location, Wanaka.
The approach into Queenstown along highway number 6 was unbelievable.
As you cling to the side of Lake Wakatipu, whilst taking in the scenery on the winding road, Queenstown suddenly comes into view and it quite literally takes your breathe away. I remember quite vividly listening to Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' album on the van stereo as I approached Queenstown, and the whole spiritual experience was almost overwhelming as I really felt like I was returning 'home'.. Lake Wakatipu is quite unique in that it actually appears to have a tide, and maori myth/legend explains this as a buried god with a beating heart...spiritual stuff or what!
I was familar with Queenstown from my previous visit, so I spent most of my time here relaxing and catching up with my e-mails as I was having trouble with my bank. Despite prior notification, they had temporarily frozen access to my accounts, as they thought I was the subject to fraudulent useage from abroad. They also happened to have lost my tax rebate cheque, and these issues were to haunt me for the next two years...and my now officially registered complaint remains ongoing to this day, and is subject to a court case via the Financial Ombudsman Service - nightmare!
Fortunately, I had a temporary reprieve so at least I could enjoy the rest of my stay in New Zealand, but this did require me to return to the UK to try to resolve the issue as soon as possible, which meant that I wouldn't be able to extend my stay beyond the end of March 2009.
After Queenstown I stayed in Wanaka, another stunning township, where I undertook some tremendous scenic walks. I ventured along the lakeshore on the trail known as Waterfall Creek Walk, and I also climbed the nearby Mount Iron. Reaching the summit of this mountain meant witnessing the twin lakes of Wanaka and Hawea from above, which were wedged between awesome mountain ranges, and the panoramic views were amazing. I actually felt really insignificant at this point, as all my trials and tribulations with the bank seemed trivial when put into perspective with what I was experiencing.
I then moved up the west coast, stopping in Glacier Country at Franz Josef, and on to Greymouth and Westport, where I took a dip in the Tasman Sea for the first time. Thereafter, I continued my journey north and based myself in the lovely Nelson. From here I could visit the gorgeous Golden Bay area and spend some time in the Abel Tasman National Park.
A lovely, isolated spot was found in Pohara, and I also enjoyed a great time in Takaka, Kaiteriteri and Motueka.
I ventured along the Abel Tasman Coastal Track for a day, as well as crossing a rope bridge to witness the Wainui Falls whilst I was in Pohara.
The final leg of my epic journey took in Picton, Blenheim and Kaikoura, before returning to Christchurch and meeting up with Ange once again. A particular mention must go to the scenic, wiggly, atmospheric 36km drive along Queen Charlotte Drive between Picton and Havelock, which is a must for anyone in that area with a car or campervan, and also the Kaikaura Peninsula Walk which I trekked one glorious day.
So after a month, my time was up and I was due to return to the UK. News had reached me that my friend back in Crowthorne had been in accident, and I was badly needed back 'home'. Also, the on-off relationship with her boyfriend was currently 'off', and she badly needed my support once again.
As events transpired, this wasn't the whole truth as I was about to find out, and had I known then what I know now I don't think that I would ever have left New Zealand.
I really believe that my spiritual home is in New Zealand, but it's just that I can't find a way to stay there permanently...alhough I will never give up looking at ways to make it happen.
There's an easy way of life over there, and an old fashioned sense of values and respect, with a friendly spirit amongst the people which restores your faith in human kindness.
So when it was time to depart the lovely island, I left with a heavy heart, but also with a vow that I would return someday.
Nomadic Steve
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