Woohoo! The new car is checked, registered and ready to go after buying $140 petrol. This might become an expensive endeavor, but as soon as I hit the road, I know I have made the right decision in buying a car for my time in New Zealand. The freedom! My first drive takes me to Pareora, a small town south of Timaru. Here, I’ve organised a work exchange. I’ll be living with a family for a few days and work for my food and accommodation.
Unfortunately the day starts cloudy, with a little rain. The landscape is stunning though. My drive down goes via the Banks peninsula, near Christchurch. The roads are winding, climbing up the hills like a snake. I attempt one of the tourist routes, but when I’m suddenly hitting dirt I decide to turn around. At the end of the road I find the small town of Akaroa, originally a French settlement. The roads have French names, but other than that, I don’t really see the resemblance with France.
After walking around for a bit I decide to hit the road again. As I drive away, suddenly the clouds break open. The landscape becomes even greener, the sky a bright blue. Too bad that I took my photos before all this happened…
what a fun title – “driving the clouds away” – and it sounds like you did – thanks for sharing this fun snippet – and oh, loved this “The freedom!” a set of wheels is very cool.