Day 7 - I’ve been driving in my car!

Our band awake on day 7 in a place they weren’t supposed to be due to the impact of Mother Nature. However taking the best out of the situation we soon realise there are worse places to be than the very picturesque town of Picton which in the spring sun offered the start of what must be one of the most scenic channel crossings in the world through multiple islands and across the Cook Straits to Wellington. 

Now as well as suffering from apocalyptic weather in the last few days NZ is also in the midst of a Measles outbreak and so our band were delighted to hear on the radio news that the outbreaks patient zero had been identified as having transmitted most of the virus whilst …. Yes you got it… whilst crossing the Cook Straits!!

Fate tempted……

As it happens all of our band believe we had the standard UK measles vaccination jab as children so fingers crossed the travel gods are still not feeling vengeful towards our buffeted band!

After an uneventful but scenically inspiring crossing our band arrives in the capital of NZ, Wellington still 6hrs drive from where they were due to be some 18hours earlier! 

So hire car number 3 obtained and off we head with our most senior member at the wheel. This journey takes us around the south west coast then across the mountainous centre of the north island. Spectacular views all around!

Your scribe was challenged by the brother grim to find a suitable stop for dinner but as the brothers grim love a bargain the challenge was …. Cheap! Now your humble scribe generally prefers quality over price but nonetheless is a small town in the middle of our current 6hr journey a suitable venue is located….. 3meals, 4 beers and a Coke for £50…. The brother grim expressed themselves satisfied with the economy and our band returns to the road

10pm sees our bad finally get back to where they were supposed to be albeit later than scheduled as our intrepid band roll into the smelliest place on earth … Rotorua…. 

Now if I hadn’t have visited this town before I might have complained about the personal hygiene of my fellow travellers because Rotorua smells…. Think rotting eggs… caused by the many sulphur pools that dot the volcanic landscape in this area. 

Our band stumbles to their hotel rooms for welcome sleep at the end of an epic unplanned road trip. 

Tomorrow your scribe gets a day off as the brothers grim are on a mission to jump off things and enter a natural washing machine!


Blog paused! 


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