031222

1212 - I've just finished a shower and a shave and that was after a long session writing up all the things that happened yesterday.


The Tui Bush Camper van - a converted Toyota diesel LandCruiser	The motor park is not too full. The baths and showers are the central building.	Here's how the electric and water hook up. Note the snorkel on the van! It's ready for serious bush travel.

The interior and a sandwich half devoured.	Lot's of overhead space and storage.	My, my. What is the steering wheel doing on that side?

This morning, I got up and went into Te Awamutu and ate at McDonalds (very much like the ones in the USA). I bought some supplies in the local markets and cashed three hundred dollars US into NZ money. I also bought a set of small screws to fix a problem with the van's interior light and I called Sharon. It is Monday morning here but it is Sunday morning for her. She's pretty stressed out with Nursery work and sick cats and having to run all the errands I usually handle.

So, I have some stuff to make breakfast and lunch with now in the van. I tried to call the folks down in New Plymouth to see if we could connect but I got no answer. I'm about to take off driving that way so I will try again at the next convenient payphone.

Talked to a nice fellow over at the shower area. An Australian, retired. He told me that he and his wife go back and forth between Australia and New Zealand at will. John told me, yesterday, that the two countries have a reciprocal agreement so their citizens and move freely and retire in either. John said he has dual citizenship and got the NZ version just for the asking. The fellow I talked to just now told me he knows a retire US couple who own a place in Christchurch and come down in the southern summer each year. They can't get a visa but they can own property and visit all they like.

After I left Te Awamutu, I headed south on Hwy 3 which leads to New Plymouth. Still cautious about driving on the left side though it is beginning to seem more normal now.

Maybe the best way to tell the story of the drive is through pictures. Here are a bunch that I shot along the way each with a brief description:

The countryside was beautiful and verdant. The rolling hills became steeper and we got into a long canyon which contained a river (the Awakino) very near or over flood stage. This from the rains we had the last day or so. The water in the river was a light brown color from all of the sediment being washed down. When we reached the coast, the river's outflow stained the sea brown for miles as I drove southwest down the coast.

There were two places along the way where we were stopped by road repair crews. Interestingly, their hand-held signs say 'Stop' and on the other side, 'Go', whereas ours say 'Stop' and 'Slow'.

At the coast, I stopped and bought a coke and tried to call the folks from the Duncan & Davies Nursery again. This time I connected with Julie Sanderson. She agreed to meet me in a small town along the way named Urenui. She said she's meet me at the tavern there.

While I was at the small place named Awakino (too small to call it a town - just a few buildings near where the river meets the coast) getting my coke and making my call, a fellow came up and talked to me. He'd noticed the campervan and figured I was a tourist. He asked where I was from and where was I bound. I really like the fact that people here are so willing to talk to strangers. I told him about my trip and he recommended a couple of places around Cape Egmont where I might find campervan accommodations. He pointed out one of the little towns along the coast (Punika, I think) and said he lived there.

I took off again headed for Urenui. For awhile, I thought I'd made a bad turn because the map makes it look like you are on the coast all the way but, in fact, you are inland just a bit. But, from my perspective, that was hard to see and I was thinking I might have to apologize to Julie for not meeting her as agreed. But finally, Urenui showed up. On the highway, there are maybe a dozen buildings and only one of these looked like it was a tavern. I went in and talked to the proprietress and she confirmed that this was, indeed, the only place in town that might qualify.

The place was a quite large empty room and to the back was another even bigger with lots of tables as if it was a large dining room. In the front area, there were half a dozen tables with older fellows for the most part sitting at them. The impression was strong that this was a local hangout with long time locals and regulars. There was nothing particularly about it calculated to invite the passing public. I thought that if I ordered a beer and walked over to the group, that everyone would stop talking as I arrived. Then, someone would ask me a question and slowly who I was would be assimilated into their space. Some tension, perhaps, but also a great way to meet local people and experience things through their eyes for just a bit. But, I needed to meet Julie, so I left.

Outside, I was parked on the side of the highway in from of the hotel/tavern/meeting place/whatever. My vehicle was obvious and I also recalled a bit of my conversation with Julie and I thought I remembered her thinking it might take me until 1645 to arrive at Urenui. It was currently 1610 so I'd made good time. I thought I'd walk down the side street towards the beach. That was interesting. Once back from the road, the houses were nice and well kept. A certain kind of British order about their brick facades and well kept lawns and gardens. I don't think I've ever seen a truly messy junk filled un-kept yard here like you can sometimes find at home.

Down at the end of the road was a bluff and below a river wound its way around a spit of land and out to the sea. On the bluff was a park with a few tables nicely placed for the view and a few folks eating or reading. Below, people were playing and exploring the estuary and on the spit itself, holiday homes were built all along it. The kind of places I think the Kiwi's call Bach's - a short hand for a 2nd holiday home, cabin or getaway.

All along along here, you can see these sorts of nooks and crannies with such "Bach's". I think New Zealand's beauty and quality of life are a very well kept secret. I am surprised the place isn't over-run with more people seeking this kind of life. I guess it is so remote, people think it is inaccessible.

Julie arrived just as I finished my walk and after introductions, I followed her up the road towards New Plymouth and somewhere near on on the 3A junction, we turned inland and went a mile or so.

Through a couple of locked gates (Duncan & Davies is shutdown for the holidays so we had everything to ourselves) and we arrived at a large wooden building. Julie's very nice. Intelligent and soft spoken and very knowledgably about all aspects of Duncan & Davies business. I had come to learn more about the possibility of importing Japanese Maples from them to the US and Julie was going to give me a brief tour and answer some of my questions.

Julie took me to see various growing areas and talked with me for an hour or more. D&D is a much larger organization that I had imagined. They have hundreds of acres and ship over 130,000 trees and plants annually. In business since 1899 and exporting to the northern hemisphere for decades, they really know what they are doing. Recently, they've decided to commit all of their energies to international export and abandon their weaker domestic market. To those of you not into the nursery business, this won't mean much but it is of great interest to Sharon and I. Here are some pictures I shot at Duncan & Davies including one of Julie:




Several varieties of Japanese Maples growing in a field	A new variety of Japanese Maple developed at D&D - Acer palmatum "Gwen's Rose Delight"	Julie Sanderson of Duncan & Davies

Julie also had some ideas about where good places to stay might be. She also suggested Oakura, where I ended up.

I went back to highway 3 and continued down the coast until I came to Oakra. Once there, I located the campervan park and checked in and I've been here since.