Good night's sleep achieved,and second shower refreshing. Expensive motel finds another way to gouge, now asking $10 for their shuttle bus. FFS.Admittedly the driver never asks for any proof that it's been paid so I probably could have bluffed it.
Back at airport it turns out that the company I've booked the car with isn't actually represented at the airport and when I do phone them this is a complete surprise as they've no record of the booking. Eventually a friendly and helpful woman does turn up with a car, agrees that the printout does show something booked and says rude (well, as rude as Kiwis ever seem to get, which isn't very) about the web portal before introducing me to a sweet little baby Daihatsu.I'd like to say 'little does she know what I intend to do with it' but actually we chat about destinations and she buys me a bunch of maps from the airport kiosk, and I'm away.
After a brief stop at a mall for the forgotten stuff (do I own a pair of pyjamas not picked up in a hurry on a trip?) and lunch (a decent chicken laksa) it's away south.
The New Zealand motorway network turns out to end about five miles south of Auckland airport, but is nigh indistinguishable from the rest of their roads. Which are good enough, but even the trunk roads go through villages every 15km, with a 50kph speed limit. And a top speed of only 100kph (which by co-incidence is about what the baby Daihatsu will manage without a tail wind or a slope to speed down) in the open, so places are further apart than they seem. Then again I don't have an instinctive feel for distances in kilometres, so places turn out to be closer together then they look at a glance.
A bit south of Hamilton I need some more fuel. My God, kiwi petrol is cheap. 60-something p a litre, and almost always at the same price where ever you buy it. A bit embarrassingly it takes three people to spot the release button for the fuel tank, After that the roads get windier and the weather gets worse.
A detour to Waitomo Caverns hoping to be touristy and gawp at glow worms, but the by now heavy rain has flooded them. Press on.
By Taupo it's utterly pouring down. Stop in very retro 50's motel, Korean BBQ for supper. Then sleep.
While the arrival seemed too late, very little in the way of jet lag.
Have decided to post things as I write them, rather than waiting until the full package with pictures etc can be added. Actually the pictures for this day are pretty dull. That's pouring rain for you.
Back at airport it turns out that the company I've booked the car with isn't actually represented at the airport and when I do phone them this is a complete surprise as they've no record of the booking. Eventually a friendly and helpful woman does turn up with a car, agrees that the printout does show something booked and says rude (well, as rude as Kiwis ever seem to get, which isn't very) about the web portal before introducing me to a sweet little baby Daihatsu.I'd like to say 'little does she know what I intend to do with it' but actually we chat about destinations and she buys me a bunch of maps from the airport kiosk, and I'm away.
After a brief stop at a mall for the forgotten stuff (do I own a pair of pyjamas not picked up in a hurry on a trip?) and lunch (a decent chicken laksa) it's away south.
The New Zealand motorway network turns out to end about five miles south of Auckland airport, but is nigh indistinguishable from the rest of their roads. Which are good enough, but even the trunk roads go through villages every 15km, with a 50kph speed limit. And a top speed of only 100kph (which by co-incidence is about what the baby Daihatsu will manage without a tail wind or a slope to speed down) in the open, so places are further apart than they seem. Then again I don't have an instinctive feel for distances in kilometres, so places turn out to be closer together then they look at a glance.
A bit south of Hamilton I need some more fuel. My God, kiwi petrol is cheap. 60-something p a litre, and almost always at the same price where ever you buy it. A bit embarrassingly it takes three people to spot the release button for the fuel tank, After that the roads get windier and the weather gets worse.
A detour to Waitomo Caverns hoping to be touristy and gawp at glow worms, but the by now heavy rain has flooded them. Press on.
By Taupo it's utterly pouring down. Stop in very retro 50's motel, Korean BBQ for supper. Then sleep.
While the arrival seemed too late, very little in the way of jet lag.
Have decided to post things as I write them, rather than waiting until the full package with pictures etc can be added. Actually the pictures for this day are pretty dull. That's pouring rain for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment