Island Hopping, March 18

We boarded our flight from Rotorua to Wellington and arrived in New Zealand’s capital city in about an hour. Wellington is located on the extreme south end of the North Island. We picked up our rental car and headed for the ferry that would carry us the fifty nautical miles between Wellington on the north to the small town of Picton on the north end of the South island. The three-hour trip was directly down the center of the Cook Strait and the views were spectacular. We found lodgings in a clean and convenient motel and settled in for the evening.

Driving in New Zealand and Australia is done on the opposite side of the road, a somewhat intimidating experience at first. Our ever-present instinct, when behind the wheel, was to get back onto the right side of the road as at home, consequently a great deal of attention was required all the time. It’s especially necessary when approaching an intersection where a turn onto another road is necessary. We agreed that becoming each other’s “back seat driver” was not only acceptable under these unfamiliar circumstances but a necessity.  Sitting, as a passenger, on the left side of the car is also somewhat of an uncomfortable feeling at first and we each found ourselves looking for the brake pedal before remembering that all of the controls and the steering wheel were on the other side of the car. Together we managed to gradually become accustomed to the reverse conditions now required and soon became comfortable but remained alert all the time. It’s also interesting that people walk on the opposite side of the sidewalks here. At home, most people seem to gravitate to the right side of the sidewalk. Here people walk on the left and that took a considerable adjustment for us. At first we found ourselves continually bumping into people as we strolled along. We finally adjusted to being on the left with everything that we did. Escalators are also in reverse; as are door latches, in most cases the latch is turned to the right to unlock and there are few actual doorknobs. Curiously the water in the sinks and commodes also drains in the opposite direction. We’ve been told that condition becomes even more pronounced the further south of the equator one is located.

It is worth noting that “Kiwis” as New Zealanders call themselves are the friendliest and most helpful people we have encountered in any of our travels. Everyone smiles and greets you everywhere you go. If you need assistance they are delighted to be of help and the feeling of being very welcome is everywhere you go. The country is also extremely clean, the streets are without trash and there is simply no litter or graffiti anywhere. It’s almost as if a team of specially trained people came out of the woodwork every night and cleaned everything in sight. It has made our trip extremely pleasant and refreshing.

Traveling through The Cook Strait near Picton Harbour

Picton Harbour 

Picton Harbour pedestrian bridge and marina

Picton Harbour on the South Island. The very large Wellington - Picton Ferry is shown in the left background