Driving, lakes, starry sky’s and hopefully the worst day of my stay.

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Lets start with more about driving. I was worried about driving on the wrong side of the road. I was worried about having the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. Both those worries where not needed.

What I should have been worried about. And what I never expected is that the direction indicator and windscreen whippers are the other way around. So each time I want to indicate direction I turn on the windscreen whippers and it is such an automatic thing it keeps happening. Especially in a hurry. You know when you need to indicate the most. Over 1000 km done now and not yet accustomed to it. Worst of all, I already know that once I get home and start driving my own car again the same shit is going to happen for a few weeks until I am used to having it the right way again.

The roads are okay. I have to laugh when locals complain about traffic. Because really? This is bad traffic, haven’t had a single traffic jam yet.

And the highways are funny, those things are two lanes. And maximum speed is 100. Nobody or very few people overtake. And I don’t really see the need to. Because pretty much everybody is going 100. So why bother.

Lake Tekapo is amazing. The water is blue, really really blue and pretty cold. The sky is the clearest at night for everywhere in the southern hemisphere so there is a star gazing observatory. And official one. And there are tours at night to go see the stars. I was of course to late to go to the big observatory so booked in stead for the other hill with a smaller group and smaller telescope. But still amazing. I now know what the southern cross looks like.

Did a farm tour in a 4 wheel drive. sounds more amazing then it is, It was a guide driving in a 4 wheel truck kind of thing around the farm of her boss. Showing the sheep, as if I had never seen sheep before and deer. Closing off with a view from the top of a hill of the lake. That was pretty amazing.

closing with feeding the alpaca’s and some sheep. turns out sheep are more into petting that alpaca. Both are into food.

Also did a day at mount Cook, it is the dreadful snowy mountain from lord of the rings, and other scenes of the movie are also taped there. I managed to book a lord of the rings tour. Only that day turned out to be hopefully the worst day of my trip.

Booked the tour on Tuesday night for Wednesday at 15:30. Got my confirmation by email so all good to go right?

I thought so too. So Wednesday morning off I go to mount Cook for a nice walk. Everybody told me the weather will change and the sun will come out. Nope. It didn’t. it rained for my entire walk. It was indicated as an easy walk with only 80 meters of height difference. Nope, or in total but I did that 80 meters like 4 times. Up and down. In the rain and wind. Didn’t seem more then the foot of the mountain. And to make it worse I forgot my wallet when I changed in the toilet into dry clothes.

Then I drove 50 minutes to where the lord of the ring tour would start at 15:30 was there about 14:15, discovered that I didn’t have my wallet with everything in it with me. So trying very hard not to panic and hyperventilate I drove back to mount Cook for 50 minutes.

And I was so happy to see my wallet at the information center. Everything was still in it. Even my cash. Happy happy happy. But by now it was already after three so no more use to drive back to Twizel where the lord of the rings tour would start at 15:30 so had lunch instead.

When I finally got back to my B&B I was exhausted and didn’t want to do anything anymore. But decided to send an email to the agency from that lord of the rings tour about why I didn’t come. Open my email and in my spam box, not easily recognized as about this where three emails. That the time of the tour had been changed to 14:30 and leaving at 14:10, so even if I hadn’t lost my wallet I would have missed the tour.

Really hope that was the worst that could have happened to me, loosing your wallet with credit card, debit card, driving license and cash is dreadful to happen in your own country where you know how to go about getting it back. On the other side of the planet, not so easy.

During that 50 minute drive back to mount Cook the worst scenario’s played out in my mind. Police, Dutch consulate, bank trouble.

But it all worked out fine. Kiwi’s are honest people and hikers in general as well.