The drive from Motueka to Kaikoura was to be the longest of all my drives. I could have taken a shorter route that would have taken me a part of the way on an inland road, but as ever, I was keen on the coast. The 290km journey would take me up into the northeast corner of the South Island and back towards the Marlborough Sounds. Which I had crossed on the InterIslander Ferry from the North Island 15 weeks before.
It was so strange to be back there. I even saw the huge ferry on a trail walk to Shakespeare Bay and it took me right back to the beginning of March. I found myself marvelling at all the peculiar and unexpected turns that life had taken since then.
All went well on this long and easy journey. I was on the homeward leg, the weather was rolling in once again, but I had become incredibly comfortable in my big blue car. The roads in New Zealand are so good. And despite their frequent twists and turns, and occasional landslips, they are really very well maintained. There weren’t many drivers on the roads at all, but those I did meet were friendly and courteous. And the STOP / GO road-sign bearers were always quick with a smile and a wave. There were lots of times when I found myself covering huge distances and consuming huge quantities of liquorice without even realising it.
I stopped at The Store for some food when I was about 30 minutes outside of Kaikoura. I know this because the policeman who pulled me over soon after I’d left told me so. I was only going slightly over the 100k speed limit and he was ever so kind. My heart had been beating out of my chest when I saw the flashing lights but it turned out that he used to live in London and was very interested in my lockdown adventure. The worst part of the whole experience was not being able to pronounce Motueka properly. But he smiled and waved me on my way with just a nod to take it easy. Which, of course, I did.
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