Skip to main content

All good things must come to an end

Well this is it, Auckland, New Zealand, the last leg in our tour of New Zealand. We turned in the rental car, and checked into the Westin Hotel, were we plan on spending our last 3 days, before returning home.

And as I was sitting in my room after a hearty dinner, I starting contemplating the last two weeks, thinking about the similarities and differences between the US and New Zealand, all the experiences we've had, and what if anything I would have done differently.

One thing that stood out was the lack of Americans in New Zealand, and the abundance of Europeans. Contrary to popular belief, the US is no longer the dominate force in the world, it once was.

The other thing that stood out, and which I commented on previously, was how different the two islands are. The most notable thing being how sparsely populated the south island compared to the north. The towns are smaller, and the roads are far less congested.

Prices are typically more expensive as well in the south, especially in the more touristy areas, i.e. Queenstown, and the accommodations more moderate..

In many regards, New Zealand is much like the US though. We both speak English, and New Zealanders live in home tracts much like the US, just on bigger lots, and the New Zealand coast line resembles many parts of the California and Oregon coastlines.

But driving in New Zealand is nothing at all like driving in the US, and that isn't even taking into account New Zealanders drive on the wrong side of the road. The only way to describe the roads in New Zealand is to compare them to Lombard street in San Fransicso, but on a much larger scale.

There are some roads in CA, i.e. Topanga Canyon and Decker Canyon Roads, that come close in comparison, but even those can't compare to the amount of curves, grades and narrowness of the roads encountered in New Zealand. I actually started getting motion sick on some of the roads, and I was driving.

Still New Zealand is a great country, and New Zealanders are the friendliest people, by far, I have met anywhere else in the world. I hope to come back and spend more time. 18 days is just not enough time.

I will do it just a little differently next time, concentrating on the south island, because of its more diverse and unique environment, and do a lot less driving, preferring to fly between various locations, when ever possible.

After I get my fill of the south island, then I'll start on the north island.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History IS repeating itself

I didn't grow up during the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany, so for me to claim it feels like those are the times we are living in now, must be taken with a grain of salt. But I have seen enough movies, and read enough history to know, if the times we're living in now are not akin to the rise of a Nazism and Facism in Europe in the 1930's and 1940's, then we're not far off. If you can't see the parallels with Nazi Germany, then you must be living in a different country than me. Republicans and other right wing extremists will stop at nothing to subvert the will of the majority, forcing their beliefs, that they are the superior race and have been appointed by God, to impose their will on America, while they blame all our problems on immigrants, blacks and Jews. As I speak, Mitch McConnell, and his minions are raising roadblocks to all legislation designed to help average Americans under the guise of fiscal responsibility. They condone violent and verba...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stop the stupidity!

Rural medical center (in Georgia) suspended from vaccination program after inoculating school district staff. Give me a break! Trying to get kids back to school, while protecting teachers, bus drivers and other staff, is exactly what school districts should be doing. If they have vaccines, give them out. We should be giving out vaccines to all who want them, whenever available. Trying to adhere to rigid guidelines will only result in fewer people getting vaccines, resulting in the discarding of precious vaccines, and less protection for everyone. Of course we should be giving first priority to healthcare workers, and any other essential public service employees, such as policeman, fireman, etc. first, but when they're not around to receive shots, or refuse shots, then give them to anyone willing to take them. What I would have objected to is the medical center trying to capitalize on the pandemic to make a profit, from giving vaccines to people far down the list of recipients, but ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...
Post a Comment
Read more