Commentary - pcgazette.com

Commentary
pcgazette.com

New Zealand has great people, scenery and interesting roads

By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
Many people I've spoken with say they hope to visit New Zealand some day. Martha and I have just concluded our second trip to that Pacific island country, and we're more enamored of the place now than we were before our first excursion there just a year ago. It's a place of incredible beauty. I plan to write more about our latest journey in the days ahead, and I hope you won't tire of my accounts.

What I think makes New Zealand special is its gracious and hospitable people. They readily take you into their homes, and make you feel as if you've been long-time friends. Kiwis invariably invite you to stay with them for evening "tea" (dinner) and then to spend the night. On this side of the Pacific, such hospitality is unusual - most of us would never think of offering dinner and a place to sleep to people who pop into our homes at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Then there's the scenery - New Zealand has nearly every kind you can imagine, except for the Grand Canyon. You can stand on the shore of the Pacific Ocean and look back at snow-capped mountains. While volcanic vestiges remain, there also are beautiful green rolling hills, dotted with sheep, cows and penned deer. Queenstown is one of the most scenic spots on earth, with surrounding mountains mirrored in Lake Wakatipu. Fjords form the southwest coastline of the South Island, and farther north, sandy beaches alternate with rocky formations - some of them home to seals. There are rain forests, and the abundant "bush" (woods) are all around. You'll even find some desert spots, and glaciers remain near Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in the country.

The North Island, home to the capital of Wellington and Auckland, the largest city, has a sub-tropic climate in the far north, but plenty of what the South Island offers as well. We drove around the Coromandel Peninsula over four days, and even got an unanticipated treat when we witnessed two Orcas (like Shamu) frolicking near the shore.

New Zealand is a country of 3.8 million people, and 12 times as many sheep. The woolly animals are almost everywhere. Most of the people population lives on the North Island. The Kiwis have a saying that the North Island has the people, while the South Island has the scenery. The country is the windiest place I've ever been - probably due to the fact it's surrounded by oceans.

We drove around the South Island over a two-and-one-half week period in October and never encountered a traffic jam. There are very few four-lane roads - the only ones are in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. All other major roads - most of them curvy - are well maintained, and occasionally they narrow to a one-lane bridge to cross a river or gorge.

If he were to experience the New Zealand highways today, my late father-in-law would say that design engineers dropped pieces of string on a New Zealand map, and the way the string fell is how and where they built the roads.

If you've driven in our mountains, you've come across 25-mile-per-hour curves. In New Zealand, they have 25-kilometer curves and switchbacks - that's equal to 15 miles an hour. And to make things more interesting, many New Zealand mountain roads have no guardrails. Your good judgment, steering capability and the mechanical soundness of your vehicle are all that stand between you and doom in the valleys and gorges below.

The traffic volume is such that the country can get by with several single-lane bridges. Signs on either side of them tell drivers whether they have the right-of-way. I can't recall waiting more than twice for oncoming cars.

There are a few unusual bridges in New Zealand. One, near Hokitika on the rainy west coast, is a single-lane edifice that accommodates both trains and cars, although not at the same time. (See photo) It goes without saying that before you begin to cross it by car, you look very carefully in both directions.

Another is a bi-level bridge that also handles cars and trains, but it's a two-layer structure. The trains travel across the top, and the cars cross on the bottom. I know I don't want to be on that bridge while a train is crossing on top.

I'll continue with my impressions of driving in New Zealand next week.

You may reach Jim Schuh at The Gazette, or by e-mail at jpschuh@excite.com.



	New Zealand has great people, scenery and interesting roads By JIM SCHUH of The Gazette Many people I've spoken with say they hope to visit New Zealand some day. Martha and I have just concluded our second trip to that Pacific island country, and we're more enamored of the place now than we were before our first excursion there just a year ago. It's a place of incredible beauty. I plan to write more about our latest journey in the days ahead, and I hope you won't tire of my accounts. What I think makes New Zealand special is its gracious and hospitable people. They readily take you into their homes, and make you feel as if you've been long-time friends. Kiwis invariably invite you to stay with them for evening "tea" (dinner) and then to spend the night. On this side of the Pacific, such hospitality is unusual - most of us would never think of offering dinner and a place to sleep to people who pop into our homes at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Then there's the scenery - New Zealand has nearly every kind you can imagine, except for the Grand Canyon. You can stand on the shore of the Pacific Ocean and look back at snow-capped mountains. While volcanic vestiges remain, there also are beautiful green rolling hills, dotted with sheep, cows and penned deer. Queenstown is one of the most scenic spots on earth, with surrounding mountains mirrored in Lake Wakatipu. Fjords form the southwest coastline of the South Island, and farther north, sandy beaches alternate with rocky formations - some of them home to seals. There are rain forests, and the abundant "bush" (woods) are all around. You'll even find some desert spots, and glaciers remain near Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in the country. The North Island, home to the capital of Wellington and Auckland, the largest city, has a sub-tropic climate in the far north, but plenty of what the South Island offers as well. We drove around the Coromandel Peninsula over four days, and even got an unanticipated treat when we witnessed two Orcas (like Shamu) frolicking near the shore. New Zealand is a country of 3.8 million people, and 12 times as many sheep. The woolly animals are almost everywhere. Most of the people population lives on the North Island. The Kiwis have a saying that the North Island has the people, while the South Island has the scenery. The country is the windiest place I've ever been - probably due to the fact it's surrounded by oceans. We drove around the South Island over a two-and-one-half week period in October and never encountered a traffic jam. There are very few four-lane roads - the only ones are in Christchurch, the largest city on the South Island. All other major roads - most of them curvy - are well maintained, and occasionally they narrow to a one-lane bridge to cross a river or gorge. If he were to experience the New Zealand highways today, my late father-in-law would say that design engineers dropped pieces of string on a New Zealand map, and the way the string fell is how and where they built the roads. If you've driven in our mountains, you've come across 25-mile-per-hour curves. In New Zealand, they have 25-kilometer curves and switchbacks - that's equal to 15 miles an hour. And to make things more interesting, many New Zealand mountain roads have no guardrails. Your good judgment, steering capability and the mechanical soundness of your vehicle are all that stand between you and doom in the valleys and gorges below. The traffic volume is such that the country can get by with several single-lane bridges. Signs on either side of them tell drivers whether they have the right-of-way. I can't recall waiting more than twice for oncoming cars. There are a few unusual bridges in New Zealand. One, near Hokitika on the rainy west coast, is a single-lane edifice that accommodates both trains and cars, although not at the same time. (See photo) It goes without saying that before you begin to cross it by car, you look very carefully in both directions. Another is a bi-level bridge that also handles cars and trains, but it's a two-layer structure. The trains travel across the top, and the cars cross on the bottom. I know I don't want to be on that bridge while a train is crossing on top. I'll continue with my impressions of driving in New Zealand next week. You may reach Jim Schuh at The Gazette, or by e-mail at jpschuh@excite.com.