Lessons Learned from the Other Side of the Road - My Life as a Van-living Hippy South of the Equator

My last blog from the land of sheep and Kiwi’s – how time flies when you live in a van!

A short update on what lies ahead – Lisa and I will be taking off for the wild blue yonder of Australia (or Oz as it’s known Down Under and among travelling gypsies such as ourselves) tomorrow morning bright and early. We’ll be landing in Sydney around 8 am on Friday and set out for that adventure then.

But for now, I would like to attempt to sum up my time here in this, the first of many foreign lands.

True to form, I have condensed many of the lessons and adventures from my month stay here in New Zealand into a short list for your reading enjoyment. Should you be confused or bamboozled by the following, I would recommend that you make the short 14 hour flight from LA down to the land of emerald green mountains and sapphire waters to explore firsthand. I promise – it is worth every ounce of energy and every dime spent…And I spent a lot of dimes!

Lessons Learned on the Other Side of the Road – My Life as Van-living Hippy South of the Equator

1. Any illusions of being a subtle tourist or trying to blend in among the natives disappears when you pick up a bright orange Toyota Minivan with the words “Spaceship” and “Naboo” printed in glaring white. You might as well stamp “I’m a tourist and I don’t know how to drive here” on your forehead.

2. Some lessons apply no matter what hemisphere you might be living in at the time:
A. You get what you pay for – be it the cheapest mode of transportation, cheap meat pies (more on this later) or cheap campsites.
B. Three things that can turn a great day into a soggy nightmare: Rain, Mosquitoes, and Sickness.
C. Even a bad day on vacation is better than a great day at work.
D. People are basically the same everywhere you go – some are good, some are bad and some are indifferent. Luckily it’s the good one’s that you remember after it’s all said and done.

3. Mini Coopers are cool – stunt drivers in Mini Coopers dressed as Vikings are even cooler. (Lesson learned while watching them film a commercial on Paia beach on the North Island)…

4. Love may be what makes the world go round but New Zealand Tip Top Ice Cream is what makes the ride worthwhile…

5. There are as many sheep here as you have heard. It was not an exaggeration.

6. Something about lighthouses and the ocean makes a person introspective and philosophical. There is an undeniable beauty in man’s desire to help others lost at sea.

7. If you get the chance, you should visit any area where two oceans meet. I’ve seen it twice here and I must say it’s a pretty amazing sight – a show of power in Cape Reinga on the North Island where the waters clashed and fought against each other and a peaceful meeting at Separation Point on the South Island where the waves seemed to combine to form a union of clear blue water and warm calm skies.

8. There are places left in this world where commercial development and ocean front property are still miles and miles behind rolling hills and pastures that lead right up to the sea, where sheep and cattle have views many American CEO’s would kill for.

9. The best way to see a city is with someone that lives there. A small town offers little in the way of nightlife but you have a much greater chance of stumbling upon the most happening pub in town when there is only one pub to begin with. To truly appreciate what a city has to offer – be it museums, nightlife or just the random parks and shops – it is a tremendous help to know someone who knows someone from that locale. And for this reason (and many other’s) I am forever grateful to the infamous Rose Winn whose friends and various connections have shown us around Wellington, Queenstown and Christchurch. Gracias Rosa!

10. The human mind has the irritating habit of becoming numb to even the most magical and amazing sights. If you walk for hours through beautiful forests or across miles of barren volcanic craters you often find yourself thinking about mundane things such as weather, comfort and food. It must take a dedicated and experienced traveller to appreciate grandeur for hours at a time.

12. Blue, green and yellow are such boring terms for the colours I have seen in this country. It’s like eating the most amazing meal of delicious grain fed American steak and home grown sweet corn on the cob, garlic and butter mashed potatoes and cornmeal fried okra while drinking Rosalee’s sweet tea and then saying “That was some good meat and vegetables and tea.” Those that have experienced it know there is so much more to it than words can really contain.

13. Nothing beats a little sand between your toes.

14. A sore body is proof of a well spent day. Like the sleep that follows hard work, it’s your muscles way of say “Ah that was worth it!”

15. “What is the most important thing in the world? It’s the people! It’s the people!” A quote I saw painted in graffiti in Wellington. Nothing is more true.

16. Travelling is as much about who you meet as what you see.

17. Language is as much about expressions, patience and desire to communicate as it is about letters, words and pronunciation.

18. Hippies are people too.

19. Take a chance – go the extra mile – ignore the rain – find your own path – look to the sky – dive in head first. Nothing worth talking about ever happened while waiting for adventure to find you – get out there and find it yourself.

20. The strangest of introductions can turn into the best of acquaintances. We met some of the most genuine and helpful Kiwis on a Brewery Tour in Greymouth while one of them was wearing a Superman suit… Good things come in strange packages…

21. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” That was the advice of Eleanor Roosevelt. Well, thus far, I’ve paid to go into a cave whose ceiling was covered by small, glowing maggots; walked on ice so slippery I have never longed more for the flat Texas Plains; driven through dimly lit tunnels too long and narrow for anyone’s comfort and swallowed my fear of spiders again and again as they seem to be viewed as small friendly guests here instead of the demons they are. I think I’ve covered the scaring myself thing…

22. Beauty can outshine rain.

23. Patience is a gift that you will receive while travelling – whether you like it or not. The people in whatever area you are visiting simply do not work on your time schedule.

24. 2 minute noodles – there is nothing better that can be bought with 40 cents.

25. A warm bottle of wine and a cold beach can make for a great conversation starter.

26. Free-ninety-free doesn’t always mean yummy or comfortable but hey – it beats the pants off paying for food or camping sites!

27. Penguins and Kiwis are cool.

28. The best way to really get a feel for the culture of a place is to try the food. Here’s a list of must tries while travelling in New Zealand: Meat Pies (Lisa does not recommend Mince and Cheese meat pies…) Tip Top Ice Cream, Barry’s Bay Cheese, a Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc from the Nelson area, Green Mussels, Vegemite/Marmite, a Kiwi-grown Kiwi fruit, Monteith’s Beer, anything Boysenberry, muesli bars (also known as granola) and lollies (also known as gummy treats).

29. Somehow – even years after the last episode – having the last name Ewing and being from Texas is still VERY cool.

30. Never turn down an opportunity to visit someone’s family and never turn down the opportunity to volunteer on a farm. Both of these inevitably lead to a free meal (or multiple free meals!). And free home cooked food is one of God’s greatest blessings on the road.

31. I feel like I have overused the terms “amazing,” “impressive,” and “breathtaking. In a place like New Zealand it is hard not to do. There are many things in this life that fit all of those descriptions and there are those things that naturally defy description. As someone addicted to words, I am bound to try – despite destined failure – to write down in messy, inky blobs, page after page of ridiculously inadequate descriptions. For no matter how many descriptive phrases I pen down you will never really know the shade of blue washing up on the lake I saw in Glenorchy or understand the magnificence of the snow capped peaks surrounding that lake. Beauty, awe, and amazement cannot be read or written, captured on film or painted on canvas. They must be experienced firsthand. They must be found and defined by ones self. I am not here to tell you that the only way to discover beauty is to travel outside your homeland or even your home. I know for a fact that beauty can abound without tranquil blue waters or majestic peaks. Beauty, much like happiness, is a personal decision. As I see it, almost all things that add pleasure to your life are discovered and maintained through personal decisions and pursuits.

So please take these stories for what they are – one person’s perception of the beauty at large in this world. And if - like myself in my childhood riveted by the stories Boo told around kitchen tables after returning from some exotic destination – these words grab your imagination or kindle within you some flame of desire to see it for yourself, then let me be the first to welcome you to the world of travel. Oh the places you’ll see…

Take up the Traveller’s Creed
It tells of foreign lands
But only enough to concede
That you must go there yourself in the end
Take up the Traveller’s Creed
Written on many a wishing star
That it matters not where you have been
All that matters is where you are
Take up the Traveller’s Creed
Passed by word of mouth and hand to hand
It is not a law or decree
But a desire found in every man
Take up the Traveller’s Creed
It is not written – but this I will write
Fortune will smile on the man
Who travels by his own might

I'm off to Oz! Miss you all..
Love from the road