15 days of fun, playfulness, long driving, some in treacherous conditions of no light, zigzag, fog, mountainous roads, at times for me, three rosaries but three competent drivers, ages 80, 77, and 69yo got us back in Orewa in one piece. Thank you so much to my in-laws in this my favorite place on earth.
In our road trips to 29 national parks in the USA, nothing compares to this beautiful place kept tidy, clean, neat, and peaceful. Expansive green mowed grass in ranches interrupted by creeks, river of love where cattle and thousands of sheep graze, relax calmly to receive the sun, very small houses to give room for the animals to graze in acres and acres of wild land, where yellow trees are interspersed in uninterrupted green spaces with blue skies, thick cumulus clouds and at times, two layers of sunset.
Folks are sweet, genteel, warm, and so helpful. Even security police are calm and relaxed in the Parliament Building.
Streets are well paved and public work trucks repair the roads from early morning to almost dinner time.
We must have stopped at close to 40 BP gas stations with very clean restrooms except in Pukerore-Bombay, this was the road sign – making that destination known to customers.
There is truly pride of place in this country, pride in their Parliament where marked seats are designated for the majority government and the opposition to sit. Here, the government prioritizes wellbeing, wellness, family life-work balance. Child care is subsidized, as rent for the elderly. This is a country whose rule of law makes the vulnerable like children, seniors and women are given primary treatment. Even their museums give respect to the original Maori people and their timeline as a country includes integrated voices of the refugees, why they fled their birthplaces to come here and welcomed and integrated as “mixing migrants” into their fold. What a paradise!!
I found truly heaven on earth where women got their voting rights in the 1800’s, New Zealand’s gift to the world!!
I learned to exist at 0 F to 60 F. That was the broad range of temperatures, as we drove from North Island to South Island’s ChristChurch and back to North Island.