allyson and bryan

Left Is the New Right /



We arrived in New Zealand four days ago, flying into Auckland and spending our first evening exploring the trendy neighborhood of Ponsonby (on the excellent recommendation of Laura) and then a few sights downtown the next morning. When we landed at the airport, we picked up our rental car -- knowing that we'd need easy transportation to make our way down to the famed ferry ride across the Cook Strait. Of course, this meant one daunting thing: We'd have to drive on the left side of the road.

It's a weird sensation, being a passenger in the wrong seat, seeing the driver struggle with the reversal of windshield wipers and turn signals, realizing that left is actually the easier way to turn into traffic. And did I mention the proliferation of rotaries in this fine country?

So far Eugene and Bryan have taken long shifts at the wheel, doing a excellent job navigating the country roads and keeping one eye straight ahead and the other on the passing sights of sheep and sea. Heather drove about 500 feet from the second rental car pick-up spot to our hostel, and I have yet to try my hand at this international challenge. But I will. I've got time.

Here are some pictures from the North Island, including Auckland, Ponsonby, Rotorua and Waitomo. We have arrived in the much-touted South Island two nights ago, taking a terribly entertaining evening ferry in the company of a big group of big Kiwi fisherman, and are now enjoying a few days in the sunny wine country of New Zealand's Marlborough region. (We were absolutely thrilled with our luck to book three nights last-minute at a beautiful little accommodation called the Shakespeare Cottage, which comes fit with TV, DVD, kitchenette, heated towel racks, and -- get this -- free , untimed wireless Internet access. I know: heaven.)

Oh and before that, we ran into Andy Volk in Fiji!

More photos to follow.

stars, they're just like allyson @ 5:22 PM  

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