Life in a 1985 Isuzu passenger bus-turned-home isn’t so bad, once you become accustomed to bouncing around feet away from a wood stove which casts an eerie red glow and ominous crackles when driving in the dark. The fridge only swings open a couple times a day, and it only spilled peaches on the floor once. We’re now a little sticky, and the fridge has gotten the bungie cord treatment. I’m still happily adjusting to life with a family of four, without running water, limited power on batteries, and space as a precious commodity. But what a way to see the country!

We hit the road just past noon on Tuesday, after I tagged along to a physiotherapy visit – fun to talk shop with the physio and to swap notes! We’ve climbed the heights on the Dunie Tower, got kicked out of the Bason Botanic Garden, tasted Manuka honey, and spotted some birds. The day spent in Rotokare Scenic Reserve was my favorite thus far, a park surrounded by a 10-foot mesh fence to keep out the non-native pests (rats, mice, ferrets, etc) that were removed via an extensive project about 15 years or so ago. I slipped and slid my way along the wet clay path up the ridge walk while my legs complained, then listened to the wind howl at the top while I took in the view. That night, we stood outside the bus and listened to the kiwi birds scream (no sightings of the nocturnal bird, unfortunately).

I’ve had to relearn how to use the word kiwi this week. Do not say, “I would like to eat a Kiwi,” for this, my friends, is cannibalism. Kiwis are people. You can eat kiwi fruits, but these are also known as Chinese Gooseberries. Kiwi birds are another form of Kiwi – also frowned upon to consume.

New Zealand in winter is wet, and gum boots are an integral part of the Kiwi uniform. There are places that are muddy, places that are mucky, places that are squishy, and places that are sloshy, but few places that are dry. My waterproof hiking boots have been happily employed for the duration of my stay here.

The benefit of the wet is the green. For as muddy as it feels, it’s not brown. Somehow, the grass cover is an inpenetrable carpet that crawls up to the foot of trees and hands the baton to the myriad lichens, mosses, and epiphytes that hang from every possible spot. On Thursday, we drove to the base of Mt Taranaki and tramped through the Enchanted Forest. I have never seen so many layers of green! Ferns form a knee-high carpet, pierced by fern palms and hardwoods that are coated in mosses and lichens, with plants growing from their branches, and plants growing from those plants. I’m sure there must be a Kiwi arboreal version of the song “Hole in the Bottom of the Sea” – the green goes on and on and on!

We wrapped up Thursday with a class 4 scramble vertically up Paritutu; what a thrill and a view!

Today (Friday), we took a town day in Stratford to watch the glockenspiel clock tower, do laundry, and go to the pool. None of us had mustered up the gumption to take a river bath at our previous campsite (40 degrees F air temp), so we paid $3 to use the pool showers. GLORIOUS. I generally pride myself on short showers, but today I soaked it all up. Plus, they had a hair dryer!! I’m feeling like a queen this afternoon as we drive the Forgotten World Highway to the north, weaving our way through rugged green (surprised?) peaks, dotted with sheep and cattle that can eat by simply turning their heads to the side due to the steep slope. It’s another sunny day, and I’m feeling fortunate. 🙂 We found a gravel strip to park on for the night, and brought in the Sabbath stargazing.

What a beautiful adventure!