Random thoughts from NZ
Random thoughts. It is wonderfully easy to travel here, much more so than anywhere we’ve found in the States in the last twenty five years. Our country seems to have moved on to a model where all “travel” is inexorably directed to the Interstates and both lodging and food have congregated there in the form of identical fast food and motel chains. One could be anywhere on an interstate and not see a real difference. Motels have in that environment, for the most part, evolved to become like hotels, with entry through a lobby and a long trek down a hall to a cubicle-like room that looks just like all the others, everywhere else. I’ve been doing this motorcycle traveling thing for quite a few decades now and I’ve seen the decline of small towns and local restaurants and motels along the backroads, to the point now that in some areas, none exist.
Here in NZ, like other countries we’ve been to, the notion of “travel” is something different, more like it once was in the US, with every small town having a selection of food and lodging opportunities made easily available for the person who wants to come in, drop their stuff in a clean, convenient place to sleep, with all the necessities within walking distance once the bike is parked. It’s a very civilized, adult way to do things.
In most places we’ve stayed, here and in other countries, the proprietor doesn’t ask for payment up front or sometimes even our names. It’s all expected to be handled in the morning, like grownups, with everyone assuming responsibility. We’ve never had to be concerned with finding lodging or food, so we never have to pre-book anything, allowing us to change plans at a moment’s notice. It’s the way things ought to be. Not sure how or why we moved away from it in the States, but I wish we could get it back.
(stuffing one's face again at a sidewalk cafe)
For now, traveling here in NZ is very much like England or the Continent, but with better roads & scenery and without 90% of the traffic. What’s not to like?
For motorcyclists here in NZ, the farthest you could be from fantastic (and I don’t mean just “good”) riding areas is about two hours at most, if you were mired in the deepest part of a big city like Christchurch. For the majority of riders here, the time would be far less than half that and for quite a few it’s just outside their driveway. They are, as they say here, “spoiled for choice” From Christchurch, a quick ride northwest would put the rider in the middle of Arthur’s Pass and the gateway to the other mountain loops up there. To come close to that kind of scene, I’d have to ride three days from Kentucky to the Rockies.
(Crown Range road, coming down from Wanaka)
If I were a young man, which I most assuredly am not, I’d be looking to NZ as an opportunity. Property here is a bargain, given the US Dollar to NZ Dollar exchange rate at present and development is still in its early stages. People here have told us that the rest of the world is just discovering NZ, in no small part due to the popularity of the “Lord of the Rings” movies. Brits have been coming here forever, often to visit relatives who have emigrated or just for a cheap holiday in a culture very similar to their own. It seems to me that a young person with time to amortize could buy a house here at the current exchange rate, rent it a good part of the year and have it available for one’s own use on vacation (keeping a bike in the garage here, of course). Yes, I know that’s encouraging the very kind of development that may spoil this place, but that development is probably coming anyway. Nothing this good can last forever in this form.
(even the trees are laid back in New Zealand)