Life has taken a turn for the better and we’ll be able to be travelling again soon. With Aucklanders free to travel anywhere around New Zealand, we’ll be staying a little closer to home this time. Come February we’ll be heading to the Bay of Plenty for a couple of weeks. An annual reunion with fellow Navy friends will be at Ohope Beach during this time. I hope to have some stories and photos to share from there. Then in April we’ll be off to Taranaki and a Navy communications reunion in New Plymouth.
We can’t wait to be travelling again soon, even if it is in New Zealand. We have plenty to see and enjoy here but we still hanker to get back to favourite overseas spots, and to find new places to explore. Wherever we end up going, we generally don’t plan ahead. If we find a place of interest, we stop, stay and explore. Around New Zealand it is so easy. We have attempted to do the same overseas, but sometimes there are difficulties. Language is often a big one. Have you ever freaked out when driving along a motorway, seen a huge flashing sign telling drivers something important, but not having any idea what it says? Not really fun when you know there’s no time to consult the translator on your phone. In those instances, a little prayer is in order.
Another way a lack of understanding the language caught us out while travelling in foreign countries. Cruising around the Prynnes was amazing until our tyres were slashed while in a car park in Fiox. The police and car rental people were great and we were soon continuing our travels into Spain and Andora, thanks mainly to our 16 yr old son who had just completed a year’s schooling in France. Our French was limited to polite phrases only.
We probably won’t be going too far afield until New Zealand schools begin again in early February after their long summer break. Thankfully we no longer have to plan holidays to coincide with children’s school holidays. And of course, this means there are usually fewer people on the move once schools are back.
Maybe we feel a little hard done by that we can’t travel to our favourites, Thailand or Bali, and my much-hoped-for return to Shetland is away off in the future, New Zealand has so much to offer too. We’re going to get travelling and find it all.