Daily Photo – New Zealand Road Sign

Just getting to historic locations, walking tracks, the beach, or a cup of coffee for that matter, can be an adventure in itself. While most developed nations view four-lane divided motorways as the standard for inter-city travel, here in New Zealand State Highway 1, the main artery of the country, remains in some parts a psychological relic: a winding ribbon of chip seal that connects small-town dairies and scenic lookouts. In the UK or Europe, a 300 km drive is an international expedition. In China, the G-series Expressway is a hyper-efficient conveyor belt from the future. In New Zealand, a 300 km trip often involves a quick hop over a mountain pass, three one-lane bridges, four hundred sheep, and at least one section of unsealed road where you pray for your car’s suspension. And to think there remain large stretches of the main highway that narrow down to single lanes, with speed limits as low as 35 km/h on winding bends. After which, having successfully navigated these obstacles, you find yourself stuck behind an annoyance of campervans and multiple livestock trucks for the next two hours, with no legal way to pass. Yet here’s the kicker: there’s something quite delightful about it all. For all the frustration it can bring, I wouldn’t change it at all. If you ever get the opportunity to drive the 128 km from Kaikōura to Blenheim on a fine day, or a miserable one for that matter, with its breathtaking coastal scenery and spectacular wildlife, you’ll see what I mean. You’ll be instantly hooked.