Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted as saying “Life is a journey, not a destination.” That is what this day was about. After having a quick breakfast, updating family, and packing up, we vacated the Acacia Cottage. We waved goodbye to the Alpacas and grabbed coffees for the road. Our destination was Purakaunui, just outside Dunedin; however, our journey was to drive from Te Anau back to Cromwell to return the chilly bin, then cross country along the “pig route” and drop down to the opposite coast to our refuge at Will’s mom’s place.
Along the way we drank in the fields dotted with hundreds of sheep, while looking for the elusive black faced sheep with a bird on his back (I so wanted a picture of this). In addition to sheep, we noted more cows, deer and the occasional horse or alpaca. We commented on the different road signs here in NZ – Yield sign says “give way” in the middle, speed limit signs are round, construction signs warn you to go “dead slow” and the constant reminder to “keep LEFT unless passing”.
A quick stop in Cromwell to drop off the “chilly bin” at Jas and Kat’s place, gave us the opportunity for a “pit” stop at our beloved fruit stand and purchased more fresh apricots and nectarines. Delicious stone fruit! We listened to several episodes of our favourite podcast as we drove – Stuff You Should Know: All About Macadamia Nuts, How Bonsia Works, How the Placebo Effect works, Why does Time Speed up as you age, and Everything you wanted to know about Gin (for Michelle). Highly recommend this podcast!
While taking a quick peak at the attraction, we also took advantage of the bathrooms at AJ Hackett’s Nevis Bungy, Swing & Catapult attraction…no bungee jumping was attempted.
As we drove past Queenstown we contrasted our feelings we had here before the “world went to custard” (in the words of Will’s friend Kat). The weather mirrored the ominous mood brought on by the spread of Covid 19. All part of our journey, I guess.
While driving through Garston, pulling over to let huge combines/farm equipment pass, we scored a diamond in the rough according to Will at the Coffee Bomb cafe. While unsuspectingly ordering a flat white coffee, Will noted they sold whitebait fritters!! Whitebait is used to describe small, juvenile freshwater fish that are tender and edible and considered a NZ delicacy. The fritter is essentially an omelette with the whole fishes fried into it. It was served between slices of white bread. All I can say is that it was fishy!
We drove on the State Highway 85, and the section between Palmerston and Ranfurly named the “Pig Route” where the road crosses over some mountains before descending to the Maniototo high plans, which is a high road, well positioned to attract snow and bad weather…aptly described as a “pig of a route” when miner traversed the route with horse and cart to get to the gold fields of Central Otago. Also, the muck would be reminiscent of the mud that pigs root around in. Lucky for us, the weather cooperated with only glimpses of snow in the far off high mountains. Steep drops and curves in the road made backseat passengers a bit carsick but staring off a the distant Kakanui mountains provided a steady fixation point.
Another stop for an apparent NZ delicacy…the south island sushi roll…aka, the infamous cheese roll.
Our eventual arrival in Purakaunui prompted the comment “this looks like where you might end up when the GPS takes you off track!” Purakaunui had been described to us by Will, Michelle, and Charlotte many times – “wait until you hear the birds at Niccy’s place!, you can pick fresh veggies right from her garden, you can build sandcastles on the beach and walk on the squeaky sand and the sinky sand!”. But you can not truly understand this peaceful inlet retreat until you have been there. What an amazing place to ride out a pandemic! It made us question our daily struggle to secure flights back to Canada, when friends and family were saying, “come home, it is terrible here!” Umm…no thanks!
Upon arrival it began to pour rain and the wind picked up. Niccy had lit a fire and we were treated to a lovely supper of salmon, salad fixings fresh from the garden, wine and dessert prepared by Charlotte, complete with place cards (by Charlotte as well). We felt so comforted to finally be here and anxious to explore over the coming days, while still trying to secure flights home.
A perfect way to end our day was to watch the documentary film Motoitoi, which has been a project of Will and Niccy’s dating back to April 2014. A private screening at the Orokunui Eco Sanctuary was to be part of our original Purakauniu plans; we still enjoyed a private screening!
“Motoitoi is a documentary film production that explores the untold story of Motoitoi, the high-born daughter of a prominent Māori Chief. Born during the first contact period of Southern New Zealand, Motoitoi is said to have lived with her European sailor lover in a cave, overlooking the beautiful South Pacific Ocean. Motoitoi the film, tells the story Motoitoi the person, whose life and legacy ~ from the signing of The Treaty of Waitangi, until now ~ has touched many cultural and historical milestones that shaped the New Zealand society of today. Motoitoi is a compelling saga that unveils a local tale of cultural conflict, resilience, and gradual resurrection experienced by Southern Māori, enabling viewers to discover the importance of whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga in the age of Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram.” https://motoitoi.com/
As I crawled into the cozy bed, in a lovely cottage home, in a tranquil inlet retreat on the coast of New Zealand, I again felt at peace and counted my blessings. The ever present struggle between destination and journey is a delicate balance in today’s world. Being present and enjoying the journey versus planning the next destination is a struggle of mine, but perhaps this current world situation will help me to not “sweat the small stuff”. All the little things are perhaps there to offer adventure to our lives and enrich our journey.
This is one of my favourite posts. ♥️
Thanks!
You describe it all so lovely. I agree with your mom. ❤️❤️❤️