A Tale of Two Cars

By Julia
Oamaru, New Zealand

"Once we get to New Zealand, it will all be okay."  Tom and I have said this phrase more than once in the last seven months as we sat in the back of overcrowded death-buses and tried to sleep in dingy roach-motels.  We've been looking forward to arriving in New Zealand, where we were awaiting a land with great hospitals, water straight from the tap, few food pathogens, no touts, and most importantly to Tom no snakes!  (Sorry Australia but they've got you on that one).

Basically everything about the nature of our journey changes in this, the last country we're visiting.  For the next two in a half months we'll be traveling only here in New Zealand where we'll no longer be staying in hotels but will instead be camping, couchsurfing, and WWOOFing (working on farms in exchange for room and board).

  We had our first experience couchsurfing in Christchurch, our first stop in New Zealand.  We stayed with an artist named Asheley and her partner Abe in their beautiful bungalow overlooking the pale blue ocean.  Over the course of three days, we swapped stories and shared meals.  It was our first taste of kiwi hospitality.

With Asheley and Abe in front of the amazing view from the porch of their apartment

 Perhaps the biggest change in this section of our trip is that soon after arriving in New Zealand, we became proud car owners.  Our new ride was a 1990 Toyota Camery station wagon.  It had a sweet retro feel to it and I grew immediately attached.  Tom and I could smell freedom.  No more buses, boats and trains!  Finally we were about to hit the open road! We could go anywhere!  Sky's the limit!

  Tom in his aviators and I in my scarf with oversized sunglasses put petal to the metal on Saturday.  We cruised down the coast on our way to our first WWOOF farm and then...

And then...

Well, shit.

  Turns out the car blew head gasket, a death sentence for a car that isn't worth its own engine.  Despite the extremely friendly tow truck driver that brought us back to town, spirits were very low.  Had we gotten hoodwinked?  We thought New Zealand was hoodwink-proof!

  Just when we almost lost faith in humanity, the man we bought our car from offered to drive a new car down from Christchurch and trade us for the lemon.  Our new baby is a silver 1992 Subaru Legacy.  We are looking for name suggestions!  (NOT Silver Bullet)

Hello New Zealand!