Road Trip, Day 10 - Home!

We left Wellington (#2 on the map) at 8:00 a.m. and arrived home in Auckland (#1) at 6:00 p.m. Long drive.

Fortunately, we stopped ...
... at a fruit stand
... to change drivers. We all took turns - except Nolan, who refused.
... at a pie shop. Guess whose idea that was.
... at Lake Taupo to stretch our legs and admire the scenery
... at a honey and mead store. Nolan is a mead aficionado and works at a meadery in Bellingham. I'm not sure where his fascination with mead began; maybe he was an Arthurian knight in a former life. Anyway, he was quite interested in the mead industry in NZ. He and the shopowner talked knowledgeably about different varieties and different techniques, and Nolan got to try a number of samples before he selected one to buy. He was happy. But he still wouldn't drive.

Overall, it was a good trip. We got to see a lot of the South Island.
According to the odometer, we drove 2655 km (1593 m.). Here's the traditional best/worst summary:

PRETTIEST DRIVE -
over Arthur's Pass (Erica)
wine country in Marlborough (Nolan)

FAVOURITE WILDLIFE -
dusky dolphins (Curt)
slimy plankton (Erica)
Winnie the fat dachshund at the B&B in Christchurch (Erica)
sheep (Nolan)
wetas (Nolan)
lazy seals (Megan)

BEST PURCHASE -
shoes for the Forgetful One
bomb (Curt)
black leather slides (Erica)
wool sweater (Nolan)

MOST EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE -
getting lost in Wellington so much that we had to resort to KFC for dinner against our better judgement (Curt)
learning to Give Way (Nolan)

YUMMIEST FOOD -
tiny mandarin oranges straight from the garden of the B&B in Akaroa (Erica)
pies (Nolan)

MOST MEMORABLE VIEW -
stars at night (Megan)
Pancake Rocks (Curt)
Akaroa Harbour (Erica)

FUNNEST GAME -
Scrabble (Megan, because she always won)
Hearts (Curt, because he almost always won)

FINEST PLACE TO SIT AND ENJOY THE GOOD LIFE -
on the veranda at the B&B in Akaroa (Erica)
Kaikoura beach (Megan)
Forrest winery (Nolan)