Another police encounter
Got out of Nelson today, and made it here in 4 hitches – a German woman, then a Kiwi guy, then a Kiwi woman, and lastly a female police officer!! That was my first time getting a ride with the Fuzz in New Zealand. She was really a cool lady. She even let me sit in the front seat! I told her how in New York State once I got picked up by a cop who lectured me about how hitching is illegal and then proceeded to give me a ride but made me sit in the back, and she thought it was really funny that hitching was illegal in New York.
Actually both Kiwi women today told me how they wished they were travelling around like me. Sort-of gave me some perspective and made me appreciate my circumstance again. I am really fortunate to be here and to be healthy and to be travelling the world. (mantra: repeat 5x daily)
On the way here I stopped in Motueka to buy my tramping grub for the next 5 days. Tomorrow I head out on the Abel Tasman Track, the most visited trail in all of New Zealand, so no, I’m not expecting any kind of Zen with nature and the true wild, but I’ve got to see what the hype is about. I plan to travel north on the coastal route and then return south via the inland track – that’s a different spin than the normal costal-only deal. There are loads of people in the campground here, so my only hope at avoiding the masses is to get an EARLY start.
Add comment February 26th, 2003
