I Got a Car!

I got a car!! Well, I’ve had it for a couple weeks, but I just haven’t gotten around to posting anything. Her name is Dory (fingers crossed she keeps swimming for the full year I have her!) and she is a 1995 Toyota Rav4, 4WD and manual. And yes, NZ drives on the left side of the road, so everything is a bit backwards… but the clutch is still the left-most pedal, so I’m good!

The place I got Dory from (Travel Cars NZ) converts cars for travel, so they put a twin size bed and storage in the back where the seats used to be. I’m currently making curtains for space. After I’ve done with that, I think it will be quite cozy.

The first day I had the car, I figured it would be good to get some driving practice, so I drove out to one of the nearby wilderness areas. The first place I stopped was Huia Point Lookout. I wasn’t originally intending to stop there, but I started seeing patches of water between the trees as I was driving and had to find a place to pull over.

After Huia Point, I continued to Whatipu Caves Track for a bit of a hike. The area was just gorgeous. It really looks like something out of Jurassic Park or Lord of the Rings. The track was a very easy little jaunt around the base of some cliffs. There were a few caves to explore some really nice views. I think if I went farther I would have come to a beach, but the track was a bit wet and I decided to stop once it disappeared into a pond. I did see a couple black swans feeding and making a nest in the pond before I left!

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All in all, it was a good day for a hike, and I’m very excited for all the future adventures in my new car!