We miss New Zealand already

"New Zealand is cute," Katrina said at one point. She said it without irony, and it was not meant to be patronizing. Leah and I were here 20 years ago--hitchhiking across the country--and we were delighted on this trip that the country had preserved its friendly, laid back character. (And the food is now MUCH better.)

We knew we were no longer in New Zealand when the Melbourne immigration officer reprimanded us for not having our forms properly organized. (In her defense, they had just foiled a planned terrorist attack on the city.) Still, every New Zealand official asked excitedly about our travel plans and wanted to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves. One guy repeatedly told me to be careful while driving on the left side of the road. (Only twice did I turn into the wrong lane, and only once into oncoming traffic.)

So, here is our final homage to New Zealand. We've posted plenty of pretty pictures from the trek and other adventures, but one thing about New Zealand is how pretty it can be while doing normal things. Here are some pictures we took just in the course of traveling around--while we were driving, or walking to dinner, or doing something else.

One of our favorite stops along the way was a hippyish camper park in Golden Bay. We had our own little cabin. Each night the owner fired up a pizza oven in the center of the camp and offered up free pizza dough to anyone who brought their own fixings. The result was a charming evening, shared with the eccentric guests. Very New Zealand.