[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg_0ggp7bMI&w=560&h=315]
This is what summer’s all about
in New Zealand:
It’s about sitting by a river
with your two dogs
(even if your particular two dogs
are freaked out by rivers)
it’s hoping your favourite pink
jandals
hang in for another year
it’s about itchy feet
because you forgot to put your socks on
sitting round the fire
last night, it’s about talking to strangers
about stories
from last year, like the storm
that had the warden open up the Lodge
and when campers left the next morning
they just left all their broken tents behind.
it’s towels, wetsuits, washing and solar showers
hanging in trees
it’s knowing that when someone asks to take a look at the layout of your camper
they’re not trying to case the joint
they genuinely want to see
if there’s some little set-up
they can emulate
in their own van.
And apparently summer in NZ is also
sitting in your van
Main Street Masterton
taking 90 minutes
to upload 90 seconds of video.
I wanted to capture the brighter shade of green I have been talking about
but since I was using my video camera this photo came out all dull
and not brighter
at all, which is why I brightened it up
myself
using Photoshop. Which is totally cheating
and I promise to bring you some non-doctored evidence
of the brighter shade of green
I was telling you about.
PS: I’m at Mt Holdsworth, which is on the eastern side of the Tararua Ranges, just north of Wellington (capital of NZ, bottom of the north island).
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Mount+Holdsworth,+Wellington,+New+Zealand&aq=2&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.139534,61.962891&vpsrc=6&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Mt+Holdsworth,+Wellington,+New+Zealand&ll=-40.90453,175.493886&spn=1.230992,1.93634&t=m&z=9&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
It costs $6 per night per adult to stay here
there’s a humungous camping area so it’s easy to find
some privacy if that’s what you like.
The Tararua’s are one of NZ’s many National Parks,
administered by D.O.C (Department of Conservation).
If you’re thinking of coming to NZ
and you like nature and things, these are the places to go.
As compared to some camping grounds which can charge $20 per night
and often aren’t nearly so pretty.
Hmm. Although
they do have showers and kitchens
and washing machines
and don’t see you faffing about
having a ‘sponge bath’ in the rain
behind your car
in the bushes.