Lower Hutt - Hastings

Trip Start Nov 04, 2007

Trip End Dec 06, 2007

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Flag of New Zealand Hastings, New Zealand
Saturday, November 10, 2007

All attempts to get the kids to bed earlier so they'd wake in time for an early start failed and we dragged them into their chairs for a 9am departure. Instead of taking SH2 towards Hastings, we ended up at the top of a very narrow hill in Wellington with nowhere to go except down. Very narrow and windy. Got a good photo though.
Finally found our way to SH2, only to be waylaid by a group of cyclists who, it has to be said, looked quite amateurish. Apart from not knowing when to pull left, they clipped each others' wheels and sent one guy flying into a pedestrian refuge island. They had to call an ambulance, but I think he was OK. Let's just pretend he was, because I don't actually know and it is better for everyone concerned.
SH2 is a very pretty road, but quite hair raising in parts. We stopped for a milkshake at Greytown, only to discover they didn't take credit cards, and our EFTPOS card wasn't working. Travelling on to the next town confirmed that it wasn't their machine, but our cards are not accepted in NZ. Bummer. If they don't take credit we will have trouble paying...
Anyway, we found a milkshake place that took credit, at Carterton, or was it Masterton, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. For now.
Lunch was at Waipukurau, where we played again on the swing set/slippery dip.
Off to Hastings, where we set up camp amongst the Primera car weekend kids. The Primera is the car of choice in NZ, apparently, and they have a whole weekend dedicated to loving it. I can't for the life of me see the charm in what is essentially a Nissan Pintara, but who am I to judge?