Wheels

To continue a theme... As Steve (Stokesy) pointed out, "the best laid plans..." You can see where this is going. One thing I had loosely planned to do in New Zealand was buy a car to tour the country and sell it again at the end, ideally buying and selling cannily so as not to lose too much money, or perhaps even make a profit. Many of you will know that I drive an MX-5 back in the UK, and have done for years, because it's such an enjoyable car to drive. Hence, the prospect of driving NZ's legendary scenery and roads in the same sort of car was enticing. So, my grand plan was to buy a used MX-5 in NZ. I even checked out prices before I left the UK.

However, to cut a long story short, it was all taking too long. Time I'd rather be spending exploring the country rather than buying a vehicle I was only going to have to spend more time selling again after a couple of months. One problem was that Auckland is so spread out. There were several MX-5s for sale in the area but although Auckland has 'only' around a million inhabitants, it covers an area about twice the size of London! So just travelling to see them was a challenge in itself. (Auckland isn't known for its public transport system.) Another concern was the speed of selling a car when it came to the end of my time in NZ. I didn't want to lose a week or more out of my round the world trip while waiting for something as mundane as selling a car. Last, but my no means least, NZ law requires a vehicle's 'Warrant of Fitness' (a bit like our MOT) to be no more than a month old when selling, meaning I would have to get one done, meaning the possibility of unexpected bills.

So, on balance, I grudgingly resigned myself to the fact that I'd be better hiring a car, which you can do here for very reasonable rates due to all the competition. To keep the cost down, and because I'm travelling solo and hence not sharing the cost with anyone, but on the other hand not needing much space, I looked at the budget end of the market. A small, economical (but gutless!) hatchback could be mine for NZ$32 per day (about 12 pounds sterling). So off I went to have a closer look at what I would be subjecting myself to for the next eight weeks - I didn't want to pay my money and be stuck with a banger with each wheel pointing in a different direction and the gearstick coming off in my hand!

Walking between two of the hire car depots, I happened to pass a place called 'Alternative Rental Cars' with no less than four MX-5s parked up. Of course, I just had to enquire. Their advertised rate was $55/day but they must have been keen to drum up business because they offered me one for $35/day and no one-way drop-off fee (I was hiring in Auckland but dropping off in Christchurch). I thought about it for a while... but not for long! Hmm, soul-destroying hatchback or open-top sportscar, tough choice! The following day I collected the car, bought a tent and a sleeping bag and hit the road!

So here we are, back to that recurring theme: plans. I won't go on about it in every post (I promise!) but there we are, plans go wrong sometimes. But things usually come right in the end, and this certainly did. For the past week I've been zipping my way up the winding coastal roads of northeast New Zealand and thoroughly enjoying it. Great weather, fantastic roads and hardly any traffic. Bliss!