Hwy #2 to Wellington

Best road signs so far:

On the highway: Bugger! I just missed the best lookout in the Northland, 200 feet back!
Sign on a camper sunroom: Buggers and Beer Here!
Sign for a hotel: The Waddle Inn

Great sense of humour in this country!

Fabulous drive...sunny and hot....through the interior and heading south to Wellington. No problems until about 50 km north of Wellington and just south of Featherston. We were about to enter the mountain pass when the weather changed. The wind became ferocious and it began to rain. Bob had to work really hard keeping WALUT on the road. We rounded a bend and police were all over the highway, stopping traffic. They told us we had to turn around and go back because the high winds in the mountains had already overturned a van and they wouldn't allow smaller trucks and vans to go through. We asked if there were campgrounds anywhere in the vicinity and they directed us back around 30 km to Greytown. We entered the grounds and immediately thought of the movie "Deliverance". We drove through a forest with low hanging branches and into a camp that had one lonely trailer. In actual fact, years ago in Canada, we would have found this camp to be luxurious however compared to those we'd experienced, it truly was rustic. There was no office to "check in" but a notice on the wall that said we had to pay before we stayed and we should see "Ed or Runella". After wandering around for a bit, we heard a door bang and a sweet little old man (Ed) appeared with a mop in his hand. Of course, in the atmosphere of a dark gloomy park and a darker day and my imagination, it could have been a weapon! Ed told us that the trailer belonged to a woman who had been there for 3 months. With no activity around her trailer, we immediately began to speculate whether she'd been dead or alive for 3 months. We were relieved to see her drive in and then to see runners galumping through the park. Several other camper vans arrived and almost immediately took off....not giving us much comfort.

We had an uneasy sleep with the high winds and rain continuing into the early morning...and waiting for the "Claw of Death" to scratch on our door....got up early and bolted. The next morning was beautiful and sunny and the park looked much more inviting I must say. Hey, for $15 it wasn't so bad!

We'd booked the ferry crossing from Wellington to Picton (South Island) so it was important to get through the mountains to catch the 12:00 sailing.

Cheers!
Sharon