Highway 1

As I set off driving south on Thursday morning, this is the landscape that greeted me along Highway 1. To get an idea of what Highway 1 is like, imagine if Tyne Boulevard stretched all the way down the coast and was the main highway between big cities, curvy and two lanes all the way (Atlanta residents, think Briarcliff Road). When Highway 1 hits a city or a town, it transforms into the main street, passing by storefronts and through a few roundabouts. Most of the small towns bear some resemblance to historic Franklin. On the map, you can see my route down Highway 1 from Christchurch to Oamaru, and then on to Dunedin.

It was a beautiful day to drive down the coast, and I got to Oamaru in time to have lunch and walk around the town square before heading to the penguin colony at 3:45 for a behind-the-scenes tour. After the tour and the penguin viewing, I still had about an hour and a half left to drive to get to Dunedin - in the dark. As beautiful as Highway 1 is during the day, it is just as spooky at night. There are no streetlights, and the road was pretty much deserted. Every time headlights came over a hill in the distance in the right lane, my first thought was, "Holy shit! They're in the wrong lane!" It was like a minor emergency every few minutes. The road into Dunedin curves sharply down a very steep hill, which was treacherous, but once I was in the city, I found my bed and breakfast with no problem. I even managed to parallel park my car on the left side of the road on High Street, a San Francisco-style super-steep Dunedin street. Here's a shot of my car (a Nissan Pulsar) outside the Grandview Bed and Breakfast.

I had originally booked the smallest room in the bed and breakfast, but a couple of weeks ago, the owner e-mailed me and told me that he had upgraded me to the largest room, the "Spa Room," at no cost because I was the only guest. Above on the right is a shot of my room, bed, bath, sink, and toilet all in the same space. There was also a fireplace with a vase and stereo system inside. The owner was out of town, but his friend Keith was looking after the inn. Keith was in his late sixties and very talkative. He and his wife had taken a three-month Greyhound tour around the United States, and he told me all about it. Who knew there was so much to complain about in the United States? He also told me all about his "super-annuity" (i.e., retirement or pension, which is of course not enough), and the details of his 2006 tax return. When I first arrived, he made a big deal out of how "romantic" the spa room was, even though I was obviously standing there with my backpack, tired and alone. At one point in the evening, I popped my head in the common room where Keith was watching television to ask him a question. "I'm sorry to bother you," I started out, but he interrupted me: "As John Wayne said, apology is a sign of weakness! Don't ever be sorry!" Thanks for the life lesson, Keith.

There's more to come about the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, yellow-eyed penguins at Sandfly Bay, and parrots at the Dunedin Botanic Garden. Stay tuned!