On a road trip to settle his youngest son into university and as he prepares for an empty nest, Andrew Dickens is proud of his country - and his boys.
I had a road trip last week, up and down the North Island. From Auckland, to Napier, then onto Wellington. From Wellington it was back up State Highway 1 to Turangi and then back into Auckland where we were welcomed by a 15km jam as motorists overreacted to roadworks. Welcome home.
It was great to see the country, and the country is looking great. The Waikato is booming, but starting to brown off. Even that wasn't a patch on Hawke's Bay, which is dryer than I've ever seen. Field after field of grass burned beyond brown, but to an unearthly blonde colour. On the top of Te Mata Peak we could see the charred ground of the Waimarama fires. As the people of Christchurch will attest it's a scary and worrying sight. But three cruise ships were in port, and the Art Deco weekend was about to start, and the place was humming with activity and business.
Wellington seems to be buzzing as well. Wasn't it John Key who said the town was slowly dying? Maybe he should have got out more. But Wellington - your road congestion in the city is getting crazy. The Auckland disease is spreading.
Turangi was also thumping. We got the last free room in town as the fisherpeople descended in force. Turangi is a hidden gem in plain view. Hurry before the prices go mental there as well. Turangi was special for Helen and I as it was one of the few times we had a night in a town without one or the other of the lads tagging along. It was easy and free and something that will happen more often. But more on that later.
