That is not to say that a remote quiet country setting with its animal and bird life - and its associated smells doesn't have a certain appeal for many travellers.
Our plans are to head further north to explore the Yorkshire Dales and maybe even the Lake District if time allows. After just getting used to driving on the right hand side of the road in France we have had to reverse our thinking once again. British minor roads are always sealed but narrow and busy. Even in the remotest part of the country you are still likely to encounter another car coming the other way, so you have to be on your mettle. With Britain having 15 times the population of New Zealand, yet similar in size, it's easy to see that traffic can be an almighty squeeze.
The memories of our recent French experience are proving difficult to shake off, having folded our well-worn map for the last time. As Kiwis we were certainly greeted with a warm welcome everywhere we went. Sad to say that the French are not so accommodating when it comes to the Brits.
Like New Zealanders and the Aussies, there has long been the friendly rivalry between the two, but for various reasons the rift between the French and English goes deeper.
As with previous visits we have occasionally sensed a somewhat indifferent approach on walking into a shop, probably because we're seen as just another couple of pesky tourists from across the channel. The trick here is to quietly slip into the conversation that you are from Nouvelle-Zelande and I can pretty much guarantee that the eyes of your French host will light up and warm to you instantly.
They'll be quick to tell you about their visit to our "magnifique" part of the world, or how much they would love to go one day. Pour moi, J'aime bien la France and let's leave the Brits and the French to work through their differences between themselves.
After falling through the door after a hard day's sightseeing, popping a prepared meal from the supermarket into the microwave is a welcome change from having to put it all together from scratch. In Britain it's just a case of stocking up at Sainsbury's or Tesco's and taking it home to heat up, but in France, it's a little bit more complicated. Their Saute de Porc - prepak was delicieux, but the instructions often proved to be a challenge even for our pocket dictionary, like this one: Consiels de preparation. Percez l'opercule a plusiuers endroits a l'aide d'une forchette. Faites chauffer 2 a 3 minutes selon puissance de votre appareil. Agitez doucement et retirez a l'aide de la languette. (Pierce the top and microwave for 2 or 3 minutes.) Translating can be fun, but when you're tired and hungry, patience can be put to the test.
-Brian Holden has lived in Rotorua for most of his life and has been writing his weekly column for 11 years.
