On Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:04:33 +1200, lid
wrote:



Although seaeagle sounds pretty snarly there is some truth in the
post. New Zealand is a country of incredible beauty, but the roads are
often narrow and twisty. Camper vans and trucks are a particular
nuisance as they tend to block traffic and make driving a headache.

The suggestion to go with a car and motel makes sense-parking in the
cities will be easier and getting ofver the mountains and around the
curves much less work and more holiday.

Snarly is one way of looking at it. Another would be feed-up with
roadhog campervans driven by idiots.

We live in Northland in a rural-coastal area around a 35 to 45 minute
drive from Whangarei. Our local roads are narrow, winding and poorly
maintained.

To get stuck behind some fool in a campervan (or a convoy of
campervans) who won't pull over can add another ten minutes and a lot
of frustration to the journey and it's not as if we benefit in any way
from the influx of visitors to our area over a four or five month
period each year.

But we're willing to be good hosts to these uninvited visitors as long
as they are willing to be good guests. Unfortunately, many of the
Europeans who visit - especially Germans - treat local amenities and
residents as if they were created to serve them and their needs. And
they're noisy beyond belief.

I have been on those roads that you describe and fully sympathize both
as a tourist and one who has lived in tourist courntry.

My only regret about visiting your part of New Zealand, I didn't stay
long enough. (Had one of the best meals ever at A Deco in Whanerei.