This is the first of a series of supplemental entries I will be making alongside the daily blog. Enjoy!
Navigation
The sun is on the wrong side of Earth
in New Zealand.
Remember how in school, you were always
taught the sun rises in the east and sets in the west? That's still
true. The problem is, everything else about navigation was a lie.
Moss doesn't grow on the north side of trees, the sun doesn't pass
over the south, and you can't tell time by the sun's position in the
sky. At least, not the way we do at home.
Katie claims she hasn't had any
difficulty with this, but it is continually disconcerting to me to
look at the sun and watch it go from right to left instead of left to
right. It's WEIRD. And I keep having to reorient myself compared to
it. The other day, we were driving from Rotorua to Wellington, and I
felt like we were going north because the sun was behind us, but I
KNEW we were driving south.
The sun is on the wrong side of Earth
in New Zealand.
Transportation
Our server at Depot in Auckland was
also from the US, here on a working holiday visa for a year. He
taught us that ketchup is called tomato sauce here, that they say
“tor-til-ah” not “tor-tea-ya”, and that a lemon-lime-bitters
is a common drink order. He also said they have an efficient train
system for national travel. To date, I have seen one train running
along the hundreds of miles of track we've encountered. (Katie claims
she's seen two.) I feel betrayed, both by my server and my wife.
Driving and signposting
As in Britain, I feel the road and
traffic systems are easier to navigate here than they are in the US.
This is mostly due to the regular and common use of the roundabout. A
roundabout (or traffic circle for the heathens among you) is a circle
in place of an intersection, where cars enter and exit continuously
and entering cars yield to cars in the circle. It's easily the most
efficient way of running an intersection I've ever driven. There's no
waiting for long lights, and since everyone obeys the signaling laws
pretty clearly, people can easily enter and exit the roundabout with
minimal stress. Traffic flows more smoothly, and people seem to be
better drivers because of it. Also, drivers here are more patient,
allowing others the right of way by default. For example, truck
drivers on the single-lane highways will slow down and pull off to
the left (when it's safe), allowing the cars behind them to pass. I
can't think of a time that's ever happened back home.
On the other end of the spectrum, the
signposting here is abysmal. First of all, there is a serious dearth
of highway signs posted, particularly once you're on a long stretch.
When you're driving a road, there are no signs stating which highway
you're on past the initial turn point; you just have to hope you're
on the right road, no matter how many small forks you pass. Several
times, Katie and I have wondered if we've made a wrong turn, but the
only way to find out is to reach the next major intersection, where
there might be a sign that lists the roads in all directions. Even
then, many of the signs are unclear, and you're just guessing anyway.
What New Zealand lacks in directional
signs, they make up for in safe driving reminder signs. All along
major highways (especially Route 5) there are signs stating such
things as “Drive Fresh/Switch Drivers” and “Speed Kills/Slow
Down” and "Get It On/Seatbelts Save Lives". Every few kilometers there is another sign warning drivers
to be alert, slow down, and not be found drink-driving [sic]. While I
appreciate the focus on driver safety, it all seems a bit morbid,
especially when drivers can't be sure they're even going the right
way.
Finally, the major highways here don't
feel like major highways at all. As we all know, interstate routes
(and even state routes) in the US are heavily signposted, often with
barriers and medians throughout. In New Zealand, however, most of the
major routes are single-lane highways each way, with a perforated
white line down the center. More than once, Katie or I have remarked
that one might forget you're on a single-lane highway, since you
spend so much time on the road with few other cars around and there's
no median nor yellow dividing line. In certain places where the roads
start winding around mountains, the single or double yellow will
surface, but the vast majority of major highway time we've seen has
been akin to driving Sir Francis Drake Road in Fairfax, California.
Actually, Drake probably has a double yellow, now that I think about
it.
All of that said, I have really enjoyed
my driving experience here so far. As for driving on the left: like
I've said before, it's not hard. At this point, it's old hat again.
Except for that one time I almost made a long left at a major
intersection in Wellington.
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