Category: Random

Make it fun no matter how crazy it seems.

We always talk about life being a journey, well I like to think that it’s more of a travel adventure. And to prove my point, life can send you on a merry dance, and you feel like you’re going round in circles. It’s entirely your choice how you decide to embrace it. Will you get annoyed? Or Will you make the most of it and enjoy the ride?

An example of this happened to me recently.

I was invited to stay with some friends who had hired a home in a picturesque part of the Coromandel. My friend had texted me a few days before with the address; 5 Scenic Place. They had arrived the previous day, and I received a text telling me that it was an incredibly steep driveway and I should be careful.

This particular place was several hours drive, so I planned to leave in plenty of time to call in to see my brother en route. Now I must add here that it has been quite some time since I had driven north of Tauranga and so I was utterly shocked at the number of roadworks that were taking place.

It always has been a rotten stretch of road between Tauranga and Katikati, but the signs saying Omokora to Waihi upgrade did not bode well. As I approached the notorious Apata part of number two state highway, I could see this was going to be a very L..O…N….G trip.

A journey that used to take half an hour stretched into an hour, but it didn’t stop there as more roadworks cropped up along the way. Finally, the road was clear. Over the hills I travelled to get to Whangamata, enjoying the glorious sunshine and free driving. Didn’t last! The journey was suddenly stymied by the ignorant, inconsiderate campervan driver who has no idea how to be courteous to the banked up vehicles behind.

Finally!!! I arrived at my brother’s home and had just enough time to say hello, have a hug, a bit of a chat before I was off on the road again, navigating through the endless lines of vintage vehicles which were pouring into Whangamata for the yearly Beach Hop gathering.

But at last. The freedom of the highway.

Putting the address into Google maps, I was a little perplexed to see that Scenic Place became Scenic Drive and wasn’t strictly at the particular wee beach I thought, but the one next to it. Oh well, perhaps there was a bit of confusion – I know I get a bit disorientated as there are several beaches very close to each other, and I can never remember which is which.

So, putting trust in the GPS, I sailed off in the direction the nice Google lady told me to go. However, arriving at number 5, I discovered two things.

1. The drive was perfectly okay and
2. The people in the house were not my friends.

After speaking to them, it was evident that I was at the wrong beach.

Hmmm, oh well, it was a beautiful day and not dinner time yet, so I called my friend and left a message and decided that I would head to the beach she has given me and ask someone there where Scenic Place was. Perhaps it was in a new subdivision, and Google hadn’t caught up????

Once there, I spied the cutest restaurant in an old church and decided that, surely, someone in there would know. As there were no patrons, the owner and the chef were out on the deck enjoying a beer. I was in luck. They had all the time needed to try and figure out where the elusive street would be.

These two fine gentlemen had never heard of this particular street. So, I explained the steep driveway adding that my friends were in a four-bedroom AirB&B. This led the restaurant owner to make a couple of phone calls, and finally, everyone agreed that, in all likelihood, the street was Sally Place as it fitted the description.

Please know, Reader, that I was continuing to try and reach my friend.

I logged the new address into Google, and off I went telling these nice restauranteurs that if I had no luck, I’d come back for a beer and wait till my friend got in touch with me.

The driveways sure were steep on Sally Place. Finding number 5 was rather a mission though, as it was like a rabbit warren of houses dotted on the hill, and most of them were very obviously empty.

Try and I might I could not find 5. It was there somewhere but well hidden. So time to ask again. Another very obliging chap came to the door, and when he found out what I was looking for, he went back inside and returned with an aerial map in hand of his home and surrounding houses.

We found number 5 on the map, the one with the white roof. So, back halfway down the hill, I turned off onto another driveway that weaved back up the hill heading for 5.

• Again, I was thwarted as the couple I could see on the balcony were definitely not my friends.
• Again, a keen stranger was eager to help solve this mystery. But alas, we were stumped.

No problem. I figured I’d head back to the church restaurant and wait it out. But there was no need as just as I was back on the flat ground my phone rang and it was my friend.

She was genuinely so sorry; she had forgotten to add the actual street name. You see, the house was named Scenic Place, and the street was Francis Drive.

It was well worth the time and effort to get there. Yes, it was a steep driveway, but the view from the balcony was spectacular and the company of my friends magical. And as a plus, I’d met some lovely people along the way. Such is life being a travel adventure!

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