Two Weeks Ago, After Easter

I was driving home from Tākaka and enjoying the beautiful fall colors taking over Motueka Valley. Autumn came on pretty quick here in Christchurch–what I thought was going to be a cold snap turned out to be Autumn coming in fast and with barely any warning! So I wasn’t feeling great about the sudden change in season. But after getting a bit of sunshine on my face and driving through such a beautiful area, I felt better.

Since I wasn’t in any hurry, I made a few stops along the way. Tākaka Hill is always great for a view, but I wanted to pay a visit to the river too. After winding through orchards and hop farms, I eventually found a nice spot to pull off and walk along the water. I wandered for a few minutes, dipping my fingers into the cool water and taking a few pictures of the sparkling river, before walking back toward my car.

Suddenly, a puppy started running at me, followed by a man yelling, “Sugar, no!” Once he realized that I didn’t have a dog, he calmed down. “She’s great with people but not so much with other dogs.” I leaned over to pet the wriggling pup–a Sharpei-Huntaway mix, full of energy.

Then he spotted my camera and said that there was a spot I would want to see and photograph, so I followed him back toward the river. He excitedly pointed out a rock that looked like a whale, and I snapped a few photos of it. Then we got to chatting for a while, and I learned more about him (Dwayne), the puppy Suga (not sugar, like I thought), and the older dog Roxy.

Dwayne built a trailer out himself that he lives in full-time. “I love it! I’ve got so much freedom. My friends, they work for the man and they’re all unhappy. But I go wherever I want.” As a former car-dwelling nomad, I was thrilled to meet someone enjoying the lifestyle so much. He gets to spend time with his dogs and enjoy the beauty of Aotearoa. There’s even a wood-burning stove inside his trailer! So cool.

Dwayne is very observant of the wildlife he shares his space with. While we were chatting, he pointed out a pair of ducks that hangs out nearby, a diving kōtare (kingfisher), and a shag (cormorant) flying over.

After saying goodbye to Dwayne and the pups, I felt energized. He was kind to me and excited about life, and it was great to have a nice yarn to help break up the road trip. I’ll never get tired of that friendly New Zealand attitude that most people have here, and I’ll certainly never get tired of long drives around the island where I get to experience beautiful places and people like this one.