Pinup For Road Trips

“I still haven’t gotten past being wowed by the greenness of the countryside,” Chicago Tribune reporter Phil Marty writes on day three of a four-day driving trip from Auckland southward. “This country also could be the poster child for road trips,” Marty says. “Once you get past the matter of driving on the left, you’ll find polite drivers, friendly people and good roads that invite (and in many cases demand) leisurely driving through some of the prettiest country you’ll ever find. The Forgotten World Highway, between Taumarunui and Stratford, beckons the next day. After all, who can resist driving a road with a name like that? Then it’s on to the west coast and the beginning of the Surf Highway. Throughout the route, signs point toward the coast with the promise of ‘Surf Beach.’ So much to see, so little time.”