Day 2 (may 15th)

I get up and can’t find Wayne so I decide to write him a little note of thanks, leave him a small bit of cash for his ridiculously good hospitality and also one of the shell rings I had collected from Mount Maunganui beach as he admired the one I was wearing yesterday a few times. I do a few errands in town and have a coffee. Blenheim town is quite ‘meh’. I feel bad describing it like this, but, I don’t think New Zealand can boast about it’s towns and vilages. Yes there are the cool vibrant cities like Wellington but the towns to me, on the whole are merely just aesthetically unimpressive service centres. But it’s okay because EVERYTHING else makes up for it. Before I know it’s 3pm so I rush back, grab my mother of a suitcase and get on the road to hitch to Kaikoura. After an hour I’m unsuccessful and hungrily eyeing up the Burger King across the road. But bam, Steve, a wood-cutter and volunteer fire-man picks me up and brings me 24k to Seddon where he lives. He drops me at the town (the one shop), tells me to hitch until it starts to get dark in half an hour when he’ll come back and if I haven’t been picked up I can stay with him and his wife for the night – perfect example of Kiwi hospitality. After 5 minutes I am picked up by a middle-aged lady and her daughter. The lady loves talking, the daughter loves her earphones, so I quite happily listen to her babble without having to try get a word in edgeways. Suits me! By the time we arrive in Kaikoura it’s 7pm and pretty dark so I check into my hostel, the Sunrise Inn, cook some food and plan the next day.

Oh my day was made when I suddenly get a text from Wayne saying 'Yvonne! You rock! Thank you so much for the wonderful gift...the ring is so nice, I really like the colour inside the spiral. Your smile has left an imprint on Jacks. Thank you so much for your stay. Take care out there and stay safe...and remember to always smile at the world...cause the whole world is smiling at'. I go to bed happy thinking its one of the nicest texts I've ever received.