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Christmas Present from New Zealand
Christmas Present from New Zealand
On the 24th of December I woke up in the cabin of a fishing boat for the first time in my life. The boat, "Anita Rosa" rested in a small fishing port of Tutukaka in the northern region of the North Island of New Zealand.
YAMAHA SR-250
"Anita Rosa"
In the sea 25 kilometers away from the port, Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve, which is known as one of the best diving spots of the world, is located."Yamaha SR 250", the motorbike that I had bought in Auckland, had already transported me more than 1500 kilometers - through a big tree forest of kauri, to the lighthouse at the northern-most tip of New Zealand and to a hot spring on a hill. It was the sixth day of may motorbike trip.New Zealanders are very kind and friendly. Two days before an old farmer whom I met at the hot spring pool invited me to his farmhouse, and the day before the owner of the charter fishing boat allowed me stay in his cabin.The roads in New Zealand are easy for driving thanks to the small number of motor cars and traffic lights. What a wonderful trip! The beautiful sea was waiting for me that day.The sea of Poor Knights Islands is deep and dark.
The northernmost cape in New Zealand
A mass of fish forms a blue river shining in the sea. In this island it is allowed to fish only a kingfish, snapper and "pink fish", the name of which I don't remember. Conservation of nature is strict in New Zealand. The government sends a person to prison who is caught illegally fishing.I dived in the sea with a fishing spear for the pink fish that swam in the blue fish-river. The water of the sea was freezingly cold. New Zealand suffered extraordinarily cold summer this year. However, I shiveringly dived deeper and deeper for the fish. At this moment I heard strange sound in my right ear. My eardrum bursted! The boat returned to the port at dusk. I was driving back to Whangarei to take a bath in a hot spring pool on the Holy Night. I enjoyed an easy ride through mildly waving meadows.Meanwhile I came to a winding road on a hill. Blind corner! When I turned my motorbike to the left, I suddenly found a red car rushing toward me, about 100 meters in front of me. I guessed the driver was trying to make a short cut, but in fact he had lost his control of his car on the previous corner. Immediately I turned the bike to the left, to the edge of my lane. BUT! He also turned to the same direction!! "What the hell are you doing?!" In a moment I found myself flying high in the air over the car like Superman. When I became conscious, I saw some faces looking into me. An old man, who looked like Hemingway and called himself Ray, asked me some questions. I asked him back on the contrary.
"What happened? ... Traffic accident!?" My motorbike was mangled . The red car was heavily damaged, too. However, I was fortunately still alive. I was also able to walk. I said to the young driver, "I am OK, but are you OK, too?" Motocar is a hard suit of armor. In it, he wasn't hurt at all. Just a little later a young doctor, police car, tow car and ambulance came. Now there were lots of people on the hill road where there wasn't so much traffic. The beautiful doctor took me to her clinic. The witness Ray accompanied us with his son. Ray suggested to her that I could stay in his home until I recovered. She accepted his offer because I had neither cuts nor broken bones.
Ray took good care of me after the accident.
Afterwards Ray took good care of me as if I were his own son - preparing food, washing my clothes, making a phone call to my Kiwi friends in Papakura, making contact with the driver and the insurance company, taking care of the broken bike, writing witness documents of the accident, confirmation of the police procedure and even midnight observation of my physical condition. I was just like a patient under intensive care.The driver ringed Ray twice and I talked to him once. He asked me, "How are you?", but he didn't say "I'm sorry." Is this from the cultural difference? I was told he would lose his driver's license for a year. I am sorry for him.In all I stayed in Ray's place for 5 days with three of his sons. One of them gave me a ride to Papakura on the last day.The Christmas of this year gave me some pains in my ear and shoulder, however, it gave me, in turn, heartful friendship from New Zealanders. The farmer, the boat owner, Ray and his sons ... Do we still have such a beautiful mind, as they do, with which one welcomes foreign tourists? The Japanese certainly have an illusion that the country is one of the richest countries of the world. The economy of New Zealand is now almost in crisis. According to the statistics of 1987, GNP per capita in New Zealand is one-third of Japan. The level of life in this country, however, is doubtlessly higher than in Japan. New Zealand is very rich. Its nature, people and their life are beautifully shining.
Ranch in New Zealand. I slamed the brakes on and suffered the first fall from the bike to take this photo. A part of my palm skin was torn and dangled like a tongue.
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