I am turning into my parents.

Both of them. At the same time.

I am currently driving around the lower north of the North Island of NZ with my friend S.

The three pictures on this post represent:

(1) A tour around a place of horticultural interest (the Zealong Tea Estate).
(2) The gold mine at the edge of Waihi which S. and I stopped to admire.
(3) The bed and breakfast at which we are staying tonight.

I have also been:
- identifying plants as we walk around (courtesy of what I learned at the Zealandia sanctuary in Wellington)
- speculating on the possible botanical families of other plants, based on their similarities to Australian plants
- taking photos of plants and playing with the settings of my camera while I do so
- taking random side roads on the basis they go in the right general direction and might lead somewhere interesting (actually, only done this once or twice but it feels like more, given the general nature of NZ roads)
- discussing horticultural matters with our host at the B&B

All of these things demonstrate the assertion in the post title.

Hmm.

Something about this country

I took a couple of guided tours in Wellington, and in each of them, there were several little things the respective guide got wrong (often basic things which they would have been able to get right had they only read their own brochures). Makes it difficult to then trust them on, you know, anything else.

There was also the driver of the bus from the airport whose ticket machine didn't work and who refused to take our money and drive us to the city on the basis he would expose himself to theft charges if he couldn't give us tickets (um, no).

Anyway, I am currently on a bus from Wellington to Auckland.

Turns out that, earlier this morning, there was a serious crash on the main highway a couple of hours north of Wellington. The highway is closed. (I understand nobody was hurt.)

At a particular point in the highway, there is a detour in place, with a couple of road workers letting people know what was going on. They told the bus driver that there were trucks on fire and the whole road was closed and that she should turn off the main highway and follow the detour signs. At least, I'm pretty positive that's what I heard, and it's supported by the news articles I've been able to find online.

There ensued a discussion between the driver and a couple of people in the front seats during which:
- the driver asserted the accident had been cleared up and that there were only roadworks
- the driver indicated she had no idea where she was or where she was going
- one of the passengers indicated she had a connection from the next stop and she was concerned she might miss it
- the bus driver ignored the detour sign
- the bus driver complained about the fact that they keep doing roadwork and closing both lanes, that they make the road narrower and that it's dangerous for trucks - after having driven about 5 m behind a car, which had kids in it, at 100 km/hr, for quite a distance

Anyway, the same passenger as had the connection then directed the bus through a slightly different detour.

(The conversation later included the driver saying "they should have put detour signs out"!)

Things I am now wondering:
- Why doesn't the bus company give drivers an update on this kind of thing?
- Why didn't the driver actually listen to the road workers or follow the detour sign or stop and look at a map?
- Why hasn't the driver contacted the bus company, whether to find out information or provide it (eg to ask the connecting bus to wait)?

And overall: does everyone in this country live in a little bubble where they make up their own information and neither listen to anyone else, ask for information nor share information for the greater good? (Although I guess, on the basis of my experiences, I understand why you might not want to trust the information anyone else gives you.) Or is it only Wellingtonians?

Guess I'll find out in Auckland.

What, no gumboots?

Selected highlights from Wellington, NZ:
- Glow worms on my first night in town. Humid but no longer raining and (relatively) warm - apparently perfect conditions for them. Moonless night. They were spectacular.
- The sheer amount of nature in this city.
- Finding a book of stories inspired by Katherine Mansfield. Almost as good as finding new stories by KM herself.
- Bohemein chocolates.
- Te Papa and building isolators.
- The Meeting Tree - an Ethiopian restaurant on Tory St.
- And absolutely not least: getting to hang out with my friends K & J, and their incredible generosity.

Given the weather, I am a bit surprised about the general absence of gumboots.