Coping with comfort zone when “by accident” you haven’t prepared enough!!

As you’ve probably guessed, we accidentally hadn’t prepared enough for our exotic trip down to the West Coast of The South Island. We’ve all experienced it at some point but maybe not dealt with the consequences as well as we had hoped.

Scenario one – We were headed for The West Coast of the South Island, I had left my poor little heart back in Nelson at the PICS peanut butter factory. So by default I was already on the back foot. I felt sad as I had become quite comfortable in Nelson, Jackie our very awesome Kiwi friend had looked after us and we had laughed a lot with her, joking that she was our NZ mummy. Packed to the brim with our top staples for survival… Bread, peanut butter, bananas, an array of different fruits and vegetables, and of course a full coffee kit including our own stove, hand grinder, whole coffee beans and our old faithful cafetiere cups.

We were embarking on a drive of 1127 kilometres in only 8 days, covering the top third of the island so as you can imagine nerves had bulldozed their way into my already claustrophobic mind. I love road trips it’s on the top of my list for things to do so the distance was a doddle but the time we had was too little, and time was not my only worry at this point. How would I cope, sleeping on the travel bed we had expertly crafted in the back of the Nissan. Some might call it “Glamping” but not me, it doesn’t scream comfort let alone any sort of glamorous, but still I would embrace our creativity and secretly call upon the universe to grant us situations where the only option would be to check in to a B&B. Little did I know that my wishing would come back to bite me in the butt in expenses later.

Scenario two – So with several things putting me on edge I worried how my temperament would affect the quality of this part of our trip. Winding our way through the endless bends in the narrow roads, up steep hills, dwindling in to low valleys and at times moving at a snails pace so as not to disturb the newly laid gravel on the roads. Our next quest was finding a place to indulge in our lunchtime special of avocado and tomato sandwiches washed down with a brew. Each stop we past looking more uninviting than the next; open spaces without any sort of trees or shrubbery, usually decorated with one soulless stone picnic table. Categorically if there had been a tumbleweed or two present I would have described it as a ghost town.

But not too far down the road we find a spot; no shade but we figure a quick stop will suit us. With the boot open in full swing making up delicious sandwiches, a burning sensation begins to engulf our ankles. After hopping from side to side, slapping our lower legs for a couple of minutes we agree maybe we should sit in the car for this particular lunch date. As we look through the boot half a dozen bumblebees have also joined the party, they must have smelt the array of different fruits in the car and somehow considered it an invite to our small but delicious lunch. We continue to dance around the car whilst tempting the bumblebees back out of the boot and finishing the prep for our lunch. To an outsider in this situation it’s possible our movements would have looked like an archaic ritual dance.

Finally after 15 minutes of chaos we’re back in the car eating our food, but still with a couple of unwanted guests ‘SAND FLIES’. Chuckling to ourselves as no one had warned us about these ill-mannered pests who’s soul purpose in life is to bite your skin before turning around to urinate in the same spot, I wonder if they provide anything to the eco-system? Proceeding to travel further into the depths of the West Coast we realize they are everywhere, little tiny black flies. They line every beach in sight and so no one ventures on to them, in fear they might be thrown into a frenzy of utter mayhem, unless of course you are able to cover yourself from head to foot in citronella spray.

Scenario three – Only day two of this terrific journey took us half the length of the Lewis Pass, a nature reserve surrounded by protective mountains and thick forest. With little time we weren’t able to go as far as the glaciers so we settled for untamed natural wilderness that encompassed spectacular rivers, rainforest and geology all composed within its own sub climate. I expect the wonderful views would have been mind blowing had the mist lifted in the hours we waited at the look out point recommended to us previously. We felt as though we had gone back in time as children, carefully slipping a cassette into a video player and waiting patiently while the screen depicts a continuous flow of grey lines filtering through from top to bottom, providing you with a feeling of annoyance and disappointment as you realize your favourite film is never going to materialise. If we’d had longer I would love to have sat quietly watching the beautiful tropical scene unfold in front of my eyes.

Our next port of call, Maruia Natural Hot Springs right is in the middle of the Lewis Pass. Typically the fly situation had gone from bad to worse and so the universe had presented us with an ultimately expensive yet beautiful experience, which allowed us to sleep in a comfy bed and enjoy 24 hour access to the pools and saunas. How could we resist when all that awaited us in the car was a sleepless night and nasty sand-fly bites from head to foot. It was unlike any other spa I have had the pleasure of indulging in before, the smell of sulphur dominated both nostrils and we were faced with black water. After doing a wee bit of research we came to know that the water flows naturally from the ground and is enriched with a slimy dark coloured algae, making it an ultimate substance to rub on your skin. What more could you ask for?

Sat peacefully enjoying our bathing we became aware that the swarm of bumblebees we had seen the previous day had made a comeback and were subsequently flying in and out of our amazingly white robes. We watched them for a few minutes before agreeing to let them extend their playtime. This was a misjudgment on our part, when minutes later an itching burning sensation on our ears began to feel very similar to our lunchtime escapade the day before. Sand flies again nibbling at our ears. We jumped up having had enough of all flying insects and soon James had locked himself in a terrifying dual as a warrior of sorts, with two-dozen bumblebees as he attempted to rescue our robes, which of course came with consequences. With three or four stings on his legs he in my opinion had got off lightly. Except when poor James rose from his deep slumber in the morning, his ear had swollen up twice the size, looking very much like a marshmallow. It’s safe to say we drove out of the Lewis Pass as quick as we could and landed ourselves in Christchurch where it took 3 days to nurse James’s ear back to it’s normal size.

You could sum up that this particular blog is possibly one of the most long-winded ways that any human could take to explain that “You can’t plan every detail so be prepared to feel out of your comfort zone and start being alright with it”!! You will feel vulnerable, damn right uncomfortable, occasionally injured and usually for some reason sleep deprived no matter how organized you are with your plans. But as we’ve discovered before, to manage your unfathomable emotions during these times is something that can be worked on and is the key to longevity. It takes time and patience and most importantly understanding that you don’t have to act like you’re ok all the time if you’re really not feeling ok, all you really need is acceptance from yourself. Learn with each scenario and embrace your vulnerability, “Roll with the Punches”.

Anyways there are a couple of pictures below just to show how misty it was on our trip. But the colours would have been sublime had it been a sunny clear day 🙂 i’ve also thrown a couple in of our spa experience too.

Lots of Love Peaches xxx