Headin' Down The Kerikeri Highway...

So after the week of housekeeping and repeatedly comparing myself to Cinderella, I decided to jump ship and head north where I've felt most at home during this trip, Kerikeri.  I also knew chances were high that I would get a job.

It was a Wednesday morning.  I had orignially designated this day as an application day- a day to act awkwardly chipper while handing in resumes. As you can imagine, I began this Wednesday by waking up slowly, deciding how I was going to procrastinate (some things never change).  While standing in the kitchen, I was startled by a "goodmorning" from hostel mate, Fatima.  Fati is a tall, skinny, bronzed and BEAUTIFUL 20 year old Argentinean girl.  She has plans to hitchike all of the South Island, solo. I think she is crazy but I decide to help her practice hitchiking, the perfect procrastination.  I have slim to none experience, so in actuality, we were both newbies.

The sun was bright, the clouds were MIA and the heat was dripping.  Clearly, the only place to go was  a beach. Paihia is the closest beach town (about a 30 min drive) and a 10 minute ferry ride from Paihia brings you to another Island: Russell- home of some of New Zealand's millionaires. Our goal was set, Russell it was. We start the walk. I had little faith... 3 minutes later, a police car pulls over.

My heart skips a beat. "Is it illegal to hitchike in New Zealand? But everyone does it?!"

The window rolls down and the Officer asks where we're going. Yes folks, we got picked up by Officer Mark who happened to be the only police officer in Russell. Lets go over that again: 1. picked up by a police officer while hitching 2. this police officer was driving to Russell and 3. he is the only police officer on that island of a population near 800.

We should have played the lottery.

What I learned:

• police officers in NZ can carry firearms depending on there situation. Mark has one because he's the only police officer on the island. generally speaking, police officers are unarmed in NZ besides some pepper spray and a baton.
• nz police officers get to use vacation homes located all over new zealand, including big cities, for only 50 dollars a week
• faux hawk hairstyles are not just for twenty something year olds. 
• Russell has the oldest "police station" (Mark gave us a tour of his house which is connected to the police station). The "police station" was a small room with no holding area.

After declining to join Mark for lunch, Fati and I headed to the beach and toasted in the sun a bit.  A few hours later, we hopped on a ferry back to Paihia and continued our hitching journey back to Kerikeri.

After 5 minutes of extending our thumbs, we were picked up by a small pick-up truck- the 3 of us squeezed together like sardines in the front seat.  While opening Stellas with a lighter, Shimon, an Israeli who has been living in New Zealand for 15 or so years, invited us to a small gathering he was having on the weekend (we never went). Shimon was a bit of crazy, but a nice crazy.  He offered us a beer and because it is legal to drink in a vehicle as a passenger, I had no choice but to accept.  I am trying to fit in.

Eventually, we made it home safe- best hitch hiking day ever.