Grand Tour South XV

We extended our break and had three days relaxing at Hahei, it was good not having to drive anywhere and also not having to end our holiday so soon but we couldn’t put it off forever. The forecast was for rain but we set off with the roof down and had a good run over the ranges and across the Hauraki Plains, climbing up the Bombay hills we could see rain ahead so we took the Ramarama off ramp and put the roof up just as it started to pour. We stopped at the kennels and once again had to make room for the dog. It was a tight squeeze but with the roof up there was a fraction more space behind the seats. Back on the motorway it was a slow but steady trip back to the big smoke. Rear visibility was even less with a muzzle and big pink tongue in the rear view mirror. Leaving the motorway we threaded our way through the suburbs to home, unloaded the car and backed the car down the drive. The trip meter was reading 3,224 miles after 24 days away. It had been a tiring trip at times but we had seen a huge amount of the country, the car had mostly behaved well and proved comfortable with no sore backs or bums. It was a great place to view the country from. With the top down you had the full panorama of mountains and sky, and experienced the sounds and smells (some good, some bad) of the countryside. If you have any Alfa, especially a Spider you owe it and yourself the experience of the South Island roads. It was an unforgettable experience and made us keen to see more. Maybe not in the Spider next time and also we would probably take the time to explore a small section more thoroughly rather than race past to the next destination.Anyway there's a baby on the way so summer holidays will never be the same.