RWB New Zealand
There is nothing more invigorating than exploring a new road alongside a beautiful landscape. Our world has many roads to travel on, but I think New Zealand is among the most amazing — in terms of beauty, navigation and pure experience.
But it's not just the beautiful landscapes that makes the experience great - traffic, weather, routes, people, and your ride make all the difference too...
My journey began on a hot summers afternoon. It was Sunday the 14th of February, Valentine's Day. I packed my bags, said goodbye to my parents and my Valentine AKA my car, then jetted off on my first solo trip overseas and man was I excited! I couldn't wait to spend a week in the town my Dad was born in (yep, I'm half Kiwi!) and see just how incredible these roads really were.
The second I got dropped off at the airport and checked everything in, I pulled out my iPhone and began screenshotting a million photos on Instagram that I found inspiring (see above). And I am barely exaggerating when I said a million photos, I actually broke the home button on my phone!
BTW does anyone else have a thing for road shots? They tend to motivate me to stay driven and remind me that our lives are filled with endless possibilities, so I made it my mission to try and get my own photos of the roads and hidden gems in New Zealand, but with an added twist...
Day 6 of my week long adventure in the North Island of New Zealand arrived, and I was about to embark on a road trip like no other...
Remember how I mentioned I wanted some road shots with an added twist? Well this was a sight I had only dreamed of. Rolling behind not one, but two Carrera 4 964 Porsches in peak hour traffic.... RWB Style.
The destination: Kapiti Island, about an hour south of Palmerston North.
We began our journey down south after making a quick pit stop to fill up the two cars.
With one lane going in and one lane going out, our convoy of cars and camera crew (FULL VIDEO HERE) caused quite the traffic jam and given that these two Porsches were the first of its kind in New Zealand, you could only imagine the types of looks we were getting. Just about every person we passed stopped what they were doing and stood in absolute awe.
And they weren't the only ones in awe. I couldn't believe my eyes. Here I was in another country, cruising with two RWB's.
As we went through corner after sweeping corner, dipping down and then rising up over the rolling hills, I tried to capture as many photos as possible. But at the same time I wanted to put my camera away and just be in the moment.
CARS ASIDE, CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE HOW BEAUTIFUL NEW ZEALAND IS?!
The scenery is just so breathtaking, with panoramic vistas all round and the roads were so smooth compared to what I am used to back in Sydney!
I think these are the types of roads you need to drive twice, once as the driver and then in the passenger seat to take it all in.
And if you're going to be in the passenger seat to take it all in, you may as well do it in style, right?
Here is Nakai-san in the passenger seat of the car he just built... taking it all in. No, you're not seeing things and yep those are feet out the window!
The entire drive down we were alongside some of the most majestic mountains I had ever seen. New Zealand really is a place like no other, and this was only the North Island, apparently the roads and landscapes on the South Island are just as good, if not better.
As we descended down south, making a few left and right turns into town, we finally reached our destination which overlooked Kapiti Island. Kapiti Island is one of New Zealand's oldest and most important nature reserves, and a place rich in human history. It's also a bird sanctuary where you can observe birds that are either very rare or absent from the mainland.
With both cars parked up, we all gathered together whist eating ice cream and admiring the once in a life time view.
After an hour or so of hanging by the coast, it was time to hit the road again...
But not without Nakai-san giving both of his creations a bit of a test drive.
After watching Nakai-san fly by the coastline, we retraced our tracks and headed back to Palmerston North before the sunset.
I did not want this day to come to an end. There are road trips and then there are ROAD TRIPS, and this trip was definitely the latter sort. The entire journey was filled with gigantic smiles all round, and me having to continually pinch myself to see if this was real life.
Driving through New Zealand with both RWB's was an experience I will never forget, and like all road trips, nothing is more enjoyable than the actual journey to the destination... With inspiring scenery at every turn, extraordinary landscapes, and astounding natural wonders; you will leave the country with a determined mindset to return. Lucky for me, I'll be back in December... this time, the South Island!