New Zealand Road Trip 2014 (Pt 1) Poem by Alison Gaff

Adam met me off the plane
What a surprise I had
He'd passed his test so he could drive
And oh boy how I was glad.
We dropped my cases, met the dogs
And had a cuppa tea.
Had a quick tour round the block,
Then a stroll down by the sea

Our first trip out was to Sumner
Where we saw the earthquakes wrath,
There's containers holding up façades
It's like a warzone aftermath.
Saw cute Kiwis down at 'Willowbank'
With spiky Echidnas snuffling on the ground
Morpork Owls calling from the trees,
Native flora and fauna all around.

Moreaki Beach is a remote cove
A magical and alien place
With massive boulders everywhere
Like marbles from outer-space.
Then we drove off to a hidden lagoon
Where little Kingfishers hunted and displayed
Found yellow eyed Penguins on grassy slopes
And in a safe rock pools seal pups played.

Pancake rocks was our next call
With lava creased and folded
Where water sprays up from blowholes
How strange the rocks are moulded.
Now we're off to stay at Larnach Castle
It was a treasure but hard to find
We explored it all from top to toe
Just wish we'd had more time.

To-night we're off to Glow-worm caves
They're deep down underground
The worms hang from their twinkly threads
Where its cold and still without a sound'
There is a long street in Dunedin
The steepest in all the lands,
It stings your legs and burns your lungs
Some finish by crawling on their hands.