After picking up my rental car and nearly getting killed entering a few roundabouts, I finally made my way onto the highway towards the Coromandel peninsula. Since I would be on the freeway for a while, I did what I do back home - get in the far left lane so I don't have to deal with merging traffic. Suddenly, I found myself off the freeway! I found my way back on, and a mile or so later, I was off again! I found my way back on again, but then I realized I got back on the wrong direction, and was heading back to Auckland. By this time, everything started looking familiar, and I couldn't rember if I passed it on the way out or in. So I got off. Then on. Then off. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off.
I was so confused and so lost!
Starting to get dizzy from all that circling, I found a safe place to pull over, get my wits about me, and figure things out. It finally dawned on me that the exit lanes would be on the left, and I needed to get into the far right lane to stay on. I figured out which way I needed to go, and gave it another try.Finally!
After an hour of driving in circles just outside of Auckland, I was finally on the road.
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Speaking of "adventurous" driving......---------------
When I was in Rotorua, I decided to try off road driving. I followed the main road until I saw a sign directing me to turn on a gravel road. About a mile down the gravel road, I could see the main building in the distance and a little off to the right. The road had a fork in it, and I headed towards the right. After that, the road really deteriorated and became bumpy, filled with muddy potholes, and steep inclines. After navigating my rental car through a few of them, I realized that I must be heading down the off road path. I found a place wide enough to turn around and backtracked to the fork. Once I finally made it to the main building, I was met with hearty laughs and good natured ribbing. The guide that drew the short straw took me out. We both survived.
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