Chapter 20

New Zealand extends from 34S to 47S, roughly as far south as Los Angeles north to Seattle. And since it’s surrounded by ocean, it rarely sees snow near sea level ... just like the U.S. West Coast. It’s really not all that near Antarctica. Christchurch may have a couple of snow days in a given year ... but never every year.

Since Mom and ‘the family’ was paying to ‘keep them out of the way,’ she bought them a car through Auto Trader ... well ... she paid through Auto Trader. The photo was fuzzy but it was cheap, had a 6 months warrantee and it was near the airport. Near the airport was more important than looks. The car proved to be reliable. Period.

The car had made it to the lodge. The lift had taken them to the cabin.

Guilt, cold and and a ‘great grey wall of snow’ storm had them driving back down the ‘two track’ to the 73 and on to Christchurch ... a provisioning run. They had stormed into the lodge and shouted, “We’re grocery shopping in Christchurch ... anyone want to go?”

No takers.

Grocery shopping for replacements for what they had eaten ... that was the guilt part.

The trip was interesting.

First they found the Christchurch Information Centre on High Street. There wasn’t an information rest stop outside of town.

The Centre had brochures, maps and suggestions, “You’re not going to find numbered streets like, say... 16th and Highland. You will find address numbers ... but crossing streets all have names.”

And...”Christchurch is like Jumble Sale ... north and south, east and west don’t really count, because the roads run every which away.”

And...”If you get lost, call. If you get really lost ask a policeman.”

Against all odds ... they found a supermarket. It wasn’t the one they had directions for but it was what they had. The place had their list on the shelves. They bought no meat.

Meat was by the wrapper on the sausage/beef for the spaghetti from the refrigerator.

Aberdeen ... they saw it on the way down but it was on the wrong side of the highway.

“We’ll come back.”

The first thing they saw on the way out of town was...

“McDonalds!”

Replete, they headed out. David spent REAL money at the butcher. 204 pounds of prime ‘cut while you watch’ beef and cased and smoked sausage. The butcher threw in 20 pounds of sliced bacon that was just past due date. ‘Aged’ he called it. They had a genuine load now. The meat was packed in ‘white styrofoam frozen fish shipping boxes’ with ice.

South Island is not totally snow covered in the winter. The ocean sees to that. It’s not particularly warm ... but it is the rainy season. Snow up top and rain in the bottoms make for a slow drive. Jackie is cautious at the best of times and these weren’t the best.

In the twisty bendy ‘back on itself’ road up the canyon the rain was sheeting and rivulets were washing the gravel top over the edge.

In the face of the rock wall a disaster was in the making. The rain was slowly ... and had been for weeks ... piling up debris behind a huge slab of rock. As night was falling the watersoaked junk started to freeze ... and ice expands.

It had been thundering on the otherside of the ridge and the severe part of the storm finally forced its way over the top. Thunder snow on top ... freezing rain on the road ... lightning flashing ... the rock pried its way past the tipping point just as a violent bolt of lightning struck bare yards from the car.

Jackie flinched ... the car struck the canyon wall, the slab of rock struck the road in the exact path of the car before the lightning bolt ... and missed the vehicle. The slab bounced once, teetered and tumbled off the road bed. The slab, twice the size of the car, went roaring down to the creek bed below. The crater it left in the road was immense.

Out the side door window David saw it teeter; he pissed his pants.

All Jackie knew was they were innundated by a rush of gravel and small boulders. She stalled it.

A car full of groceries.

A car traveling in the mountains in the winter has 3 days worth of 8 hour candles, matches, a bucket, a shovel, and two space blankets. This one had all that and a four man 4 season tent, two artic sleepingbags ... and a load of groceries.

They didn’t come back to the lodge ... after two days they were reported missing. When the Search and Rescue crew found them they were fine ... a little cabin feverish and a trifle claustrophobic but fine. For years the smell of candle wax brought memories they could laugh about but terrified them just the same.

They had to pay for the towing and scraping of the car. Mom was billed for the S&R crew and the return trip to the airport was by taxi ... lots and lots of money. Tourists. Gouge ‘em while you can. These won’t be coming back.