Running on empty

Heading up State Highway 1 on Xmas Day, we momentarily stopped at the Foxton petrol station to refuel on soft drinks. Unfortunately, the one thing we did not refuel on was actual fuel.

"We've got a quarter tank full," DJ said, when Tali suggested filling up our tank. So we didn't. What we stupidly forgot was that this was a stat holiday - and very few petrol stations were open at all! So we're cruising along SH1, going through remote countryside and little hick towns and there's no sign of a functional petrol station for miles. By this point, the empty fuel light's blinking on and off like a Xmas tree and we're starting to feel a tad unnerved.

"Don't worry, there's two stations in Taihape," Boy says. So we get to gumboot central and the Mobil that was has been shut down. We soon realised what BP stands for - "bugger-off please"!

Some locals advise us to coast down the 30km-long hill drive to Waiouru to try our luck there. I have images of us walking to buy gas cans for miles on end. DJ says, "Waiouru's a truck stop, there's bound to be something open," with a quaver in his voice.

Just as we were mentally fortifying ourselves for a night in the car by the Desert Road (possibly the coldest, harshest stretch of the North Island), we strike oil. A Shell station is open! At this point we don't even mind paying an extortionate $1.18 per litre. Petrol is goooood.

The rest of the drive, via the Desert Road and Taupo was relatively hassle free (a rarity during this trip), with stunning views of Mount Ruapehu, a popular skiing resort and the touristy Lake Taupo. Finally we arrived in Rotorua for a chill-out warm-up in the spa.