Joko Goes to New Zealand: Southern Coromandel

It was my last day touring on my own in New Zealand. As I note in the video, twice, in fact, the ride was the best part of the journey. I loved that little Ninja 250! 

Let me expand on a couple of notes I made in the video. I saw no ants during my time in New Zealand. I'm sure they're there.

Ants are everywhere. It's not like I was looking for them either, but somehow I noticed their absence. Furthermore, there were very few bugs, period. You notice bugs when you're speeding along on a motorbike with your face-shield open! 

From Bowentown

 
There was lots of roadkill. One particular species lay strewn upon the Kiwi highways: the sentinel possum.

Cute, right? Unfortunately, they're highly destructive. They're not indigenous to New Zealand, but they're everywhere. They eat the native bird species' eggs and are considered vermin. Killing them is a thriving business in New Zealand. The roads are doing their part. These marsupials are apparently really bad at avoiding cars. It seemed like every couple miles, I'd see another carcass on the road. 

Most bathrooms in NZ are unisex. That's not unheard of elsewhere, but the majority of toilets in Kiwiland consist of a certain number of lockable stalls and a basin or two for everyone to use.  

Enjoy this long, penultimate New Zealand video.