Random reminder

Press, 20 June 1984, Page 43

Random reminder

— AH SWEET MYSTERY

It was his first visit to the South Island and Cook Strait had been kind. After all the tall tales he had heard about heaving seas and heaving passengers, the water was like a mill pond, and in the clear and warm evening the sunset at sea and later the stars when in the Sounds made his first landing magical. After that, things went down hill. The ferry was late, but the significance of that did not strike anyone at first as ■ they climbed aboard the waiting bus. It was to take them straight through to Christchurch, and they all settled down to doze through the night. But when it got as far as Blenheim, the bus turned off the main road and into a yard. They were told the next bus would be leaving for Christchurch in the morning, and would they please find somewhere to sleep in Blenheim. Consternation reigned. One passenger spoke for them all in asking if they could sleep on the bus? “Sorry,” said the driver, “got to lock up the yard now.” So, half asleep, but

increasingly angry, they found themselves on the streets of Blenheim in the early hours of the morning. Feeling a lot less enchanted with the South Island, he finally found a park, unrolled a sleeping bag from his rucksack, and went to sleep under a tree in the open air. An hour later, he awoke with heavy rain falling upon him. After getting his wet weather gear on, he tramped around some more until he found a bridge, and slept under that. It was certainly warm and dry, and so quiet and peaceful that he overslept, and missed the next bus south to Christchurch. However, everything got sorted out and he was soon on his way. He enjoyed the rest of his visit to the South Island, but held his breath when the return bus passed through Blenheim on its way to Picton to catch his ferry home. His main regret, in retrospect, was in missing the bus with all the others on. He often wonders how they spent the night . . .