On Saturday, March 17th, I along with Miles, Karl, and Stephanie, went hitchhiking for the first time. We all thought it would be fun to go to the beach, and since we are poor college students, why not try to get there for free?
We left at 10:30am and were dropped off by Hadassah, one of the staff members, at Highway 1. Within ten minutes, the four of us were picked up by four middle-aged men. Three of them were drinking their beer, and one man’s eyes were already glazed over. They were all traveling in a motorhome and claimed that they had just started their trip. They seemed to already be drunk…:) We rode with them for about 20min, and then they dropped us off near Hamilton.
Then we split into pairs. I went with Karl, and Steph went with Miles. We both were picked up within ten minutes, this time, as well! Karl and I rode with a younger man, James. He was super kind, and a musician! That was a bonus. He ended up driving us all the way to the east coast, to Mt. Maunganui. We ended up arriving there around 12:30pm, which is about the same time it would’ve taken us if we’d driven ourselves.
Miles and Stephanie ended up arriving around the same time, too! They were picked up by a younger couple, who had a little baby. It took us about 20min to find each other, because we were dropped off at different ends, but ultimately it worked out.
We ate our lunch and then we went for a walk into town. On our way, we saw some fun climbing trees, so we stopped to climb and take pictures. Miles ended up falling off a small tree, when Karl jumped and broke off the branch he was on. He was in a lot of pain so we just waited until he could stand, and then we continued on into town.
We walked around town and then got fish and chips. It’s very popular in NZ, so that was fun. :)
Then we went back to the coast and slept on the beach. I probably slept for 2 hrs! It was crazy. Then we began the trek on the way back. We stopped to get ice cream on the way. It was about 5pm or so when we left.
We walked a good 3 – 4 miles until we found the main highway. Then we split off in pairs again and started hitchhiking. We were picked up by 5 different individuals. Thankfully, all four of us were able to ride in the same cars each time. :)
1. Jehovah’s Witness Man
1. Jehovah’s Witness Man
He was really kind and told us how he reads his Bible once in a while. We rode with him for about ten minutes or so.
2. Christian Older Man
He was so sweet and told us how he was part of the Board of Members for another Bible School in NZ. He drove us for about 15min.
3. Maori Ladies
These crazy women pulled up to us, reluctantly and said they’d give Karl and me a ride. I asked if they could fit Miles and Stephanie as well, and they said that would be fine. We all just squished in the back of their car. Then 2 minutes into the drive they asked us for money. I offered them $8.00, but they were hoping for more like $80.00! Since we couldn’t meet their request, they just pulled off, on the side of the road, and dropped us off. They seemed a little upset. :)
4. Sheepherder/Farmer
This man pulled over and picked all four of us up. He was super funny. He practically had no teeth, so he couldn’t speak very well. So he just cranked up his rap music and we danced in the back seat. Haha. He also informed us that his breaks didn’t work too well, so he would just gear down in order to slow down. Man, we went down that mountain fast! Before he dropped us off, I ended up giving him $2, because he drove us so far and was super sweet.
5. Older couple
It was 9pm, and after the farmer man, we hadn’t been picked up, We had been walking for almost an hour and began thinking of just sleeping in the fields, under the stars. There were hardly any cars, and we were just on a country road. Finally, around 9:30pm, an older couple came by and picked all four of us up. We ended up having to sit on each other’s laps, but it all worked out.
The man did not like the fact that we were at a Bible School and told us how they were brainwashing us. The wife was more open, however, and told us that she reads her Bible once in a while. The man was impressed, though, that we weren’t forced to go to Bible School, instead it was our own choice. Throughout the drive, we kept thanking them for driving us, which seemed to make the man crazy. He asked us to stop saying thank you, but instead to wait until we reached home, and then we could thank him one last time. Sure enough, when we arrived, we said one BIG thank you. They both laughed. :) Then before they left, the man asked us if he could take a picture of us. That was super funny and random.
Overall, it was a good time, and I would hitchhike again any day!
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