THE HONEYMOONERS

After nearly 3 weeks of successful truckin', the now inevitable happened. We were coming out of a small retail strip center when I turned the corner too quickly and the back right of our campervan brushed against the back left of an innocently parked car. I was absolutely livid at myself. Mindful everyday that there were only 3 days left until we return the car, 2 days left, last day, it came as it always does, unexpected and quick. Although it was minimal contact, it left some dents on our campervan and took off some paint from the parked car. Luckily though, the rest of the story turned out to be like our travels; a fantasy.

The parked car belonged to the guy who was working the counter at the auto store located right in front of his now damaged car. The damage wasn't that bad, but it was still damage. A broken tail light and some paint chipping. The kid could not have been nicer. We talked civilly and he made a call to see how much the light would cost to replace. He was so apologetic that the accident happened and that he'd have to ask me for money even though it was all my fault. While we settled on the price, $100NZ, the other two guys from the store were helping Amanda get some of the paint off with one of their products that they sell. I didn't even have a $100 in my wallet and had to go to the ATM to get his money.

After trustingly leaving the scene to go to the ATM, we pulled into an auto repair shop conveniently located across the street. Amanda ran back to pay the guy his money while I engaged in conversation with even nicer people, auto repair people nonetheless. Interrupting their lunch, the husband and wife came out of the office still chewing and we explained our situation - that we were returning the car tomorrow, we have a $5,000 deposit and we were desperate to try and get this fixed in the next couple of hours. Although they couldn't help us, they sympathized with us like we were their own children and the guy made a call to his car-repair friend Dave who works from home and lives less than a mile away. Dave agreed to see us on such short notice, but made no promises obviously.

When we arrived at Dave's house, just minutes away, he greeted us like an old friend, listened to our predicament and seemed instantly determined to help us. He had a look at the damage, discussed the possible scenarios with us and together we decided he should get started right away. Not until we gave him the keys did he say it would cost us about $280NZ. I told him I'll happily pay him $300NZ if he could get it done right and timely. He needed 3 hours initially so we packed a backpack and had a walk around town.

Things still weren't exactly clear - will he do a good job, will we be able to stay in the campervan that night or will he need it overnight, what are we going to do for 3 hours. But again like a fantasy, the small suburb of Christchurch, Woolston, provided us with some unforgettable memories. We got pizza at Big Pizza, the only pizza joint in town besides Dominoes. I got a quick hair cut to pass the time. The haircut lady, who was hanging out with her Mom at the store, not only offered us her salon chairs to sleep in, but also if we needed to, she'd drive us wherever and whenever we needed. Then when we left, she gave Amanda some body lotion and wished us luck. After that, we went to the local saloon, had a beer and watched TV in the bar's lounge area on really comfy sofas. When it was time, we walked the half-hour back to Dave's house to see how he was going (here it's 'how you going' not 'how you doing').

Magic. The dents were gone and the paint job was nearly done. Dave just had to apply the clear to seal it. He said he would be another few minutes, but that if we're at his house, we're like family so just make ourselves at home. I mean....

We were able to take the car that night (so that we had somewhere to sleep), but had to come back to Dave's in the morning so that he could do some last minute touches. We obviously obliged and were back at Dave's at 10am, having to return the car at noon. He finished up his work, we chatted with him and his wife, exchanged emails and were on our way. Only after a "God Bless" from them of course. The real test would be Kea Campers inspection.

No worries mate! Despite the detailed inspection by Kea, we received our full deposit back with no questions asked. Simply an unbelievable 18 or so hours, that with time, seem even more unbelievable especially considering the damge would likely of cost us at least half our deposit.

We are now 'vacationing' on the beaches of Australia for another night or two before heading to Thailand for another night or two and then back to the U.S. on October 17th. Looking forward to seeing and catching up with everyone.