Quote:
Originally Posted by Glenda
Jeez, sounds like a very interesting story there! Please tell ... and, by the way, it is Nelson area you live in, you don't travel much in Northland? (Just checking.)  |
It's embarassing.
I shopped for a new car and a new home during a "get ready to move" trip to NZ in Nov 2006. I met a helpful sales guy here in person, then finalized the transaction from the US just before we left again for NZ in Dec 2006. He met me at the airport, and took me back to the dealership where we signed papers, etc, and I left with the new car.
After a long day with the kids (I have twin 18 yr old boys), we went out to dinner. On the way home, after making a sharp left turn onto our street, I was hit with what I've since learned they call "sun strike" -- the sun was low in the sky, and I was blinded by the glare. I tried to pull down the sun shade, but it stuck somehow. I swerved to the left just slightly and clipped a stop sign post, putting a nice dent in the front left fender. Very first day as a PR in NZ, and very first day with a new car.
A few months later I misjudged the exact location of the left side of the car, and scraped it against some nasty bushes up on the narrow road leading to our driveway. I've found judging that left edge of the car to be one of the hardest things about adjusting to driving with a right-hand-drive car...
Yes, I live in Nelson. I took a business trip to Auckland and Hamilton a few months ago, so I've driven up in that area as well. Definitely a more stressful experience. No accidents for me, fortunately, although I did manage to get flipped-off a few times for driving slowly in the fast lane on an expressway...