NZ travelogue: Geraldine

The Ragitata Bridge is supposedly one of the awesome river crossings in the world, not only because it spans the Rangitata braided river system but also because it is about 1.1 kilometres long and wide enough for only two lanes of traffic. I've read somewhere that drivers can sometimes get nervous crossing this bridge because of its length and its width and the need to look out for on-coming vehicles, especially trucks, but to me who has been raised on Malaysian roads (hello, Malaysian drivers....), the warning is next to nothing!

After crossing the bridge, we turned right into the Rangitata-Orari Bridge Highway and this soon led us to the quaint town of Geraldine. We decided to stop here and take a quick look around. More so, my wife wanted to pick up some provisions that we had brought along. We pulled up just outside the Crown Hotel on Talbot Street.

One thing that struck me in New Zealand was that all these quaint towns we passed through were often quite laidback and quiet. We didn't get to see the hustle and bustle of their lives.

For example in Geraldine, we didn't see that many people around despite the town being supposedly home to gifted artists and artisans whose works were on sale in the shops along the main street. We stopped for about half an hour to pick up the provisions and then we were on our way.

Here are some images of the place, including an interesting wall grafitti that I found in a narrow alley just off the main street. Doubt whether many people would have noticed it....

Oh yes, and here's something that I cannot resist not showing. Make up your own caption, people. I drove past the junction, then decided to double back and take a photograph. Just then, an elderly couple crossed the road and started to walk towards the cemetery!