Daily Prompt: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Planes, trains, and automobiles 

You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, or car? (Or something else entirely — bike? Hot air balloon?) The Editors, WordPress.com. 365 Days of Writing Prompts (Kindle Locations 456-457).

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Planes.

I've been asked a number of times whether I have been overseas.  I qualify my answer in the negative by saying that while I have not been overseas (plural), I have been over sea (singular).  The sea to which I refer is the Tasman Sea - a body of water that separates New Zealand from Australia.  I have made this return crossing more than once, but not this decade - each time by plane.



I have spent much more time on planes travelling domestic routes, that is, between New Zealand towns and cities. Invercargill, Dunedin, Queenstown, Christchurch, Wellington, Gisborne, Auckland - and combinations thereof.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Trains

I once took a return train trip - Invercargill <-> Bluff.  Just once, as part of a local cub scout gathering.  That was the one and only time I have been on a train journey departing from Invercargill.  In July 2007, I took a trip on the Taieri Gorge Train that departs out of Dunedin.  Since the late 90's, there have been no public passenger trains south of Christchurch (a location I have not trained to or from).

I lived in Wellington for a time and took trains regularly.  I once got on the wrong train and was being carried towards a location I had not intended on.  When I realised by error, I alighted at the next stop, and crossing the platform, waited for the next train to return along that track.

I worked in Ellerslie for about 9 months and chose to take the train to and from work each day.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Automobiles.

The first automobile that I owned was a 1994 Mazda 323.  I once executed a handbrake turn around a corner on a gravel road, ending up in a ditch with the front wheels suspended. A tractor was required to extrapolate the vehicle from the landscape.

Next, it was a Toyota Carib - my first of many station wagons.

A lowered Honda Civic was dubbed The Grader as I could be heard approaching houses in rural Southland/South Otago.  It did pretty good burnouts.

Three Subaru Legacy's (one white, two green).

The 2004 Nissan Ad began my Japanese car brand loyalty.

My current ride is a 2001 Nissan Primera with license plate "B WARD"