Written by Rene I. Molina

Our winter in Aotearoa New Zealand stretches from June to August. I was in Palmerston North over the weekend filming a fashion show. But that will be for another blog post soon. Sunday, I took the road less travelled when I rode the bus from Palmerston North to Manukau, via the scenic route of Whanganui. It was an eventful 11-hour trip, passing through the quaint towns in the western side of the Central North Island. I was able to have a glimpse of the mystical Mount Ruapehu, reminding me of the winter that’s coming. I’ve always had a personal and intimate relationships with this snow mountain ever since I first visited her in 2008. I don’t get to visit her more often, but she is always in my mind. The view is much better and more up close from this side. I notice too that much of the countryside was hilly or mountainous and with heaps of grazing sheep and cows, plus the occasional llama or alpaca farm along the way. It was interesting to see the animals coexisting and I could just imagine what their thoughts and conversations might have been. Although it was a very long bus trip, I liked it because I was able to think more and plan better. You’ll get to see my thoughts in action in the next couple of months.