I dare you to go on an adventure, alone.

Fox River, West Coast

I recently took a week off work and hit the open road. I love to drive, especially down long unknown roads, and this turned into a real adventure. 7 days driving or sightseeing for a total of 1872km. The purpose of my journey you might ask? I guess the answer is that I wanted to make sure I could be okay on my own; sure, I visited a couple of awesome people on the way, but I wanted to be alone, and I wanted to experience something truly magical and know that it didn't matter that nobody was sitting next to me. I've now been 'single' almost two years, but this was the first time I'd spent so many hours driving by myself, with plenty of time to think about all that I am, take photos, and time to sing love songs at the top of my lungs, & I even had a couple of weak moments to shed tears.

I dare you to take your own pilgrimage sometime, alone. You might find you learn about yourself just as I did. I've managed to come up with a list of revelations (some new, some I had already contemplated in the past) that came to me along the way. The first was that I need to carry a notebook and pen in the car with me because trying to make notes for this post on my iPhone was not ideal! More seriously though, here are the things I realised about myself (the ones i'm not afraid to share anyway) whilst sitting at Saint Clair Beach in Dunedin; the air was cool, the sky blue, and the road was waiting:

• We live in the most beautiful country in the world.
• In saying the above, I must travel the North Island some day soon (I've been to Cuba but not 99% of the North Island, whoops!)
• I cannot be land locked. I need the sea breeze. 
• Late summer/early autumn is my favourite time of the year. 
• I need to know where I'm going. Have a plan. 
• People will let me down, but it's okay because I never let myself down, I have an amazing life that I am steering. 
• I must not compare myself. We are all on our own journeys.
• Things happen at the exact moment they are supposed to. 
• True friends are there when you need them, don't be afraid to reach out to them. Take from them inspiration, but do not become someone you are not. 
• Do not wait for external influences to go after a goal.

If you're interested here's a wee playlist I've put together with my favourite songs from the journey, some for singing to, some for playing loud and banging your head, enjoy: The Adventure Playlist.

Lake Mahinapua

Rapahoe

Arthur's Pass

Dunedin