April 18th 2017: The thin white line

In the past three days we've travelled from Raglan to Hanmer, chasing the coat tails of Cook the entire way. New Zealand's State Highway 1 has been our home. I've been focused on a thin white line that has blurred into a single string of paint that has connected our friends, family, adventures and random encounters along the way. Okay, so we snuck through the Awatere Valley and along the Acheron River in the south – the back road to Hanmer – and a road devoid of paint. But still a white path through an oversized landscape scrunched between the lofty ranges on both horizons.

In the back seat Taya, Rewa and Keo may have proven that eating noisily is genetic (but still incredibly grating). And they've also proven that it is impossible to synchronise bladders ... I have forgotten how many toilet stops we've made. I've also come to the conclusion that eye-spy is a terrible game to play when half the team are dyslexic and don't even know what letters words start with. And then there is Remi The Great, who my wife has banned me from mentioning, so I won't be able to tell you about his calm travel manners, his penchant for easter eggs or his silent, but oh so deadly violent gifts for the occupants of the cabin. Or the fact that 45 falls from the raft (of which I suspect 31 involved foul play) have finally taught Remi The Great to swim (of his own volition).

And in the front seat sits my wife. She's calm and relaxed – spits out ciabatta rolls for the kids on demand and sneaks me a turkish one with the works in between it all – and all while keeping the kids at peace and the tunes flowing. And she recounts our journey – three weeks on the road beginning with a rafting trip down the Clarence River so epic we're scared we'll forget all the moments. And the parties with old friends, fun waves shared with good mates, catch-ups, mountains veiled in cloud, synchronised puking on the ferry and visits with mates and family, eeling with bobs, grumpy store owners, bouncing rivers and much-needed hot pools.

We're certainly not rushing to a destination, but the destination feels like it is rushing toward us. It's home – not a bad place, but we've just become so accustomed to life on the road ... just following that thin white line and the people it connects us with.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS We forgot to mention last week that our Clarence River Rafting guide G (aka GG, Las Genevie Vegas, Just You Aaron Forward, Sit Remi, GG Gabour and Genevieve King) released a book last year to help raise some funds for those communities affected by the November 2016 7.8M quake. It's called Valley Gatherings and it is a sensational cookbook from the heart of the Clarence. You can buy it right here. And find out more about this rising star right here.