Riddles In Time

9:45 in the evening, my bus pulls into Blenheim Station, I don't often take the easy road and this is no exception. I should have stopped in Christchurch, that was the original plan but I wanted to get a little further; my phone battery just ran out and it has the info for the motel my brother booked, in the future I will consult a travel guide... ahead of time.
I have to walk to the nearest petrol station, which luckily is just across the road and well lit, it takes a few minutes to get it up and running, by 2011 standards its antiquated and clogged with files, so painfully slow. I've got the info, and luckily it being the middle of the summer is still light out at ten but the sky will close in quickly, its a 20 minute walk and there's no luxury of taxis for me, I'm on a self inflicted tiny budget.

Walking the streets at this time the town is quite peaceful; as small towns go, it seems much like the others. From the number of motels its obvious this is a destination, and no wonder with what surrounds the area; vineyards large and small, Kaikoura, Nelson, Picton and the sea. The park I pass as I walk up the main street is beautiful, and the roses are deeper under the street lamps, not washed out as I always read the lights make them become.
I walk past the town square halfway, it seems like the perfect time to sit down and have a break, here are the people, the lights and the music. Although I'm on my own tonight these people aren't, and its New Year's Eve, a time to celebrate and why wouldn't I be a part of it. There's a dance group on stage in the pavilion, I ask the locals and learn that a live band will be up soon, they ask me if I'm staying and to join them, I decline to keep moving and check in.

The motel is a motel, its plain but the bed is comfortable, the room is inviting and the shower is hot and has good water pressure. I'm happy and so tired from traveling, but I've got to stay up until midnight; I stand outside, climbing the fence beside of the room, I'm glad I did - in quick succession sound comes from all over the city and almost in sync fireworks explode.

Its amazing where you end up, this I would never wish to have missed, in that moment all alone clinging to the fence I was realising that we were all doing the same thing, at least in our time zone we were all having THIS moment somehow, so I got down off that fence, locked up and went to join the locals because it was a great moment, and you can do better than to watch it wistfully.