Impatiens & Bee

It rained overnight and pretty much all day too.  I resisted the urge to drive into town, largely because I wanted to preserve the park that I had acquired.  There would be plenty of other vanners who would love a spot at the parking site and I wasn't prepared to give up the one I'd secured.  Fortunately it did fair up enough to be able to venture out for a short walk late in the afternoon/early evening during which time I noted a couple of Lime scooters just along the road.  For those of you who don't know, Lime scooters were introduced into Auckland and Christchurch in late 2018 and Dunedin took them up in January 2019.  Interestingly, I now see that Auckland has abandoned the Lime scooters in favour of another brand/supplier.  Anyway, the scooters are battery powered with a range of 20-40 kms and are locked and unlocked by the Lime app from your phone.  Riders leave the scooter they've used where they finish their trip and the on board GPS system tells others, via the app, where it and other scooters are located.  It's all paid for from the app when you unlock it and after the initial unlocking fee, riders are charged 44 cents per minute of use.  It was the temptation to play I couldn't resist so after my walk I unlocked one of the scooters and enjoyed a 5 minute scoot around the neighbourhood.  I felt a bit like a kid at Christmas - it actually was fun!  I'm not convinced I'd feel safe on a busier street as the speeds they can achieve (up to about 25 mph) suggest that an accident could be very nasty as helmets are not required.

Big day tomorrow - one I've been waiting about 6 months for it to arrive.......