ROSEMARY ABBOTT | Culture
RURAL REGRET
A Christchurch family who drove more than 300 kilometres to Twizel specifically to “get away from everything” have reportedly begun complaining that there’s literally nothing to do.
The Thompson household left Christchurch this morning for the last couple of days of the school holidays with the car packed with food, fishing gear, board games, hiking shoes and enough electronic devices to survive several days without human contact.
According to the family, the whole point was to escape the traffic, noise, crowds, emails and general chaos of everyday life.
Within hours of arriving, however, the Thompsons began discovering the downside of having successfully escaped all of those things.
By Saturday morning, Dad was reportedly standing on the deck staring into the distance before asking: “Righto, what are we actually doing today?”
Mum suggested a walk.
“We’ve driven 300 kilometres to relax,” Dad reportedly replied. “We’re not spending the whole weekend walking around looking at hills.”
The family instead drove into town, visited the Four Square, bought some snacks and slowly cruised around Twizel hoping something exciting might appear.
Nothing did.
“It’s beautiful,” Mum reportedly said. “It’s just… there’s fuck all happening.”
By lunchtime, the Thompsons were asking whether there was a market, event, show or basically any sign of life nearby.
A quick Google search confirmed there wasn’t.
At one point, their teenage son reportedly announced: “I’m bored.”
More to come.
