New Zealand, 9-8-2017--Hanmar Springs to Kina Beach

Heading back the next morning for our second attempt to cross Lewis Pass, we were stopped in what soon became a miles-long line of vehicles behind a semi that had turned over ahead of us.  Other motorists said the driver had been speeding and driving recklessly before he lost control of the semi.  Now everyone's choice was either wait for the truck to be moved off the road or take an 8 hour detour on another highway.  We decided to wait.   

Meanwhile the woman in the vehicle ahead of us got out and began picking up litter.  David got garbage bags out of the van and joined her.  Within 30 minutes they had gathered several bags of trash from the roadside.   

Meanwhile the clown that caused the whole mess was led past us to the ambulance.   

In contrast to the U.S. way of handling these situations where it's all done by official emergency responders, here in NZ anyone who can just pitches in.  A heavy equipment operator who was in the traffic line unloaded his excavator, drove it down to the overturned truck and pulled the wreck far enough off the road to let traffic pass. Fortunately we were in the first group allowed to go, but on the other side of the mess we passed a line of traffic that stretched on for about 5 miles.     

We soon came to Lewis Pass where several semis had jackknifed and closed the road the day before.

By the time we reached the north shore of the South Island, we were quite ready to make camp.