In the summertime, I like the ride home from Palmy to Wellington well enough.
During winter's twilight hours, however, we cannot pass by the small towns between the two cities fast enough. Glimpses inside the town's only pub, the single dairy or fish and chip shop - all gloomily empty - put a cold, dull feeling in my heart. Nobody on the half-lit streets, and houses merely dark scattered shapes with only the occasional square of light hinting at homes, kitchens, people.
It's always a relief to come round that last bend and see the friendly winking lights in the harbour. It is reassuring to think about the thousands of different lives all being lived in such close quarters: narrow streets, crammed trolley buses, multi-leveled carparks, office buildings and apartment blocks, many squares of light all set close together, each one a sign of a whole life.
