We Scared the S4!t Out of a Sheep...Literally

For our drive from Tongariro to Wellington, we decided to take the scenic route. This drive afforded views of lush greenery, daunting cliffs, and a winding river valley. As with all pastoral scenes in New Zealand, we also passed plenty of sheep. Because this was a rural country road wending its way through tiny villages, these sheep were not hampered by corrals or fences, and so, right outside one such diminutive hamlet we came around a corner and found ourselves face to face with an errant ovine. We slowed the car enough to not hit the creature, but fast enough, we thought, to run it off the road. Well, run it did, but instead of running off the road, that sheep made a complete 180 and ran down the center of road in front of us, dropping little sheep nuggets behind him. Finally, he realized that this trajectory was futile, and he turned yet again, passing our car, and heading right back where he came from, no doubt positioning himself for the next car full of tourists seeking a close encounter with the fauna of New Zealand.