"I… Can’t… Drive..."

In 1990 I drove a minibus around a field on a farm.

In 1992, whilst at Spring Harvest in Pwllheli, I had a couple of spoken driving lessons with friend Graham Pope, who was learning to become an instructor.

In 1993 I got my provisional licence.

In 2004 I was driving a quad-bike and a Pajero around another farm field again, this time down under in Matamata.

Then I hired a proper instructor, who after 3 lessons gave up on me and foisted me off onto someone else.

Instructor 5 turned out to be a bit short-tempered, but I stuck with him for as long as I could, not wishing to give up on him. His negativity and discouragement (not to mention his temperamental car) really didn’t work for me though.

On 4th July I passed the new UK theory test, including the newer hazard awareness simulation, just in time to leave the country for New Zealand again.

A few weeks later, the AA in Auckland refused to recognise any of my UK documentation and forced me to sit the theory test all over again, which again I passed.

I then had a few sets of lessons with another new instructor. These seemed to go well, partly I think because he was a bit better at instilling confidence. I enjoyed getting used to driving home down Queen Street.

Also drove Jamie’s car down a private drive in the coromandel too.

Moving to Big Manly with Jack from church was a big mistake though. He wanted me to do some really simple driving for him. I told him that I couldn’t drive, but he insisted that it would be on private property, and only involve going forwards and backwards. Neither of these things turned out to be true. He also said that he would teach me. Major temper. Reversed into the side of someone’s 4x4. So much for those lessons.

Shane gave me two lessons in Greenlane.

Tonight I got talking to Jacob after church, and wound-up driving his car, containing both him and Associate Pastor Melissa, (who doesn’t drive either) back to my place afterwards. This was an important moment. I was, for the first time, driving somewhere with a purpose. You see I was actually going home anyway.

More than anything that had happened previously, this put me on a bit of a high regarding driving. I’m still terrified of being in traffic, probably due to a mixture of my timid nature and having been run-over at 16, but I guess I’ll have to overcome those somehow.

Even though next week, on July 4th, my 2-year UK theory certificate expires again.