Drive-about: A Road Trip Through New Zealand and Australia

by Jeff Green

A young couple braves road trains, flat tires, and kamikaze kangaroos on a journey from the towering mountains of New Zealand to the underwater reefs of Australia. Ever in search of unique experiences, the two raft over waterfalls, swim with sharks, and haggle over used cars, learning along the way one of life's most important lessons: use vegemite sparingly.

277 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A self-published account of a couple's trip through New Zealand and Australia. I liked that this was a memoir by an ordinary person. Green did a good job of knowing how to focus the account on interesting aspects of their trip and not get bogged down in details or navel-gazing. I've read travel memoirs that focus more on the author's issues and internal struggles to the detriment of describing the journey. The latter is the reason I read travel memoirs. Green worked in some interesting facts, and skillfully arranged the content both chronologically and thematically by chapter.
Though the account didn't evoke strong emotion for me (not surprising in a travel-focused memoir), there was light humor and I gained a better understanding of Australia. I also appreciated that Jeff and his wife Karen are far more adventurous than I am, and I liked learning what it would be like to go diving in the Great Barrier Reef, ride an inner-tube along an underground stream, or roll down a hill in a giant ball.