Just over a year ago, I used to spend between 45 minutes and an hour or more fighting my way through traffic down Auckland’s Northern and Southern Motorways in order to get to work each day. Then it was the same struggle back through peak traffic home again.

So much time was being wasted sitting in traffic. Sure, it was our choice to live so far out of the city, but the drive home away into the countryside certainly bought a level of sanity with it too.

Now I spend the hour I used to spend waiting in traffic doing something far more constructive. I get up each day and go for a walk for an hour.

The traffic here on the Barrier is terrible.

Its just been a case of swapping one concrete jungle for another.

The great thing is that I still get to use the travelling time to return cellphone calls (even if breathless) and listen to Morning Report on the radio (yes, I admit I do sometimes listen to National Radio).

The only difference is the method of conveyance. The vehicle is nearly forty years old, sags in many places, has worn tyres, is slow to start in the mornings, and is a bit too overweight for its engine size.

Between the walking, and the lugging of stuff up our steep driveway as we begin concreting, I’m hoping the vehicle stats will change somewhat. Let’s hope its just superficial bodywork that occurs rather than complete engine failure!