The weather was clearing, and he thought happily of the views that lay in store. The mountains, the river valleys, the coastal roads, the cities, the farms. He loved New Zealand! He loved all of it, felt it in his bones. He saw himself leading his convoy through the Pacific Coast Highway and the Desert Road and Arthur’s Pass and the Crown Range - he saw himself trucking across all of New Zealand, tying the country together, bringing hope and provisions.
The passenger door was suddenly thrust open.
“Hi,” said Seymour. “Thought I’d come along for the ride.”
TUESDAY
Truckin’ Luxon continued to sit next to Seymour in his Freightliner Cascadia 126 6x4 Logger, and idle the Detroit Diesel DD16 engine.
It was a little bit frustrating. They hadn’t gone anywhere these past 24 hours. They hadn’t moved, hadn’t got started, hadn’t got this thing going.
Truckin’ Luxon just sat there on the leather seats with his hands on the leather wheel, and listened to Seymour talk about all the places they would see and what they would do there, and he mapped out what he said were the best possible routes.
“Listen,” Truckin’ Luxon finally said. “I’m driving. I say when we go and where we go to.”
Seymour smiled. “Sure,” he said. “Sure.”
But the truck stayed put.
WEDNESDAY
“Okay,” said Truckin’ Luxon, “here’s the deal. We’re not going to drive the Zero Carbon Act.”
Seymour said, “Maybe not. But are we going to drive my Treaty policy?”
Truckin’ Luxon said, “Well, that depends. If you’re asking if we’re going to drive the rejection of co-governance in public services, then yes. We’ll drive it. I mean I’ll drive it. But if you’re asking if we’re going to drive a redefinition of Treaty of Waitangi principles, then the answer is no.”
Seymour said, “Maybe not. But – "
Just then there was a crackle of static on Truckin’ Luxon’s 4g TYT IP-77 Zello sim card walkie-talkie.
“Big bear, come in,” said a voice. “Over.”
“Big bear receiving. Over.”
“Need you down at the depot urgently. One of the truckers has lost his goddamned mind. Over.”
“Who this time? Over.”
“Tim van de Molen. Over.”
“Copy,” sighed Truckin’ Luxon. “Over.”
He sat there for a minute.
Seymour said, “Who’s this van de Molen?”
Truckin’ Luxon said, “He’s over.”
THURSDAY
Truckin’ Luxon spent all day at the depot trying to straighten out the mess that Tim van de Molen had left behind.
He also had to talk to his team of truckers about the situation with Michael Woodhouse.
“He’s saying you dropped him down the trucking list because he’s male,” they said.
“He didn’t really say that,” said Truckin’ Luxon.
“Yes he did,” they said. “He gave an interview with Mike Houlahan in the Otago Daily Times and said he’d been dropped because ‘diversity won’.”
“It was mischaracterised,” said Truckin’ Luxon.
The truckers stared at him. It was at times like this that they harboured doubts about his ability to lead the convoy.
FRIDAY
Truckin’ Luxon swung open the driver’s door of his Freightliner Cascadia 126 6x4 Logger, and saw Seymour sitting on the leather seats with his hands on the leather wheel.
“Try the passenger door,” Seymour said.
