An Ode to Stewie

This one goes out to Stewie, the Stewman, Stew-rama, the Stewster, the Stewmeister...

Today Stewie the Sprinter leaves our lives forever. It is a very bittersweet moment in which we acknowledge that our lives would not have been the same without him over the past nine months yet recognize that we must now venture forth without him.

It has become clear in recent months that Stewie is as upset about this forthcoming change as we are, displaying signs of a leaky tire, an off center alignment, and a dying battery. Stewie we have heard you loud and clear and to this we say, "Sadden yourself not in the upcoming days that we will not be spending together, but rather, revel in the memories of all the treasured memories of the past."

So with that, and in honor of Stewie and all that he has given us over the past nine months and knowing that in a short two hours, we must part ways, we have spent some time below reminiscing some of our favorite Stewie memories:

- Driving off into our first sunset the day we purchased a vehicle that would come to be known as Stewie.

- Stewie's first day trip to Piha Beach.

- The several, several nights that Stewie became not only our mode of transportation but also our home, storing our clothes, providing us a place to eat a meal, and a comfy car chair to lay our head at night.

- The times Stewie was able to touch other peoples' lives through the hitchhikers we picked up together. Surely their lives were just as touched as ours was...

- Those dark days when Stewie fell ill and had to be nursed back to health. Those days created such a strong bond and reminded us of how much we had come to depend on Stewie as a part of our daily lives.

- The shade Stewie cast in the kiwiberry, pear, and apple orchards; relief from a hard day's work.

- The long hours spent together on roadtrips. You were there Stewie through the tense mountain climbs as your temperature slowly rose from the exertion, the philosophical discussions, the many gorgeous viewpoints, the random pit stops. You were there when we were lost, you were there when we were simply wandering, you were there whenever we needed you, at the end of the day Stewie, you were there.

So on this Tuesday afternoon, as your new owner makes his way towards us to take you on a new adventure, we raise our beer to you dear Stewster. You were the closest I've ever been to owning the car and, lets face it, probably the closest I will be for quite some time. So here's to you dear Stewie, here's to 20,000 glorious kilometres of New Zealand countryside spent together, we will miss you dearly, go forth, drive on, and please please please, don't die until we are out of the country....