‘Ride with Norman Reedus’ Recap: ‘The South Island of New Zealand with Dylan McDermott’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 502 of ‘Ride with Norman Reedus’.
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One of the best parts about living in a globally connected world, is that we are all able to traverse the world, on a moment’s notice in unique ways. For if a trip to say, Australia, seems out of the cards financially in the moment, a quick search of the web can take us there by way of travel and road trip television shows. Allowing for us to live vicariously through others until we are ready to finally head there on our own. But while it is nice to know we can go anywhere in the world via a screen, whenever we so choose, there is one particular caveat to this method of alternate travel. In that, there are a lot of travel shows out there, and some of them don’t quite care about the location/destination in question, as much as we do.
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Which is why it is important to celebrate shows that truly celebrate the various locations they venture to. For it means that the folks who put the series together, aren’t interested in views and likes and ratings, they genuinely want you to experience the locale in question, in an intimate manner and one such series that accomplishes this, is Ride with Norman Reedus. For week in and week out, Norman and his travel companion work hard to give the viewer a proper understanding of what their destination is all about, and for proof… then look no further than this week’s episode. Because the show could have moved onto another destination after last week’s season five premiere and called it a day, but rather than go that route, it opted to really explore every nook and cranny in New Zealand, and that made ‘The South Island of New Zealand with Dylan McDermott’, quite the satisfying adventure. 

Because we were able to see how the Northern and Southern islands of this proud country contrast and complement one another. For example, a journey through several of the cities in the South Island, helped to reveal the fact that the people that live here, believe in taking things easy. In fact, Norman and Dylan ran into several people that came to the South Island in order to get away from the hustle and bustle of the north, or the rat race in general, because of the sheer calm present on this island. Plus, they also believe in enjoying the moment and all that life has to offer, to the point where they often partake in a great deal of leisurely activities, such as Blokarting. Which is where one uses the abundant wind on this island, to ride around in a cart with a sail attached.

But while it was nice to see that the South Island of New Zealand is focused on living a simpler life in a world that is always on the go, we would be foolish to not discuss the sheer beauty present in this part of the world. Because everywhere that Dylan and Norman went in this tale, they were privy to breathtaking views. The kind that really did allow for the viewer to relax and take in the majesty of this island paradise, regardless of the fact that nature here can be a little harsh at times. For the earthquakes that rock this part of the world are fierce at times, to the point where life comes to a crawl when major roadways are blocked or damaged by quakes. But it doesn’t seem to bother the folks that live here in the slightest, simply because they understand this kind of beauty comes with a price and well, judging from the majesty we saw here, that particular line of thinking makes perfect sense.

If anything, this really was quite the delightful episode when all is said and done. Simply because this particular tale really did accomplish what it set out to do. For we truly got a complete and dynamic and detailed look at what New Zealand is all about it, and we also once again… got to know Norman and Dylan a little better over the course of this journey. Since now we know that both men are eager to settle down in a place where they are surrounded by nature, and that they both have an interesting relationship with memes as well and now that our journey through New Zealand has come to a close, it is definitely safe to say that we will eagerly be awaiting next week’s adventure. So that we can once again enjoy a detailed exploration of a part of the world, that not everyone has had the opportunity to venture to. Until next time.

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