When a holiday on a small farm out of Auckland was on offer recently, I jumped at the chance to have a break. But as I paced about the floor less than two days later, I knew I'd made a bad call by completely abandoning the technological comforts of home.
Before we left I was informed that the venue, an 'eco-house' set up with gas and solar power, had no TV or landline phone. Alarmed by this prospect, I considered taking my laptop so I could at least watch a DVD, and the cellphone was a must.
In the office, my email is set to be checked every minute, so it was also a very concerning thought that I would be without a message for close to 48 hours.
However when it came time to pack, I found the laptop battery flat so threw caution to the wind and decided the trip would be a chance to get back to nature and away from the rat race.
This decision can be filed under 'bad calls'.
The holiday location is not much more than an hour from Auckland, but the lack of other activities to replace playing with tech toys soon became apparent.
Kayaking on the lake was thwarted by an outbreak of algal bloom, walking was uninteresting because of the endless roads and paddocks, while a trip to the local vineyard revealed the owners had shut up shop and put the business up for lease. The local café then closed due to the public holiday.
The decent cellphone coverage was comforting until I lost my last link to civilisation with another flat battery.
So if you're an even slightly geeky person wondering how well they'll cope without tech toys, be warned against spending an eternity in a gadgetless place.
Remember, even prisoners have Playstation...
