After a quick visit to Auckland, and some new tyres for the bike, we (Lauren and me - see last post) were off again to the south and the Coromandel Peninsula. An afternoon bike ride brought us out of the city and to the coast where we caught views of the Coromandel and a deluge of rain the following morning. Found out my tent leaks, even after hours of repair work in the states. Drip drip drip... Fortunately, things cleared up a bit in the afternoon, and we had nice tail winds that took us south to round the Firth of Thames. Stopped in at the Miranda Shorebird Sanctuary, and checked into birds that migrate from Alaska, down to NZ, and back north via the Yellow Sea in China. I wonder how their habitat looks these days - 6million, or 10% of the world's population living upriver from their vital stopover estuary... At least they seem protected and cared for here in NZ.
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| Route south of Auckland |
After rounding the Firth and passing through Thames, the same tailwind we had enjoyed earlier turned into a predictably nasty headwind. It wasn't long before we started looking for a campsite. "No Camping" signs were scattered in every plausible park and green space we found. Even using the maps on my phone (a combination of topographical maps and google satellite imagery that has been so useful for finding nice campsites on the side of the road it has almost seemed like cheating...) brought us to "no camping" signs. We found a green lawn that was attached to a park with 'no camping' signs, and it seemed like a plausible excuse that we 'didn't see' the signs on the other side of the park... But after asking the opinion of some neighbors (Evan and Libby), we were offered the key to their old house they had just finished moving out of a week ago. It was a luxurious night as we cooked up chard that was overflowing the garden, dried off our wet gear - especially the tent - and were sheltered from another big storm that blew in around 2am! The following morning, they cooked us a breakfast of snapper, bacon, eggs, toast and coffee that stuck with us for a long time as we biked north along the coast, with a tailwind, past Pohutukawas in full bloom, colonies of Pied Shags, Little Black Shags, Terns, and fishermen hoping for luck!
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| Lauren on the bike ride north along the Coromandel Peninsula, with a morning tailwind and Pohutukawas in full bloom |
Upon arriving at Coromandel Town, we had a great oyster lunch from an oyster farm and started to figure out what to do for New Year's Eve. After spending some time in an organic cafe that also offered homemade kombucha, we were told about a beach party going down at New Chums beach - a well known and highly rated beach that requires a 25 minute walk during low tide to get to. Upon arriving at the beach, however, we ran into the stragglers of the party goers - they had shifted the party back to Coromandel Town. We were offered a ride back but the thought of crossing the hill again, even if it was in a car, did not sit well with us. Besides, a private beach with a little fire for New Years seemed a nice alternative - the (almost) full moon rise was especially beautiful!
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At the oyster farm, check out my sun
protection from my helmet! |
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| Campsite under a Pohutukawa for New Years |
New Year's day brought the realization that we were sharing the road with far too many Jafas on holiday (a loving term, short for "just another f*^%ing Aucklander"). Auckland empties out over the Christmas/New Years holidays and the Coromandel Peninsula receives a lions share of city dwellers seeking beach holidays. One would think that being out of the city on holiday would bring relaxation and a slower approach to life. Completely the opposite. I've never received so many angry shouts, honks, and finger gestures for bicycling along the side of the road! In the end, I had to feel sorry for them; stuck in their metal boxes, shut off from the smells and sounds of the sea, going so fast along windy roads they had no time to look out the window and enjoy the views of the beautiful countryside.
It was a relief to get to the Hauraki Rail Trail - an old railway turned to bike trail that took us through the Karangahake Gorge and the longest, darkest tunnel I've ever cycled through! At 1km long with infrequent overhead lights, I should've used my headlight. But it was quite an experience to be smothered in blackness, trusting my sense of feeling (and balance!), the only light coming from the dim light ahead of me.
Made it to Rotorua where I'm staying with some family friends for a little bit, seeing the thermal area, sealing my tent, making some alterations to my bike to enable barefoot riding, and relaxing before I tackle the Gisbourne Peninsula. Lauren will head south to Taupo to check out the volcanoes.
Check out my new album,
This Must Be The Last Hill, and my
map-blog which I update more frequently. Happy New Year, and most importantly, GO PACK GO!!!!!
