One of the riders mentioned the birds here are a lot “quieter” than Australia. Tuneful too. We’re seeing a few but they ever stop still to take photos. So little colourful jobs they will remain for now.
New Zealand is home to about 25% of the world’s bird species. It is also known as the world’s seabird capital, with over one-third of the world’s seabird species breeding in New Zealand or its surrounding waters.
There was also a conversation about NZ appearing “richer” than Australia. The facts are diffenent: Australia 1/3 higher income person. NZ is judged, wth health and social services, to have a better quality of life. Both are doing OK on average though like us there are great disparities.
Whilst I’m waffling, Amazon has a low presence here: they service demand via Australia.
To today, we skirted the outskirts of Tauranga near the start. It’s NZ’s 5th largest city pop 150000. Huge on world scale! A cycle path took us around the Bay and over/under the railway – and then the seeming forest of leylandii started – a local explained to me they are for sheltering the avocado and kiwi-fruit production,
Over 400 hectares of avocado trees planted, 85% in the Bay of Plenty where we are – and 2% of global production – stone me! The Chinese Gooseberry (it was changed to Kiwifruit in 1959) has 14500 hectares of production – 80% in the Bay of Plenty. Explains the scale of the well manicured wind- breaks.
The gravel section was fun – revealing some old fashioned pastures. This reappeared in a complete change of lanscape as we move inland – almost like the Yorkshire Wolds. Even the wild roadside flowers – clover, foxgloves, daisy and dandelion(like). The smell of honeysuckle is all around – sweeter than Australia’s road kill aroma.
The last section into Rotorua was hard shoulder or path alongside the noisy highway. Entering proper tourist area – to be explored on tomorrow’s rest day….
Travelling reflections 