Author: Grant and Barbara

A day of ups n downs: step out of room, cycle 2km then go vertical for the next three. From sea to 370m. Good views afforded from the top: height and distance gives a perspective to the small space the town lies in. Lovely day in good weather – windswept too!

Tairua is now a holiday (fishing, swimming, etc) and, I suspect, second home destination. A very shallow bay separates it: the name is Maori for two tides. Maybe Frankie Goes to Hollywood was inspired here.

In between it’s farm land and the occasional small [tourist] town. I do like the way there is a board telling folks when it is “service” day – when bins will be collected. There’s also more hills – who would have thought that in this volcanic area (granite from the peninsular built Wellington). Tsunami signs have replaced Australia’s fire warnings.

Activity goes on – we skirted Hot Water Beach. The idea is at low tide you dig a hold in the sand and sit in it. Hot water sandy bidet sounds like.

Tomorrow it’s southwards again. Lot’s of suntan lotion needed….

A lovely start to cycling in New Zealand. A fine twisty coastal road as we head to Coromandel, with two toasty hills to get the legs warmed up.

Coromandel – named after HMS Coromandel who pulled in here in 1820. In turn HMS Coromandel, built in Calcutta, is named after a place in India. International influences and interferences are nothing new: New Zealand should know from its first Polynesian Maori 14C settlers onto an uninhabited land. They learned to farm and use the kauri wood – which turns out to be good for ships masts. Nelson’s HMS Victory for example.

We took bike road to Thames (to avoid Auckland bustle we’re told) and started from there, heading north. Immediate differences to what we last saw in mainland Australia is it’s lush green here. (and the coffee is better – just in case any Aussie friends are reading!) The cars seem smaller on average. Most creeks still sport their Maori names.

Today’s wind blew in a good storm, as in torrential, which I watched from holding down the lunchspot awning. Colder too – care is needed as the hole in the ozone layer is more pronounced here to UV is high all the time.

And then to arrive into this little ex gold-mine town which now lives off fishing and tourism. Quite well according to the number of cafes and crafty shops.

Tomorrow up over to the east coast then head south.

The Auckland Museum is bustling with school kids. Most seem interested and engaged vs bored. A mixture of War Museum; history – natural, people; Wars – NZ at war abroad and internal wars.

The Maoris come across as a cultured, skilled, warmongering lot. Tribe vs tribe. Until spear and club met gun. And their honour met British duplicity. All for King/Queen and country. The displays of artificacts, especially how they navigated and farmed are fascinating.

As I toured the wars NZ had supported the British in, I reflected how we view things. We [rightly] see the Ukrainians as the victims of Russian agression/invastion. Yet we celebrate things like Rourkes Drift as a heroic defense against the barbarian Zulu – who were defending their country from our invasion. Ditto battles against the Maori.

New Zealand is also a land of volcanoes: where the Atlantic and Pacific plates tussle. At one end the Atlantic plate is sliding under the Pacific: at the other it’s the other way around. The good news is the dust cloud of volcanic silica particles travels at 100m/s so you are quickly cooked. The other tip is if you car is covered in volcanic dust don’t wash it off – it’s like sandpaper on your windscreen – rather dust it off. I’ll have to remember that “A volcano has erupted – I’m off out to dust the car”. Better to bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.

Too many facts to take in: it leaves an impression of a great land living in the quiet space between cataclysmic events. I hope it remains that way for a wee bit longer, else any gravel routes may be a bit hotter. and the tarmac a bit sticky.

They commemorate their fallen and victims of war well, of all sides and nationalities.

Tomorrow time to saddle up and head out….

Yesterday was travelling from Sydney to start the next section of this trip. Barbara stayed on in Sydney to do delve more into it’s culture and theatre (well it’d rude not to with the Opera House in Circular Quay) before she heads back to the UK’s Winter Wonderland.

We rush to be first in queues to get on board planes. We then rush to get off the plane and get out. Both ends have natural dams to hold back and triage the flow. In both Sydney and Auckland it’s just the security checks: the e-passports do their thing quietly and efficiently.

The NZ check is a detailed biosecurity (e)declaration then a physical check. So having said Yes to we have Sports equipment and we’ve been through rural area, we expect a third degree. In addition to normal bio-risks they have big “we’re worried about foot and mouth” notices all around.

So I am a little surprised with one of our riders jumping up and down whilst enthusiastically declaring “we been through everything: mud, woods, off-road”. My voice shouted – factually – “and 99% of the trip has been on road” (my foot was nearly in her mouth). Anyway what could have been a latex glove internal inspection was thankfully just an extra x-ray of bags and bike. Which was show room clean, ready for inspection. Shed fairy practice paying off.

I do admire their slick IT. From filling in details on an app less than 24 hours ago, the Security agent has it seemlessly and easily read in front of him. BA take note…..

Today bike building, sourcing a new chain – it comes as a shock when the assistant says they only accept a physical payment card. Thinks hard “where might that be?” So now carrying one jic. (Amazon have a very low presence here and deliver from Australia).

Like Australia, I also like the convenience of booking a blood test on-line, going to a high street collection centre, results within 2hours. All for circa 20UKP.

Walking around Auckland on a temperate sunny day you can see it’s development from low- rise to high. First settled by the Maoris in the 14C, the Brits started getting our elbows out from the late 18C. Named by Governor William Hobson (I’m staying in Hobson Street) after Lord Auckland, Viceroy of India,

It was the capital between 1840-1864 before Wellington, the latter being a more acceptable fulcrum between the North and South Islands. 1.5 of the 5.5million population now live in Auckland.

Among the Māori names for the Auckland isthmus is Tāmaki-makau-rau. Mainly bilingual signage and a noticeable number of people wearing black clothes. A lot of homeless folks mix with the busy city goers.

Feels prosperous, and looking upwards.

Tomorrow, some galleries (it’s due to rain).