Back in Auckland

Well, we made it.. Heaven knows how many vertical feet we climbed on our bikes, and how many vertical feet we rode in the van while our faster and fitter, and in my case somewhat younger, companions struggled up the longest and steepest hills in their lowest granny gears. Yesterday we finished riding at Clevedon in mid-afternoon and were shuttled back to the hotel in the Viaduct Harbour area of Auckland. In the evening we were taken by minibus to St. Heliers for our last supper together. For those who know St. Heliers, we ate at The Vista restaurant, and it was a super meal. Breakfast this morning--Saturday--at the hotel, and then just the two of us were off by ferry to Waiheke Island. We did an hour-long bus tour of the island (well worth it) followed by a two hour hike, mostly around the coast. Joan had a swim on Oneroa Beach: we had two beers and a bucket of chips (the British kind): we came back to Auckland on the ferry, threatened by the blackest clouds and heavy downpours of rain that only clipped the boat for a few minutes, and we emerged at the dock in bright sunlight. After picking up our bags at the hotel, we took a taxi to our friends' house, where we will stay for the next few days.

But the blog will mostly have to wait until we are back home. We have no facility here to upload photos (I am using--and loving--the resident I-Mac), and we would like to plan our next entries rather carefully and be able to post appropriate pictures. We have a number of subjects in mind, including a very brief supplement on public toilets. Maybe something on trees--NZ trees are extraordinary: we even saw a square one on the bike trip. Maybe something on warning signs of one sort or another--they are everywhere, warning you of a very wide variety of dangers. And, of course, the cycle trip needs some memorialization (I spell it with the 'z', Brother John, as otherwise it shows up as a spelling error). We have given our fellow cyclists the blog address, and they could be accessing it at any time: so I hasten to say what a really pleasant and agreeable crowd they were. Marion and his wife, Alice, from Houston: Terry and Bonnie from Minnesota: Mark and Cathy from Michigan: and Tony from Stratford on Avon--and our Kiwi guides, Owen and Alex.

So do not look for much on the blog for the next day or two, but please check in again at the end of next week.

I should also like to record that the rooms in the Sebel Hotel actually have washers and dryers, and we were gratefully able to do a load of sweaty laundry yesterday afternoon after our last day of cycling.

Tomorrow, if the weather is favorable, we hope to walk to the top of a volcano that last erupted only 600 years ago. We will probably read a warning notice that the possibility of another eruption cannot be ruled out, and care should be taken...etc., etc.

Posted by David on Saturday January 30 at 9.17 pm NZ time.