New Zealand

Merry Christmas all! As I’m writing this post to you all, it’s actually Boxing Day over here in NZ. As you’ve probably seen, I managed to get some blog posts as well as some pictures up on the ole Internet for you all as a Christmas present. I’ve had the good fortune of finding myself in Auckland for Christmas day, and as a result, I was able to rudely impose yet again on the kindness of the Friesens. I tell you what, it certainly made my Christmas a little merrier over here, seeing as I’m all on my own. I even got to partake in a proper Christmas feast, rather than just another microwave meal with some sides that I prepare myself in a hostel. I’ve put together a little map of my ride yesterday, along with some pictures as always, so feel free to check those out. If you care to, I’ll also spin another little yarn about the days ride. Read on.

Wow, I can’t believe it’s actually Christmas Eve. The lack of snow has really got me a bit confused about the whole Christmas scene over here. Sure, there are decorations around towns and even some hostels, but without a blanket of the white stuff, and the need to wear a toque outside, it just doesn’t quite compute with me. Regardless, the day was fantastic for me again, although there was a certain amount of suffering as always, but there were some chance encounters and great views which once again made any temporary pain worth enduring in the long run. Check out the map for some pictures and the route. The maps will probably be the best place to see pictures for the rest of this trip until I return. It just isn’t practical to try and upload lots of pictures unfortunately. Anywho, enough about that, on with the tale.

Hi folks. I see you’re all back to read the next installment in my ongoing saga in New Zealand. Thanks. I’m happy to provide everyone with glimpses into my psyche and what I’m doing, why, and what it all means to me. This installment sees me biking from the Little Earth Hostel in Whangarei to the coastal town of Mangawhai Heads and the Coastal Cows Hostel. First thing I did before leaving this morning was to check whether or not the hostel would have room, so that I’d know whether or not I’d have to keep moving. Huzzah, they had room, so now I didn’t have to rush to get there early, but could just roll in when I rolled in. That makes a big difference to me, and came in handy today. Actually, the owner even said if he wasn’t here, just to let myself in. Well, as I write this, I’ve been here alone listening to tunes on the stereo, and working away, after having eaten. No owner has shown, but I showed two other couples around the place. Too funny. Anyway, on with my story of the day, and don’t forget to check the map 🙂

Hi Folks. I’m a post behind, so the next two posts might be slightly shorter than what I usually write. It isn’t that I don’t love you all, it’s just that biking all day is hard work people 🙂 Yesterday was sort of a long day due to not just the biking, but the activities and excitement that followed the push to Whangarei. There were some interesting attempts at getting lodging, and some impromptu hill-climbing feats that I hadn’t inteded in order to finally secure a place to lay my head for the evening. However, as always, everything worked out for the best for me, in spite of extra physical effort. You’ll read all about that in a few paragraphs. As usual, I’ve put together a little map with some pictures that you should probably check out, and after that, come on back for the stories of the day.

Hey folks. Nothing much to report for this blog post. I decided to spend an extra day in Paihia, as I wanted to visit Russell, which has some significant history attached to it. What’s the point of touring and biking all the time if you can’t take a day off for yourself every now and again, right? Well, that was what I did for myself. There was only one hitch with my day off. It rained. Scratch that, it poured! When I awoke, it was actually not too bad out, so I got my things together and headed down to the town. I hit an Internet Cafe for an hour and a half, putting up a couple posts and some maps, but of course you already knew that, didn’t you? So what else is new this day? Tune in.