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13-04: Bike Trip
Hello again. There did not happened much during the last week. Yesterday (on Sunday) though, I borrowed a mountain-bike from Jon and left of for a small trip through the west of the Auckland region. I wanted to reach the Tasman Sea and have a swim. First of all I have to say that riding a bike is very exhausting here. There are lots of hills which you have to climb up. On the other hand, cycling is very much fun here, too. Once you have climbed a hill, you can expect a helluva ride down through the next slope. Consequently, there is quite a balance. So I rode the bike down to the south harbour of Auckland and turned west. I rode it to Huia Bay, at this time of the year a very quiet village near the Tasman Sea. I had a break there and decided to cancel the swim (it was already 3 pm and the bike didn't have lights). I took a shortcut through the woods when it started raining. The fact that my bike was a mountain-bike turned out to be an advantage. The ways became muddy. I had no raincoat with me, but my trunks. I knew that I'd get wet anyway, so I undressed completely and put on my trunks. I did NOT take a photo of me riding the bike through the jungle with almost no clothes on and wet from head to toe ;). But it didn't bother me at all. Surprisingly, there were no insects or animals that you'd find in European woods. I saw no spider, no ants, no worms, no snails, no moscitos, NOTHING. But I didn't miss them. The only hint that there was life in this jungle was the distant chirp of a few birds. It was an adventure. I have to admit I was a little bit afraid that the bike could get a flat tire in the middle of nowhere (I couldn't even receive a signal for my mobile phone). When I reached Piha Street I changed my clothes again. Fortunately, the rain turned into drizzle and I could return to Auckland without getting soaked again.
I'll leave Auckland and fly to the South Island (Christchurch) tomorrow evening. I will stay a night at the local Youth Hostel and try to buy a car on the following day. If I can't get a proper one, then I just rent one for two weeks. I'll leave Christchurch to the south and do a round trip. I hope that it won't rain too much. On the 1st of May, Jon (one of my flatmates) arrives in Christchurch, too. We will go to the big rugby game at the 2nd of May. Crusaders vs. Sharks. New Zealand vs. South Africa. First of the Super-14 league vs. second. The rest of the weekend will depend on whether I buy a car or not. If I buy one, then we will drive up to Picton, get the ferry to Wellington (North Island), stay there for the night and drive up to Auckland on the 4th of May. If I got no car, then we will just fly back to Auckland. Let's see what happens. I am excited.
Greetings from New Zealand!
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