Tag 49 - Auckland

In Auckland I got caught in a traffic chaos and needed about 1.5 hours for the 5 kilometers from the motorway, the New Zealand equivalent of a small two-lane European highway, to the bike shop.

You quickly notice that this city has grown significantly in recent years. When I arrived at the end of January, I didn't notice it at all, but the infrastructure is very heavily used with its 1.4 million inhabitants, if not overloaded.

In the shop, I felt like the owner was glad that I was taking a box off his hands. I also got a bit of packaging material which I can certainly use.

As it was already afternoon, I took a short break while loading the box into the car and looked for a campsite by the sea. Fortunately, the box fit in, but I had to adjust the front seats almost all the way forward, which isn't very comfortable for someone of my height.

I found a brand new campsite in Muriwai. I noticed it because of the beach. There is actually black sand here. It doesn't feel quite real to me because we always associate beaches with white or yellow sand. But it's really beautiful!

Tomorrow, I'm heading towards Ninety Mile Beach, which is actually only 55 miles long and located in the far north of the North Island.