End of a fascinating motorcycle tour in Auckland

Bright sunshine. Packed the mopeds for the last time and off to Auckland! We had announced ourselves with our B&B host Wayne in the late afternoon, where we stayed over four months ago directly after arriving in Auckland.

The direct route to Auckland was barely more than 150 km. To take advantage of the great weather, we made a detour to Port Waikato on the west coast. Obviously, we hadn't lost our desire to ride motorcycles even at the end of the tour.

The detour was worth it. Wonderful scenery passing by a river and lake landscape, until a beautiful bay with an endless beach opened up just before it flowed into the sea. And since this is a dead end, there was nothing going on here. It's hard to believe that this beautiful place is only 100 km away from the metropolis of Auckland.

As planned, we arrived at Wayne's in the late afternoon. We were greeted with a big hello, and we somehow felt "welcome home". We spent a lot of time together during the four days with him, chatting about our experiences and looking at photos. Wayne, who loves to travel and is well informed, was absolutely thrilled with our tour and accordingly interested. That's why we spent a lot of time at the house and didn't go out much in Auckland. The weather wasn't inviting either, on the contrary, it poured rain for almost the entire 4 days. That's why I hardly took any photos.

However, a visit to the Auckland Art Gallery was worthwhile and worth mentioning. A great museum consisting of a very classical old building and an architecturally sophisticated new building with columns made of kauri wood. The exhibits were also very diverse, in addition to works by international artists, there are a lot of exhibits by New Zealand artists to admire. And as befits a comprehensive world-class art museum, there is a wide range of things to see, from old oil paintings to bizarre modern installations. And all for free!

Now the day was approaching when our motorcycles had to be packed again for the big sea voyage home. Luckily, it wasn't raining on the way to the warehouse, so we could pack everything dry. Just when we arrived, it started pouring rain again. We were lucky because getting everything dry for the big trip would have been quite difficult.

Upon arrival at the warehouse, our crates were quickly brought out of the high-bay warehouse, and we could spread out under a canopy. And once again, the pleasant and unexcited mentality of the New Zealanders showed itself. The first thing we were shown was the common room with a kitchen, where we could help ourselves to coffee and water, and for safety reasons, we were given "fancy" yellow vests, as if we were new employees. And if we needed help, everyone was very helpful. So everything was packed in the afternoon, and Wayne didn't miss the chance to pick us up and have a chat with the warehouse employees. Unthinkable in a German logistics company.

With a little sadness, we watched as our crates disappeared between the huge shelves of the warehouse with the forklift. For over 4 months and more than 13,000 kilometers, they were our loyal companions and provided enjoyment of the fascinating New Zealand landscape that would not have been possible with any other means of transportation. So it was absolutely the right decision to take our own machines with all the equipment, even though it initially sounds pretty crazy. Therefore, great thanks goes to Mr. Kleinknecht from the company Intime in Hamburg, who made this transport possible and managed it so excellently. (http://www.intime-ham.com/)

It is therefore natural that everything arrived intact and complete in Berlin after 2 months. The mopeds went into inspection first, and despite a significant overrun of the interval, there was nothing special. New tires on, and ready for the next tour!