Day 3 Mangere to Piha

Distance: 26 miles
Time: 3 hours 23 minutes
Avg Speed: 7.6 mph
Terrain: Hilly

We awoke today with much anticipation for our first day on bikes in New Zealand. Our panniers were packed before we went to bed. Scott, the host of the Skyway Lodge, came to see us off and capture a picture for his website. We were his first cycle tourist-guest of the year. He gave us a few tips and we rattled off going north towards the Mangere Bridge. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as we rode off. We had almost the same identical outfits on - something we strictly avoid at home. The orange safety vests were the best part. Not so fashionable, but very functional.
The goal for the day was to make it to the rugged west coast at Piha Beach. The first 30 minutes were the fastest and most flat. Soon after, we found ourselves in a choppy rhythm for the rest of the ride. It was a lot of climbing with a little bit of descending. By the time we reached Piha we were definitely cooked. We expect the first week or two to be an adjustment period. In Colorado we rode a couple of practice rides but not longer than 20 miles or two hours. We figured we'd have plenty of time to get into shape in the first month or so.
Piha Beach and its surrounding are part of the Waitakere Ranges Regional park. This park system is a unique preserve in close proximity to Auckland. Picture this: lush rain forests and rugged surf beaches against an awesome coastal backdrop. Not a bad place to see on your first day.

Day 1 - Arrival in Auckland

We arrived safely in Auckland, New Zealand yesterday about 5 am. The flight was smooth and our entry through immigration and customs had a few bumps. The immigration official wasn’t too sure about our 6 month visa without a permanent address. She asked “where are you going to stay?” to which we replied “in a tent”. She looked at us like we were a bit crazy. We had to declare a few items in our luggage for customs – we didn’t want to take a chance with any fines. They have very strict bio-security regulations here since New Zealand has an island ecosystem. In the end, they took our Honey Stinger energy gels (because the main ingredient is honey) and closely inspected our tent.
We decided to book a motel room the first couple of nights so that we could get ourselves together before starting out. After we settled in by 10:30 am, we assembled the bikes. We had completed the bikes by about 12:30pm and realized that we needed to get out and about. We didn’t dare go to sleep even though we were getting tired. So, figured out the bus system and schedule and headed into the city center of Auckland. We spent the afternoon walking around looking for some more detailed maps of the North Island. The bus ride back was long and uneventful and we tucked ourselves into bed about 7:30pm. Thursday we will spend getting supplies and find a route out of Auckland.

New Zealand Info
Population: 4.1 million people, 39.3 million sheep
Area: 268,680 sq kilometers, about the size of Colorado

Number of international visitors in 2005: 2.4 million
Number of wineries: 463 (2004)