The rain started to ease the day we left Auckland and we took the short ferry to Waiheke Island. The temperature remained on the cool side and the wind high but at least we were not getting drenched in minutes. Waiheke reminds me somewhat of Saltspring Island with a bit of a hippy vibe while also having some very opulent estates on the hills. It is very green and tropical with many trees, plants and flowers that we see in Hawaii. There are many beautiful bays, beaches and walking paths to enjoy here which we took advantage of however it remained showery for most of the time we were here. We stayed in a suite within a home and it was lovely and comfortable with a large garden out back and a patio to relax on when the sun came out.
We did one cycle loop of about half the island on the nicest day and despite it only being about 20kms we had a few big climbs so it was good training, not too easy. The other 2 days, in between showers, we walked on some of the many hiking paths (Te Ara Hura) leading to beautiful vistas and through the bush. We have started to see the many sheep in New Zealand, apparently 5X more than people. We are also seeing many different birds that we’ve never seen before such as oystercatchers, fantails, herons, and godwits. We are on the hunt for the Blue Penguins that live here but haven’t been lucky yet.
To leave Waiheke we rode to the east end of the island which is much less developed and took a ferry out of Man O’War bay, and over to Coromandel town on the peninsula of the same name. This ride too wasn’t very far, but involved 2 notable climbs of which one was on a gravelly washboard road so the going was slow. We had allowed enough time though and arrived in time for a snack and drink in a lovely vineyard cafe as a reward for our efforts. We were certainly the only cyclists on that road, however the drivers seemed tolerant of us. We don’t see too many people powered bikes here, similar to Europe and home. The ferry ride across the Firth of Thames was a bit bumpy but enjoyable with only 4 passengers (and 4 washrooms) on this crossing so it felt like our own private yacht. The 4 staff members were very friendly and interested in our journey.
The ride into Coromandel Town was fairly short and flat so a nice way to end the day. Our plan from here was to cross to the east side of the Coromandel Peninsula and ride south to Tauranga over the next week. However, the heavy rains we experienced in Auckland hit even harder in this region causing many mud ‘slips’ onto the highways and one deadly one on Mt. Manganui into a caravan park with 6 people killed. The roads are still being cleared and fixed and we have no certainty when they will reopen so we have been forced to do a major reroute, unfortunately. Instead we will be heading south on the west side of the Coromandel and making our way to Tauranga from an alternate route.
geeteetravels 
Wow! Amazing ferns and I love the NZ Christmas tree, such a lush place. Between that and the scones, we need to add this to our list! Have fun and ride safe.
Margo