So on Tuesday morning I went down to the harbourside at 10am to start my Flying Kiwi tour and there the bus was, trailer with bikes on as well. I said goodbye to Jennifer, then got on to find that it was just me, the guide Lisa and a German girl called Rebekka for the first three days. When we return from north of Auckland we pick up 6 or 7 others for the rest of the North Island, but for now it's just three of us!
Off we drove north towards Paihia in the Bay of Islands, travelling out of the urban core of the North Island and into the countryside. We stopped for lunch on a beautiful sandy beach before moving on. I somewhat stupidly chose to cycle a route into Paihia and then to the campsite, failing to take on board the labels of "difficult ride" and "rough terrain". Needless to say, it was tough! I rode (and walked) through forrests and agricultural land, then down the coastline and on to the campsite. I originally planned to cycle to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but it took me much longer than I initally planned, so I just went back to the campsite. When I got back, we had dinner and then after many attempts, got a fire going, before heading off to sleep.
