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  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 18

    Wellington

    April 15 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    And...finally reached the capital. Final destination for the north island roadtrip.
    I arrived around 20.00 and took some time to relax from the long driving. I got a bit frustrated when i realised that most food places and bars were closing at 22.00 and that there was not a lot of ppl around despite being in the city's center.
    It was certainly a different thing the next day during the morning run where despite being early it was alot of people all around showing how vibrant of a city it is.
    Visited the Museum of New Zealand with interesting anf varied free exhibitions. NZ nature, first habitants, Maori culture and 'Galipoli: The scale of our war'.
    The last one was dedicated to NZ's participation in the first world war with a main key contribution from Weta studios (the film prop making studio that made Lord of the rings) placed large scale lifelike figures of NZ soldiers. Impressive work and amount of detail there!!!
    And after the museum and a nice drive/eat/chill towards the Oriental bay i headed to 'Weta cave'. A guided tour at the workshops of the creative studio showing how things are made combined with alot of interesting stories from the film industry!
    Inspiring!    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 18

    Tongariro Alpine crossing

    April 15 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    Spend the night in a hostel thinking i had to be fresh for the hike. Small wooden sleep pods that worked reallt well in general cutting sounds and lights from the mixed dorm room.
    Started driving in a hurry but i made sure to get time to buy two pies, a bun and a coffee (...thought it was expensive at the time).
    Reached the finish of the trek with the car and from there it was arranged to get a shuttle to the start of the Tongariro Alpine crossing so it wouldnt be any waiting after i was done.
    The day looked very promising excactly as the forecast from the day before. Shuttle time was about 30min and the driver tried to sqeeze in some local Maori stories and legends during the drive. Cool guy with veeeeery NZ accent!
    Started the hike and it feels amazing! The scenery even from the car looked out of this world. It is my first ever volcano sight. And straight away i was thinking Smigol and the fellowship!!! 😁
    The active crater that stars the movie, the red crater, the caldera,the blue lakes.l, the the the...so many features in one go!
    The hike itself was not that hard...the shuttle driver said the record was 1hour 25min! Prob Killian J.
    It took roughly 6 hours with pie eating and a ton load of images. Prob overexcited about the place!
    Aftrr finishing relatively early decided to continue south to Wellington and call it for the north island road tripping. Need some rest and there will be only one full day to explore Wellington so better make it worth it!    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 17

    Continuing south

    April 14 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Pretty tired for another day of riding so decided to play it safe and act the turist on e more after Christchurst...(good and bad choice there). Before leaving Rotorua had to have a look at the crankworks racing field...mtfin' HUUUUGE stuff...certainly the size of everything is lost through all the videos. Seeing it in real life is a completely different thing.
    Started driving away from Rotorua and was planning to go directly to Huka falls which is close to Taupo but for some reason when i saw the sign of Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland i just turned in. Decided to give it a go despite the fact i knew it eould be very turistic. Mudpools, geizers, hot spring and sulphur all around...an interesting site for sure. The day was very sunny and nice and all the colors of the oxides and the crystals in the water were very evident. Interesting site to see for sure. What i didnt like was the people! Pfff...didnt miss the selfish ones hunting the perfect photo in expense of everybody elses incovenience...aaaanyhow.
    I rushed through the path and rushed back in the car. Did actually passed by Huka falls at the end and had the same feeling there as well...
    So headed into Taupo, checked in the hostel and started getting ready for next days hike!
    Oh yeah...i watched rugby at the local pub over some beers!
    Kiwi style    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    1
    Day 16

    Rotorua biking heaven

    April 13 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Woke up early so took a stroll around the hotel that was quite well centered and next to the hot spring lake. Nice and short walk cause i was focused on maximising my Biking time! Rented a Giant Trance and started the Forest loop at 'Whakarewarewa Forest Park'. I was a bit in a hurry cause rain was supposed to come in later in the day. The 34km loop was said to go through some of the areas interesting forest locations as well as providing a good (grade 3) ride.
    It did not dissapoint. A relatively easy ride but the landscape was amazing! Huge redwood trees, giant ferns, tropical feel and well built tracks that were still moist from the rain the day before.
    Loved it!
    Finished the loop, took a breather and roamed around the rest of the tracks keeping it reltively easy. Did around 60km of trail riding and was certainly ready to hit those warm pools! Nice and relaxing small pools placed outdoors with a view to the lake and both acidic and alcalic waters! Had no cluewhat was what... i just transfered my tired being from one to the other and got primed for some rest!    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 15

    Heading South?

    April 12 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Stealth car camping as it turns out I fit in the car! I had a very good night sleep and since I had limited options for entertainment in the car, I fell asleep really early and woke up just as early! Around 5.30 i was already driving...north, not because i chanded plans but cause of me not thinking straight...After a while i realised and headed towards the right direction. Quite some time was lost but hey, light started to appear behind the mist.
    Farmers drove their 'utes' like mad in the dark! The day started in a hard way. Visited Wangarei to check the waterfalls but i was mostly surprised by the A. H. Reed Memorial Kauri Park.
    Continued down the road and close to the east coast this time. What a sight!
    I missed my chance of riding a wave since they dont rent boards this far out of the normal season.
    At least they all looked lile they were enjoyed.
    Reached Rotorua late in the afternoon dead tired from almost half a day of driving.
    Checked in the hotel (btw if booking rates it around 6 its not worth it) had a full dinner right next to the hotel and crashed into bed!    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 14

    The northest of the southest

    April 11 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    I woke up early and from a weather prespective i was not very keen on heading up north. All the things one could do were out in the open (as most things here...) and with a prognosis for extreme winds and proper rainfall i was veeeery sceptical. At the end i decided to go for it but in a more relaxed manner. At the end the lighthouse will be in place no matter what!
    So i took my time with a proper breakfast and some tea, communicated my best compliments to Bruce for what they have achieved and how lovely the place is and hit the road.
    It was raining...and raining and raining. Not just a drizle, proper heavy, bucketload type of rain!
    Pushed through and commited to it, only to get a freaking dense cloud just before the end that prevented all visibility...lovely!
    Crazy wind, more rain...looked very promising...NOT ! ! !
    Took some windy images of the lighthouse and headed towards a beach just 2k of a foot trail away. Besides looking amazing it was behind the hill so kind of protected from the wind. The rain also stopped...hmm
    And after a quick trail run i found myself alone in the most beautifull beach ever. All mine! Undisturbed, pristine, smooth sand with the heavy waves breaking in a distance and the wind coming ang going from all directions! Felt like running...so i did...felt like swiming...so did...The sun came out! Someone up there had to be watching! I just couldnt believe it!
    I had hard time deciding leaving but i had to if i wanted to see the giant sand dunes that were a bit to the south. Passed them before but i had prioritised the ligthouse.
    After a short drive that passed through fields and fields of cows and sheep there i was! Another wonder of nature. Sandy mountains filling the horizon from side to side. Two figures in the distant dune running like crazy up and down and i followed along. Wind was picking up and was sandblasting my whole being!
    Took another go at running and got in the car to head back. Tonight will be car night. Some planning is needed. And i just realise i spend most of the time writing this...well, it is what it is.    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 14

    Kauri forests

    April 11 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Got a rental and headed north. Drove a bit Freds car but it was long segments of straight road, nothing difficult. This time driving out of Auckland took full attetion. After a while one gets used to it...kind of!
    The drive northbound was not somethimg spectacular in the beginning but it certainly gave its best towards the end. I passed by the Kauri museum, had a look, got some info and quickly headed towards the Kauri walks which had a closing time that i could just make it.
    Lovely typical rolling New Zealand hills gave way to Waipoua Forest road which was both amazing to see and drive. Walked the small paths that eventually led to the biggest trees i have seen. Huge just huge! As if the tropical forest wasnt impresive enough!
    Continued up the road in order to check in for the night in a small place i found online. It turned out to be a proper haven! Owned by a lovely couple, it felt they put a lot of effort making everything just right!
    Took advantage of the remaing daylight to see the sand dunes that where near by. Impressive scenery and beaches!
    Took the rest of the afternoon in the common kitchen checking some pictures and writing down things that had happened the last days.
    It started raining and it will continue to rain for the next two days. I would still like to go all the way up north but probably i will not be able to do as much as i hoped for.    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    1
    Day 12

    North island, Auckland!

    April 9 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand and it shows! Straight aeay it gave me a feeling of being in the US and/or Toronto. Big cars, big money, big buildings, big...big...big. The city is build on top of a volcano which by the way pffer the most amazing views of the skyline!
    The room had a view to the road and all the strip clubs the area had to offer! If only i could check the area before booking...very loud at night time from both drunk people as well as roaring car and motorbike engines.
    At the end it was fine...with the earplugs working wonders!
    Did a small run on Wednesday morning to loosen up the legs and it felt soooo nice! Well needed after all the biking.
    Off to get the car and hit the road    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 11

    Christchurch turist!

    April 8 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Well...time to act the turist! All the stuff we managed to fit in since we first left Chrischurch left us with a need for a breather. Luckily for me i am on vacay and i can easily take a step back. Not the same xase for Fred that dived straight into work.
    Took it slow and had an early laundry that the hosts were kind enough to provide and headed to the city. Completely different from what i experienced the first night. A bright city with a vibrant center market with loads of coffee places and diners. The river that passes through gathers all the historical parts around it and provides beatifull scenes for the visitor, the turist, me!
    Museums, shops etc etc...typical trip things.
    The day ended with a nice dining experience in a korean/maori fusion diner that even though tasted amazing, left us kind of hungry! Some donats filled in the blank and we were off to sleep!    Read more

  • TravelerHow’s Fredrik doin’?
    Day 10

    Aleksandra

    April 7 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    And it continues...waking up again to a beautifull view, breakfast and off we go the three of us to Aleksandra, Matangi station MTB. Another no lift bike park with awesome trails! Felt a lot like home in Thessaloniki with all the sharp stones and the loose dry dirt! Some really steep parts made it quite challenging and i couldnt keep up with Freds pace (he was after all excited about the contitions and was flying down).
    After some necessary chatting with the groups riding the spot that day we had a few runs together and then moved on to another part of the area.
    First it was a fast flowy one by a small stream and then a steep technical one which took me by surpise! Had an OTB moment and fell with my back towards the slope. I felt my helmet hitting hard against the rock slab right after my bum had done exactly the same. When i stood up i realised my shorts and underwear were torn and my elbow was somehow bleeding. Took some thorns out of my skin and clothes and struggled in the beggining to continue but eventually i managed to clear the trail...
    Another small (thanfully) sacrifice to the MTB Gods!
    Satisfied and full with all the things we did the past days we eventually started heading back to Christchurch from the east road this time. We were aiming for a decent time of sleep before Fred started working.
    Kind of made it...    Read more

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