what a great trail!!!!! :)

Bikepark on the next hill.
So near, but still not reachable without a great amount of work, sweat and some serious hiking with backpack and bike....

Looks like somwhere in the Alps...
Just 30mins ago I was feelin like in the middle of Prevence in summer, and again 30mins before nice sand beach with blue water.
And nobody around...
Just amazing!! :)

beautiful scenery all around and by now it's not that hot anymore.
looks like there's a nice bikepark on the other hill, but no way to get over there...

the motocross course on the opposite hill was quite busy

1st real ascent of the tour so far (every "hill" - small or bigger - inside town doesn't really count).
The landowners weren't so happy about me cycling on THEIR ground...
Felt like 35degrees. Only little water reserves left. No clue where this loose gravel road is about to end.
I could at least see a lot of hills like that one on the way back to Welly...
I'll know what I've done today when I'm back at the hostel, that's for sure!

Complete solitude out there :)
If only the underground would not be that loose and deep...
Absolutely no way of riding a bike here.
Was actualy easier to carry the bike on top of my backpack from time to time.

1st wildlife encounter :)
Distance between us two ~4m

Hi everybody!
Just a short message and some pix of the last days :)

Moved by Overlander train from Akl to Wellington.
Was a beautiful journey of 12h through Tongariro national park with great surroundings.
Tomorrow I'm "already" leaving for Picton and the Queen Charlotte - finally!
Wellington really was a nice place and I'm looking forward to stay here for a while on the way upwards again!!

Now I will just upload some photos I took during the last days in Akl, on the way down here and on the 1st "real" MTB daytrip...

Will try to comment a bit on them the next days.

So far everything is quite good :)

greets

Good evening world!

Try nr. xxxx to pay the woodhills bikepark a visit...
Weather was perfect, no labour days, went to bed (quite) early the night before, got up (quite) early...
But no trains out there on weekends :(
As it's around 40km on way, there's no way to just go there by bike when a full day of bike park is planned.
So I bought a ticket for the ferry over to Devonport and biked all the way to North Head.
Visited Petra during her work on the way and some nice Weisswuerscht mit Brezel :)
Should have been like 50km to go with a lot of little hills to be climbed every where and a lot of wind from the wrong side on my way back to Akl...
So in the end I'm now pretty done ;)

After my first Rugby game on big screen with some explanations about the rules I at least understand the basics of the biggest sport here :)
Every single football/soccer player would be crying with the 1st 2mins....

Tomorrow perhaps a 2nd visit to a cool climbing hall I found with Martin.
http://www.extremeedge.co.nz/
It's really big one with loads of different routes to do.
Was pretty cool last time (although we both didn't do too good)!

MTB trip to Rotorua and napier will have to wait till the 2nd part of my journey here, as it's just not possible to get there without a car. No train at all and buses just incl several tours and for that not very cheap.
So I might just hop on the Overlander train to Wellington on Fr or Sat.
Then some of Wellington trails and by ferry over to Picton.

Looking so forward to get over to the south island, doing Queen Charlotte etc!!!!! :)
Weather is now stable enough that it doesn't rain every single day, so nothing can go wrong :)

so much for the moment...

cheers

Martin and me had to wait quite a while till a car came by in the right direction, to be photographed with the right camera settings

there always a new perspective every now and then... :)

Train station of Akl at night


"let's do some pics by night..."
left the house at 10 pm, returned after "some pics" on 2am ;)