Auckland

Well, I touched down in Auckland yesterday morning.  Predictably, I'm sick.  Five flights in a week will do that to you.  So, I'm trying to hunker down and nurse this cold but I also have some errands to run before I can get out of here.  And I want to get out of here.  I'm anxious to hurl myself out of the city and into the countryside.  To that end, I put a down payment on a little camper van yesterday.  I should have it in my hands shortly.  Then I'll stock it up with a little gear, buy a road map and go!

Some ideas about where to go and what to do are starting to congeal.  North Island first, then South Island.  Surf as much as possible.  Go hiking, plan some backpack trips.  Fish.

As surfing goes, I'll be in Piha in a couple days, the closest surf spot to Auckland.  When I get there, I should be able to find a shop where I can buy a board and figure out where else to surf after that.  Interestingly enough, right down on the main drag here in Auckland, there is a Billabong shop, a Quicksilver store, and a Rip Curl store.  These are the biggest surf companies in the world, and yet not one of them is selling even a single surfboard in one of those shops.  They are basically high-end clothing stores.

And for backpacking & hiking (or "tramping" as they call it here in NZ), I'm starting to figure out where the trails (or "tracks") are.  Found a pretty good outdoor shop in Auckland today, so I'll pick up a few needed items tomorrow, including a trail guide.

Sorry about the dry report.  This cold has got me down.  Stay posted...