Pics from the road...

Putting my BOB together at the airport. The flight was a little hope over the Pacific Ocean from Fiji. I'm still in awe that the airport has a place set aside to build your bike...and free computers with internet access...what?!


Leaving the airport - on my way to my warmshowers hosts just a few kilometres away for day 1.
Playing a conquer Europe with trains game with Belinda, Marcus, Liam and Roland...Belinda and Roland recently finished a 1.5 year tour on a tandem riding from Alaska to Patagonia! Wow!


Belinda snapped this pic of me officially heading off...to who knows where :)
My first home. Topopokanga Regional Park (the following three photos below).
I stayed in Katikati two nights after some gastro issues. hm. But the small town is dotted with murals - painted in the 90's and early 2000's to try and boost tourism. This is just one mural of probably 30 throughout the town. Apparently, it's working. A lot of people come to this town/area to find work picking fruit.
Beach just east of Katikati - shoreline covered with shells!

Ancient imprints? They looked pretty cool. These are platered (naturally) on some rocks at Mt. Mauranganui near the city of Tauranga.

Me on top of Mt Maunganui. Just to the left of this pic is where the giant oil spill occured not too long ago and there are still massive efforts to clean up the beaches. Swimming was not recommended and in fact, several of the less populated beached further south were closed entirely. So sad...this dependence of oil.



My first made in NZ earrings - and the shells were found on the very beach I made them on...cool, huh?
I am almost to Rotorua!


more pics to come...trying to keep in a theme-y...maybe "Super-Macro NZ" will be next!