December 17, 2023
Orere Point to Auckland
Homeward bound
The road out of Ōrere Point is tree adorned and pretty and quiet. It’s a warm morning and we’re pleased to be away comparatively early. What we recall of the route are the number of undulations coming up. The first stop will be Kawakawa Bay and apart from the one uphill described as moderate, it’s all good. The hill road is hemmed in by bush, and descending is fun.
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Kawakawa Bay comes up quite quickly. The tide is in and the water looks enticing but we want to move onto Clevedon before it gets hotter and before there’s too much traffic. There’s a Sunday morning market on in Clevedon and Ford Rangers are beginning to blast by, drivers full of weekender joie de vie. Some drivers are very careful, giving a good amount of space when passing, others clearly see anything between them and cracking a fast ton as completely undeserving of consideration. Ownership of double cab utes and SUVs has become a political issue in NZ- although the negative effects on climate of bigger vehicles is well known, there’s very much a head in the sand attitude.
The climb out of the bay is a little challenging but it forms a pattern for what’s to follow. Undulations of varying degrees of difficulty, followed by some relaxed downhills. I read somewhere that when you’re cycling, you’re only active for about 60% of the time. I don’t think that was true on this leg. Or our legs. It’s even busier than the last one with traffic hurrying to the market - we are almost within reach of Auckland’s suburban tentacles.
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After a quick look around the market we buy five avocados at a dollar each and rehydrate. Then it’s on to Maraetai, only a few kilometres further on. Here we stop for lunch and have a swim. The water’s warmer than Waihi Beach but still rather fresh. It’s a beautiful way to finish our ride. There are many family groups out enjoying a summer Sunday, picnicking and swimming.
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From here, it’s a few kilometres around to Pine Harbour from where we can catch the ferry to Downtown Auckland. We arrive with about an hour to spare and celebrate our ride with a Hazy IPA in the restaurant next to the ferry wharf. It’s been a satisfying ride, not always easy but as with all cycling trips, there’s always something of interest or unexpected around the corner. The final ‘ unexpected’ is that trains are not running from Britomart to Mt Albert and so we finish as we started, back on the cycleway.
At home, the garden’s not too bad after a week of neglect and tomatoes and beans are looking like they mean business. And so it’s home- open up the doors and windows and enjoy some real loose leaf tea. In a real teapot.
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 380 km (236 miles)
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