I flew into Auckland on the 2nd day of 2015 and was greeted with wonderful weather, wonderful views, and wonderful people. I ventured north and returned to Auckland for a few more days before carrying on to the Coromandel Peninsula and then south in search of hobbits. Anyways, I must give a huge thanks to Jane Simmons and her flatmates Craig and Brent. They were incredibly generous and hospitable - welcoming me into their country and their home. I invaded their living space with a makeshift room in the corner of their flat. Jane showed me around the area, taught me the ropes, made sure I got a good deal on a car, offered me plenty of good food and even some extra necessities to take on the road with me. We also got inspired by the IRONMAN 70.3 Auckland. Craig took me golfing at a par 3 course where he proceeded to give me a proper whooping. And Brent prepared an excellent coffee every morning and brought me to his very welcoming Church. I am extremely thankful and blessed to have had such a wonderful experience in New Zealand's largest city. And of course a huge thank you to my friend, (and amazing artist) Patrick Maxcy, who introduced me to Jane, making sure this journey got started off right! I will miss the new friends I made, the flat meals and beach trips, but I suspect that I'll be coming back to this place in the future. For now, the journey continues, and it involves bees and honey and hopefully eventually some hobbits and a wizard? Stay tuned.
Oh yeah, and I found MY beach!
Much more to come...