| Making the most of your situation is more than a rule for me, its a philosophy. Living in Onehunga for a few weeks opened up a new window of opportunity. I've been planning to cycle to the Waitakeres for some time now, but due to Auckland's somewhat constrictive geography, with harbourways and motorways often getting in the way, now cycling to Piha from Onehunga seemed like the only way. |
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| Scenic Drive - the greasy road to Piha |
Fearing that I would get lost in these unchartered territories of Hillsborough, Green Bay and Titirangi, I stashed directions in my back pocket, cranked the iPod onto Switchfoot and set pedal to the hills.
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| Piha - I have arrived |
The view into Piha from high on Piha road is great from the car window... but sensational from the saddle! It was strangely even a different and exciting experience from tramping - cycling on the roads puts you into a mode of civilisation, you don't expect anything too grand. And when tramping or trail running its more of the norm. But road cycling into areas of wilderness beauty - for one who's daily biking more consists of battling rain, city traffic and dark, all at once - this made for a terrific experience!
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| Friends from Kuwait |
As I began to descend Lion Rock, a group of travellers invited me to share some Arabic coffee with them - it turned out that they were from Kuwait! You never know who'll you'll meet when you're in the mood for adventure. And of course it's far easier to stumble upon little gems like these when venturing solo - the world is yours to play with!
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| The vista from Lion Rock |
The return trip was a modest 70km, taking just over 3 hours. Nothing spectacular in terms of endurance or speed, but a well worthwhile adventure nonetheless.
