Brian
and I have calling Auckland home since Monday morning and it is now Saturday. AS
our budgets are fairly tight and we have to list our bikes we have confined
ourselves to the hostel and limited our exploring. When you put these
restrictions on yourself you truly begin to realise the limits cities have for
travellers. Sure they are great for short amounts of time meet people and maybe
stay and replenish funds well you work but other than that there is not much
you can experience in the city without having to fork out a few dollars for it.
This is not something we had experienced much of in New Zealand, where there
was always a really cool hike or a chance at seeing an awe-inspiring natural
wonder if we just rode the bikes a few miles off the trail. The one free place
we had found was just down the street from our hostel on the wharf. The Cloud,
as the locals had named it, is this giant temporary style structure kind of
resembling the old roof of BC Place that is filled with tons of free activities
like ping pong, giant chess and many more. Needless to say, I spent a fair
amount of my time there.
Today I
had decided that as my bike had still not sold I was going to go around the
city and actively canvas it with some guerilla marketing. So I strapped a sign
to my back pack and set off on the bike after what seemed like a lifetime
apart. The weather outside was absolutely beautiful today with the sun shining
and the temperature in the low twenties. Immediately as I slid my shoes back
into the toe clips of my pedals I felt at home. The wind against my face and no
massive bag at the rear slowing me down. I decided I was going to go down near
the water and lock the bike up where there were lots of cyclists and other
active individuals enjoying the sweet combination of the sea breeze and warm
sunshine. Only problem was I was really
enjoying being back in the saddle and soon found myself continuing on this
stunning seaside path.
I have
titled this entry ‘Auckland, City of Secrets,’ the reason for this being that
everything amazing I have found about Auckland has been unadvertised and just
out of the central business district. When I went a little stir crazy yesterday
I decided to go for a walk along the harbour and look at some really nice
sailboats and giant yachts, when I ended up stumbling up on a fish market and a
bustling harbour full of restaurants and cafes. Today I found myself along this
seaside path pedaling along and looking out at the breathtaking Auckland
harbour and all the beaches and local fisherman perched on the rocks.
Before
I knew what happened I had peddled 10km and was at the end of the path. I stopped
a few times to give people, who were interested in my bike, my number and
several more to take some pictures of the vistas and sometimes just to take it
all in. At the end of the path was a charming little white sand beach with
benches overlooking, it looked good time for me to take a seat. On this beach a
father and his two sons were playing some touch rugby, when one of the sons
scrapped his leg on a shell in the sand. The father offered the young boy some
water to clean it off but the boy exclaimed, “I’m not a Wallaby dad, I can handle this.” I couldn’t help but sit back and
chuckle. This was the Auckland I was looking for.
As I
rode my bike back into the city I received an offer on my bike. It wasn’t until
this moment that I realised my attachment to my bike. I had truly grown to love
it, even though its continued persistence to stay out of tune. This bike had
taken me farther than any bike I had ever owned and now I was going to sell it
to some stranger. Sitting in the theater square where I was scheduled to meet
the buyer I tried not to look at the old girl, it would be easier that way.
Some brief chit chat about her life in my hands and I soon was walking way cash
in my pocket. As I walked away I took my Hollywood over my shoulder last
glimpse as she glided away along the pavement, a city life await her now.
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