Day 80 – End or the road

The sun’s back at last, just a shame we had to enjoy most of it from the car as we made our was back to Auckland.

With a time on our side we took a longer route, following the Pacific Coastal Highway via Thames. For a coastal highway you don’t get to see much sea on that section.

We stopped of for lunch at a small coastal town. I found a bakery and indulged in my new craving for pies, I think I could get addicted to steak and cheese. I also managed to finish off my Christmas shopping and get it posted back home. Its the first time I’ve ever got all my Christmas stuff dome before the last shopping week! with that done I joined Tom for a bit of beach time. Again the setting was stunning, a wide bay with an island in the middle and some excellent surf breaking over turquoise waters. Unfortunately didn’t have the dollars left to hire a board.

We dropped the car off early and the rental people kindly dropped us off at our motel. Finally getting decent Internet connection I was shocked to find out it might also be the end of the road in more ways than one for me as my job is up for redundancy.

Needing to clear my head I geared up for a run. Scott, the owner, recommended some routes. The sea or the volcano? I opted for the volcano as I can run by the sea next week. The route didn’t disappoint and after a mile or so I encountered the remains of a volcanic crater. It was a sharp climb to the top that left the heart pounding but the eyes wide open as the 360 vista before me. It was one of the best views I’ve encountered in my entire exploration of New Zealand. In front of me was the ocean and a large blast crater; to the left of me was the airport; to the right was Auckland city centre with the sky tower appearing above the hills and behind me was the port. Tom made his way up a few minutes later and we admired the view for a while  longer before running around the crater a few times.

The run and a large pasta tea cleared my head. Dealing with the work situation took up most of my evening and I had to rush to get the washing and packing done. In the end I only got three hours sleep before getting up for the airport.