Here at last

It’s my second full day in Auckland, just had a cup of coffee and have almost come to terms with being awake again.
The trip over was long and bereft of sleep. Heathrow was a manic as ever, just full of bustle and a bit shabby. By contrast, Kuala Lumpur airport was clean, modern and almost empty. It’s also surrounded by fields of palm trees, stretching as far as I could see. Quite what I would have seen if I’d been on the other side of the plane I don’t know, because I presume that a large city called Kuala Lumpur can’t be too far away! I’d forgotten how large Jumbo jets are as well. It’s astounding that the things ever get airborne.
So anyway, it was lovely to arrive in the Auckland springtime. Having been in surroundings of bare trees and leaf carpeted ground only a short time before, I was now looking out of the airport bus window onto lush green hillsides and trees in the first flush of spring. The sun was shining and a big smile was on my chops.
I arrived at Sarah and Andy’s house with no mishaps – Sarah’s instructions for bus travel out from the centre of Auckland proved to be fool proof enough for even a very tired half wit. It was lovely to see Sarah and Andy again, both looking chipper and very well. I thought it a fine idea to go out to a local bar for a couple of cheeky beers . . . .
St. Heliers, where S & A live is a top place. It’s almost a self contained village, but a suburb of Auckland. The “village” runs down the hill towards a bay full of clean turquoise water with a small sandy beach. Looking out over the water, the local volcano rises out of the sea, covered in trees and looking all rather tropical. The volcano has been dormant for 800 years, so I don’t feel too threatened by its presence! When I’ve got sorted out, I’ll post photos.
Central Auckland is only 3 bays away and yesterday morning I had a nice walk into the city. It’s about 10km’s and so the walk filled a fair chunk of the morning, but it was fabulous to realise that I had nothing to rush around for and could afford to take time walking rather than having to catch a bus. The sun shone on the sea (and me) as I strolled along with joggers and cyclists dashing past me. All very dreadful. So, taking it easy seems to be the thing to do and I plan to make sure I do more of it!
Anyway, the coming weekend is a bank holiday type thing, so I will be heading north with S & A for a bit of camping. We’re not sure of a destination yet, but apparently it’s all gorgeous, so it doesn’t really matter! I’ll let you know . . . . . .