NZ

So, I've been in New Zealand for about a week now. Had a conference in Wellington, completing my two week conference tour of A-NZ capitals. Here are a few notes:

1. It takes a long time to get anywhere in this country. Even though Auckland and Wellington are only 650k apart, it took us > 9.5 hours to drive there.

2. NZ is beautiful. It's like Cape Breton Island, Rocky Mountains and interior BC all wrapped in this compact package. And, I haven't been to the south island even!

3. Wellington is especially beautiful. Lots of hills, lots of wind, lots of rain, lots of politicians.

4. The roads are rough, which is very noticeable when cycling.

5. Kiwis are very friendly. The atmosphere is much less subdued than Australia. My brother describes it as Australia is the bully next door, much like the USA is the bully next door to Canada. Much like Canadians prefer to distinguish themselves from Americans, Kiwis like to distinguish themselves from Aussies. And, rightfully so.

6. Taupo, the site of the my race next week and the ironman next year has a very Penticton feel to it.

7. A lot of the town names are Mauri names, which can be phonetically challenging for a rookie like myself.

8. Auckland has a lot of abandoned areas very near the city centre, like old train stations, stadiums, etc.

Photos later.