Day 5 to Miranda Hot pools

 Thanks to Mum we jammed as much slices as we could into our bags and got ready, leaving a few more hopefully not needed items behind. Tim Beresford joined us for the ride and it was great to have someone new to talk to even if he was leisurely riding along on his e bike. Along the Onehunga motorway to the airport missing a few not needed roads around Mangere Mountain and into the airport for a chocolate slice stop in front of the planes. Certainly not a great time for plane watching there aren’t many flying. Tim left us here and we carried on riding through Manukau and up and through Totara park already this was a much more enjoyable pace not rushing for a boat. We passed a TA rider that had had an accident and we certainly hope he’s alright. It was a good reminder that sometimes it can be a simple thing that catches you out, despite riding gravel roads and main highways with trucks whizzing past a simple bump on a footpath might just catch you.

We left Auckland much like we entered riding up hills and through rolling farm land back onto the roads where you can smell a dead opossum 50m before you see it any no two carcasses are the same. A few more chamois stops, passing the old castle and fighting some more headwinds we rolled into Miranda campground with hot pools!! Wow how good did that feel to let my tight legs simmer. 

It’s nearly time to sleep on my 1 inch thick mattress and  too hot sleeping bag, I think I’ve got all the bugs out of here. Fortunately I brought Chris and I think they are all in his tent…