Upward mobility

Auckland, a city of roughly two million people, is a bit of a sprawl. It spreads in all directions that the jagged and peninsular geography allows. It makes getting around just by foot or unreliable public transportation pretty difficult and time-consuming, and can be a real barricade for someone who wants to explore the vast beauty that New Zealand has to offer. I've been strolling around Auckland for three weeks, recognizing that I likely am missing out on the great things my two slow and laboring feet weren't able to transport me to. 

The solution to this conundrum is shockingly simple:  I bought a car!

Like a minivan, but shorter. Feels like home.

This is my 1997 Nissan Primera Camino hatchback. With only 158k km, a sea-at-dusk blue you could drown in, and a trunk big enough to fit a single bed, this is a road tripper's dream. It has all the sleek style and on-road reliability you would expect from a late-90s Japanese car, and in the 48 hours since its purchase, my life has changed completely.

The first car selfie. Probably very illegal.

For instance, it allows me to easily drive the 20 minutes over the Auckland Harbour Bridge to the North Shore. This part of Auckland is hip, wealthy, and feels like a beach town you'd want to retire in. And the views:

First attempt at panorama shot from my iPhone. Note that Auckland still has many sailing vessels even in 'winter.'

Another form of 'sailing,' with an island volcano in the background. I reckon this guy has it all figured out - people say 'reckon' instead of 'think' here.

Looking west to the city. This picture was taken on a now defunct military installation. First built to keep out Russians, then Japanese, neither of which ever really showed up.

A car also lets me explore outside of Auckland. For my first trip, I ventured on a sunny Sunday morning about 45 minutes west of the city. The hike is called the Te Henga Walkway, because hiking is really just walking. I did this one on my own, mostly because I wanted to get used to driving on the left (wrong) side of the road by myself, and because I was nursing a red-wine induced hangover.

Winding mountain roads with narrow lanes and some hair-raising moments brought me to the trailhead. What starts as a simple ascent and summit of a ridge instantly turns into stunning and utterly captivating ocean views.  

O'neill Bay. This is winter people!

The ridge runs parallel to and (naturally) above the water for several kms, but I wanted an up close view, so I hiked down to the water.

This is clearly a better panorama shot. 

Oh and there were caves.

Great place to crawl into and die.

And some dense, black sand, which I'm told is impossible to walk barefoot on in the summer. It was quite cool and comfortable in mid-August.

Black sand or the beginnings of an Oreo pie crust?

So thank you car, which I haven't given a name to yet, and thank you Auckland, for being one of the most livable cities in the world year after year (I can't help but point out that the only US city that shows up on any of those lists is Portland, though just barely. Also what makes Canada so damn livable?).

Cheers!

Bonus:  I stole someone's coffee mug (only for a day).

I can haz coffee?