It was decided to celebrate Christmas with a cycling trip through the remote areas of Auckland, specifically Waiheke Island, which is quite popular among tourists. Most visitors are interested in the vineyards and wine restaurants, but we planned to ride along the beaches, hit an MTB trail, and eventually stop at a vineyard for some food and drinks. Since I live 10 kilometers from the ferry departure point, I set off as early as 7 AM… The roads were completely empty 🙂. Instead of the 50 minutes Google estimated, I made it in 35 without even breaking a sweat. Then came an "unexpected" issue with the ferry—we didn’t get a spot on the one heading to Waiheke. The next ferry was in two hours, but the port authorities quickly redirected everyone to Auckland’s main port on a different ferry, completely free of charge. From Auckland, ferries to Waiheke run every 30 minutes. They didn’t ask for any extra payment, and they even let us board before the Auckland passengers! 🙂

000 - This is the route.

001 - Morning cat.

002 - The morning greeted us with a chill.

003 - Devonport welcomed us with dragon benches.

004 - Lilac that's not actually lilac.

005 - A closer look at the lilac.

006 - A fish fountain in action.

007 - Cool wall decorations.

008 - Devonport, the road to the port.

009 - Parking lot in front of the supermarket.

010 - A place for artistic creations.

011 - The streets of Devonport.

012 - View of Auckland from the Devonport pier.

013 - That awkward moment when a kid's bike is cooler than yours 🙁.

014 - View of Auckland from the ferry.

015 - The ferry's wake.

016 - Water splashing everywhere.

017 - Oneroa Bay.

018 - Oneroa Bay.

019 - Hekerua Bay.

020 - The photo doesn’t really show how steep this road is 🙁.

021 - Oceanview Road.

022 - A postal tractor.

023 - Vineyards.

024 - Took a break on the mountain with a mountain bike.

025 - Onetangi Bay.

026.

027 - Old school.

028 - A club for adult riders… My imagination is running wild 🙂.

029 - A winery restaurant next to the vineyards.

030.

031 - The best restaurant name for geeks 🙂.

032.

033 - Some unknown fruit.

034 - You roll up to the restaurant like this…

035 - Apricots straight from the bush -_-.

036 - A bee statue.