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! 🙂