Polynesian Adventures!

I got to see first hand some of the work that Michelle and her team do in Mo'orea. Here they're working with liquid nitrogen to sanitize something... yeah I forget what it was exactly they're doing. It was cool though.

As part of France, Mo'orea has subsidized baguettes. At only 60 cents USD it's an absolutely insane deal. Other foods here aren't nearly as cheap so I'll for sure be pounding a bunch of this stuff!

Checking into my Airbnb I met the host, Tamatoa, who is the coolest guy ever. He's from Tahiti, but moved to Mo'orea for the better, chiller vibes. And he built his entire property himself! There's a Tahitian sauna, fire pit, beautiful sitting area, and a creek running through it all. You'll have to take my word since I didn't take many pictures, but this place is soooooo awesome.

You'll see plenty of fish just hanging on the side of the road with a price tag on them. This Mahi Mahi is going for 90,000xpf or about $90.

This big ol' piggy was fun to watch at first. But then (unpictured) she went straight for my bike that was sitting on the kickstand off frame and knocked it over! It's a fine line between being an asshole and becoming a piece of bacon.

Argentina vs Switzerland game. There are a surprising number of Argentina fans here - not including me.

My Airbnb came with a little kitty cat that jumped through the window and onto my bed. You can't sleep there kitty! But I did put him on the couch where he chilled for a while and then disappeared into the night at some point.

The first stop of our 37 mile journey today is at the base of 'Ōpūnohu Bay at this neat little bridge that crosses the river feeding into the bay. I was taking a selfie of Michelle and I and she was doing the same thing! Selfieception!!!

Michelle and I got a yummy breakfast of smoothies, eggs, coffee, and fruit at Val's. It was absolutely delicious and much needed fuel for the long ride ahead of us. Val also works at the research station as the station manager so it was cool to see her families' restaurant

I bet you're wondering what's under that loin clothe huh 😉?

Seeing a church like this sometimes makes me want to go to a church service. I'm not religious or anything, but praying in this kind of setting would be really cool.

We stopped for a swim at this boat ramp out in the "country" and there were some kids messing around as well. While we were swimming and diving off the pier this one kid kept saying "Moussier, Moussier!" trying to get my attention. He didn't speak any English and me very little French, but we made due. He wanted to show me their fishing technique where they tied an entire fish head to a line and dangled it in the water. I'm not sure if they were trying to actually catch anything or just attract sharks... but if it was the later then it worked! A couple of reef sharks came by to see what was going on. Super cool experience!

We stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch where they had coconut and pineapple juices. Well drinking both at the same time gives you a homemade piña colada! We also got a delicious poisson cru, which is like ceviche, but with coconut milk instead of lime. So delicious.

This was my favorite stop of the entire day! We biked up this very rough neighborhood road to get to a guy's personal property where the hike started. He charged 2000 per person and told us he'd watch our bikes. Well he didn't speak much English, but that was the shared understanding at least (I think). The hike was about 20 minutes up a bit of a hill and was super muddy. At the top we were treated with this incredible, tall waterfall. It had just rained the day prior so it was extra powerful today. The water was super cold, but I asked myself what would Brendan do? And of course B-lo gets into any body of water so I had to send it. It wasn't too cold honestly and Michelle took this cool picture so totally worth it!

This fellow was selling chilled coconuts on the side of the road for 250xpf ($2.50) so we had to get one. He chopped it open right there and we pounded it. It was funny - he gave us the shittiest straw I've ever had the pleasure of using which broke immediately. Seeing this he immediately grabbed us another, which also promptly cracked. He was so worried about us being able to drunk it, but I said no worries and put the whole thing up to my mouth and guzzled it right down!

We stopped at this pretty overlook for a bit after climbing a huge hill. Since we had e-bikes I wasn't tired or anything, but the view was nice so we stopped.

Molly and Michelle

At the juice factory you could see the juice cartons on the conveyer belt as they headed for the boxing machine. After watching how the juice is made we were able to go try some at their juice bar. The lychee one was gross!

My little cottage by the sea for the next 2 nights.

On the hike I stumbled upon this beautiful overlook with a panoramic view of the lagoon to the south. It was so peaceful with just the sound of the birds and the waves in the distance. I honestly didn't want to leave!

Servitude 224, Paea, PF

This grotto is huge and standing next to the pool you can see all the water dripping off of the ceiling of the cave into the water. It was a magical experience and I had it all to myself early in the morning!

The Vaima Source is a little spring off the side of the road that locals enjoy swimming in. Legend has it that the constantly gushing spring gets its strength and energy from Faaravaianuu, the royal eel of lake Vaihiria. The pure water is said to have healing properties and was at one time used as a cure.

The Teahupo'o Wave was were the Paris 2024 Olympic Games held the surfing event so they still had some of the things setup there. It was so cool to see both the place were the heaviest waves in the world are and to imagine the surfers here risking it all for gold.

Black sand beach of Tautira. I went for a refreshing swim here. Side note: "plage" is French for "beach", but in my mind it's a little to close to "plague"!

This place had the best ratings on Google for a coffee so I had to try it out. I was the only person in, but the owner was so kind and a fun guy to talk to. We chatted a bit about the town and how much he enjoyed surfing the big wave. What a savage! I got an espresso and a smoothie and played a bit of chess for a while before heading onwards!

I love sunsets like these!

Servitude 263 Voie 1, Paea, PF

Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!Coffee and raspberry croissant!

Exploring the museum of Tahiti and the Islands. Dumb dumb want gum gum!

Waterfalls 2 & 3 pictured here. So sick.

Cool geographical structure that was once used as a defense against the French invasion.

Where Captain James Cook observed the crossing of Venus (or something like that).

Rue du Lieutenant Varney, Papeete, PF

Yummy hamburger (said like Inspector Clouseau of course) and my first beer of the night...

18 Westmoreland Street W, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021, NZ

Yummy mushroom brioche bun and a coffee. I worked on Adventure Mapper for a bit while also investigating things to do the next couple of days.

48 Wharf Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011, NZ

147 Halsey Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

Liming around the Viaduct area this view caught my eye. I have a feeling that I'll be taking a lot of pictures of the skyline this trip. It's like my camera is drawn to it.

18 Kitchener Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

Walking through Albert Park I was struck by how beautiful this tree looked with Spanish moss hanging from it and backlit by a street lamp. It's small discoveries like these in the big city that make me really happy.

4 Vulcan Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

Me and Michelle met for Jalal cart food after her confrence. She absolutely killed her poster presentation!!! She had a huge line of people just waiting to talk to her and asking when she was going to publish it so they could cite it. So epic!

14 Sale Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

I had to stop for a quick selfie with the WHATEVER sign on my route home. Little did I know at this time, but I would go on to pass this sign every night on my lime ride back to my Ponsonby Airbnb. Great reminder to not take things so seriously. Not a great response to when someone asks you what you want to do for dinner though (@Michelle).

188 Quay Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

The journey from coast to coast starts at the Te Wharekura community center. Right on the water of the Waitematā Harbour I decide not to touch the water to officially christen the journey as it's apparently unsuitable for swimming. However the lime scooter I am prepared to embark on is quite suitable for this adventure - and my valiant stallion that I am excited to ride upon.

48 Emily Place, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

The first stop on the journey is a nice park situated just south of the waterfront. Nothing much to say other than this tree losing it's leaves looks really pretty.

31 Princes Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

The Crescent, Parnell, Auckland 1010, NZ

Lovers Lane, Parnell, Auckland 1010, NZ

29 Glenfell Place, Epsom, Auckland 1023, NZ

Auckland City Coast to Coast Walk, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024, NZ

474 Mount Eden Road, Mount Eden, Auckland 1024, NZ

325 Manukau Road, Epsom, Auckland 1023, NZ

Summit Drive, One Tree Hill, Auckland 1051, NZ

10 Park Gardens, Onehunga, Auckland 1061, NZ

21 Dally Terrace, Mount Roskill, Auckland 1041, NZ

21 Dally Terrace, Mount Roskill, Auckland 1041, NZ

I waited over an hour for the sunset atop the big king. This brings me back to the solbx.net days where I would catch a sunset in a different spot every night. There's something magical about taking the time to appreciate nature's beauty and not just arriving and taking a picture. Sitting in this tree I watched the birds chirping and fighting. I watched the local dogs playing off leash and frolicking in the grass upon the hill. And I watched the city move underneath me as people headed home. The sunset was spectacular and was a perfect way to end a perfect day. I love these types of days that are full of adventure and exploration. I maintain that ride share scooters and bikes are my absolute favorite way of exploring a city. So much fun!

145 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011, NZ

There’s just something about an overlook of downtown that makes me want to stop and take a picture. Well here’s another for your viewing pleasure.

4 Brown Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021, NZ

I went to grab a coffee at a place I found on google to find it’s inside a huge market! This place reminds me of Chelsea market in NYC. Lots of different restaurants and bars. The WiFi is garbage though so I decided to sit on the street corner and watch the people going by.

7 Smith Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland 1011, NZ

I'm in love with all the parks in the city. I was feeling a bit off this morning so being able to stumble upon a park as nice as this one and just sit on a bench for a while was incredible and much needed. The birds here have such a unique song. I enjoy listening to them while staring at the downtown.

312 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011, NZ

One bite everyone knows the rules - 6.1. The pizza's good, but not great. Would eat again, but only if desperate and drunk... so maybe tomorrow?

19 Victoria Street W, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

While perusing a book shop I came across this gem. It's a book made up of poems constructed from Donald Trump's sayings. I'd like to hear one about his friends next: "I have so many friends. The best friends. Everyone is always saying - Donald you have so many friends.". Something like that.

72 Victoria Street W, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

Don't look down! At 610 feet in the sky this place is awesome. There is a 360 degree viewing platform where you can see the entire city. I was able to retrace my scooter route from yesterday and could point out all the volcanos and parks I visited. This is something you should definitely do if visiting Auckland.

59-63 Wellesley Street W, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

The casinos fear me. I'm up on Vegas by about $5 and now I'm up on Auckland. You can't lose if you don't play. Welcome to the dragon's den. Wow that was cringy, but the casino here was neat. They had the classic games like slots, black jack, and poken, but then also some more "asain" style games like an entire room for baccarat.

4 Brown Street, Ponsonby, Auckland 1021, NZ

The fog was super thick this morning causing the ferry to be delayed by ~10 minutes. But even with that I'm super impressed with the punctuality with the Auckland transit system.

Ocean View Road, Oneroa, Waiheke Island 1081, NZ

Super cool bluff that splits Oneroa Beach in half.

Waiheke Road, Onetangi, Waiheke Island 1971, NZ

The rolling hills of the island are all covered in this lovely, lush grass. This place reminds me a lot of Block Island in it's vibes, but way more hilly. It's definitely a challenge going up some of these hills, but no matter it's a free workout!

Waiheke Road, Onetangi, Waiheke Island 1971, NZ

These sheep are living their absolute best life. They're my only company up here heading towards the eastern part of the island. I was headed towards Awaroa Organic Vineyard to try my first glass of one, but they're closed even though Google said they're open. After climbing the big fucking hill I'm not upset though since I got to see this wonderful view.

39 The Strand, Waiheke Island 1081, NZ

Onetangi Beach is huge!

72 Onetangi Road, Waiheke Island 1971, NZ

This is the most expensive Chardonnay at Tantalus Estate Vineyards. I believe according to the sommelier: "This Chardonnay unfolds with restrained elegance, revealing a finely integrated interplay of toasted brioche, wet limestone, and citrus blossom, culminating in a long, mineral-driven finish that rewards a patient palate." or something like that. It was very good though and quite refreshing after biking up and up hills for a few hours. Did I mention the hills only go up here?

64 Onetangi Road, Waiheke Island 1971, NZ

My next stop was The Heke for some lunch and to try their famous gin. Of course if you're getting gin the best cocktail for that is a gin and tonic. It was so refreshing and delicious that I had to force myself to savor it vs guzzling it down and ordering another. There's still quite a ride back to the ferry good sir! Not pictured is a delicious southern fried chicken, which was also delicious.

O'Brien Road, Waiheke Island, Waiheke Island 1971, NZ

These ducks are fed by people so they came over to me and started feinding.

22 Shelly Beach Road, Surfdale, Waiheke Island 1081, NZ

Quiet little cove named Shelly Beach. My mom would definitely love this place both for the name and the closeness to the wonderful wineries of the island. Someday I'd like to bring her here. My dad would say "Lets sail there!" and she would probably respond "Yeah hun... you sail and I'll meet you there!".

Auckland to Devonport Passenger Ferry, NZ

As the ferry nears the city we enter back into the fog, which at this time is also joined by some light rain. Since I'm viewmaxxing I stay on the top deck of the ferry and get quite soaked after a while, but you gotta do what you gotta do for the pic. Maybe some day people will be like "do it for the Adventure Map" if this site ever gets popular. I'll definitely need a better phrase than that though!

18 Westmoreland Street West, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021, New Zealand

After chatting with Josh for an hour I headed to Ozone to grab a coffee and work a bit on Adventure Mapper. The site is really coming along now!

Western Springs, Auckland Region NZ

Not pictured here (upon revision) is the eels. If you squint you can barely see one in the bottom left of the picture. But there were a ton of them squirming around in the water. Eels are very important to the Maori people's culture.

22 West View Road, Westmere, Auckland 1022, NZ

The number of great parks that you can find in Auckland is astounding. There is truly a park within every couple of blocks.

66 Hamilton Road, Herne Bay, Auckland 1011, NZ

My favorite kind of place to find. A nice place to sit, a quiet place to sit, and a secret place to sit.

41 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1011, NZ

This drink was so tasty that I got another.

88 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1011, NZ

Red curry with duck for me and a water for the lady.

68 Shortland Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

I initially was going to get a Suzuki JIMNY, but they upsold me on the hybrid vehicle. Honestly totally worth it for the extra passenger space. They were not able to upsell me the insurance though so I'll be taking very good care of this baby. Driving on the left side of the road doesn't worry me since we did that in St. Thomas. What does somewhat scare me is having the wheel on the right side of the car. It's weird taking turns since I'm so used to taking turns with a left side of the car viewpoint.

Kitekite Track, Piha 0772, NZ

Piha, Auckland Region NZ

Multi-tiered waterfall.

Piha, Auckland Region NZ

After the hike we stopped at the local bowling club to grab some lunch. It was such a chill spot - they had a fire going in the fireplace, some music on, and a bar and restaurant! I got a local craft beer on draft

23 Seaview Road, Piha 0772, NZ

Michelle and Madeline both had difficulty going down this slide. It turns out that slides made for children have very tight turns that are difficult to go around when you're adult sized. It's really too bad in my opinion.

22 Seaview Road, Piha 0772, NZ

We went to the Piha Store for a coffee and couldn't resist getting this carrot cake and it was the absolute best I've ever had. You could really taste the carrot and it had such a great texture. 10 / 10.

Mercer Bay Loop Walk, Piha 0772, NZ

I couldn't help my self - I did slap that ass.

Piha, Auckland Region NZ

If you look really closely you can see a glider plane in the clouds near the edge of the cliff. This pilot was an absolute madman diving and soaring in his glider plane in super strong winds by the edges of these cliffs. It was absolutely mesmerizing watching him fly around. He was either incredibly skilled and confident or was just YOLOing, but he for sure was making me nervous. I would love to try flying someday.

178 Karangahape Road, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

I finally made it to the famous Karangahape Road. The vibes were great and we checked out a couple of vintage shops. The smells from all the Asian restaurants were seducing.

7 Vulcan Lane, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010, NZ

Some final beers to close the night at the famous Occidental. Thanks Madeline!

1196 Ranolf Street, Rotorua, Rotorua 3010, NZ

I walked through this park in the morning and got my first view of the thermal activity in the area. Everything smelled very strongly of sulphur. In the park there were also public footpaths powered by the geothermals that some folks were enjoying and chatting around.

39 Lake Road, Ohinemutu, Rotorua 3010, NZ

I stopped for a coffee at the Third Place Cafe and it had great view of this historic, but still used Maori village with the lake in the background and the steam from the geothermal vents. It looked magical in the morning sunlight.

Kaingaroa Forest, Waikato Region NZ

Kaingaroa Forest, Bay of Plenty Region NZ

The hike to the top of Rainbow Mountain was pretty steep, but I loved the climb. The view at the top was 360 degrees of the surrounding area. In the very far distance we could see the peak of Mount Ruapehu, which is the largest active volcano in New Zealand!

605 Settlers Road, Reporoa 3083, NZ

Yummy post-hike lunch at a cafe in Reporoa. Michelle and I split a chicken panini and a chicken pot pie (of sorts). Molly got a vegetarian toasty (grilled cheese). We all got coffee. The folks in the store were really kind and gave us some great recommendations for tomorrow. And the little boy who was crawling around was so funny.

Long Mile Road, Whakarewarewa 3010, NZ

The redwoods here were planted all the way back in 1910ish and are now huge! Pictured here is just one of them, but there was a whole forest that we walked through. There's a strong feeling of calmness in my mind when walking through these towering giants. I really wish I lived near them so I could escape from my thoughts among them.

19 Queens Drive, Rotorua, Rotorua 3010, NZ

The Rotorua Museum under the full moon.

Waiotapu, Waikato Region NZ

Waiotapu, Waikato Region NZ

Waiotapu, Waikato Region NZ

39 Tunohopu Street, Rotorua 3010, NZ

1000 Hinemoa Street, Rotorua, Rotorua 3010, NZ

1182 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua, Rotorua 3010, NZ

26 Coronation Road, Māngere Bridge, Auckland 2022, NZ

We got eggs Benedict and coffees.

25 Kiwi Esplanade, Māngere Bridge, Auckland 2022, NZ

35 Scott Avenue, Māngere Bridge, Auckland 2022, NZ

An absolute calf burner, but also absolutely beautiful.

Mangere Bridge, Auckland Region NZ

56 Coronation Road, Māngere Bridge, Auckland 2022, NZ

The Gardens, Auckland Region NZ

The Gardens, Auckland Region NZ