Sunset Trees

Left Ray's Rest at a very respectable 9.30 in lovely sunshine and lo' and behold, not 10kms inland.......rain!  Fortunately there wasn't much of it and it didn't last long.  My destination this morning was Auckland's North Shore to visit B.  Whilst I was looking forward to a good chat with her, I was most definitely NOT looking forward to driving a high-sided vehicle over the Harbour Bridge.  A few kms of psyching myself into it.....breathe.....find the right lanes.......breathe......NOT the outside lanes looking over the edge......breathe......breathe.....loosen the grip on the steering wheel....breathe

And there it was - just a few hundred metres of driving dozens of metres up in the air.  Yes - a white knuckle ride for sure.  They do say you should do something each day to make you scared......I can tick that one off for today then!

Lovely chatting to B - she's another one of those people who I don't see for years and then, when we do catch up, it was like it was yesterday we last chatted.  All too soon though I needed to be gone in order to make as much distance as possible on my journey south towards Wellington and the ferry.  I left at 4.45 and was almost immediately thrown into another white knuckle ride over the bridge when I saw the warning sign that said something about wind gusts and taking extra care if driving high sided vehicles.  More deep breathing and gentle reassurance.  

Anyway, I made it to Taupo after dark stopping only for fuel and a quick shot of the sun going down over these trees somewhere just south of Putaruru.

Today marked my biggest driving day of the whole holiday (so far) - some 400kms so I should sleep well.