Absolutely spendid. We spent 2 days in Auckland before heading down to Lake Taupo (pop. 20,000), home of IMNZ. The weather has been fabulous (fingers crossed) and the Lake is surprisingly warm (you could swim it without a wetsuit). We drove one lap of the bike course and it seemed long. People are showing up from all over and all of the Kiwis are very friendly.
I am sure the atmosphere will get a bit more agro as the week progresses but for now we are enjoying the myriad cafes and doing light workouts. Durdam and the parents surprised us at SFO and flew over with us before taking a sojourn up north of Auckland. They are back now and Dad is accumulating his usual fruits and nuts…
Will try to post some photos soon. Other than that, things are pretty chill. Reciting Luff’s aphorism do’s and don’ts (e.g. “Don’t get competitive for four or five hours”) and trying to understand the fascination with shaved legs and general preening.
No Soap, Radio! 