Dec 3, 2023, Royal Oak Auckland to Manukau, Auckland, 30,5 km (TA km 652,6), 7:10 hrs
I am awake very early. Since sleep doesn't come anymore, I quietly eat my breakfast and pack everything. I start walking at 3:40 am. It is very dark outside and quiet. I am glad about that. I am not good with city noises.
I pass through residential areas, parks, and more green areas than I thought.
I cross a big bridge. At the end of the bridge are three big and strong men, drunk. I am alone. It is dark, Sunday morning. What was I thinking? They have probably been up and drinking all night.
I make sure to be on the opposite side of the road and walk quickly past them. I feel relieved when I put enough space between them and me.
Next, I walk around a car that is parked slightly unusually.
Some more green before I walk through industrial zones.
Not long before I would pass Auckland Airport, there is a serious-looking roadblock. Since it is early Sunday morning, there is no one, and I pass through. Seemingly, this block is part of a dispute that has been going on for many years.
I understood that in 1863, the colonial government took this piece of land (Ihumatao) from a Māori family and sold it. In 2015, a building company wanted to build hundreds of homes there. This is when six cousins, ancestors of the original owners of the land, began to reclaim the land. There has been a lot going on, but finally, the NZ government bought the land from the builders for 30 million NZ Dollars and proposed to use it for housing. As I understand, the dispute is still not settled, and the land is occupied by the ancestors of the original owners.
Passing Auckland airport.
Short break before the last stretch:
And again, walking along a road:
I arrive at the reception of "Proximity Apartments Manukau" just before 11:00 am. At that point, I had been walking for about 7 hrs and covered 34 km. I only had a very short break because it started to rain. At the reception, I can hardly stand; my feet hurt a lot. There is a very nice Indian guy who tries to get me a room as soon as possible. Check-in would usually be in three hours.
I wait in a chair near the reception and am very grateful when at 11:30 he gives me the first room that got cleaned on the top floor (16th).
Once I am settled, I decide to order a pizza since I don't want to walk anymore. Some time later, I get a confirmation that my pizza was delivered, but there is none!
I go down and ask at the reception; no one passed them. They help me get a refund, and the Indian guy asks me to order again but for pick up. I tell him that I can't walk anymore. He says, "No, of course, I will pick up your order for you." His manager agrees; I order, and that guy drives to the pizza place, which is a few kilometers away, to pick up my pizza. I am flabbergasted. This is unbelievable.
After 20 minutes, he is back. I eat the pizza - and I am still hungry, unfortunately.
Against my protesting feed, I go to the mall around the corner and start with some McDonald's fries. Still hungry. The other places only have meat, so I try a vegetarian burger from Burger King, but I can't eat it. It is very bad.
I do some planning for the walk tomorrow and soon have a good sleep.
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