The view from our room

Day 2 (12/23): After we cleared immigration, retrieved our bags and cleared customs, we were met by our driver. We took a nice drive of about 250 km (155 mi) in which we saw some sights of Auckland, a Kauri forest, a New Zealand pigeon and learned how to pronounce some Maori words. At the Paihia Beach Resort, we met up with the Backroads tour group to begin our tour. A quick shower revived us. We fit our bicycles preparing for tomorrow's ride and started meeting the rest of the group including our tour guides, Jo Zulaica and Ken Bruschett. Later we went to the Waitangi Treaty house to learn about the Maori and the birth of New Zealand as it is today. We had an orientation reception and followed it with a wonderful dinner where we continued to get to know our fellow travelers.