Distance today = 46.62 km; Total distance = 1870.83 km; Location = Howick –  36 53.553′ S, 174 56.375′ E; Start time = 0832, Finish time = 1455

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/147556255

Well, I’m just about finished the New Zealand leg of this run around the world. Tomorrow morning I have a short stage of about 22 km or so to Auckland Airport. I will provide a more rounded overview of the run so far during the next few days.

Today’s run was in cool and overcast conditions – once again, quite perfect for running. The suburbs of Auckland comprised around half of the 46 km; the sign of a large city. In fact, I heard that last week Auckland reached 1.5 million residents, which is far and away the largest city in NZ. One thing I wasn’t expecting were the several children who said hello to me as I ran by. I’m not sure this would be a common occurrence in most big cities.

And it’s great to conclude the NZ stage with more of the great hospitality we’ve encountered during our journey up the length of the country. Tonight we are very grateful to be the guests of Gail and Michael in their lovely home near the shores of Mellon’s Bay, an outer suburb of Auckland.

As mentioned, I will be taking a few days before beginning again in San Francisco, but will be posting reports during the interim, so stay tuned.