Distance today = 23.57 km; Total distance = 1894.40 km; Location = Auckland Airport –  37 00.295′ S, 174 47.059′ E; Start time = 0800, Finish time = 1106

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/147792511

New Zealand is over!!! It was a great five and a half weeks, but all good things come to an end. As mentioned previously, I am now preparing for the North American leg.

The total distance run so far is 1,894.4 km. It might sound a lot, but it’s only about 6.5% of the total I will be running. Still, it’s a good start. I am ahead of schedule, and I have no injuries or issues at all. I attribute this to taking it easy. My pace is slow, and if I feel the slightest pain, I stop, have a rest, give it a rub,  and start off again. It has paid off so far.

Today I ran to Auckland Airport from the home of our overnight hosts, the lovely Gail and Michael. We enjoyed a few wines with them last night to celebrate the end of the NZ phase. This morning I was joined by Zeb Stone from Oxfam in Auckland for the run to the airport. It was great to have company, and we discussed all manner of topics, including one of my very favourites – marine renewable energy.

That means I began the NZ leg with the Chairman of my main sponsor, Next Digital, and finished the leg with a member my charity, Oxfam. It was a nice touch.

I hope to have some photos and videos of the arrival at Auckland Airport posted later. In the meantime, I may also post some more reports during the next few days, ahead of kicking off in San Francisco. Everything is very much on track, so keep the donations to Oxfam coming.