aotea great barrier island, new zealand

this trip has been on my bucket list for years. I was expecting it to be beautiful but the reality far exceeded my expectations.

It's a small island so not a lot of distance covered (115 km) but oh boiiiiii was there hills (2517 m elevation).

The trails were awesome. I pushed a lot. I was stupidly underbiked and desperately underskilled and I had an absolute blast even on the hike a bike sections.

I cried more than once because I'd pull up on a summit or come around a corner and the view would just be THERE, something so beautiful that it literally took my breath away.

I swam in the sea a lot. It rained the entire first day. I saw a whale during the ferry crossing.

It's amazing how much adventure you can find on short trips fairly close to home, I only had four days to do something and I'm so glad I decided to go to aotea.

I'll let the photos speak for themselves.