The Sunday Tsunami Cycle

My regular Sunday cycle was a little unusual this week. When your route includes Tamaki Drive, Auckland's Waterfront, Tsunami warnings on the news get your attention.

Heading through Waterview first sign of anything unusual was a couple of Police cars stationed to close the on-ramp to the, barely above sea level anyway, North Western Motorway causeway.  We headed towards town, through the Domain and down to the Gladstone Rd lookout (near the Parnell Rose Gardens). It was strange to see the port empty, all the ships had sailed and the ferries, and Navy (all 4 of them!) out in the channel to avoid any impending tidal surge. Most prominent was a large Cruise Liner, Dawn Princess, anchored off North Head which would have upset many day tour plans.

By this time it was a couple of hours after the predicted arrival time and Tamaki Drive was still open. We headed off and got to St Heliers without further drama. The Tide was pretty low anyway so it was difficult to see if there was any Tsunami influence but the ride was unusual in a couple of ways.

While not empty, there was a lot less traffic than usual and every bay had Police presence. It was just a couple of squad cars and a few cops keeping an eye on the beaches. There were a few people still swimming and out in small boats like kayaks!

While it’ may be considered a little bit crazy to ride around the waterfront the road is well above sea level and I wouldn’t be swimming or boating anywhere near the shore! The nearest I got to the sea was the road and I kept a wary eye on the sea level over Calamari Salad (yum) and Coffee at La Vista, St Heliers.