Where in Auckland are you? I'm from out West originally but have been in Wellington for seven years now. I have to admit that I'd be very reluctant to cycle up there, although Wellington's not exactly a cycling paradise either. Where in this country is? It's taken me a while to get up the nerve to ride home in rush hour and I used to do the 28km detour because it missed the worst of it. Now riding through the centre of town to take the short route home is almost a fun challenge - almost! Too many of my friends have had accidents of varying severity for me to ever be completely nerve free.