Just to start: I had... an amazing time (wink Simon Cowell). So amazing thinking about it (+ lack of sleep) gets me emotional. What were the best moments? Depends what you are referring to. Talking about nature and the sightseeing that I did I would say that my top 4 would be (all shared first places actually): 1) Waiheke (Island east of Auckland - stunning landscape, sunsets, ... the complete package for a nature lover) 1) Tangoriro Alpine Crossing - Hiking through the land of Mordor for 8 hours, enjoying the most breathtaking landscapes, realizing you are standing on an active volcano that erupted just a few years earlier (2012), passing Mt Doom, ... Got no words for it! 1) Milford Sound - a fjord in the south of the South Island - you see it and your heart skips a beat. I guess I haven't said anaything during the entire trip just because there was so much beauty to take in. 1) Coastal routes from Blenheim to Kaikoura on the east coast of the South Island and from Westport to Greymouth on the west coast - both sides vary so much but are equally stunning.
If we are talking about staying in hostels, people, everything else than nature I would say: In (almost) every hostel I met some new people from all over the world. It was awesome to listen where everybody comes from and what their intentions are. With some people there would never be that 'click' but with others you would even go on a trip the day after you met them. So a very nice experience.
About people... I've met the most wonderful people, most of them on the conservation project. It are all people from all over (Germany, Switzerland, the british girl and the french girl (most of them from Germany -.-) but all people with different backgrounds and that is what makes it very interesting. Of course there are some people you feel more comfortable with than others, but I've got to say: it went really well from the start. After a while you tent to go more to certain people just because you feel a click, a connection. Sometimes that connection comes so fast and grows at the speed of sound that you think: hejla howla this seems like something more special and this is worth holding on to! Had this with a few individuals.
So am I happy to be in Australia at the moment? Yes, but I would have liked to have stayed in New Zealand just a little bit longer. I was not ready to go yet although everything comes to an end and for leaving 'new', 'fresh' friendships there will never be a good time I guess. I will keep in touch and we'll see eachother soon. The ones I'm referring to will know I'm talking to them.
Aight, New Zealand was an AWESOME (eeh wink ;) ) experience, but I'll face Australia head on. Wanna dance? Bring it on I'm ready for you!
I'm finding myself a the moment in a library in Christchurch (South Island - New Zealand). Tonight (Friday) I will be flying from here to Auckland where I will stay till Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening I will be arriving in Sydney and then my adventure in the country of the Kiwis will be over and my journey in the Aussies' country will begin.
In this piece of my blog I will cover my 2 week trip through the North- and South Island of New Zealand. The journey started 18th October 2014. I just spent a night in the Newton Lodge Hostel in Auckland. In this hostel I will never stay again. It is a good hostel in essence. The atmosphere is just 'wrong'. People don't talk to eachother. If you say something like 'Good morning' you are lucky if the person just gives you a look. Saturday morning I went to the airport to pick up my Toyota Corolla Sedan. I was surprised to get a car this new and fancy. It was a good car. It only consumed too much fuel. With a full tank I good drive (with luck) about 600 kms. But ok during my trip I never experienced any difficulties with the car so I kept my mouth shut. I discovered today that having a car at your disposal is very easy as I now have been wandering around for 3 hours with all of my Luggage and I can tell you.... I am starting to feel my back. But it is just for a little while, so I don't complain. Anywho, my journey started on Saturday 18th. I drove 3 hours to Rotorua, a town east of Auckland. On arrival at the Base Hostel in Rotorua I was quite dissapointed at first as it looked a little bit old and dirty. The room, however, was very nice. I shared a room with 6 others: 3 German girls, 2 British guys and one Danish girl. 2 of the German girls and the Danish girl (don't remember the names) bought me that night a Dominos Pizza (feel like singing the slogan). I was very happy and of course refused to take the pizza for a full 6 seconds period. In the evening we all went (Germans, Danish girl, Britains) to a pub just next to the hostel where we had a few beers (I had just 2 because they were sooooo expensive). I had a little discussion with one of the British guys because he preferred Heineken instead of Stella and I was like: WHAT?! Ironically I would drink that night a Heineken because a drunk guy offered me one. Anyway a few of us got quite drunk and we had a really good time talking and dancing. Unfortunately the second DJ wasn't as good as the first DJ so after an hour in his turn I called it a night and went to bed. The next day we all went to see the Geysers and the hot pools near Rotorua. The things that I will Always remember is the rotten-egg-smell. It did NOT smell good there but it was very impressive. In the afternoon we went to a hot water creek and had a swim. This was really awesome because I never experienced anything like that before. The water got heated by the soil in the creek which was really hot. You could walk on it, but if you burried your foot it would become a little bit too hot after a while. Of course I tried this. Hey, what did you expect? :p After this we said our goodbyes and split up. I went to the Redwoods, which is a forest with enormous trees. I really wanted to hug one. I wanted to hike for 2-3 hours through the forest. Boy was that a bad idea. A half an hour after I started my walk it started to rain heavily. I had put on a rain jacket of course, thanks mom for convincing me to take 'the North Face', otherwise I would not have a camera anymore and my wallet would be soaked. These were the items I had with me and because everything else, except what was underneath the rain coat, was wet. It took my boots 2 days to dry. After my hike I drove to Taupo. On the road I saw some awesome cloud formations. The hostel in Taupo was a dream. Everything looked new and the atmosphere was awesome. I shared a room with a German couple. They were not so happy to see me at first (wonder why :p). They were very easy going but nice. At night I went to the TV room to browse a little bit on the internet. There was, however, a dvd that caught my eye called 'Monuments man' and I thaught: screw browsing, I'm watching this movie tonight. But after 15 minutes a German girl entered and started a conversation with me (grrrr). We talked for 20 minutes and after that I was tired and went to bed. The following day I went to the top of a hill near Taupo to enjoy a 360 degree view of the city. It was very cool. In the afternoon I went on a cruise (sail ship) on Lake Taupo. And guess who was there, the German girl. There was a lot of wind which made it a little bit cold. We saw some Maori (native inhabitants of New Zealand) art, got a cup of tea and after that we went into a bay and the skipper asked: would anyone like to go for a swim? I replied: 'f course! I went all by myself in the lake which was just a tiny bit colder than I expected. I didn't stay in for more than 5 minutes. It was just that cold. After the cruise I drove to Turangi on the other side of the lake where I would just spend the night. The hostel where I stayed was a hippie style hostel where you could get a late check-out if you paid either 10 dollars extra or 'painted' something. Really strange. I met a few French people there. The day after this I got up at 5 am because I wanted to do the Tangariro Alpine Crossing in the Tangariro National Park (hiking) and I would go there by shuttle which departed from the National Park Village but to get there I had to drive an hour. The shuttle would depart at 7 am. The hike was magnificent. I got to see mount Doom (Mt. Ngaurohoe) and the scenery was just stunning. It was the most beautiful walked I've ever done. After the hike I decided to drive all the way to Wellington in the far south of the North Island because the next day I would take a ferry from Wellington to Picton on the South Island. The drive took me 5 hours as I stopped a few times to eat or take pictures. This night I slept in the car which was not that comfortable. The next day I first did some sightseeing bacause my ferry departed in the afternoon. During the three hours on the ferry I took some very nice pictures. On arrival in Picton I went straight to the hostel I booked. When I walked in I immediately noticed the noice coming from the kitchen. When I entered the kitchen there was a group of over 30 Chinese people cooking and 5-6 others. It was overwhelming and a little bit too much for me. The next day (Thursday) I decided to just start to drive in the direction of my next hostel which was located in Hamner Springs, a small Spa oriented city. On the road I stopped in Blenheim to visit Sir Peter Jacksons' personal collection of First World War airplanes. It was very impressive. I also went to a classic car museum next doors, but was dissapointed to find out they didn't have one Ford Mustang. I could not believe it. Over 150 classic cars and no Mustang nor Camaro. About my next part of the trip I was very excited. The coastal road from Blenheim to Kaikoura is supposed to be one of the most beautiful of the world. And it really was. It was magnificent. On arrival in Kaikoura I did some sightseeing, saw some seals and went up a hill for a 360 degree view of the mountains on one side of Kaikoura and the Pacific Ocean on the other side. In between those two there were amazing Cliffs which provided these awesome views. That night I went to have some beere and play some pool with a Belgian guy called Jonas. It was a good night. The next day I had to drive 400 kms to the Fox Glacier. I first drove to Westport which is kind of a detour but I had read that the coastal drive from Westport to Greymouth was one of the top 10 coastal routes in the world by Lonely Planet so I just had to do it. The scenery was unimaginably beautiful. I also got to see the Pancake rocks. For photos - see Facebook. That night I got talking with a Spanish woman in the hostel. I heared her talking Spanish on the Phone and after her Phone call I started a conversation. I hadn't spoken Spanish for over two months, but surprisingly I still had most of my vocabular and fluency. The next day (Saturday) I first went to a lake in the neighbourhood of the Fox Glacier and afterwards I did three different walks (all to get the Glacier from a different angle and perspective). After this I went as fast as I could and was legally permitted to Queenstown. From 6 pm a part of the road to Queenstown would be closed till 7 am so I had to pass this part before 6 pm. Luckily I succeeded in doing so and I arrived that night in Queenstown where I would spend 3 nights in the Pinewood Lodge hostel. It was just that weekend Labour Day weekend (so everybody had Monday off). The hostel was full of people whose goal it was to get as drunk as possible. The first question they asked me was: Do you want to get drunk with us? I replied: Euuuuhh.... maybe later... I didn't. Sunday I did some sightseeing in and around Christchurch. Monday would be the top day in my two-week trip. I would go to Milford Sound which is a Fiord in the south of the South Island. It is an amazing place. We made a cruise and I took an enormous amount of pictures. There was also a whale around but I failed to spot him (or her). New Zealand is such an amazing place. The South Island is even more beautidful than the North Island. I spent one more night in Queenstown. Tuesday morning I headed for Mount Cook, the highest mountain of New Zealand. I got some awesome pictures of this beauty. I went to do a hike to the Hooker Glacier. During my walk the weather changed and when I just started to come back it started to rain. The way back to the car park should take an hour and a half. I did it in 45 minutes. It rained all afternoon so I stayed in the hostel as there was nothing else you could to there than walking. At night the weather cleared and I went for a short walk to the Tasman Glacier. Wednesday I left Mt Cook Village for Lake Tekapo. In Lake Tekapo I went up Mt John from where you have a 360 degree look over the area surrounding Lake Tekapo. During the nights the main activity in Lake Tekapo is stargazing. They told me that it is the best place in New Zealand to go to if you want to look at the stars. So I did it at night. They were right. The sky was lit with stars and shooting stars. Unfortunately there was also a moon which made the sky look slightly less impressive. On my last day on the South Island I went horseback riding in Rubicon Valley in Springfield. It was awesome. The scenery was amazing, the horse was nice and the guy, Chris, told me a would be able to learn very fast how to ride a horse as I apparently have rithm and balance. We did some walking and slow running. It was great. I could only recommend Rubicon Valley. Chris is a great teacher and a wonderful person. My last night I spent in a hostel in Christchurch which was all right. And Friday (today) I did some sightseeing, went to have some falafel and now I'm sitting in the library. To summarize: I've had an amazing time exploring New Zealand, both the North Island and the South Island. If you add my two weeks as a conservation voluteer to this you can say I had a fantastic time in New Zealand. I'm really sad that I have to leave so soon, but I'm also excited. One chapter ends and another one begins. Woohooow. And I'm sure I will return to New Zealand because there is so much I wish I could have done but so far haven't. I say this a lot but this time I mean it: I WILL RETURN! :D
Since my last message almost 3 weeks have past and so many awesome things have happened. I am so happy that I decided to participate as a conservation volunteer. The first week we worked near a skate park. Our job was to level the soil and prevent dangerous chemicals (which came from construction sites nearby) from entering into the river. The work itself was not so interesting as it was not what I expected, but I got the point and worked enthusiastic anyway. Thursday and Friday we planted some plants and provided them with wood mulch ('food'). This work gave me more satisfaction because I had the feeling of planting something that 'grows', an awesome feeling. Except for the work was the work environment just stunning. I just can't believe how beautiful New Zealand actually is. As Catherine, one of my fellow volunteers and an awesome girl from the UK with whom I had some great talks, pointed out: "You can show people pictures of New Zealand, but actually it is nearly impossible to capture the beauty with a camera. You'll never believe it until you've been there yourself and seen it with your own eyes."
The second week we spent on an island called 'Waiheke', east of Auckland. Here our tasks were mainly destroying weeds growing on precious, native trees and tracking. During the week we stayed in a house on the island. There was, however, not enough space in the house to provide for everybody a sleeping space. Because of this the guys, 4 in total, camped in the same amount of tents in the garden. I was fine with this from the start. This gave me the chance of sleeping on my new, very expensive thermarest air bed. A bonus was that my alarm in the morning were exotic birds and when I went to sleep I was able to enjoy a sky lit with stars.
The group is fantastic. During the 2 weeks of volunteering I have established a certain role. I was the funny, dry guy. The one who always provided music (sometimes unwanted) during, eg, the dishes, the one who always said the strangest things on unpredictable moments, the one that was always singing in the shower and then forgot his underwear and the one who established the role of being 'the funny guy'. Somebody told me that the group would not be the same without me and that, of course, made me blush. It was a hugh compliment. I've already fallen in love with New Zealand, its inhabitants, who are all so nice, and the conservation volunteers program. At the end of the first week Kai and Daniel, 2 awesome German guys, left and 2 new people arrived (there are always 10 volunteers staying in the volunteer house in Auckland). One of them was another German guy, Alex (short for Alexander xp) and the other one was a 25-year old French girl called 'Tif'. It took me two days before I knew that Tif was short for Tiphaine which I would prenounce till the second but last day as 'Tifan'. I would say most of the time: "Ehhj! French girl!" We got along really well from the start. I would be the start of a hate-love friendship. The hate part was mostly due to my constant teasing and as everybody knows I often cross boundries as it comes to teasing. So often I had to take it easy for a few hours. It's sad that I only had the short amount of time to get to know her but I loved every minute of it. Shhht don't tell her that. New Zealand is a magical place. When walking trough nature you are able to see so many things that you can only find in New Zealand. As the land separated itself millions of years ago from the super continent it is home to numerous kinds of plants and animals that can only be found in New Zealand. It is such a beautiful country. As you may see in my pictures: the grass is so green here! Unimaginable! I already decided that I will certainly return in a few years. It is a heaven on earth. It is a precious country and because of that I'm very proud to be able to call myself a conservation volunteer.
