Happy New Year!

Unfortunately, I am currently forced to participate in the recession. Tip: DON'T take just one credit card with you when you go far away. Like I did. Because my bank decided to cancel it (they won't tell me why), and now I'm left with no way to access my money. Since it's a free credit card, getting a new one would take about 2 weeks, and then it could only be sent to my address in Germany. Isn't that great? Apart from that: Happy new year!

G'day Australia!

I've safely arrived on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and during my first two days here already seen quite a lot: From Caloundra in the very south of this part of the coast to Noosa up north, plus a few beaches in between and some of the hinterland (I loved the little town of Maleny up in the hills), as well. My first impression: Australia is to NZ what the US is to the UK in terms of the feeling of space - there's a whole lot of it!

It's very green and hilly around here, which surprised me (because I hadn't done my research). And the weather is great!!! Subtropical - I love it! Memories of almost losing my nose to frostbite in my Dunedin dorm room are starting to fade...

Bye-bye NZ

The month went by so quickly, and I'm a bit sad to have to leave New Zealand today. There was so much I still would have liked to see. It's a great country, with stunning scenery, flora and fauna, lovely people, lots to do and great food and wine.

On the down-side, I found that books are really expensive here (I would say the English-language books cost almost twice as much as they do in DE, and that's with the current very Euro-friendly exchange rate). But maybe I've just gone to the wrong shops? And I would not really want to be here in winter, because from what I have seen, the art of double-glazing, insulating or heating houses properly has not arrived here. On my winetour, even the English people went on about how cold and draughty the houses get here - need I say more?

All in all, though, I'd love to come back! But probably won't for a long time, since I've caused much more than my share of CO2 emissions with this trip :-(

So this is Christmas

It must be Christmas, because I heard Boney M's classic "Mary's Boychild" on the radio while checking into my Christchurch hotel (an actual hotel, with lots of towels, my own bathroom, a nice wide bed and a minibar - heaven!)

So, Happy Christmas everyone!
This is a Pohutukawa, aka New Zealand Christmas Tree, which decorates itself (tastefully, too): Just around Christmas, the red flowers appear. Isn't that great?

Midsommar Down Under

Oh dear, as of today, the days are getting shorter again - at least in this part of the world. Yesterday evening, I had a close encounter with the local wildlife. We went on a tour on the Otago peninsula, and among other things on a private beach, which we shared with: (and a few of their friends), plus:

and a few fur seals, more penguins, albatros and the like. It was great! I never thought I would be able to get this close.

But of course this is the real star of NZ animal life:

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

The rain is pouring down and the temperature feels about 10 degrees - how it reminds me of home :-)

But no matter, because it's a good opportunity to catch up on my postcard-, blog- and email-writing. I might even try to get into Facebook a bit more (yep, I have given up my resistance and joined, as well).

But first a few words about Queenstown: Again, the location is just stunning! (I have run out of adjectives to describe New Zealand's landscape). Located on lake Wakatipu and framed by mountains (you can go skiing there in the winter), it's just beautiful to look at (if it doesn't rain, but it didn't yesterday, and I got a great long hike in).

It is also the self-proclaimed adventure capital of the world: It's the home of (commercial) bungy, of course, plus you can go sky-diving, paragliding, parasailing, whitewater rafting, jetboating, kayaking, try the world largest swing, luging, and of course do frisbee-golf! All things I did without, though (I would have liked to do the rafting and paragliding, but not in this weather). I did, however, experience some great food in Queenstown. My favorite (and everybody else's) is Fergburger. Even better than Frankfurt's Die Kuh die lacht. I will go again tonight (which will be the third time). On the more upmarket side, I had a wonderful lunch yesterday at Pier 19, and another one today at Wai. Great fresh seafood! You can eat and drink so well in New Zealand, and I've given up on building that bikini-ready figure before getting to Australia. They'll just have to live with it!

To Queenstown

The busdrive to Queenstown was another day of absolutely amazing scenery. My description and photos can't do it justice. It was just breathtaking - with a bit of everything: glaciers, lakes, river gorges, sea, cliffs, forests:

Franz Josef

After a relatively short drive (again with amazing views) we arrived in Franz Josef around lunchtime on the 17th. This little village is the gateway to a glacier, which didn't interest me too much. So with another woman from the bus, I walked on a trail through the rainforest, which was quite strenuous and a bit of an adventure: Since it had apparently rained a lot recently, we had to go through creeks, wade through (at some points ankle-deep) mud and climb over slippery rocks. I was glad I was not on my own on this one! But it was a great experience. And in the end, we even got to a point from where we could see the glacier.

Greymouth - a great place to leave

Greymouth - the name says it all (especially the first part). The highlight in this town is the All-You-Can-Eat-BBQ for NZ$6. Which converts to about 2.50 Euros, and gives me an idea where all our nice "Gammelfleisch" is going now... I had a good Indian meal, though (thanks once again to the Lonely Planet [and Holger, who loaned me his copy] ). The drive down here was spectacular, as well. Breathtaking coastline and gorges, magical-looking forests and a colony of seals. But I'm not sad about leaving :-) My resolution for tomorrow is not to get talked into any glacier-related activities. After all, I came here to escape the cold, ice and snow!

Wet, wet, wet

The dream:

The reality:

(taking a break from Total Immersion Kayaking [another one of those crazy kiwi extreme sports: kayaking in the pouring rain so that you're wet from above, below, and all sides] under a bridge). But boy, did we have fun!!!

P.S.: And I had the best ever fish pie at Stingray.

Bye-bye North Island

Today I left the North Island. Am a bit sad about it, because I really had a great time! The crossing was nice and quiet, and we even had dolphins swimming along for a while. So I can tick the "dolphins cruise" box, too.

Now I'm in Nelson - apparently the sunniest place in all New Zealand (hm, doesn't really seem like it at the moment, but never mind) and also the home of New Zealand's geographical center! Isn't it an amazing coincidence that this country's center happens to be exactly on top of a hill from which you have wonderful views all around? If you believe that, you'll believe anything (I think they are either just lying, or knocked off a bit off the islands at the edges to make it fit).

P.S.: Ever wondered what happens to the cross-channel ferries when they get too old?

Now you know ->

Mount Doom - what's up with that?

Here's a little quiz for those of you who have seen Lord of the Rings (I have actually watched the first, I think - but must have been doing the ironing at the time and don't remember all that much. Don't kill me, please).

So here's the question: Who or what is Mount Doom and why is it important??? It was one of those times when the bus stopped, everybody had to get out and take exactly the same picture, but I didn't dare ask what the relevance was.

So, tell me the story of Mount Doom and you can win a postcard from New Zealand! Thanks!

If I knew what day it was, I could tell you which city I'm in

Well, it's not quite as bad, but almost. I think I'm suffering from serious sight-seeing overload. If I didn't have my blog it would actually be very hard to remember what I did when. But I did arrive in "Windy Wellington" yesterday and it has been living up to its name. It's good to be somewhere for more than 1 night (3, in this case), and I've already done and seen a lot (a guided walk around the city, the cable car, the botanical gardens, and the museum Te Papa - which is amazing). But tonight I'm really tired and think I'll just have an early night (before doing a winery tour tomorrow).

P.S.: The wine tour was lot of fun. We visited four wineries: Alana Estate, Muirlea Rise, Murdoch James Estate and Te Kairanga, and got to taste about 5 wines each. The Martinborough region is especially famous for its Pinot Noirs. The wines were good, although I didn't taste anything that really swept me off my feet (after glass 15 they all seem the same, don't they? I know you're not supposed to really drink them all, but I thought it would be rude towards the people who had worked so hard on producing it). Muirlea Rise was great, because the owner also explained a few things about winegrowing, and this guy was extremely entertaining!

Taupo - much better

After so-so yesterday, today was great again! On the way to Taupo the weather... - no, on Lena's request I'll stop mentioning the weather for a bit. The highlights during the trip: A "secret" thermal pool in the woods (maybe not exactly secret, but our busdriver told us about it and there were only four of us in there). Then Waikato River and the Huka Falls. Breathtaking once again!

And Lake Taupo itself is beautiful, as well. Unfortunately, I only have one night here. It would definitely be worth it staying longer...

Rotorua - failed to impress

No wonder it smells pretty dead here - it is! I went to Rotorua city center at 6 pm, and there was no one else. Of course, it was pissing down with rain, as well, but still, one or two open shops would have been nice. Anyway, in the end I managed to find the hotspot, i.e. two open restaurants next to each other opposite a cinema and an Irish pub. But that was about it. Except that one of the restaurants (Bistro 1284) was excellent. Voted the best in Rotorua 2000-2008 (although I don't think the competion was too steep). But the food was great, so was the wine, and so I staggered home happily smashed. Still, the road to Rotorua - for me not one worth taking again!

Under down under

I know it's getting kind of boring, but this is really, really the best thing I've ever done! Today I discovered a "Lost World" - a cave (what else) in Waitomo.

We were a small group of only four (plus guide), which was already pretty good (don't want to explore a secret underworld with a group of 100 trailing behind you, do ya?) We were taught the basics of abseiling and then actually did have to go 100 m straight down (it may not sound that much, and you can't really see it on the photo, but this is quite high when you have nothing holding you up but a few ropes...)



Once arrived we took in the amazing view and then walked and climbed through the cave. All in all it took about 4 hours and was absolutely awesome (I haven't used that word much for a long time but find it very hard to resist since I've arrived here)!

I almost booked another cave trip straight away, but I think this can't be topped. For me at least, it was a childhood dream come true, so I'm going to leave it at that and go on to Rotorua tomorrow.

By the way, if you're ever stuck in Waitomo, there's actually a great place to eat among the few houses: The huhu cafe, voted one of the top 100 restaurants in NZ. And rightly so. Although I haven't quite tested the rest yet. Am working on it, though.

That is why I love this town

- or rather village - or better yet - collection of a couple of houses (aka Waitomo):

Well, I arrived in Waitomo after a great day yesterday on the Koromandel coast, spent among other things kayaking to Cathedral Cove. This was absolutely amazing! We went for about 3 hours exploring caves, islands and even going through a (small) tunnel. This coastline is just stunning. And I don't want to go on about the weather, because it's bound to make you feel jealous, but it has been, and still is, perfect. I rounded off the evening with a nice meal (and of course a glass of good NZ wine) at Crisp in Whitianga. (I tend to go off to dinner on my own, because I do love good food, whereas most people on the bus are younger and therefore on a tighter budget, so they like to eat a sandwich or cook in the hostel. Which is fair enough, but I'm not really willing to compromise on that and do enjoy my time alone after a day of travelling together anyway).

But when I thought the high point of my holiday was already behind me, we arrived here in Waitomo. This was one of the things I'd looked forward to immensely anyway. What's amazing here is not on the surface, but below it: A world of underground caves. I had booked a 3 hour adventure for tomorrow already, but on the spur of the moment went to a blackwater rafting tour with some others from the bus just as we arrived. This was a childhood dream come true: Just a small group in a dark cave, lit only by our lamps, or - which was even better - by the glow-worms on the ceiling. We walked, waded, drifted and swam through the cold water. At one point, we had to jump backwards off a waterfall! We couldn't take any photos, but check out the movie here to get an idea. It got pretty cold in the end, but it was absolutely worth it. Especially drifting along in silence, in the caves lit up by the glow-worms. Beyond words...

To warm up again in the afternoon, I took a walk up on Opakaka Pa, which used to be a Maori settlement. I walked through a forest (straight out of Lord of the Rings again) and climbed the hill and enjoyed the sun and the view.

I don't regret at all having booked two nights in this little place (they don't even have a supermarket or a cash machine) and look forward to the caving adventures tomorrow...

Whitianga

Well, there's so much to tell - but my internet time is running out soon. So, I'll write tomorrow. Just a quick preview: Today I went kayaking along the coast. It was one of the best things I've EVER done! Weather is still perfect. More, with photos, will follow. By the way - check out the new blog feature, the slideshow.

Auckland, once again

Also zuerst einmal ein paar Worte auf deutsch - schaut euch doch mal die tolle Uebersetzung des letzten Posts an (Kommentar von N.) Ist es nicht toll, wie weit fortgeschritten die Faehigkeiten der Uebersetzungs-Programme heutzutage sind?

I'm back in Auckland now, before going on to Coromandel tomorrow. The drive down from Paihia was fine (no games, yeah!) and we did go through great "Lord of the Rings"-like forests (if you look at the people at the bottom of the tree you get an idea of its size).

Then we arrived back here, and I checked into my new room - which has no windows! But of course it has a grotty carpet (why, why, why do they put carpets in hostels - I really don't get it - it is so disgusting? It must be something to do with the Queen, though, because it seems to be a thing in the Commonwealth nations) I didn't have a great night, I can tell you that. And I get to spend another night there, great! But I did have a good afternoon anyway, sitting in sunny Albert Park and then walking to the Parnell area (it's just a road, really, but I like it a lot and had a delicious Indian dinner. Then I went to see the new James Bond - I wasn't all that impressed, really. I might be getting too old for this, because most of the action scenes went so fast I couldn't tell which were the good and which the bad guys. And that really takes the fun out of the whole thing. By the way, on the plane I saw a movie that I absolutely loved: "In Bruges". Highly recommended (lots of black humor).

This morning I went around the Ponsonby area, which seemed a bit like the Kollwitz-Kietz of Auckland (the Berliners will understand what I mean by that: Nice-looking buildings, a mix of posh and alternative, with lots of stroller mums walking around drinking lattes. I liked it and had a great chai latte (I think that's allowed, even if you don't have a baby with you) at the Bliss cafe.

So, now that I escaped the midday sun, I'll venture out again and probably have another look at Devonport (und werde es von Manuela gruessen ;-))

Northland

Normally I tend to associate cold, snow and ice with the north, but of course everything is different here. Not only does the water flow down the drain the other way round (although now I don't remember the way it is at home so it might not be true). Anyway, down here, the north is warm, and having a north-facing house is good. Which kind of makes sense, as the south is closer to the South Pole, and down there it's really cold. And the area known as Northland, where I've arrived today is nice and warm. So no surprise I love it here in Paihia, on the "Bay of Islands". It's a picturesque little beach resort, obviously living off the tourists, but since I am one of them, I won't complain. The beach, the coast and the islands are just beautiful, and this afternoon we (=me and some of the other busriders) took a kind of speedboat to explore the islands. Then I had an amazing dinner at the "Only Seafood" restaurant, with a great view of the beach. The hostel seems quite good, as well: clean, only four beds with a private bath and shower. Now it all depends on who my room-mates are going to be...
The bus ride in the magic bus was mainly good - the landscape looked a bit like England or Wales - but with palmtrees and very high fern trees - until the trainee bus driver wanted us to play games! Aargh! I'm not 15 any more and if I want to talk to my fellow passengers, I'll just go ahead and do it. Please, no more!!!

New Zealand, here I come!

Tomorrow is the day I leave my lovely home away from home in Auckland and somehow will have to turn into a real backpacker. Staying in multi-bed dorms and all that. We'll see how that turns out (secret snob that I am). Although, when I flew across the ocean lying in my business class seat (yes, I admit it), I was thinking, here I am, in a very small bed not 20 cm from the guy next to me and another maybe 20 people in the cabin around me - it's not that different from a dorm. Except for the food, the drinks and the complimentary pyjamas. But I imagine to have much more space in the backpacker's. So, it'll be great!
P.S.: By the way, here you can see my itinerary on the Magic Bus. Yes, I'll be travelling on a magic bus. How cool is that? I wonder what its special powers are, and will tell you all about it.
P.P.S.: Thanks for all the comments so far! I do appreciate them a lot!

Summertime

Today was the official start of summer! About time, I'd say! Yesterday, I made the most of the last day of spring by taking a quick dip in the pool and then going to a pre-christmas-BBQ (as you do). The weather wasn't as nice today, though (the photo on the right was taken on Saturday), which gave me a good excuse to go to the Auckland museum. Very interesting!