Kia Ora and Haere Mae Aotearoa
It means Hello (Kia Ora) and Welcome (Haere Mae) Land of the Long White Clouds (Aotearoa) in Maori, which is the language of the Maori people whose ancestors originated from Eastern Polynasia and arrived in New Zealand by boat many many years before Captain Cook. The Maori still exist and the language is still alive today, and can be found everywhere around the country in an effort by the NZ government to implement a dual-language system.
Having left Hawaii on the 21st November in the evening, we boarded a 9 hour direct flight to Auckland. What we did not realise beforehand was that the timing of the flight combined with the fact that we crossed the date line shortly after leaving Hawaii meant that we actually lost a precious day. So, there was no 22nd November for us, instead we landed in Auckland on the 23rd at 5am in the morning. We feel cheated and are thinking of extending our trip around the world by a day.
Thinking back to the year 2013 when we started planning our trip I remember us talking about all the countries we wanted to see and how to set out the routing. When we got to New Zealand, I could feel that tingling in my tummy that you get, or used to get when you were a child and knew Christmas was just around the corner. Living in Auckland from 1998 to 2000 was something very special to me and I have to admit I wasn't sure back then whether I was ever going to see it again. So, after completing the passport and border control at Auckland airport, we walked out into a fresh, crisp and sunny spring day and our very own Lord of the Rings adventure began. What we experienced over the following two months was again very special, not only to me but for both of us. The strange thing was, I had kind of mixed feelings as we went along. On one hand, I was really so happy to be back but on the other hand it made me quite sad. The more time we spent exploring the North and South Island, the more I came to realise how much I had actually forgotten over the past 14 years and what a truly wonderful wonderful country New Zealand is. If countries were pieces of furniture, then New Zealand to me would be one of those big old sofas, plush and soft where you just sink in and put your feet up and feel so at home you don't want to get up anymore. But, when I spoke to my mom on the phone I promised her, again, I would come back to Europe. And as I am writing this, we are on the airplane to Dubai, from where we will fly to Durban, South Africa. Yes, we changed the route, no more Vietnam but the final 4 weeks in Africa again.
Now, as we stood there on our first day in Auckland, our big road trip around the North and South Island began almost immediately. Travelling on a shoestring budget means some things are just out of the question. In New Zealand this was a big comfortable camper van with kitchen, bathroom, dinner table, double bed and TV. Yes, this is what we did not get because it would have costs us around 4000 Euros. Instead we rented a Spaceship. This was an older 6 seater people carrier with back seats removed and a bed put in, underneath it a small fridge, a portable two-flame gas cooker, pots and pans, a camping table and chairs, and of course our very own BBQ grill that became our best friend, just like in so many places before. The rental car company had given their cars the very suitable name Spaceship:-), with the actual space being rather limited in size, but we liked it, cozy and comfortable with a view straight up to the stars every night. Upon pick up, we received a quick introduction and up up and away we went, with Space Captain Danohl at the controls and First Officer Meyer as navigator.
After a couple of days acclimatising in Auckland, we headed southwards to Mount Manganui and Taranaki on the East Coast and spent our first night literally 20 meters away from the long white sandy beach of Papamoa. We went for a walk with our feet in the crystal clear waters of the Pacific Ocean, collected shells, smelled the fresh breeze, got the BBQ fired up and sat there with a fine bottle of local New Zealand white wine in hand until the moon came out. What a truly perfect start! The following 60 days in New Zealand were pretty much the same:-)
From Taranaki we went further south to Rotorua, then Lake Taupo, past the active volcanic Mountain Range of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Tongariro, Palmerston North and along the Westcoast onwards to windy but sunny Wellington, where we decided to stay for a few days. We then took the ferry from Wellington through the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound (Fjord) and arrived at Picton Harbour on the northern tip of the South Island. We had planned two months for New Zealand, one month travelling the roads of North and South Island with our Spaceship, and another month living in a city apartment in Auckland while exploring the most northern part of the North Island. Arriving in Picton, we already were behind schedule and as we came to the Abel Tasman Park that day on the Northwest tip of the South Island, we threw all our carefully crafted route planning out of the window and decided to just enjoy the moment, the time and place of where we were each day. There was so much to see, so many hiking and walking trails, so many beaches and coves, rain forest and green rolling hills, you can't just spend a few hours and then move on, that would not have felt right. In the end, we did not make it all the way down to Queenstown, nor Dunedin, but we travelled along the thick green foresty Westcoast, then over the King Arthur Pass past giant white capped mountains to Christchurch where the massive Earthquake of 2012 had changed the face and the vibe of the once lively and historic city dramatically. From there, we went to the Akaroa Peninsula which once was a huge volcanic crater now partially filled with water and connected to the sea, and spent a few more days there too. Then back up north to Hamner Springs, Kaikoura, Blenheim and the Marlborough Region, best know for its world fameous New Zealand wines and its green hilly landscape with fjords and water everywhere. The ferry took us back to Wellington on the North Island and a few overnight stops later, our four week roadtrip ended back in Auckland again.
In Auckland we had rented a big apartment near K'Road, known for its nightlife, and walking distance into the city center as well as Parnell and Ponsonby with plenty of bars and street food places, which we enjoyed by day and certanly by night too. Especially on New Years Eve when we watched big fireworks on the Sky Tower and went dancing and drinking until sun rise. Nicole did not feel to great on the first day of 2015, and I tried to get rid of my hangover by playing beach volleyball under blue skies and 30 degrees sunshine. Oh, we forgot to mention Christmas...well, with the stunning summer we had in New Zealand we spent most days in shorts and flip flops, going swimming and drinking Pimm's at 4 o clock. With that, the festive days weren't really on our mind.
Ok now how to summarise our time down under in a few words? Very difficult. We give you a few ideas below, then look at the photos. They hopefully say it all, and much more, about our happy homely sofa, New Zealand!
The greenest green rolling hills stretching to the horizon as long and wide as your eyes can see. A bird called the Tui with its cheeky array of whistling sounds, like that little robot R2D2 from Star Wars. A few cities but otherwise just endless nature, so clean and quiet. Lots of sweet little sheep, and they taste delicious too! White sandy beaches with shimmering clear green blue turqouis waters you think only existed in the Carribeans. Beautiful camping sites right in the middle of nowhere, by a lake or a beach or a river or surrounded by forest. Super freshly caught Snapper, Hoki, Moki, Kawhai, Warehou, Mahi, Kingfish, Mackerel, Trevally. A great selection of home grown white wine. The sweet little Fan Tail, a small bird that follows you along the hiking tracks in the hope of catching a few flies and bugs that you shuffle up with your feet. Dolphins in the wild, jumping out of the water with their bodies 3 and more meters in the air twisting and turning playfully...what a unique and wonderful sight! People walking barefeet in the streets, even in the city, something I will definitely introduce to Germany (lots of soap needed at the end of day:-). Lord of the Rings country everywhere, it looks like in the films and a 1000 times better. A funny dialect, seven becomes siiiven, eggs are iiiigs, and everyone is your maaait. Best fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables, NZ Kiwis and Avocadoes for 30 cents a piece, yes really! So much pristine water everywhere, lakes, rivers, lagoons and of course oceans and waves, waves, waves - need to start surfing again. Gigantic flickering star spectacle at night, but apart from the Southern Cross we did not recognise any formations. A very clean environment, setting an example for the rest of the world (especially for filthy South Central America and Australia). Bright red Pohutukawa Trees in full sumer bloom. And of course Maori history, scary facial tatoos and the biggest Polynasian community in the world.
Photos North Island
Photos South Island https://picasaweb.google.com/110475049385279629687/SouthIslandNewZealand201415?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnWq5S-naTkzwE
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