To cross Cook Street by ferry was comfortably. We soon arrived in Wellington in the middle of the city and drove to the hostel’s parking lot There we could stay for the next two nights. For dinner we found a small restaurant that served African food. The food was delicious and a huge portion. So, we could take the rest for the next dinner straight away.

On our day in Wellington, we first went to the ISite (information center) and already booked a few things for Rotorua. We continued walking along the pier and made a lunch stop. We walked up to the Wellington viewpoint and drove down with the cable car and walked around the capital of New Zealand.

The next day we drove over a pass to Martinborough. Martinborough is a wine village. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any affordable accommodation online, so we were lucky enough to ask the ISite. Without batting an eyelid, they told us that we could spend the night on the rugby field, which has no training for the moment. So, for 10 dollars we had our place for the night. Since fate wanted us to stay here, we walked from winery to winery and tried some wines. After a short coffee break, we went to the wine bank where we could continue to enjoy regional wines and gin as well as to a brewery. After self-made dinner we went to a bar for a last drink.

The next day we were amazingly well. So, we drove on via Whanganui National Park to Taupo. In Taupo we pre-booked our shuttle for tomorrow’s hike, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. A lot has changed there in due of the tourism. For example, it was no longer possible to park directly at the end point for the hike but on a parking area nearby. There was not only one shuttle company which brings you to the start point. Now they had around 20 companies. We started early in the morning and were lucky enough to be booked into a shuttle company that has been run by the local Maoris for years. So, we received a blessing at the starting point to go healthy over the mountain or the volcano. Packed with water, food and sunscreen we started out hike. The weather was beautiful. No cloud in the sky and hardly any wind. That made the climb a little easier for us. Quite KO we arrived at the top and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the volcanic landscape. Andi and I skidded down the lava scree quite quickly and skillfully. It was something like a snow field. So, we treated ourselves with lunch. The last 10 kilometers down were just in front of us. The last kilometers in the forest was really hard to go. So, we were really happy to have reached the end point. Since we only had about 6 hours, we could enjoy the afternoon. We bathed in the cool Lake Taupo and enjoyed a delicious iced coffee. That’s life.

After a few hours’ drive with Sam we arrived in the town of Gisborn on the east coast. There we found a beautiful freedom campground and enjoyed our food and the sunset by the sea. Since Gisborn has one of the first sunrises of the day in the world, we woke up early to enjoy it. The sound of the sea was so soothing, so we slept a little further.

After Gisborn we went all the way back to the center towards Rotorua. Andreas and Tracy visited the Wai-O-Tapu while I was learning some Spanish in a coffee. Friends recommended that close from here was a place called Kerosin Creek. It is a warm river in the forest that few people know. So, we could enjoy a warm bath for free. In Rotorua we slept on a campground in the city. We walked around in the park which is in front of the campground. There are hot springs from the volcanic area everywhere. In the evening we went to a Maori village where we ate delicious meals, saw some ceremonies and took a short walk in the dark and saw glowworms. We spent the next day on the mountain here. We went down on the Luge again. Andi and I used the zipline and the sky swing. The sky swing pulls you up in the high and you had to pull the cord on your own to swing up to the sky. We stayed nearby in a beautiful forest. Andreas and I went for a walk where we had to go through a scary tunnel. I survived Andi’s shortcut and so we relaxed a bit on our place.

At Papamoa Beach near Tauranga we relaxed and spent the whole day in the sun. This was also seen in the evening since the three of us had a sunburn. Early in the morning we went straight to Matamata to the Hobbiton. I was here five years ago and it hasn’t lost any of its charm. We continued to the Coromandel Peninsula where we walked along the Hot Water Beach and walked to Cathedral Cove. A lot has changed here too. Where you could just park five years ago at the parking lot directly to the starting point for the 45-minute walk, you have to park now a little further at the Park and Drive where a bus takes you there. Cathedral Cove itself had a lot more people than it did then.

Already six weeks had passed and the time to say goodbye to Andreas came. In the morning we drove him to the airport to say goodbye. For him, his adventure continues in South Africa. Tracy and I parked in Auckland where I had my tattoo appointment. Now only the two of us drove to the north. The next day we spent in Whangarei where we found a place to sleep on the beach again.

We stopped for lunch in Russell. Russel is a small, pretty town where you can also relax. However, we took a small ferry over five minutes to Opua and drove further up to Mangonui. There were a lot of mosquitos around here. However, I don’t mind that much anymore, as long as they’re not sandflies. The next day we drove all the way up to Cape Reinga. There you can see beautifully how the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. We drove back south and had a stop in Kaitaia and further to the Mataraua Forest where the big Kauri tree is located. This tree is sacred to the Maori. He separated the father and the mother (heaven and earth) where through new life, us, the animals and the forests emerged. There we also took a cyclist who had problems with his bike. His colleague had already used another car because he had problems with his knee. We had an exciting conversation and drunk a coffee before we brought him to his colleague.

For us we continued towards Piha where we had a stop at Bethells Beach. The beach was beautiful and is especially known for filming locations such as the Xena series. Back in Switzerland, a colleague of mine gave me a small package for her friends in New Zealand. They were in their vacation home in Big Bay. They invited us to their home and we were warmly invited to stay for dinner, food and a nice comfortable bed. They are such warm and lovely people. We really enjoyed this.

So, the day had come when we had to drop Sam off at Auckland Airport. In Auckland we had booked an apartment with Airbnb for two nights where we still enjoyed the city. My trip in New Zealand ended as well and the next adventure Costa Rica is calling me.

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