Paihia

Getting up at 6 to catch the Stray bus - hm.

Realizing you only have oats but no milk for breakfast - double hm.

But the second the bus left Auckland - amazing.

Very scenic routes, an informative bus driver and nice, chatty people on the bus. We made a stop to look at some Kauri (pronounced: Cody) trees that are exceptionally old and big.

We also made a stop at the local Farmer's Market in a cute little village, with juicy grapes for tasting and free hand lotion samples (score.)

Then came the exciting part.

We cruised into Paihia, north of Auckland, located in the Bay of Islands. The town is tiny (Stray driver: "Blink and you'll miss it.") All the hostels are in one street leading down to the beach. Jungle walks are nearby, kayaking, boat tours, everything is only a stone's throw away.

Due to a storm hitting the north of New Zealand, a lot of people are skipping town, leaving us with a little rain and a looot of free beds. We even managed to get a job - working for accommodation in a hostel for three days, then taking the Stray bus down south. 

The great part is, we only have to make beds for an hour and have access to the full facilities. Pool, Jacuzzi, computers. Slow Wifi. 

Life could be worse.

Stray Bus

Finally, the last day in Auckland.

Due to a festival in town on the weekend, the hostels were booked full and we barely managed to snatch the last low budget accomodation.

The good news is, tomorrow at 7:30 we are leaving with the Stray bus for the Bay of Islands.

Stray is an interactive hop on hop off bus that will take you along a set route through New Zealand along the main cities and attractions, as well as some extra ones you normally couldn't access.

They prebook hostels for you, but you are under no obligation to take them. You may also 'stray' off the route and do your own thing, then hop back on when the next bus stops in one of their preset locations.

The bus drivers are usually your tour guides and (quote) all crazy bastards. Stray is also a good way to meet other backpackers with the same destinations, and travel freely.

...at least that's what we were told. Tomorrow we'll find out.

Tomorrow we finally get back to travelling!

The Curse of Waiheke Island

I don't know where to start.

We (Sebastian, Sarah and I) took the ferry to Waiheke, Auckland's nearest island with vineyards, horses, small villages and beautiful walking trails.

(Dis is Sebastian.)

The ferry ride was great (the clouds look darker than they are, trust me, it was warm) and we managed to get seats on the roof.








Our hostel, Kina backpackers, overlooks the most beautiful beach. There aren't a lot of hostel residents but the ones that do live here are one big family. Most originally planned to work on vineyards and stay for a month. And most ended up staying for 11.

That, we were told, is the curse of Waiheke. Once you work, you stay.

A lesser known curse that I worked out for myself is that every second person here is German.

One guy caught a fish the size of a punching bag and gutted it on the table. Sounds disgusting but he also fried and served it - and it was the best-tasting fish I ever had.

People here are so nice.

The only supermarket on the island is thirty minutes away, but we had no food whatsoever so we grudgingly startet to walk. The second we set foot on the road, the hostel manager whistled at us and told us he would drive us round.

On our way back, it took us not even a minute to find a driver. The first car we approached took us home, and we are THREE people. Hitchhiking - not a problem.

Between beach days, vineyard tours and barbecues with newfound friends, there were also starry nights spent lying on the beach under cuddly blankets, reading in a hammock, and much much more.

And this is the last friend we made on Waiheke.

Speechless

Wow.

We started the day in Mt. Albert, a jungle-like park that is too beautiful for words.

Then we walked for... what 2 and a half hours? Maybe more. I wish I knew how many kilometers. We wanted to see the beach but because Auckland is a harbor city (and because we wouldn't settle for no city beach) we started walking.

The two/three hour walk was definitely made easier by the turquoise water, the funky looking trees and the warm sunshine on our backs. (Thank you, hostel roomie, for giving us sunscreen.)


I swear, the color of the water is crazy. Postcard blue and it doesn't even show on the pictures.














Anyway.

I present to you: Mission Bay.

This is Rangitoto Island, the youngest Auckland volcano, completely deserted and beautiful.

We had the most amazing view.










...and this is what we saw when we looked behind us. And also the reason why we took the bus home.

Mt Eden

What a day.

Having to wait until monday for the last official appointment, I am staying in Auckland over the weekend with a few others.

(This is Sarah!)










I have now been in Auckland for several days but today was the first time I really saw the city.

The sun, as expected, is extra powerful here and - yay - I survived only slightly burned.This was because we finally found some free time to climb Mount Eden, the highest point in Auckland (besides the Tower).


It's amazing how much nature is spread throughout the city. You can barely walk five feet without bumping into a tree.

On our way up we passed into a sort of forest park, which obscured the view until...









A dormant volcano, completely overgrown and vibrant with nature, in the heart of the city.

With the full view of Auckland all around you.
















I can't stress enough how the pictures just don't do the view any justice.

Later on we made some hostel friends from other corners of the worlds and exchanged tips and experiences. We even received a life performance from 'Alberto', who excelled in Opera singing.

Plans are in the making, ideas are forming, but the wonderful part is that they can always wait until tomorrow.

It begins...

I will spare you the details of the flight.

In short, lots of waiting, lots of queues, lots of waiting IN queues, but amazing airplane food. And movies.


The Auckland Airport actually had a giant dwarf statue that said "Do not touch. Loaned from Middle Earth."

And then, after thirty long hours of travel, I walked right into summer! 25°C and blue skies. A buzzing nightlife in Auckland. Cute houses with porches and Kiwis drinking tea...

I can't flip pictures on this fing computer but ah well.

See you soon!

Fünf mal noch wach werden...

...dann gehts los.

6 Stunden von Hamburg nach Dubai, dann dort 5 Stunden Aufenthalt und anschließend 18,5 (!) Stunden über Melbourne bis zum Auckland Airport.

Weil mir die Sprache mehr liegt und sie ja auch die nächsten drei Monate einen größeren Platz in meinem Leben einnehmen wird, schreibe ich diesen Blog auf Englisch.

Angeblich soll das Internet in Neuseeland grottig sein, dementsprechend weiß ich noch nicht wie oft dieser Blog Updates erleben wird.

Ich hoffe zumindest ab und zu Bilder und kleine Texte von mir geben zu können, damit Freunde und Familie (und eventuell auch andere Interessenten) nachgucken können was ich so treibe. :)

Und so viel zum letzten deutschen Post.