Reasons for a weblog - Reasons for traveling ;)

Enjoying every minute in New Zealand I just wanted it to share it with some people


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thanks to my brother Jan

Penguins/Pinguins

Funny movie about flying penguins
Grappig filmpje over vliegende pinguins





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New Zealand Miscelaneous

Extreme points of New Zealand

New Zealand dollar



Flag of New Zealand

The flag of New Zealand is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right. The stars represent the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross, as seen from New Zealand.

16-17/3 Christchurch-Auckland-Hongkong-Amsterdam-Nijmegen

Christchurch Airport 172° 33' E, 43° 29' S

Air New Zealand

Airport Auckland 174° 48' E, 37° 00' S

Hongkong Airport 114° 10' E, 22° 19' N

Airport AmsterdamSchiphol 4° 46' E, 52° 18' N

Nijmegen 5° 52' E, 51° 50' N


In the morning I've left the jailhouse hostel by bus. I've stayed some hours in the city centre of Christchurch to buy my last souvenirs, like a greenstone pendant. I was looking for the perfect shape for some days and finally found it.

The Maori fishhook was carved traditionally in jade or bone in a variety of styles. Matau, meaning hook, was later work suspended by a cord from the neck as a pendant. For the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Hei-matau represents strength, determination, peace, prosperity and good health and also provides safe journey over water.

Then I took a shuttlebus to the airport of Christchurch. I hoped that I could leave my backpack there and check in early, to guarantee good seats in the planes of Air New Zealand. Unfortunately I was just too early, so I had to come back in one hour. Meanwhile I've put stuff from my small backpack into my big backpack, because the lady behind the desk told me, it was still under 20 kg. So I was able to take the 2 kg of booklets of the tourist information. When I came back there was a longer queue, but I was happy to have twice a seat near the exit, so enough space for my legs. Unfortunately I had less time than expected for the Antarctic Centre, a walk of 5 minutes from the airport. A lady wanted to explain me all the possibilities there, but I just had one hour to see it. This was just enough time to see the feeding of the penguins, but my timing was excellent. It was quite expensive (30 dollar) for a short visit, but it is no problem, especially when I discovered the 40 dollars that were hidden in my passport (for special occasions). And the penguins were so cute. I never thought that it would mean so much to me, after I have seen some penguins before in Oamaru and in the Catlins. Now I was able to make a lot of pictures and movies (without flash). And I've stayed for a while in a room with snow, where it was -8 C. So I have had my little winter, because that't the only thing I've missed, being in sunny New Zealand.

16/3 Antarctic Centre Christchurch

The short flight from Christchurch was quite pleasant, having a great view over Mount Egmont. So I was happy that I have seen it, because I have missed it, not going to New Plymouth, because I have decided to have less traveling days in the beginning.

I've walked the interterminal walkway between the domestic airport and the international airport of Auckland . I'm sure I've done nicer walks, but it was nice to have some fresh air, before my long flights home and to breath New Zealand air for the last time. I have had some dinner outside, feeling a bit melancholic but also happy to go home again, after a great time in New Zealand, feeling really content with everything I've done.

I had to pay 25 dollars to leave the country, some tourist taxes. And someone in the queue asked me why I was looking so happy, smiling from ear to ear, and it was nice to tell her that going home can be nice, after such a great time. I've asked specially for a stamp in my passport, because I had only one when I entered New Zealand, almost 7 weeks before and living in the EU you just never get a stamp in your passport, traveling to other EU countries. So I had to go to a guy sitting in an office behind a desk and he was just very cooperative to give me my stamp.



My plane to Hongkong was delayed for almost two hours, but the green seats at the airport were quite comfortable, listening to some music and using my last coins for a phonecall to my mother and some typical Kiwi drink (Lemon and Paereo). It was quite hard to find the last 20 cents. I felt quite tired because it was long after midnight when we were called for boarding. I've had a seat at the emergency exit, with no one sitting in the two seats next to me, so easy enough to stretch my legs, but also quite close to the noisy galley/kitchen. And at 2.30 AM New Zealand time we got some dinner, I chose for the Chinese style. I've slept for some hours and in the morning I've watched a movie. Seeing the long list of movies Air New Zealand offered I hoped that on the KLM flight there would be some of these titles, because it felt like I shouldn't sleep that much on this flight, arriving in Amsterdam just before 5 P.M. so I can adapt easily to the Dutch time.

We were still delayed for 2 hours when we arrived in Hongkong. It took some time to get my boarding card, actually because I was there too early. At the pass control, I've remembered that I've bought some shower gel on the airport of Auckland (Manuka honey) and I was just hoping that it was less than the 100 ml that is allowed. The airport of Hongkong is really clean and spacious with a lot of expensive shops. I've bought a Mango smoothie to drink and as a bonus I got some time to use the internet computer and I've bought some magazines and a book, all paid with credit card. I only hoped that my idea of the value of the Hongkong dollar was realistic ;) I've stayed just less than 3 hours at the airport before my last plane left for Amsterdam. From Hongkong to Amsterdam I've seen the desert and some mountains, with and without snow. I'll need to check which other countries, besides China and Russia I've seen. Unfortunately the plane wasn't that modern as all the other planes I've traveled with, so there were just some bigger television screens with mr. Bean and some movies. I've done some little naps and have written in my diary and talked for a while with the French guy, sitting next to me. And then it isn't that hard to spend 12 hours in a plane. I just needed to stretch my legs every hour and had my little walks to the toilet.

It was a strange idea that I left New Zealand on Monday the 17th, just after midnight and have arrived the same day in Amsterdam, but it was a really long day and nice to be home again.

16-17/3 Christchurch-Auckland-Hongkong-Amsterdam-Nijmegen

13-16/3 Christchurch

Christchurch

The last three nights in New Zealand I've spent at Jailhouse hostel in Christchurch. A small cell in a former jail, with a bunkbed, really comfortable. The door was very heavy, but I got the key to unlock myself.

On Friday I've met Stefanie again (the German girl I've met on Sunday evening in the Jailhostel). It was really nice and we just talked all day. First we had some brunch, I've tried another fruitjuice with a lot of different fruit and a wrap with spinach and roast beef. Then we took the bus to New Brighton, the beach of the Pacific Ocean. So I finally had my dip in the Ocean. And yes it was really cold, the waves were high and the water was salty, so my hair was a real mess. But I suppose that's why they invented bandana's. I've tried to dig a little hole and it was an interesting thought that on the other side of the tunnel there would be some European country, just so hard to believe. After returning to the city centre of Christchurch we had our picknick in the Botanic garden. We just sat there for hours, talking and we had dinner at her hostel (a different one).

On Saturday I've walked to the city centre, perhaps 30 minutes. And I did some real shopping. I've been to the Kathmandu store (outdoor clothes) very often before, in other cities and also in Christchurch the first time. But now I allowed myself to buy stuff, because I don't have to travel anymore and to carry my backpack, just the trip to the airport and from the airport to Amsterdam back to home. And I've bought some shirts, a blouse and a pair of linnen trousers and some other practical equipment for a world traveler. So nice to use my creditcard ;). I've thrown away some of my old stuff, like a pair of trousers, that is getting shorter than it was before. Using the dry cleaner does that to my clothes. So I had enough space in my backpack for my new clothes. After the shopping I've been to the Art Gallery with modern art, and a lot of 18th, 19th century art. For example some cows from Paulus Potter (Dutch painter). And I've been to the Canterbury Museum with different exhibitions, like stuffed animals (a lot of penguins), information about the explorers to the Antarctic, vehicles, an historical street of Christchurch. Somehow it reminded me of all the other museums I've visited in New Zealand. It's funny how normal things on the street remind me of all the other places I've been, together with all the good memories.

And although New Zealand is quite a big country (8? times the size of the Netherlands, comparable with Japan and the United Kingdom), it is also a small world, where I meet people again I've met before in other places. Yesterday when we were sitting in the Botanical garden I 've seen the man I have spoken with in the Taieri Gorge Train, near Dunedin. And he remembered me as well. And today I saw the American couple I've met at the kayaking and hiking in Picton some days ago. So I was just thinking that when I would sit on a bench for some hours I will see all the people I've met here again in this park. In the afternoon I have met Stefanie again, but actually we planned this. We had some Lebanese food in the garden of the Arts Centre. At the hostel I packed my bag, just very curious how heavy it would be.

9/3 & 13-16/3 Christchurch

13/3 TranzCoastal Picton-Christchurch

In the morning I have walked for the last time in the High Street of Picton, the only shopping street. And I've spent an hour in the park near the ocean. It was nice to see the boats and the Interislander, the boat we took, more than 4 weeks ago , when we traveled from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on the South Island.


Tranzcoastal

The train journey was nice, having a seat on the left side (Ocean). I was able to make some pictures now. I've seen some seals on the rocks and I was almost shouting, to point them to other people. Sitting in the train for 5 hours is no problem at all, maybe I've closed my eyes sometimes, but there was just too much to see.

From the railwaystation I've walked to the jailhouse hostel, actually far too long with such a heavy backpack. So after some shopping for a decent meal I've just spent the evening in my cell to read some pages of my book 'Behind the scenes at the museum' of Kate Atkinson.

13/3 TranzCoastal Picton-Christchurch

10-13/3 Picton

Picton 174° 10' E, 41° 18' S

On Monday I took the train from Christchurch to Picton. It takes 5.15 hours and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I was sitting at the right, so a great view over the ocean. We have seen some dolphins and whales. There was an open carriage in the train, quite chilly, but great for making pictures, without getting your own reflection in the windows.

I've stayed three nights in Picton Lodge. Officially it was a 8 bed dorm, but the first night I had this room on my own. The second night I shared it with 3 other people and the last night just one other girl.

In Picton I’ve done a little mountainbiketour to explore the city/town, surrounded by mountains and ocean. For Tuesday I've booked a tour Kayaking and hiking in Marlborough Sound and Queen Charlotte Track.

Kayaking was easier and the kayak was more stable than I expected. I shared the kayak with an English guy who lives in New Zealand since two years. I let him do the steering (with the feet) and after some practising we were quite a good team. He just followed my paddling (left and right) and I wasn't panicking too much when we were heading to the coast too much. Maybe a lot easier than the rowing with Jan (my brother), who somehow thought he was the captain and can tell me how to row ;). We have seen a lot of animals, mainly birds.

After the kayaking the group divided in hikers and bikers. I've hiked a part of the Queen Charlotte track together with an Australian couple. The hike was lovely, with a great view over the Marlborough Sound and beautiful trees and mushrooms. And I hardly felt any pain in my feet, because I was distracted by the nice conversation we had. We were glad that we have chosen for the hike, because moutainbiking on this track was a lot harder on these narrow, steep paths. Officially the hike was 4 hours, but we did it in almost 3 hours and we took the watertaxi back to Picton.

Together with the Swiss girl I met in my hostel I have done a beautiful walk along the coast on Wednesday morning. From this height we had a perfect view over the Marlborough Sound, the harbour and Picton. And we had a good picknick in the park near the harbour. Life in Picton seems perfect. In the afternoon I've visited the Edwin Fox museum about one of the oldest ships. This ship has seen a lot of the world (for example Bomarsund in Aland) and Suomenlinna, Sveaborg in Finland, in the Crimean war and to bring convicted people to Australia and immigrants to New Zealand.



In the afternoon I have done some shopping, like a necklace with the Paua shell, and I've had some nice conversations with shop owners. No idea if my view is coloured right now (being on a very long holiday), but people here are really friendly and pleasant. Not in a hurry, so they seem to have enough time to explain things to me, and are curious about my opinion about their country. Later I have been sitting for a very long time in the park near the harbour, reading a magazine. It was lovely weather and I've just enjoyed the fresh air. I've spoken for a while with an Australian woman, who had been in the Netherlands, some year ago.

In the hostel I have made my best dinner on this trip ever, with spinach, apricots, ham, noodles, apple, avocado etc.



And in the evening I have done another mountainbiketour, for the last time in a small quiet place before I will return to the big city (Christchurch) or even more crowded Netherlands.

10-13/3 Picton

9/3 Dunedin-Christchurch

Another early wake up on Sunday morning. A taxi picked me up at 7 o' clock from the B&B. I took the intercity bus to Christchurch and the 6 hours in the bus weren't that long at all. In the bus I've read a magazine and listened to my music, but most of all I’ve been enjoying the views. We had two stops. First one at Oamaru (I've stayed there for 3 days a week ago) and the second for lunch in Timaru.

In Christchurch I took the bus to the Jailhouse hostel. The door of my cell/room is heavy, but I have the key, so I won't be locked in ;). Then I went back to the city centre, walking in Hagley Park and the Botanic garden. At the Art Centre I've bought some beads, like I've done in many cities where I've been. No idea if they will match to make one bigger necklace (all different colours blue), but they will be a nice souvenir of this sabbatical. And I had some Hungarian snack there, sitting in the nice inner garden. Walking back I made a mistake, my feeling for direction isn’t that good, so I ended up in Hagley Park North instead of South. This park is just enormous. And when I finally was in the right corner I just had to laugh, seeing the brook I had to cross, but fortunately there was a little bridge not that far.

After preparing some lunch (backpackersfood, like noodles with a salad) I had a nice conversation with two German girls. They were speaking German and I spoke English, because, although I do understand German quite well, speaking English is a lot easier for me.

Tomorrow another early start, when I will get a shuttle to the railwaystation to take the train to Picton. Maybe I will have time to read my book, because it seems so nice (Behind the sceens of the museum of Kate Atkinson). When I talk to myself, recapitulating my plans and what I need to do, I realize I do it 50% of the time in English. It seems so easy now to speak English all the time and I hardly ever worry that I sure will make a lot of mistakes. People seem to understand me ;) But yesterday it was nice just to listen to two Dutch people, speaking Dutch with each other.

9/3 Dunedin-Christchurch

7/3 Taieri Gorge Railway

Today I took the old train of the Taieri Gorge Railway (diesel). We left at 9.30 from the beautiful railwaystation of Dunedin. I had a great view from the left side of the train and a man told us over the intercom a lot about the area, that was quite versatile. A lot of mountains, different kind of trees, sometimes a house in the middle of nowhere, rivers, sheep, alpaca's, red deers, cows, the gorge, bridges over the water and such a beautiful colours.


Map of the Taieri Gorge Railway

I sat next to two Englishmen (70). One of them lived in New Zealand for 34 years and the other one was his childhood friend. It was really nice to talk with them and hear more about why the man, living in New Zealand for 34 years, loves this country so much. And I can certainly understand that, after being here for more than 5 weeks now.

At 12 o' clock we stopped in
Middlemarch, a small village of 250 people, but during this lunch time all the people from the train doubled the amount of people. I had my little picknick, looking over the mountains.

Other link to Middlemarch

7/3 Taieri Gorge Railway

Movie from YouTube. Someone has got a better camera or a steady hand than me to make a movie of the Taieri Gorge Railway.



I've listened a lot to music on my mp3-player and one of my favourite song this journey might be' Oh my God' of the Kaiser Chiefs. Especially the sentence

'Oh my God I can't believe it I've never been this far away from home'

.

All the time I am thinking, can I go any further from home. Perhaps Invercargill, yesterday was the furthest from home, being the southernmost city of New Zealand. I see a lot of signs with the directions to many big cities, like Frankfurt and London, so that seems closest to home. Today in Middlemarch I saw one, with the direction to the church, the swimming pool, but also to the Northpole and Southpole. Just a little more to walk.

6/3 Catlins Coaster

At 7 o'clock I was picked up from my B&B by the bus of Catlins Coaster for a scenic tour of the Catlins.
The Catlins (information on Wikipedia)

First we drove to Invercargill, following the highway and the other three people were sleeping in the bus, but I’ve enjoyed a conversation with the driver. In Invercargill we picked up the other people, so in total there were 10 people, from different countries (Germany, England, Japan, France, Spain and the Netherlands). From Invercargill we followed the Southern Scenic Route.



We returned in Dunedin at 8 o'clock in the evening and in between I have seen so many beautiful places, sceneries, views, animals. We did several short hikes to Waipapa Point, Slope Point (Southernmost point 169° 00' E, 46° 40' S), 5140 km from the Equator and 4803 km from the South Pole, falls like McLean Falls (and I was impressed again), the Pacific Ocean, the Petrified Forest at Curio Bay, a beach with sealions, a beach with dolphins, a lighthouse with views on seals at Nugget Point and a lot of other beautiful things.

I’m glad I’ve brought my two fleece sweaters and my jacket because near the Pacific it was quite chilly, but the sun gave it such a nice glow. In the end we sat for more than an hour to wait for the yellow-eyed penguins and it was so relaxing to watch over the ocean. Finally we’ve seen a yellow eyed penguin who was limping. In the bus back to Dunedin many people were sleeping and actually I think I’ve closed my eyes for a while as well, must be the fresh air and all the impressions. We stopped to hang a shoe on the fence, where many other shoes were hanging as well. Quite conveniently we’ve found a shoe before at McLeans Falls.

6/3 Catlins Coaster

4-9/3 Dunedin

Dunedin 170° 30' E, 45° 52' S Southernmost place where I have slept

More information about Dunedin on NewZealand.com

After a noisy night in a dorm in Penny's Backpackers (people entering the room with the lights on at 2 o'clock) I decided to find other accommodation. And because the hostel was fully booked for the weekend I had to find another place for the other nights as well. On the internet I've seen two nice bed & breakfasts in High Street and since this was quite close to the hostel I decided to go there myself and see if they have a room available, so I won’t be disappointed if it turned out to be not so nice as showed on the pictures. Highstreet is really steep, so I was quite relieved when I saw the first B&B. It seemed lovely from the outside and they had rooms available. Grandview Bed & Breakfast) is an old building from 1901.

The first two nights I had the family room the Grandview Room with the best view over the city, where you can see the ocean and Otago Peninsula. So all my climbing was really worth it. And yes this room is 5 times the price of the dorm in the hostel but actually it is really worth every cent. For (Dutch) people who are curious about the prices: a bed in a dorm is 20 dollar (10 euro). So for one time I will indulge myself this luxury. Especially because I haven't been that extravagant, just because my taste isn't extravagant, or I am just too afraid of heights to fly with a helicopter or to do a bungy jump.

This B&B is just what I always imagined in the books of Agatha Christie, where Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple stay for a while to enjoy some fresh English air. Sometimes this country feels so British, but with a better climate. Schoolchildren wear uniforms, girls have Scottish skirts. People are quite friendly and polite. But maybe it seems more American that they greet you (in the shops) "And how are you doing today". The answer ‘Fine’ is enough, but sometimes they are more curious when they hear your foreign accent.

For Thursday (March the 6th) I've booked a tour to the Catlins. The bus will pick me up at 7 o' clock. Nice to have a pickup, although walking to the Octagon, main square is a lot easier than walking back to the B&B. The owner of the B&B thought the height of the hill was over 300 metres and that we are on 2/3 of it. In the evening I’ve walked to the top of the hill to make some pictures. And then I will be on the same height as the highest point in the Netherlands (321 metres).So I'm glad that there was a bus near the hostel to bring me and my heavy backpack to the B&B. And for Friday (March the 7th) I’ve booked a trainticket for the Taieri Gorge Railway.

On Wednesday I've visited two museums: The Public Art Gallery and the Otago Museum. Normally I don't like to see stuffed animals, but the penguins were interesting, after I've seen the blue penguins earlier (alive). And there was an exhibition about bathing suits. In many museums I've seen a lot about the people of the Pacific islands and sometimes I hardly know where that island is. I might have been very close, flying over it, in the plane from Osaka to Auckland.

The last two nights I had the Colonial "Spa-view" Room. Before I entered the room I've asked the owner, if there was a bathroom as well on the first floor, like there was on the second floor. But I just didn’t have to share the bathroom anymore, because I had my own now, including a jacuzzi. I just felt like a princess, in a big bed with curtains and when I finally found the button for the bubbling it was quite nice. It will be hard to leave Dunedin and especially this great B&B. It's a good test for me to see if I prefer the luxury or the great view and actually I know the type of person I am ;) Can you guess?
On Saturday, after two days of organized tours I enjoyed planning my day as I wished. I’ve made a backup of my pictures on a DVD, because my memory cards were full and, although I have my pictures as well on my MP3-player I prefer to have an extra backup of the pictures of my precious memories. Today the weather improved, so my little backpack is full with my sweater and jacket. In the morning I've visited the Cadbury factory. There are no tours in the working factory in the weekend, so we got the shorter version, but it gave a good view of the chocolate process. And after smelling the chocolate and the waterfall of 1 tons of chocolate I wasn't that enthusiastic about eating the little samples we got. Sometimes it is just too much. But in the shop there were some interesting flavours of chocolate, it’s just a pity that a bar of 250 gram is quite heavy in my backpack, otherwise I would have bought some for my colleagues and friends. Besides some walking in the streets of Dunedin and going to the shops I’ve visited another museum, the Otago Settlers Museum. I liked the exhibition about the immigration of people from different European and Pacific countries and the means of transport.

4-9/3 Dunedin

1-4/3 Oamaru

Oamaru 170°58'E, 45°5'S

From Christchurch I took the bus to Oamaru. The road to Oamaru wasn't that inspiring, maybe I just missed the beautiful views on the mountains, as in other regions. But Oamaru is a nice town with a lot of old buildings, at the Pacific Ocean and it’s famous for its penguins.



You don't pronounce the first A in Oamaru. It has been raining a lot, but the shopping street has a roof over it, so you can walk from bus stop to hostel, without feeling the rain. The hostel is lovely, a building from 1867. A nice hostel, where I have stayed for three nights in a dorm (6 beds) , but there is a nice livingroom, where you can spend time reading your book and booklets and think about what to do next and of course talking with people from different countries And it’s nice to hear the stories from people who have traveled a lot more than me. It's great that I can do my own cooking here. In the afternoon I had my little walk in the old part of Oamaru, the Harbour & Tyne Historic Precinct.

On Sunday it has been rainy, but the Forrester Gallery was just two buildings from here, so no need for an umbrella yet. The gallery was nice, to see paintings of Oamaru in the last centuries. And I had such a pleasant conversation with the lady working there. In general other backpackers, I meet, are 5-10 years younger than me. And it just feels like I'm now doing finally what I wanted to do when I graduated from university, 10 years ago. But compared to this lady who will do her first long and far trip to Switzerland and Austria and who is 71, I'm really young. It was so nice to share some of my experiences traveling in this country and hear about other places that are worth visiting. Later I've visited the North Otagomuseum, with a lot of history, shops and stones. And there was a display about Janet Frame, a writer of books I've read and remember the places Oamaru and Dunedin from her books.

In the evening I went to see the yellow-eyed penguins, together with a German and Swedish girl. It is quite funny that I have met the German girl before in Taupo (on the North Island) and that the Swedish and German girl have met before somewhere else. Such a small world, full of backpackers. It was quite a long walk to see the penguins (we were outside for 3 hours), just when it’s getting darker. It was quite cold and windy and I was wearing the hood of my shirt and my jacket against the cold wind. But we did see a penguin close and two from a distance. And how they hop on the hill with both their legs on the same time.

On Monday I’ve enjoyed a hike of 3 hours in a beautiful area, a garden (with flowers of course) and Humpty Dumpty, and on a hill with some sheep and a great view over the city, the ocean and the surrounding hills. I haven't seen anyone for a while. Just hard to imagine that there was no one who wanted to enjoy this great area as well. There is no proper beach here, so I sat near the ocean for an hour at the old railway station. Later in the afternoon I've been swimming in the swimming pool, better than the cold ocean and it was funny to see, that “playing bomb”, splashing in the water is known all over the world.

Together with the German girl we went to see the blue penguins at the Oamaru Blue Penguins Colony. We had to pay 20 dollars (10 euro) and then we entered a kind of theatre, like we were watching a play. We had to wait 30 minutes and then the penguins came on stage. They were so cute and walked that funnily. They were just 30 cm's tall and we saw maybe 70 of them in little groups. I have packed a lot of useful things in my backpack, like gloves, binoculars, a warmer fleecesweater, but they were just on the wrong place at that moment (in my backpack in the hostel). And we didn't ask for a blanket, so we were really cold, but also very happy to see these penguins. We weren't allowed to take pictures, but to give you an impression how incredibly cute the blue penguins looked, I've found one nice picture on the internetsite.

1-4/3 Oamaru

26/2-1/3 Christchurch

Christchurch 172° 38' E, 43° 32' S

Christchurch on NewZealand.com

With the organized tour we stayed in Bealey's hotel, quite a walk to the city centre. The first night in Christchurch we had our ‘last dinner together’, because one girl will leave a day earlier than the rest of the group. On Wednesday I have taken care of the other two nights I will spend in Christchurch and I’ve booked three nights in Oamaru, to the South. I’ve done some walking in the city that seems so English, like Cambridge or Oxford because of the old universiry buildings, the Cathedral, and the canals. But most of all it was a lazy day in the park to read and write in my diary. In the evening I had dinner with two people from the group and when we returned to the hotel almost everyone was sitting outside to have a drink (for their last night in New Zealand).

After the group left on the morning of February the 28th I moved to Cokers Backpackers, easy to walk to the city centre, but walking back I always needed the map to remember where I have to turn left.

On the first day that the group left it was quite weird that it seemed I heard familiar voices, and typical pink sweaters, because in other cities we always saw most other group members, mainly because we had a short time there and all went to the highlights, like in Auckland the Sky Tower and Devonport and in Wellington the Te Papa Museum.

But I have seen my tourleader twice (maybe Cathedral square is a place where you meet people), so we decided to have dinner together in an Indian restaurant. It was nice to have a conversation when she was in another role and was excited as well to travel on her own and to discuss our plans. I needed these days in Christchurch, after the group tour to think again what I want to do, before I leave. At least I wanted to see the penguins and do some hikes and cycle tours. But right now it was so much fun to walk in the city and decide what to do just when it pops in my head like a Bouncing Ball/ ‘Stuiterbal' in Dutch. So when I first had the idea to visit the Art Gallery I have changed my mind when I saw the bus to Lyttelton. So in the afternoon I have jumped on the bus to Lyttelton. I only knew it was close to the sea and that there was a museum about the Timeball.

Before I would climb the hill, I had a little picknick on a bench with a view over the big harbour (enormous ships). A German girl shared my bench and I had my first chips (fries). We walked together to the Timeball museum. It was a wee (little) museum like the woman there told us, about the way the exact time was announced. We felt like adventurers climbing the stairs of the towers with our binoculars. It was fun to see how the people lived there, reading the titles of the books full of adventures. Somehow I've read most of the books in the room of the little boy and hardly any books in the room of the little girl. But of course when I was young I always wanted to be an explorer. Unfortunately I was born some centuries too late.

At the hostel I spent a lot of time, rearranging my backpack. No idea how heavy it is, but I need to throw some stuff away, especially the booklets, brochures. I haven't bought that much, only jandals, a shirt and a thin pair of trousers. When I will return to Christchurch in two weeks I can do my shopping if I want.

26/2-1/3 Christchurch

26/2 Te Anau-Christchurch

It was a very long drive from Te Anau to Christchurch. We left at 6 o'clock in the morning and arrived just before 6 'o clock in the evening. I've slept a lot in the bus, but also saw a lot of mountains. Mt Cook, white with snow/ice was quite impressive and we made a group picture in front of it.

26/2 Te Anau-Christchurch

25/2 Te Anau, Doubtful Sound

Te Anau 167° 43' E, 45° 25' S

We've stayed in Te Anau Great Lakes Holiday Park, a kind of motel with facilities for backpackers and tents as well.


Te Anau at NewZealand.com

Fiordland

Fiordland



Today we started early to go to the Doubtful Sound with 8 people of the group. The other 12 went to the Milford Sound. I have chosen the Doubtful Sound because it was less touristic and a shorter drive by bus and a longer time on the boats.

First we have done a boat tour on Lake Manapouri and then a trip by bus. We've visited Manapouri Underground Powerstation. We've seen a lot of waterfalls, so we were lucky it has started to rain some days before ;)

Then we boarded another boat on the Doubtful Sounds, really great. We've seen dolphins and a seal. But I was a little nauseous after a while, because it was rough weather and we were heading to the ocean, so my legs felt a bit wobbly. I'm afraid pictures won't be able to show all the beauty properly, so I just inhaled the atmosphere. It has rained a lot, so my red jacket proved it was a good investment. In the afternoon when we returned to Te Anau the sun was shining. Perfect for the barbecue. It was fun to slice all the vegetables and fruit for the salads. 22 person can eat a lot, but unfortunately my 'seasickness' continued in the afternoon.


Doubtful Sound

25/2 Te Anau-Lake Manapouri-Doubtful Sound

My 'favourite' television show in New Zealand Pushing Daisies, I've seen it three times, so I've just a little idea what it is about, but at least it was intriguing. Perhaps this is the only show that I've seen more than once, except for the morning news/talk show.







And when I heard the song I was curious if I have the original (Birdhouse in your soul of They might be giants). And of course this song was one of the 4000! songs on my mp3-player.

24/2 Queenstown-Te Anau

It was a short drive to Te Anau in Fiordland, so we arrived in the afternoon. Together with 2 guys of the group we did a really nice hike, part of the Keppler Track. First we had to take the watertaxi to the other side of the lake. It was going really fast and we were prepared for a wet landing. Since Nelson I know what that means (walking the last metres through the water). At the beach we learnt how to dry our wet feet, by rubbing it with sand. And to remove it with some tissue paper later. At the shower at the hotel I discovered my very dirty feet, but no problem at all with the sand between my toes.

The hike was 3 hours and the first two hours were dry and in a forest, really beautiful green. Then it started to rain (the second time I wore my jacket in 4 weeks!) and there was no protection from trees anymore, so we really got wet, but my jacket is great. I just rolled up my trousers, because a wet pant is worse than wet legs. We had a nice dinner, again an Italian restaurant, but this time I didn't have a pizza (they weren't even on the menu).

24/2 Keppler Track (Te Anau)

23/2 Queenstown

Queenstown 168° 40' E, 45° 01' S

Today I've really enjoyed using my own strength. I've rented a mountainbike for 4 hours and did a tour around lake Wakatipu. It was great to see the mountains and smell the pine trees and sit along the lake. I just was so fed up with all the big attractions, just not my idea of fun and was curious about more simple activities. After my biketour I took the Skyline Gondola up the mountain, really high. Great views, but being on my own in a gondola was not so fun, a bit scary, although I've seen some sheep on my way up. At the top of the mountain I met some guys of the group and we made a lot of pictures and going down together was a lot easier for me than on my own ;)

In the evening we had a pizza with a little group and I just had to ask for a fork and knife to eat my pizza, instead of using my hands. Still some sense of 'civilisation'.



Queenstown Lakeview Holiday Park



Tourist Information Queenstown

23/2 Queenstown

22/2 Fox Glacier-Queenstown

After a night full of dreams about glow worms, I woke up early to do another hike around Lake Matheson. Together with half of the group we left at 7.15 and it was beautiful, quiet. On the island of reflection we were supposed to see the reflection of Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in the Lake, but the lake was no perfect mirror (there were ducks swimming ;) so it was a bit blurry. But to our surprise 5 minutes later we found the perfect place to see it and make a lot of pictures (again).

We were just on time to see the sleepy faces of the young people traveling with the Magic bus, who are visiting this lake as well. Sometimes we just see too many other tourists.

22/2 Lake Matheson (Fox Glacier)

This is the 26th day of my holiday, so I've had 50% of my sabbatical. It feels like I'm here for much longer, everything seems so familiar. But I'm also so glad that after the end of the group tour (next Friday) I will have 2,5 more weeks on my own. I think I prefer to travel in my own pace and I'm looking forward to stay somewhere for a longer time, 3,4 days and get an idea of daily life of normal New Zealand people. I'm just afraid that the eleventh waterfall, lake or gorgeous mountain won't excite me as much as the first ten. So it's no problem to travel by public transport without the detours for picture stops, but just enjoy what I see.

I feel quite tired after a long day in the bus and I need to think really hard about all the stops today. Maybe the highlight was that the bus was okay, so no unnecessary stops, like yesterday and the day before ;). We just suffer from the sandflies and do some funny dances to scratch our legs and arms. Somehow they like to suck our blood from our feet, so my feet are really itchy.



One guy of the group has done a bungy jump, close to Queenstown. I even dared to look when he jumped and had a little dip in the water. His excitement was great to see, like he conquered some fear. But it really isn't contagious for me, I just can't see the fun of it.

22/2 Fox Glacier-Queenstown

21/2 Greymouth-Fox Glacier

We have left Greymouth at 8 o'clock and we had a breakfast stop in Hokitika. I have made a little walk in this town. I was still looking for a cap, that doesn't look that silly or like a real tourist. I haven't find the right cap, but I had a nice conversation with the lady of the shop. She recognized me as being Dutch (tall, blond, looking so healthy?) and because of my accent (the TH sound). Actually this was the first time that New Zealand people didn't think I was German ;) It was really nice to talk with her to get an idea of life in NZ, where so many people are immigrants and have roots in the UK and the Netherlands. Our bus driver from the South Island told us that people in the South Island are even more relaxed and friendly than on the North Island. He thought that at the North Island life is so busy, although we had the impression that life in New Zealand is so much more relaxed, compared to the Netherlands and many other European countries. It is just so much fun to talk with local people about their life and the place where they live. So I regretted it that we had to go further by bus. I've I told my travelmates that this conversation was the highlight of my day, I felt so enthusiastic about this country (again).

With our new bus, we drove another hour, but climbing upon a mountain, the gear didn't work properly, so we had to return to a village to wait for another bus ;) We just can laugh about it, feeling so relaxed and enjoyed our time in the village Fox Glacier. It was just a pity that when the new bus arrived we didn't have time for a 30 minute walk to the Franz Josef Glacier. Most people of the group have planned a helicopter flight to see the Fox Glacier and have a little walk, so we had to hurry to be on time. I'm just too much afraid of heights to fly in an helicopter and walk relaxed, so I have chosen to do a nice walk in the rainforest. Or actually I have done the walk twice, back and forth. The second time time I've seen many new things, like a river, a fish and interesting trees. It felt so peaceful, just a pity to hear the helicopters, flying over.

In the evening we had a buffet in our hotel and with some travel mates we did a walk in the rainforest. The same one where I have been earlier that day, but now in the dark. We had some flash lights to guide us in the dark, but the main attraction was to see the glow worms, just like a Christmas decoration in a tree. And it wasn't that scary at all. My eyes get used to the dark and it was quite easy to walk. We have also seen two possums. It is quite an ugly animal, and it is a real plague here. In the shops I have seen gloves and sweaters made of these possums (hairs, fur?).

21/2 Greymouth- Fox Glacier

20/2 Nelson-Greymouth

We left Nelson at 8 o' clock this morning, our usual time and actually I'm getting used to waking up before 7. After a coffee stop we went to Cape Foulwind where we have seen seals and signs with the direction to London and Paris. So now I realize how far from home I am. 16.000 kilometres. But my planes in 3,5 week will travel this in just 30 hours.

Unfortunately our bus had trouble and some smoke came from the back, so we had to stop. But were fortunate to strand at a nice place at the beach. I finally stood in the Tasman sea and the waves were sometimes a bit higher than I expected, but there was enough sun to dry my pants. The mechanics weren't able to fix the bus, so we had to wait for another bus to pick us up. Although the bus was broken, it served another purpose to give us some shadow. I think we stayed there for 4 hours, but actually we had enough fun in this unexpected stop. The other bus took us to the Pancake rocks of Punakaiki and we have a better view, because it was quiet there and the sun was low, just 20 Dutch people, taking a lot of pictures.

We've arrived really late at Revingtons Hotel in Greymouth. We had dinner there at 10 o'clock in the evening and actually I was too tired to enjoy my salad.

20/2 Nelson-Greymouth

19/2 Abel Tasman Park

Today we have done a hike in the Abel Tasman park, First we took the boat for more than two hours to Onetahuti (I just can't count how many boats I've been on ;) ) First I wanted to do the shorter walk of 2 hours, but I was glad I could swap places with a group member, who wasn't able to walk that much further. I was really happy to do the 4 hour walk, because the views from above were great, just like you imagine some paradise island to be. We ended at the beach of Torrent Bay and a fast boat would pick us up. Unfortunately the toilet was a bit further than expected (1,5 km return), so I had to hurry to catch this boat. I just ran on my walking shoes through the sea. It was almost funny to pour one litre of water from both shoes. This boat was really fast, so in 25 minutes we were back on the beach where we started (Kaiteriteri beach).

19/2 Abel Tasman Park

18/2 Interislander Wellington-Picton - Nelson

We had the morning in Wellington before we would go to the South Island. Since I have been in Wellington before and have seen all the bigger highlights I wanted to go to a little museum (colonial house), but actually this was closed. But when I was there and I saw a bench I just realized how much I've climbed, (without painful feet of legs !). The streets are very steep here and I've enjoyed the view over the city, seeing the tall buildings, looking not so tall, because they are in the valley.

From the hotel we took the shuttle to the harbour of Wellington. In the ocean we saw some pink jellyfishes.

It was a nice journey with the Interislander, and although it was quite sunny, it was chilly as well, a lot of wind, so I needed my sweater and jacket. Although the two islands are not that far from each other and a lot of the boat trip was in bays. I've really enjoyed the boat trip and I am looking forward to the boat trip in the Doubtful Sound, later this week. I just missed the dolphins, because I was on the toilet right then.

The first view on the South island was promising and it took some hours to drive from Picton to Nelson. I just loved the mountains. We've stayed in Kingsgate Hotel Beachcomber Nelson, a nice room and a outdoor swimming pool.

18/2 Interislander Wellington-Picton

17/2 Hastings-Wellington

It took us 4-5 hours today to travel from Hastings to Wellington. And I've seen a real Kiwi (bird), but actually I have my doubts if it was a real one, or a computer animated one, or one on batteries. It was in a dark place with UV light ???, where the kiwi didn't see us, but we were able to see it, together with dozens of old people who are using their flashlight on their camera, although it was prohibited, and who made a lot of noise. The kiwi isn't that charming as many human Kiwi's. It seems they have a lot of parties, festivals wherever we are and people think we are specially here for the festival.

We've passed the place with the longest name and I was impressed that the tourguide can pronounce it that easily, but of course I couldn't check if she said it properly ;)

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

It's nice to be back in Wellington and to remember how enthusiastic I was 2,5 hours ago when I arrived here. And now it's easy to find my way and sit in the park of the parliament to have a picknick. I have visited the other floor of the Te Papa museum. It just was too big to do this in one visit, 2,5 weeks ago. And I've watched a street artist, escaping from a straightjacket. It is so fun to sit on the ground and watch the show they are making, involving people from the audience.

We were staying just one night in
Comfort Hotel Wellington.

17/2 Hastings-Wellington

16/2 Napier (Art Deco festival)

Napier 176° 55' E, 39° 28' S



Instead of Napier, we are staying in Hastings. There is an Art Deco festival here, so all the hotels were booked. But the bus brought us for one day in Napier. It's a nice city with all Art Deco buildings and because of the festival people are dressed like in the 20's. We feel a bit out of fashion here, although I can look like a sailor in my white-blue striped shirt. There were a lot of old cars in the streets, so I was wondering how many of these cars of the 20's, 30's were left from that time, that still drive. People were really friendly and cheerful.

In the morning I have done my laundry and had a swim. I hope all motels/hotels will have a swimming pool, such a nice start of the morning.

15-16/2 Napier (Art Deco Festival)

15/2 Whakapapa village-Napier/Hastings

Today we went to Taupo again. The weather was too bad, so we weren't able to do the Tongariro crossing or a shorter hike. But later it cleared up, and the people who wanted to do a skydive got another chance, because the day before it was canceled. We sat there for 2 hours, watching the other people flying and jumping and it looked great (for people who aren't afraid of heights, like me ;)). Three people of our group took off in a little plane, but it was really frustrating for them that they couldn't jump, because there was too much wind. So they only had a free flight to ease their pain.

So we continued our way. First we went to Napier to collect some booklets. Then we went to our Motel, McGinty's Motor Lodge, in Hastings. In the evening we had dinner with the whole group in Napier and there was a lot to see at the street, funnily dressed people for the Art Deco festival.

Hastings 176° 51' E, 39° 37' S
Easternmost place where I have slept

Hawke's Bay

15/2 Whakapapa-Hastings

14/2 Rotorua-Whakapapa village

We left Rotorua this morning and visited some terrible smelling bubbly, muddy fields, with beautiful colours and a lot of steam. Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland

And at 10.15 we saw busloads of people, watching a guy putting washingpowder in a geyser, so it will start to boil and erupt. It was nice to see, but almost hilarious to see all the people there, some are dressed in the same shirt. Our group decided we are individuals, so wearing the same shirt was silly.

Later we did a walk along the Huka Falls with its rapids.

The afternoon I've spent in Taupo, when most other people have been to the airport. Some people will go for a skydive (jump out of the plane) and others will watch, cheer and give moral support. I'm too afraid to jump and even to watch, so I have some time to check my email, write my weblog and run some errands.

14/2 Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland/Lady Knox geyser/Huka Falls

We stayed the night in Discovery Lodge, in Whakapapa Village really in the middle of nowhere, with a view on a big mountain. In the evening it rained, so a good test for my red raincoat.

13/2 Rotorua Whirinaki Rainforest

I haven't seen that much of Rotorua, only the big supermarket and we had dinner there the first night. It is possibly a nice place, but we did the walk in the Whirinaki rainforest and that was great. With a group of 10 people we were brought to the forest park and two Maori women walked with us, along trees, a waterfall, some hills. It was interesting to hear the stories and we had a great lunch. After that we drove for a while and then we stopped at a hot pool. Unfortunately the water in all the pools was 38 degrees, so you have to swim very slowly or not at all. So at the motel, I swam some more in our pool. We also had our own hot tub, but smelling the water was enough for me to choose for other pleasures of life at holiday.

13/2 Whirinaki Rainforest

12/2 Paihia-Rotorua

Rotorua 176° 15' E, 38° 09' S

Now I am in Rotorua, staying in the Alpin Motel. It took a whole day to come here and I'm glad that we don't have to be in the bus that long everyday. We didn't stop that much or I just can't remember what we have done and seen.In the evening we had a nice dinner, meat on hot stone plates. I'm really looking forward to the hike we will do in a rainforest. No idea what to expect and how hot and wet/humid it will be, so I am prepared for everything. Afterwards we will have a swim in some hot pool. The smell here isn't that nice, sulphur, like eggs, but it is fun to see the smoke just coming from the ground. Maybe not so funny for the people living here, when they discover some day a little geyser in their garden that wasn't there the day before.

12/2 Paihia-Rotorua

10-11/2 Auckland-Paihia/Russell (Bay of Islands)

Yesterday we left Auckland at 7.30 and we arrived here 18.00. Of course we had many stops on our way to Paihia, some walks like a waterfall, a big Kaui tree, the toilet of Hundertwasser and the museum about the treaty of Waitangi.

10/2 Auckland-Paihia

Right now I am in Paihia, in the Far North, 174° 40 E, 35° 16' S

The appartment/motel is just 2 minutes from the ocean. Although the people of the group are nice, it is sometimes also a bit hard to adapt to traveling with a group (20 people) and living this pace, sometimes too fast and sometimes too slow for me. I just had to giggle seeing that we got 27 minutes for a walk that was indicated to be 20 minutes. And of course we always have to wait for someone before we can leave. The guide offered a lot of options for excursions, but I decided to take it slowly. There will be plenty of time for me to be on a big boat, seeing dolphins or other big animals, living in the sea. It is hard for me that you have to decide this early what you want to do next week. So I just decide that today was early enough to decide what to do whatever I wanted to do today. And I have had a nice day. So I went by boat to Russell, a nice village on the other side and I've visited two museums there. In one museum was a replica of the Endeavour, the ship of James Cook and in the other museum a woman explained how books are printed and binded. And as always I enjoy sitting on a bench or on the grass, just thinking how lucky I feel to be here.

11/2 Paihia/Russell

5-10/2 Auckland

Auckland 174° 48' E, 37° 00' S
Auckland

February 5th



February 5th

It was a long bustrip (5 hours), but it was so easy again. I didn’t even miss listening to music, because I’ve put my headphone in my big backpack. There was so much to see, hills, ferns, sheep with long neck (Alpaca’s). And I had a nice chat with a Kiwi guy, who has ‘done’ Europe in three weeks ! So I feel blessed to have so much time in a smaller country instead of hurrying to see 7 different countries.

I'm staying in a hostel in a tower, Princeton Backpackers and I have a room for my own (a double bed, so it takes all the space). I'm sharing a kitchen and bathroom with a Japanese girl. She was all the time apologizing for her bad English, but it was just so nice to have a conversation and hear more about her experiences, living on the South Island. Besides a hostel it is also a house for 'foreign' students, actually living here.

Auckland is enormous, with tall buildings and I love to walk and choose my directions all the time, without a specific plan. I've visited a big department store (Smiths and Caughey) and it was a bit posh for my taste and quite empty. Being here for almost a week I know where to find the things when I need them, like clean clothes, sandals, toothpaste, etc.

Tomorrow is a special day, Waitangi Day but according to the guy from New Zealand I spoke in the bus to Auckland, it was nothing special and all shops and museums will be open. Anyway maybe this is a good time for a boat trip or just little walks and read my book in the park (there are so many parks).

It is nice that there are so many possibilities to check my email, organize my trip, making reservations for busses and hostels and even use skype to speak with my parents and brother and of course to write my weblog. It’s easy enough to book just one day ahead, so I have a good view if I would like to stay somewhere longer or continue my traveling, just depending on my present mood and interests.

February 6th Waitangi Day

I've just hopped on a bus to have a first impression of Auckland. This bus was for free and now I know it will be very easy to take a bus from my hostel to the hotel of the grouptour close to the bus station, so I can leave my backpack there on Friday, while I'm waiting for the group to arrive. There is enough to do and still I always enjoy just sitting in a park and write down my thoughts and read more information. I've just been to the Auckland Art Gallery, a mixture of modern and older art and there were some nice paintings, but unfortunately there were no postcards of the paintings I liked.

I still have no idea this is a public holiday. It's not crowded on the streets, but many shops are open, just as the museums. There were a lot of streetartists and I’ve enjoyed watching ‘Russian’ acrobats. Quite impressive what they can do and actually it seems a bit painful, standing on one hand with the colleague on top of you. They were dressed in the Soviet colours with the hammer and sickle. But they turned out to be Australians. And then there is always the joke of the rivalry between Ozzies and Kiwi’s.

I've walked a lot today, but also took the bus to go in a circle. And when I saw a nice park I left the bus and it turned out to be the big park, Auckland Domain where the Auckland Museum is located. The museum is enormous and it was 1,5 hour before closing time, so I skipped the stuffed animals. I've enjoyed the exhibition about Maori culture, the design furniture, the streets of Auckland in 1866 and all the furniture of different periods. There were also a lot of displays about the New Zealand activities in World War 1 and 2. I've read a lot about New Zealand, months before I left, but somehow there was a lot that I didn't know. For instance I hardly knew the name of any famous New Zealander, except Edmund Hillary.

February 7th

Today I have taken the boat to Devonport, just 15 minutes from the city centre of Auckland. It's a nice village with a lot of shops. It was nice to walk there and when I saw a nice bench on a hill I decided that this would be the place for me to have a picknick. I don't understand why people sit on a hot terrace where they don't have a nice view and are surrounded by other noisy people ;). So I got myself a lunch at the supermarket. Always nice to see supermarkets and choose something, like fruit or bread, scones etc. The bench up on the hill was a bit further than I thought, but there were so many benches on my way there, so I’ve used some of them, offering me a great view over the Bay and Auckland, so it wasn't that hard. I'm glad I wore my sporting shoes, they just fit perfectly, so at night it seems I have to peel off my second skin ;) Many people walk on flipflops or sandals here. Great for fresh feet, but not my thing. Actually the hill is called Mount Victoria, so it is a mountain, maybe a vulcanoe? I've had a great view 360 degrees and I just sat on every corner. I realized that I am perfectly capable in not thinking at all or just, exclaiming " Oh it is so beautiful'. I thought that this would be the great place to do some thinking about my life, my future or whatever. And without thinking that hard I had some interesting thoughts. Life is so nice here, but don't worry I will return to home one day (just 5,5 weeks).


February 8th

I'm now waiting in the lobby of the hotel. The group will arrive any minute now and it was nice that I got the key of the room. So now, after a shower I smell nicely again. And I washed my clothes, a lot easier than to do it by hand. I haven't done anything special this morning. After leaving my backpack in a locker at the bus station I've bought some purple flipflops. They weren't that expensive, but good enough for my use. I can't imagine walking on these flipflops in the city, like the other people do, but is nice when I sit in the park to give my feet some fresh air. So I've been to my favourite Albert Park again to find a place in the shade to read my book. It's about a neurotic guy who writes travel guides for businessmen who don't want to be bothered by local culture and just want their regular American restaurants. (The accidental tourist by Anne Tyler).

February 9th

Yesterday I've met the 20 people of the group I will travel with for the next three weeks. When I saw them entering the lobby of the hotel I was just overwhelmed. There were just so many of them and at first it was hard to remember all the names. But after a dinner with most of the group I think I now know all the names and the first details. Today I’ve spent the day with the girl I'm sharing the room with. First we’ve visited the sky tower, that is really high. If I remember correctly it’s the tallest building on the Southern hemisphere (328 metres, but I will check that in one of my many booklets ;)). Later we made a full circle with the bus for almost an hour to see to which place we want to go later. Because I'm in Auckland since Tuesday I know the way and some nice places, so I can play being guide. Quite funny because my feeling for directions is not that well, but now I feel like a local. We’ve had a picknick in my favourite park. After 5 days I consider that I'm entitled to give it that name, the Albert Park. By bus we went to the hip suburb Ponsonby, every guide writes about it, so we were curious what is so great about it. There are many shops, but of course there is another park and we went down hill, just wanting to find out what is down there. Then we went by boat to Devonport. I've been there on Thursday, but it is a nice place to visit again. We weren't in the mood to climb the hill for the fabulous view, but of course I’ve already enjoyed it earlier. We had a pizza in a Greek restaurant and sometimes it feels a bit weird to realize that we are in New Zealand. Right now we are in the hotel and the girls behind me, waiting for a computer, are talking Chinese. The hotel is Chinese. So another reason for feeling disoriented sometimes. Tomorrow we will leave at 7.30 to go to Paihia in the North. Holiday is fun, but also hard work, but I really enjoy everything here. Still more than 5 weeks left ;)

5-10/2 Auckland