Kia Ora to Aotearoa: Claire meets the land of the Kiwis

Queenstown, New Zealand

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:20:00 +1200

(Good-Bye to) Queenstown It really is quite unbelievable how quickly those three and a half weeks went by. It seemed like New Zealand was going to dismiss me the way it greeted me, i.e. with rain. But: no! As I was wrapping things up, the sun came out and shone on me with all its (considerable) force during my (lovely!) lunch. I had the before-noon to stroll about and wanted to check out the “glow-worm gully (who wouldn’t, with a name like that?) but it turned out the path was a little too steep (at least in combination with that degree of wetness of the ground) for me to brave it in my trainers. Not the kind of incline/decline that the tour guide reported on our way up to the Doubtful Sound cruise, which was ‘six metres up/down for every one metre ahead’. But, well...I still found it suitably steep to call off the whole thing and walk through town, (finally!) doing some souvenir-shopping. Thankfully, I had waited with this until after I had more or less packed my luggage. Hence, I restrained myself to stuff which would fit into my carry-on and otherwise just did the thing every shop assistant hates, i.e. testing all the lotions and potions and fingering the T-Shirts 8which would have actually been good deals, but hey…) and went for food, in hope of not purchasing anything at the airport (alas, the idea was a good one, it just lacked the proper execution in practice ^^*). Some thoughts to share, because the day was otherwise mostly spent on airports, waiting for ages: Yesterday, I felt like I had almost come “full circle” with Hobbiton’s miniature houses and the Faerie houses on the mountain trail (c.f. photos). That is a really just a thought. Something else I thought is, that I should really like to figure out the right path tot he glow-worm gully as well sa take that tour to Cape Reinga. Additionally, Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch could probably do with more exploring. And I didn’t see any of the east coast on the North Island (Napier, Hastings…?), and didn’t make it to the Southernmost South Island tip. Not sure which part of Maui’s canoe that is supposed to be :) Frankly, I would have also loved to visit Dunedin. It seems very Scottish. Which brings me to a thought that I am sure will raise some eye-brows and lead to some sharp in-draws of breath: I loved it here; really did (that's not the surprising part). The nature is stunning and I am still curious to learn, whether kiwis (the people…) ever grow so accustomed to it that they take it for granted, or whether it keeps its ...stunningness to be surrounded by such beauty. However...I don’t think this thirty hours one-way travel was necessarily the only way of scratching the itch. I think I should and possibly will be travelling more in Scotland and Ireland and ideally also Scandinavia. Just being somewhere less populated, more forested. Where forests and coastlines touch and I can see some strange animals. Not all with ‘spectacular’ mating behaviours (c.f. yesterday’s photo – would ‘spectacular’ imply that they only do it with an audience i.e. spectators? OO one wonders…), but odd ones that are alien when compared to my native ‘home critters’. I loved, loved, loved the strangeness of the soundscape, especially the birds (I mean, I now know what noises the little penguins make that live on the islands of Doubtful Sound, even though I didn’t spot them in the underbrush), and the smells, too. It was also fun finding out all the details that no tourist brochure necessarily stipulates, like how Rotorua is completely overrun by black swans, or how the public toilets (the electronic ones) makes a ‘tzzz-schhhhh’ sound, ‘pretending’ to be closing the door when they tell you that the doors are locked. Would I need to find, search for, get this on a different continent? Hm. Not necessarily. I am glad and happy that New Zealand has been the last continent to be discovered and colonised and I wished there wsa less of that, including tourism. So, I don’t know that I will come back. I take these memories in my heart with me and see how much the islands pull on my heartstrings, especially the places I have yet to discover. Oh, and then there’s the kombucha, which I have indulged in plentifully. Will my digestion ever be the same? Who could say… (well, probably me, in a week’s time?) What I have learnt, actually two days ago: possums can carry and transmit TB oO And even sharks can get TB. Dear, dear. (tuberculosis, that is)

grey good-byes

finally: 'my own' ghost droppings! (remember the forest tour on North Island?)

the sequoia just wanted to be photographed, rather than jumped on or abused as a swing .-.

Queenstown, New Zealand

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +1200

Manapouri, New Zealand

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 06:30:00 +1200

Doubtful Sound Cruise (Fjordland National Park) OK, what is going on? I think I must be broken, somehow. Today’s excursion took me to places where no human had ever walked, because for once, humanity was in agreement about and at ease in stating: nope, this pristine patch of the world is as good as it gets; let’s not ruin it. We cruised Lake Manapouri twice and then Doubtful Sound, around some islands on which seals and penguins dwell...the guide spoke about how some of those hills and mountains were never crossed by any human feet; they had no tracks; no nothing. And yet...I mean, I loved it. It was beautiful. But I didn’t feel ‘awe’ or an otherworldly spirituality and ease or something. Even though I did appreciate that, at one point, the skipper told everyone to be quiet and stop moving, so we could enjoy the ‘sound of silence’ (Sound, get it? – even though Doubtful Sound is, actually, a fjord). Not that people were actually able to STOP TALKING or walking around clonk,clonk,clonk, chat, chat, chat. Why miss a chance to spoil the experience (i.e.: being shut off from any human-made noise) for everybody else, right? Anyway. I felt like I emotionally cheated myself out of an extremely profound experience. Because, maybe I focused so much on what I didn’t like? Being picked up at half past six, for instance. Or rather: spending almost thirteen hours either seated in a too-hot bus (although we changed busses four times…), or on a cruiser? I just...I would have really liked to simply explore the rainforests that we drove through, and take moments to get a better feel for the many magnificent waterfalls (some of which, I was told, were mostly melting snow from the prior snow-falls .-.) and not just be carted through them. Incidentally polluting the air and the atmosphere on which those environments depended. I am just a grumpy old cow. Nope. Sorry: no offence to any cows intended! Or maybe I am just a bit too simply to ‘get it’? The greatness of it all? Whatever the reason, I was much more excited about the food onboard the ships… (I also think I had a revelation RE: why does everything contain potatoes? Other than just seasonality...I had a breakfast burrito today and just couldn’t explain why it had to have hash browns and rice and chunky chips inside a wrap...and later, my vermiccelli (glass noddle) soup? Also had ‘vegetables’ of the root variety...plus, frankly, I believe the vermicelli were also made of sweet potato. You know what? I think everyone here is just so much more of a serious hiker, that they actually do need, and crave, the starches! They probably go really hard into the stamina, endurance etc. sports and so their bodies would otherwise just wither away – and the local economy, naturally, adapted! So, that mystery is solved. Or I lay it to rest, herewith.) Well, I will get to experience nature more close-up tomorrow, if I can get out of bed (I want to have a lie-in...I KNOW! But really...it is the last opportunity for one this holiday, and I won’t manage that much more in terms of walking, if I start early...I'd just turn in earlier ^^*), and hopefully with better weather. Judged from my perspective, that is. We had some tacit snow today and other than that rain and heavily wet air. What I learnt today was the difference between a fjord and a sound, somehow explained differently to what I had previously heard (something about drowned valleys and drowned rivers?) – well, as you realise: I forgot. But I remembered that thing about the Doubtful Sound being a fjord, so there’s that. Oh, something else: on my alpine trip, I asked the co-travelling folks from the US, if they ever unironically used ‘Gesundheit!’ when someone sneezed. And: yes, they did – it had less of a religious touch to them, they said. Another thing I learnt is that possums (which are a pest in NZ that is a severe threat to indigenous bird populations) are hunted rather seriously and sometimes turned into dog food. Which, according to our guide (one of the three, today) makes the dogs’ farts smell superduper bad. So – uhh...you’re welcome for this PSA? PS: A private little rant, now that we’ve established I am horrible: what is it with shop assistants? I wouldn’t mention it, had it not happened three times now. I keep asking for veggies and where to find them (not a Disney franchise oO) such as courgettes and the people in the shops just don’t know what I am talking about? No, it is NOT a kind of fish! (Admittedly, my attempt at describing radishes might have just repelled the member of staff, but I really couldn’t come up with anything better than ‘crunchy, pink balls that come in a bunch’ – she eventually concluded it was MY ENGLISH that was the problem and told me ‘oh, you mean relish!’ – which...no.). Now that that’s off my chest...I can go be ashamed of my fury, or something.

it's not sun...but it's also not (yet) rain!

apparently a penguin habitat...just not when i am looking

up close with the falling water

Queenstown, New Zealand

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +1200

from Christchurch to Queenstown If Christchurch immediately gave me the feeling that this was my (kind of) place, Queenstown, unfortunately, did something closer to the opposite. Not that I blame any of this on the city, itself. But Queenstown is thoroughly OVERRUN with people. And not ‘my kind’ of people, either. But loud-mouthed, bustling tourists, who wish for (more) snow. Whereas I? I don’t mind sunny days, even in winter, and I don’t need to use the ski slopes or queue for a Burger for a half hour or more. The information boards that are put up in the city-centre ( a neat thing that Christchurch had perfected: you nearly learnt something about the history of every major street, at least in the CBD) tells me that after a swift gold rush, TOURISM, TOURISM, TOURISM is bringing in the money. And currently, it is winter sports fans. And, frankly, on my very last stop on this New Zealand journey, I truly am landed in WINTER, seasonally speaking. Even for a person from Berlin, this counts for winter weather. Which is poor timing, considering that I will be returned into one of the worst heatwaves in decades as of Friday. Yay. Anyway. There are heaps of shops, I got quite delicious food, even though the restaurant was crowded and noisy, and I think the street illumination (think ‘Christmassy’ and you’re there) are quite appealing. Hopefully, I will be a little more on my own during my meandering moments on Wednesday. Since I didn’t specifically learn anything new today, some recap on ancient non-human New Zealanders: the huge, now-dead moa (bird) was hinted by an eagle with a 3m-wingspan. The moa mostly died out, because the flightless bird with a freeze-response to danger was a welcome target for the newly-arrived Polynesians a.k.a. Maori, who hunted the birds to extinction. Leaving the only predator, above-mentioned eagle, hungry. It may very well be that the eagle was hunted by Maori, because they didn’t like sacrificing their children for the sake of biodiversity: the eagle might have taken to eating the eaters of its prior food, which didn’t go down so well with the Maori. OR the eagle didn’t develop a taste for human flesh and thus starved, because of the lack of moas for snacking. oh, there is something I learnt: You get free snacks on domestic Air Newzealand flights and they have little monitors with quizzes running during the flight. As a downer to all this: they also ruined my big backpack. so: please, evreybody, keep your fingers crossed it makes it back to Germany intact... With those happy thoughts...

beyond the lake rises...some mountain range ^^*

Arthur’s Pass, New Zealand

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +1200

Arthur’s Pass & Sheep Farm Well, well. Today I got up while it was still dark, because I wanted to see the sun rise over a park nearby (and not in the crowded Hagley Parks). So, I walked (briskly! Because, really, it is very cold when the sun’s not out!) to where Google told me a park should be. Naturally, it was a private lane, leading to a parking lot. Google...I am not mad at you. Just…you know: disappointed. Anyway. With that being out of the way (and I DID hear quite an extraordinary Dawn Chorus that is different from the British and the German ones I am used to and fond of), I met the fluffiest white cat ever in the streets (who was big time scared of moi, I must ashamedly admit), I was ready to be picked up for my alpine adventure. Nearly got into the wrong white van which pulled up at too-early-am onto the court (they almost recruited me into a musical!), but eventually made it and became part of a very chatty, very social six-people-group of Aussies & US Americans (2/3 of the others attending a chemical ecology convention in Christchurch! We had insane conversations; it was so joyful!). What can I say? The travel agent I booked with REALLY hyped the experience and I ...liked it? I would have wished for more outdoors time and more hiking, but we really only got to sit on the TranzAlpine train for three hours, had a fifty minute break at a walk up to the Devil’s Punchbowl Falls (the time spent hiking was more like a half hour, mind – and led me into the most fairytale-like kind of forested mountain area I have been in a while!), stopped at some sites where battle scenes for Lord of the Rings were shot and then watched how a sheepdog herded sheep, one of which was thereafter shorn for show purposes in front of us. All quite cool, but nothing I would have personally chosen for myself, if that makes sense? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, though. The landscapes we drove through were absolutely stunning and I particularly enjoyed the ‘marbled’ quality of the mountain ranges we passed on our way to Arhur’s Pass. Also, I learnt a lot today! Incidentally, about how micro-organisms and insects communicate via ‘smells’, but I was relay any of this here (for fear of getting it all wrong), and about mountain erosion (same thing). Instead...hm. Maybe that the bird, which in NZ people mostly call “shag” and others usually call “cormorant” is thus called, because shags – mostly – have a tufted hair-style crown that warrants their name. However, cormorant and shag have been used interchangeably so much that it is basically up to taste or chance how you call them. Hardly a good piece of trivia, eh? (I maintain that you use ‘shag’, when you want to have a juvenile giggle about it; bird names so often offer themselves for that...) Oh, something else: kiwis (the people) seem to have a tendency of adding “aye/ey2 to their sentences (‘quite the hot day, ey?’ – which it WAS! I wanna say 20° today; an exceptionally warm winter overall, as all the locals say), and instead of ‘no problem/no worries’ they will usually say “oh, you’re alright”. Which...very validating! Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyyys. Enjoy the pics :) PS: if anybody with Mexican background can please confirm that it is ‘authentic’ cuisine to have a burrito filled with tortillas and pineapple?! Oo I was in an actual taqueteria, after all, and the bar lady greeted me with “hola!” – it must be the real thing?! :D PPS: I tried my first (and probably only) lollycake today, because I finally saw one that was vegetarian. And..no, thank you. It looked really cute (they cut it round and it almost looked like a real slice of cake), but it felt like a solid 500g of dense cake batter. Wowzerz. This cannot be something kiwis eat on the reg?! PPPS: I saw another type of tit today, but forgot it’s name! (the bird; calm it down, people) – it was almost perfectly round 8and looked cuddly, but I shall not be fooled!), utterly black, but had a yellow patch on its chest. – A. Google says its a “tomtit”. Which should be a cute petname. But I don’t think it’ll catch...

the river was apparently one of the few "braided rivers", but too low in water levels to show much of that intriguing flow pattern

just some cool forest.

Devil's Punchbowl Falls

you think you're well hidden, ey?

Keas absolutely ruled the cafe we had lunch in - there were four of them, helping to...finish left-overs ;)

show me some back-side!

Christchurch, New Zealand

Sat, 16 Aug 2025 09:30:00 +1200

Christchurch #2 Gosh, what DIDN’T I learn today? But rather than retell you all of the tour – you can always research on the internet & get more nuanced/focused/detailled/accurate info I’ll pick up some loose threads from yesterday. So, the Berlin Wall thing: ‘just’ arts. The part of the wall (see photo, at least from one side) was apparently in the possession of some mBh and they gifted it to Christchurch (Chch) as part of an arts precinct intervention. The new Chch, being rebuilt after the earthquakes, is kind of sactioned in that way – there’s the health precinct, bank precinct, arts precinct...not very strictly so, but a bit. Then, the street arts: apparently also an aftershake of the earthquakes – in 2011, almost 82% percent of the inner city were taken down, even though only two buildings actually collapsed in the quake (killing 185 people);

Christchurch, New Zealand

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:30:00 +1200

(I have omitted a large chunk of PENSITIVITY here, dealing with the conundrum of having such lush, diverse countrysides & flying domestically pretty much all the time...I spare you the details ;) I also mention that it's T-shirt weather, though - for context) CHRISTCHURCH! So far, I think, my favourite city in NZ! And I am not just saying that, because I had luxuriously delicious Indian for lunch and Mexican for dinner and found an absolutely marvellous cheesecake place (although, honestly? I don’t know that I care much for macadamia...I had abaked – vegan! – creamcheesecake with caramelised macs as a topping, but...well...the base was lotus and THAT rocked my world xD) – but those contributed. Mostly, I think, it is because the city is much more walkable / pedestrian friendly than the other ones I have experienced. And it feels more ‘woke’? Which may be, because the devastating earthquakes in the last decades have made huge reconstruction projects necessary and the streets are just very ‘universally designed’ – a lot of tourist-friendly information on posts/plaques, a great number of very straightforward maps, family-friendly playgrounds, designated doggo areas...and then there are the beautiful botanic gardens and quaint houses and cute churches...it all looks VERY BRITISH. Which, admittedly, might explain my favouritism. The street names already: Manchester, Dublin, Worcester Str…Edgware Road? So, my sugar high and the reminiscence-factor made me hugely approve. Additionally, there are many stretches of the city in which they are really reintegrating Maori tradition in terms of the style / design / layout and the plants in the urban zones. What I have not yet mentioned are the many and very sophisticated, partially extremely pretty, partly also very politically provocative murals. Everywhere. And I shy away from calling them ‘graffiti’, just to avoid any inkling of ‘commonness’ attached to them. Maybe I’ll photograph some for y’all tomorrow. As for what I’ve learnt. For once: how to pronounce Dunedin. But that’s a bit difficult to convey via writing. I also learnt that I have absolutely no qualms talking to a smokin’ hot dude in the botanic gardens, whilst he was working out. I figured: if he’s working out in public, he can’t mind being chatted up. He is a Maori, he said very proudly, and apparently ‘things get a bit rough’ in ‘his community’ in the North (on the North Island; he’s from Wellington), so they moved South. I totally didn’t even objectify him (I think) – we just had a bit of a chat, whilst I was eating an ice-cream (I know, I know...from Burger King, nonetheless! They sell something called ‘the Cosmic’ here, which I weirdly enjoyed..it has popping candy in it ^^* don’t judge me!) and keeping him from doing push-ups. Maybe more of interest to you: there are quite q few ‘weeping’ trees in New Zealand. The below photo gives some explanations as to why, mayhap. Now to my evening treat...I finished the book I bought in Hamilton, so now I can indulge in the he whopper of a Stephen king that I brought along :D One more week to go… PS: strangely, there is a park-area where they have a piece (or replica?) of the Berlin wall (Berliner Mauer) in Christchurch? Will enquire at the tour tomorrow what that is all about...

if you ever wondered how planets came into existence: they get pumped with gas.

some installations for a lightfestival at the botanic gardens

weeping trees: Moa foes?

dare I call it British-y?

Kaikoura, New Zealand

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:10:00 +1200

KAIKOURA #2 My mornings are pretty impressive recently! Yesterday, on the bus, we drove through some valleys and higher-up areas, where the clouds had sunk so low, they hovered above ground like fog. And this, in still frost-covered grass landscapes. Quite picturesque. This morning, then, I enjoyed a blood-orange sunrise with my absolute freezing-cold apartment. Which meant I yanked up the heater and crawled back into bed. No time pressure today! (and no insulation in the places I stay in, it seems…) OK, so at around noon I finally left my place. And sleeping late made me hungry, so I went and head a vegetarian full-English at a local place. They…put a slab of butter on the hashbrowns. Which is expressing genuine kiwi pride in their dairy :) Since I am at the topic of food, and today was rather uneventful, I MUST tell you this – I am secretly so delighted. Not so secretly, really. For let’s-call-it-lunch (just in terms of order, not timing) I had a ‘lentil soup’ that in both taste and consistency reminded me so hard of those mashed-potato-pots you get, to just fill up with water it was eerie...until...I found some fried onions in there xD Love that! Even more so, however, my dinner. I went and got a ‘roast veggie calzone’ (folded pizza bag situation) – and it was filled, I kid you not, with ‘seasonal’ veg xD I mean: there were WHOLE potatoes (the little ones, you might sometimes make for potato salad or with rosemary on a BBQ), chunky sweet potato, parsnip and pumpkin…fair do's, New Zealand! My greenhouse-raised vegetable brain was expecting aubergine or something, but you schooled me. And everything as drenched in a confusingly lemony-peppery vegan tzatziki. I loved it, but was questioning myself the entire eat. This was definitely not low carb, but you gotta love potato-filled pizza! And as a dessert, I had a croissant that was filled with dubai chocolate. Like, with chocolate and that angel hair stuff and roast pistachios? I regret that decision a little, because it weighs heavily in my stomach, but I liked both the idea and the execution, so kudos to the chef and inventor. Anyway. I did the peninsula walk fully today, although I got to it weird. Because Google thinks I am a car. But that’s OK. I like having people blare their horns at me. And this time at least there was a way! In Picton, I was led to believe that I could walk to the bird sanctuary there (Kaipupu), but that is, actually, a land-locked pseudo-island, which you can only reach by ferry, unless you are a truck, delivering wood or something. Which I am not in this life. The walk was pleasant enough and today I made sure to rest. A lot. Almost got through my girly book. To which I shall now return. And I should really stop cyberstalking a certain someone from my last stop… What I learnt today...hm. There’s a pink house at the beach in Kaikoura that I initially thought was special because it is made of Kauri, which you now no longer log except for special permissions and only as a Maori. BUT: I learnt that it is, in fact, partly made of whale bones – whaling wsa HUGE in Kaikoura and the tradition of making money form whales continues on, albeit via whale-watching. And I think (!) that this is part of the kaitiaki of the local Maori tribe who have taken on the role as guardians over these lands. But I may have misunderstood that. You must understand: I was busy digesting a lot of food, so my brain was only low-level active ;) PS: I also arranged for a walking tour through Christchurch on Saturday, so that I finally get to TALK TO PEOPLE again .-.

cool colour for a flower!

is that...lychen?

sea meets mountains

sea meets mountains meets sunset

Kaikoura, New Zealand

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 07:40:00 +1200

Kaikoura A small correction to yesterday’s observations: I am not nature-fatigued. Instead, I am very obviously travel-fatigued. Dwelling in the environment, I still very much enjoy! Today, I literally (queue the music) had “cake by the ocean”, accosted by sparrows and gulls alike, whilst watching fur seals yawn. Yet: I have been doing this for more than two weeks now, and I am weary of it. Getting up early, packing every other day, schlepping more than thirty kg of luggage around. And I miss my friends and family. Also, stupidly, I developed a crush on a guy in Picton and was quite sad to leave today. (the how, what, why, who etc. is none of your business; it is a very sweet, personal thing.) So, anyway: on we go with the journey journalling. The day was brilliantly and I already saw the first seal-covered rocks from inside the bus that brought me to Kaikoura. The name’s origin is photographed below. My lodge this time is a super-cool sweet (a.k.a. suite ;D) with a panorama door and I am curious about tomorrow’s sunrise. I intend to have a lie-in (sleeping too little recently) & enjoying the ocean-view. Nature here IS phenomenal. I must admit, I am biased towards charismatic (mega?) fauna and so immediately tried to watch whales or dolphins or seals in the bay (they all hang out hereabouts). BUT: hats off to the bug-world. One of the grasshoppers that I passed today was fist-sized. Gotta respect that. And the birds are just lovely. Even though the re-encounter with quite insistently calling and clearly scavenging sea gulls re-traumatised me from my time living in the UK... Kaikoura is very stretched out along the beach and I took the peninsula walk today, at least...two thirds of it? Along the look-out-routes and also on the beach (nearly twisted my ankle twice on the same patch of rocks...and also almost stepped onto seals, twice, because they just lay there on the ‘track’ oO). Seals, everywhere, covering the rocks in the seal colony areas. Also, apparently, ‘sometimes sleeping by the parking lot’ and totally untroubled by all the humans walking & fussing about them. Today I learnt that seals bite when feeling threatened and their bites are dangerous because; infectious. Also: I finally discovered that I am utterly in love with fried coconut rice. The apparently best place to eat here is a very take-away styled Asian place without even a guest loo, but the food is very convincing! On other news: my Saturday-plans have changed. Because of too few bookings, the Akaroa Day Tour including harbour cruise was cancelled. I am now rebooked to get alpine on Sunday. We shall see whether I am equipped for the weather oO Some proof of me being an idiot with the camera below. And I’m signing off. My feet are burrrrrrrrrrrrrning.

the sand is grey (c.f. North island shores!)

Kaikoura meaning

seals? rock!

just chilling...on the track

Picton, New Zealand

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 09:40:00 +1200

Picton – The Link Pathway Ha! Yesterday, I was told that Wellington is the windy city & that Picton basically gets all the sun & never wind or rain. Well, I must have brought it with me. It was quite chilly & mostly overcast today. But: I ain’t complainin’, coz it was hardly rainin’. Also: the bed in my b&b is amazing!!! love, love, love it. Although I think, in terms of accommodation, I like this arrangement the least. It is a little too close-up personal. My ‘landlady’ wanted/needed to know when I wanted to have breakfast & then brought it to me. Felt a bit...you know...pressured? Anyway. I set out to do one of three walks, or all of them, and then noticed what I would have never thought possible: I think I am getting nature-fatigued. It was nice and all, but...well, honestly? I really enjoyed the mix of ‘this feels like being in winter in Europe’ because the trees had lost foliage etc., and then diving deep into the rainforest again (still eerily few birds;

Picton, New Zealand

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 04:20:00 +1200

Wellington, New Zealand

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 09:50:00 +1200

Wellington, New Zealand

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +1200

Waimarino, New Zealand

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 06:50:00 +1200

(Getting to) The National Park ‘Traveling is not the same as holidays’ my forest guide yesterday said: ‘you always think about where you’re going next...packing.’ She said against all this stress, you sometimes forgot to just breathe. Hence, why she gifted me a moment of OG “forest bathing” in the beaufitul rain-forest of which she and her tribe are guardians. Well, it didn’t suffice. Today, I was one grumpy German lady. I was rained at and soaked through four or five times; sat on busses for more than six hours and was just pissed all over. I even got myself a silly little girly book, just as an impulse buy, when my stop-over walk fell through because of absolute showers. And here in the National Park village, I feel a bit misplaced. There’s nothing, really. Not even any nike hiking trails close-by. My stop-over in Ruapehu is so short, that I would have needed walks to start – well, in walking distance. So I juts got showered at whilst walking through the little village. And then there was a fire alarm. All very unsettling and upsetting. Frankly, I just turned in to escape from the rain – into a place called the ‘Schnapps bar’. And now, something very revealing about me: I had polenta fries with vegan aioli that was so good, so greasy and salty and warming that I just got very, very happy and content at the end of the day. I am easy, no? Also, for dessert, vegan cheesecake with berry sorbet, that hit me with the right mix of sweet and tart. Might have also been my first vegan day since arriving here .-. It surely catapulted me into a digestive coma, so I’m turning in early. Tomorrow: more sitting on (hopefully moving) vehicles, arghhh. What I learnt today upon browsing through ALL the books at a shopping centre in Hamilton (my bus stop-over) is that apparently New Zealanders are crazy about a fruit called feijoa, which I had never heard of before. Bought myself some feijoa soda for tomorrow to try, naturally. It belongs to the myrtle family, says Google, and I now know that there’s a book entirely about it and its history. It derives from South America, as far as I learnt.

Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 08:10:00 +1200

WHIRINAKI FOREST TOUR What a gorgeously weird day. I was adopted into a Maori family today, I think? Definitely learnt about the hongi, which is a nose-to-nose-stub. Apparently, if you do them twice, you greet & signal friendliness to the person you are meeting & honour their ancestors. Three of them & you got yourself a marriage proposal. Well, I got two & the promise that one of the nephews or grandsons of my guide (who had a very, very long Maori name, but was called Harry by westerners...and he apparently also toured ‘round Prince William & Kate on their honeymoon visit…) would surely make a good husband for me. He bid me farewell by stating that, should I ever come back, I would not return as a visitor but a member of his family. Dear, dear...According to him, his grandson who worked in a Roturua jewellery shop would even gift me a Pounemou, if I were to mention him, the grand-dad. I didn’t try my luck, because he seemed to be saying the truth oO Anyway. Starting the day (after my guide was a half hour late), I got full & exclusive Maori guest treatment. We went into a rainforest area circa an hour away from Rotorua & all the while the guide talked about Maori migrations and how all peoples are connected, including the Germans. He evidenced this by similarities in languages, and made me sing Maori children’s songs (which I didn’t enjoy). That guy was talkative! Very, very, very lovely and nice, but apparently unable to deal with silence. His grand-daughter (she referred to him as Koro, but I keep forgetting what ‘grand-daughter’ in te reo is…) took over for the actual forest bit of the tour, where I learnt about the five ancestral trees that their tribe honours most, and how to tell them apart/identify them. I am relatively confident that I could spot a Rimu tree, now and a Miro, too, if it has its berries...She told me a lot about the interrelatedness of species and how, for instance, the Kererū (a pidgeon) would eat the Miro berries and get drunk of them – and poop their seeds out in a way that enables the tree to rejuvenate. If one of the species dies, the other would, too. Same goes for the H-tree, photographed below: two Rimu that grew together (happens across species as well!), whose roots are now also united into one big mess. It was amazing how fiercely proud of their tribe and their ancestry the both of them were. But not in an annoying, exclusive way. Instead, they prided themselves with how Maori had been seeking good relationships with natives & peoples elsewhere pretty much forever, and how those relationships are supposed to be maintained in goodwill. They also very intently spoke about the kin relationship to their forest/s and their ancestral mountain and rivers. It was all very intense, today. The last bit of the guided experience brought me to a cave, where the grand-pa guide showed me ancestral carvings. Which, according to some scientific sleuthing, have been made with whale bones oO It is one of only three of such sites in New Zealand and quite hidden, too. So, all in all...very informative;

Rotorua, New Zealand

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 08:10:00 +1200

Rotorua Walk-About Four and a half hours on a bus again, yay! And intercity seems to have dedicated itself to only hiring very ...funny...people. Well, she was nice enough. And brought me to Rotorua, save and on time. And wowzerz! The city is strikingly, achingly beautiful! The thermal wells and especially the walkway/s – I walked down the coastline (unfortunately not all of the paths are open at the moment) and past the bird sanctuaries and through the gardens and the hot springs grounds...some impressions below, but really...words can’t quite capture it. And I was already shocked upon checking into my hotel room, because this place is wayyyy too chique and classy for me. Alas, I shall resign myself to my fate...and to having breakfast included, also :D Unfortunately, I seem to be making bad choice after bad choice for my dinner lately. Today, I went to a praised-above-and-beyond Vietnamese place and I swear they put heaps of sugar in the stir-fry. Maybe I should really consider my ‘I don’t return what I ordered’-attitude, because afterwards I was positively SICK with a sugar-shock… Food seems to be big business in Rotorua, though, so maybe I am luckier tomorrow. There’s a place called ‘Eat Streat’ right around the corner – and I am too much of a sucker for (lame?) puns not to give that a go. I learnt quite a bit about the local lore today, as I perused the streets. There#s an especially cutesie love-story revolving around an island in a Rotorua lake which I will not repeat here. Instead, just a snippet of a trivium: Rotorua’s full te reo name translates into “Second Lake” – it is Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe. They also, aptly, call this place Sulphur City: I must admit, the smell is something I am not sure I’ll ever get used to. I mean, I also only have two days here, so probably no need. But yeez, Loiuse! Especially when standing in a hot whiff, you really have an urge to pull an apologetic face, shrug and have your facial features say ‘wasn’t me!’ with as much earnesty as possible.

3 types of gulls & blacks swans populate Rotorua Lake(s)

something's brewing

quite the contrast: European-imported deciduous trees give the place an occasional fall-feeling;

Auckland, New Zealand

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 07:40:00 +1200

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:40:00 +1200

Bay of Islands Cruise & Paihia Technically, we were out marine mammal watching, but it was super overcast and extremely windy, so what we mainly saw was: waves. Also, I have been on a boat with five people upchucking, to brighten the mood. I didn’t really mind the up and down (although I dislike the elevator-/escalator-/rollercoaster-feeling, even when the motion is expected and intentional), but side to side swaying is another dimension of weird. Was worth it, though. Even hidden behind sheets of rain, the bay of islands is very pretty. Picturesque, in the truest sense of the word. What I learnt was that dolphins are apparently quite fond of non-propellered sea vessels. They like the waves those boats create. Like a massage of sorts :) So they would actually normally swim up to the boats. Not today, though. I kept the island walk short, because I was soaked (and impressed with the largness of the sheep dumps everywhere), and had to cancel my intended coastal walk to Opua, because I got lost TWICE?! The first time, my track ended very dramatically in a steep cliff, which I wisely considered not climbable. And when the ‘easy coastal walk-way’ brought me on top of a hill and right into the bush with less and less of discernible path to follow, I called it a day and had a large meal at the local Thai place instead. Which was the first time, ever, that I was in PAIN eating. That curry was beyond evil hot. And memo to myself? Don’t complain and hope for pity. The waiter just unhelpfully kept telling me that my food was ‘not so spicy’. I mean...yes, it was? Anyway. Ending this on a fun note: another way that the trained staff on the cruises watches for dolphins is by checking the skies for circling gannets. Apparently, these birds hunt for the same fish for food as dolphins :D I dind’t see any of them, but watched an Oystercatcher dine (whilst I was munching through a whole pack of ‘Aussie spiced’ roasted nuts, which, I believe, were what we Germans call ‘BBQ’-flavoured ;D) – it was fascinating. I also saw some toddler-sized fish in the harbour of Urupukapuka, where our boat had temporarily moored. Some words on sodas: I tried a “cookie-flavoured” Pepsi the other day (because it was a reduced price item, and I am nothing if not adventurous and miserly!) – which thankfully only smelled of biscuits and tasted like normal soda. What I was flummoxed to discover I LOVED however, was a soda with the ominous declaration of ‘strawberry and cream’ to it. Very yummy – even the burping after.

the Hole in the Rock (aptly named!)

rain before it soaked me on a hill-top

some fanciful-looking tree

inviting track until it became a cliff

Waitangi, New Zealand

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 07:10:00 +1200

Waitangi – Hurara Falls trail This is going to sound (well: read) ungrateful & petty. Then again – maybe superstitious is the more relevant attribute? You have been warned. My hotel and I got off to a rough start: the heater was broken, the bathroom lights broke. And yet...I hardly think I have ever lived more luxuriously, so I really can’t complain. What I should have noticed that these were the Cosmos warning me that something was afoot! As, indeed, it was. After a too-early start into the day (which blessed me with some unfettered views of the Southern skies and first dips for a spot in the front-row to a sunrise above the bay!), it turns out that the tour to Cape Reinga & 90-Mile-beach, where Aotearoa was ‘started’ was cancelled, due to too low booking numbers. Well, yesterday I sang the praises of being here in winter (the exclusive tour & show at Waitangi Treaty grounds), today it was a bit of a mess, because I really, really, could have done with more sleep. Either way, I decided to make the most out of it (and actually celebrated a LITTLE that I was spared six hours on a bus for the to&fro ride...but the sand-boarding in the dunes & what the brochure praised as ‘constant[ly] entertaining commentary’ were a shame to miss out on!) and had instead been gifted a full day of me-time. I chose the Waitangi-Hurara Falls trail, because I really wanted to see the mangroves. And I was not disappointed! Below some photos. It was not very sunny most of the time, but I am actually quite happy that I didn’t have to brave the walk (very chill, in terms of easiness) in the heat. Summer-time? I don’t think I would have survived that. The scary and very alert guardians of the bay, if nothing else, would have finished me (see below). What I learnt is that those little poles that poke out around the mangrove trees are something like roots. But I don’t want to embarrass myself here with half-knowledge, so I’ll instead share a fact from the coast-line bird awareness campaign trail along the beaches: the red knot and the bar-tailed godwit (fantastic names! But then again: I have always been a keen cackler about the English versions of bird-names) are migratory birds that fly NON-STOP from Alaska to New Zealand each year :o Talk about extreme sports (and here we tie back to me, unfortunately, not sand-boarding ;

Paihia, New Zealand

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 07:10:00 +1200

Paihia & Waitangi Treaty Grounds When I left the hotel in Auckland this morning, I could tell that we were actually going to ride into the sunrise. Well, almost. We kind of drove side-by-side to it. Which left me time and space to self-flagellate, because I forgot my sunglasses at home (and need them accounting for my myopia). After enough of silently cursing myself, I resolved to purchase a fancy souvenir basecap in Paihia at the earliest opportune moment. Stuck to my guns; am now a proud NZ cap owner. Thus equipped, I made my way to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds: a BEAUTIFUL patch of land (maybe nature reserve?) very close to Paihia bay. Some rainforest there, too, and a very nicely set up museum about the ‘communications between settlers from hawaiki & Europe’ in the museum. I also enjoyed a tour across the grounds with a very fun tourguide, who humbled me greatly by being fluent in Mandarin, German, te reo and English….and that was only what she got the chance to show off. Anyway. The group size being three instead of hre usual fotry to eighty already made me feel quit privileged, but imagine how stunned and awed I was, when the Maori performer group did their spiel for only the three of us! It was quite fascinating & the dances alongside the singing was – well, impressive is really the best word. I leartn there, that showing the tongue as a warrior meant that you really meant to cause harm: the weapon you would use to kill also had a ‘tongue’ as its head. Apart from the dancing, singing, nature and museum information overflow, I continued yesterday’s theme and explored the culinary plane bigly: since coming to New Zealand, I wanna say I tried kumara (sweet potato) in more ways than I previously figured they could be squeezed into. Today, it was a very lovely kumara pie filled with oyster mushroom that I dined on (weirdly, the ‘side vege’ turned out to be avocado slices, which...I mean...were unexpected, frankly) , and for lunch I had a beanpatty burger with kumara mash. To be even more kiwi, I treated myself to some hokeypokey icecream that the lovely server from Mövenpick (no comment xD) dipped in dark chocolate for me. Delightful! But don’t worry, I am not going to give you a run-down of EVERYTHING I ate. That would be more tha n you are willing to read anyway :P My hotel in Paihia is quite a stunner! I wished I was here in some warmer times (because it is quite chilly, even though the sun burns me up & holes straight through my retinas), because ***there is a pool*** this might be my first ever stay at a hotel with a pool oO What I learnt today...well, a lot, frankly. But let’s stick with this, because I mentioned hawaiki before: hawaiki is the (Polynesian) island where the earliest non-European settlers of Aotearoa are said to have come from on their waka some eight-hundred years ago. Tahiti is a big candidate for where that island might be, but others are also still debated hotly. It might even be, that the earliest Polynesians arrived here from multiple islands, so that all of their respective claims are valid. Ahhh, history. It stands to be written ;) PS: I also figured out that the bird I overheard and was fascinated by yesterday on my way to Mount Eden’s summit was a Tui! No wonder that I never heard anything quite like that before :D And I got chirped at rather needily by a fantail today. The Waitangi treaty grounds and Paihia’s beaches are surely a feast about to happen for birders! My contention is that I will share some native bird trivia with you shortly... Here's a tui for your ears to behold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucvO-gphZng

this is the stump of a kaui tree from which the ceremonial warboat at the grounds was cut

the boat itself

flag pole with both valid NZ flags

totems inside a traditional meeting house

Mount Eden, New Zealand

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +1200