Trip to Sylvia Park

Upon the recommendation of our substitute host Eunice, we went to Sylvia Park yesterday, a large shopping center in the Mount Wellington district. There, we wanted to get a New Zealand SIM card, open a bank account, and finally do some shopping at a supermarket that offers better prices and quality than the previous one.

To our surprise, this shopping center was huge with a great variety of stores.
However, our plan to open a bank account quickly failed, as we were missing a so-called 'proof of address' that proves a permanent residence in New Zealand. Since our host Jann is currently not on site, we will postpone this to Christchurch, where we will fly tomorrow. However, the rest went smoothly, so we had some time left to visit the nearby Hamlins Hill Regional Park.

Even the way to the park was a bit strange, as we walked on a deserted path right next to the highway. Among shrubs and bushes, we found a small path that was supposed to be the entrance to the park according to the navigation. When we arrived at a gate with the inscription 'Poison laid' and other rules of behavior, we hesitated for a moment. But with our certainty that sandflies are the only unpleasant animals in New Zealand, we entered.

Once again, we were the only people in this 'park', which, however, did not quite correspond to what we had expected. With an uneasy feeling, we followed the path that led between the plants and trees towards the mountain. When we reached the top, we encountered a Kiwi (name for the inhabitants of New Zealand), who seemed a bit suspicious as the only person in this park. When that path ended there and we were about to turn back, he gave us the tip that you can walk through another gate across a cow pasture to a viewpoint on the mountain. We followed this advice and arrived there shortly afterwards. We sat down on a bench and enjoyed the silence and the warm weather, as the view was mediocre due to the industrial area.

Back at home, we noticed that despite the cloudy weather, we had gotten a good sunburn on our faces.
However, an enjoyable news in the evening was the firm confirmation from our Wwoofer family, so we could use today for further planning.