Week 11: Of fjords, BFGs, and little explorers in sneakers

Hello from someone who cares about the Colorful Socks industry. Here in New Zealand, pink-pale blue socks with sheep on them are all the rage. At least for me.

First of all, it's a shame, Timo, that we can't go to the Wasen with the university. But I know you did your best. Now we'll just do something together. Window Color on Steffen's car or something.

Right now, I feel like complaining about something.

In New Zealand, I could write a book titled Problems of a BFG* by now. The low New Zealand showerheads and the not-so-high van tailgate often mess with me. The tailgate is really bad, I can't stand upright under it, so in the end of the trip, I'll probably have a dent for life from that thing.

Tunnels to beaches and hostel beds are also not made for my size. Being 1.92m tall is not always great here. Unless you're a rugby player, but they seem to live in their own world here.

This week, we went to Milford Sound, a fjord in the west of the South Island. We took a boat tour there and I don't think I need to say much about it. The pictures speak for themselves. They all call out: Impressive.

The next day, we drove back from Milford Sound by car. The road there is a dead end. Along the road, we did many smaller walks. Once, Glocki said that he would like to do an action-packed walk at some point. His wish would be fulfilled. The next path we took was initially completely muddy and flooded.

Glocki had to be careful where he stepped because he was wearing sneakers and didn't want them to get completely dirty. He actually managed that quite well. My waterproof hiking shoes looked worse at the end. But that might also have been because I got fed up and just stomped through everything.

The highlight of the trail was a suspension bridge over a raging river. I'm not exaggerating, it was pretty wild.

The bridge consisted of a steel rope to walk on and two steel ropes above hip height to hold on to. It was really challenging, if you had lost your footing there, you would have been screwed.

(Pictures that don't make the bridge look so dangerous are available on request.)

On Friday, it was my birthday. We took a boat tour at Doubtful Sound, another fjord, on that day. It was also very worthwhile to admire the panorama from the boat. Towards the end of the trip, we even saw dolphins (really big ones) very close to the boat. A very successful day.

When we bought beer afterwards, even the cashier congratulated me. It's crazy when the news of your birthday spreads throughout New Zealand. Haters would say she only saw my birth date on my passport.

In the evening, we drove to Queenstown, the party capital here. It would have been quite fitting, but somehow the evening wasn't completely successful. We actually wanted to pre-drink in the hostel, get to know people there, and then go out.

Unfortunately, we didn't arrive until half past nine and you weren't allowed to drink in the hostel, not even a pre-drink in a common room or something. That's not how I imagined it. Going out right away was also stressful.

Either way, I would have loved to celebrate with my family and friends.

I can't really describe exactly what I felt. I wasn't alone, I had Glocki with me. I believe that on your birthday, you're somehow more sensitive. When you can't celebrate with your family and friends, you become really aware of the distance and start to miss home. And when the evening doesn't go as planned either, the party mood quickly goes down the drain.

Fortunately, the rest of the time in Queenstown and the surrounding area was really great.

On Monday, we did a crazy hike to Roys Peak. It was a climb of 1228 meters in altitude, up and down again. A total distance of 16 kilometers. Eventually, it wasn't fun anymore. 😄

But the view was definitely worth it. First, you reach the so-called Instagram Point of Roys Peak. At this point, probably 2/3 of all tourists who visit New Zealand and are somewhat athletic are standing. You even had to queue for the photo. Crazy.

After the Instagram Point, it took another half hour to reach the summit, uphill all the way. The view from up there was gigantic.

During the hike, we met Morgan, a girl from the USA, and basically did the whole thing with her.

Having a conversation in English was not a big problem for us. I could express everything I wanted to say. And relatively easily, too.

The English grandma I had a good conversation with at the campsite in Milford Sound would be proud of me. Well, she is proud of me anyway.

In Queenstown, we met Max and Willy again in a bar. Even though we were all tired, the evening was really cool.

In Queenstown, we also did some action activities. Queenstown is known for that, if you want adrenaline, there are countless opportunities there.

There's a go-kart-like thing (called luge) on Bobs Peak and jet boating on the lake.

In addition, we went rafting on a river, which was really fun. As daredevils, we naturally chose the 'hard' tour and that was a good idea. There was a lot going on on the river but nothing that overwhelmed us. Just the right amount. Although, depending on the spot, it wouldn't have been fun to fall out of the boat.

During the rafting, I had a problem as a BFG* again:

The pants of the wetsuit were too short for me. They should normally overlap the neoprene shoes so that no water gets in. Unfortunately, the pants didn't cover the shoes when I was sitting. I only noticed that in the boat, so I had icy cold water in my neoprene shoe the whole time. Not so pleasant. It didn't help that the shoe was water repellent on the outside. 😄

Another highlight in Queenstown was the Fearfactory, a kind of haunted house. According to their own claims, the scariest haunted house in the world. That evening, we met Max and Willy again in Queenstown and it was even funnier as a group of four.

The Fearfactory was truly terrifying. It was mean that you had to indicate what you were afraid of. And honestly, you could have checked everything. From clowns to big spiders to trap doors in the floor, everything was included. That made it much easier to imagine what awaited you. The rooms we had to walk through were pitch black, with occasional flashing lights and people dressed up in creepy costumes. And the worst part was the hands that touched you from behind or in narrow passages. Willy and I almost wet our pants. 😄

Afterwards, the evening was really fun too. See you back in Germany, guys.💪

At this point, I would actually really like to have a beach day again. Just chilling and sunbathing on the beach. Unfortunately, it's too cold for that in New Zealand right now. But moderate weather is better for hiking. So, as always, there are pros and cons...

I also have something important today. My friend Hotz's football club needs support in purchasing a new, modern lawnmower. You are welcome to donate something, but the club is already very grateful if you become a fan on Facebook or on the internet. Support, whether financial or not, is greatly appreciated and anyone who refuses has to meet Hotz and me for a fight on the field!

Link to the project page:

https://vb-stutensee-weingarten.viele-schaffen-mehr.de/maeher

To come full circle: Timo, it was a mean joke that the Wasen tickets didn't work out. It would have been really unfortunate if the others had to go without us. Luckily, that's not the case. As a punishment for this prank, I think you should get on the bus wearing your Maffeo jersey. #philipplahmisbad

But I would still be up for Window Color on Steffen's car.

Sincerely, Baumann

*Big Fucking German