Our September highlights

September is over - and so is our last full month in New Zealand. We fulfilled a dream and visited Hobbiton in the Shire, made friends with Sparky, the cutest one-legged bird in the world, and stood among hundreds of glowworms in Abbey Caves. But the realization that we have to leave this beautiful country in two weeks is becoming more and more prominent in our minds...

As always, we summarize the month for you with eleven questions. To make it clearer for you which answers belong to whom, Tobi's answers will be in bold and my answers will be in italics - because of course, the two of us don't always have the same opinion. ;)

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- Most of the time, the day begins with a hearty breakfast. Which breakfast left a good impression on you? -
Tobi: The cereal above the green hills near Hobbiton.
Nadine: Well, the day started with a nighttime hike to Cathedral Cove. But having breakfast with a view of the sea and the rising sun has its charm. :)

- What else tasted particularly good? -
Tobi: The sometimes quirky flavors at Duck Island Ice Cream. Where else can you get blackberry-honey-sage ice cream?
Nadine: The draft ginger beer from the Green Dragon Inn - Hobbiton, New Zealand.

- Let's stay in Hobbiton. It's clear that there are tricks during filming. Was there an insider that surprised you? -
Tobi: The fake oak tree above Bilbo and Frodo Baggins' hobbit hole. 20,000 artificial leaves turned it into a popular landing spot for birds.
Nadine: The sunset played in reverse!

- Speak Hobbit! What adventure did you experience this month? -
Clearly: The wet and wild cave adventure in Abbey Caves - a knee-deep stream, slippery mud, low ceilings, and countless mosquito larvae made it an exciting challenge.

- In September, you visited many beaches. Which one is among the most beautiful? -
Tobi: There is a TV show filmed there for a reason. Piha Beach is extensive, surrounded by green mountains, and unique because of Lion's Rock.
Nadine: It's still the black sandy, expansive, and mostly deserted Muriwai Beach.

- And where could you have stayed longer because of the view? -
Tobi: Even though the smell is a bit off-putting at first, it is beautiful with the gannets above Muriwai Beach. The bustling birds, the crashing waves, and the wide view out to sea create longing.
Nadine: The view of the party place with the tree, the Green Dragon Inn behind it, the colorful hobbit holes, and the incredibly green meadows was simply phenomenal.

- Hamilton Gardens represent various types of gardens. Do you have a favorite? -
Tobi: The Mediterranean garden with the finca and the orange trees. The scent of the fruits is still in my nose today.
Nadine: The Indian Char Bagh - symmetrically laid out footpaths, colorful flower fields, and the central fountain made for a beautiful photo opportunity.

- Now let's talk about animal encounters. What did you enjoy most about meeting Sparky? -
The chance to observe kiwi behavior in daylight was spectacular. Being able to feed or even pet him was indescribable. We were impressed and delighted to watch him plunge his beak deep into the ground to catch an earthworm.

- We can't deny it. Your tour is slowly coming to an end. How did you become aware of this in the past month? -
Tobi: There were always well-stocked storage crates under our bed. Now, they are empty.
Nadine: On the way to Manukau Heads Lighthouse, the Skytower in Auckland stood tall in the distance. At that moment, I realized that the end of this journey is slowly approaching.

- What signs made you realize that you are (again) approaching a metropolis? -
Tobi: We hadn't heard any airplane noise for a long time. Now we could watch several airplanes approaching Auckland.
Nadine: Lonely roads, partly paved with loose stones, served as the road surface in the past weeks. But around Auckland, the highway is partly four lanes... in one direction, of course.

- And finally: your favorite pictures from the month of September! -

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Once again, we hope you enjoyed this little review of the past month of travel. :)

... and now we face a great challenge that will certainly not be easy and very emotional. Our most loyal companion on this unique journey must find new owners...