Adventure North Island

Arriving on the North Island, everything was new to us. We didn't even know what was cool or super interesting because we hadn't looked into it yet. That's why Johannes and Lukas had to take charge of the planning and suggest what they liked best and what they wanted to do. We didn't mind, as we had 3 more months to explore the North Island after they left. After a night in Wellington, our first stop was Tongariro National Park, where a part of "Mordor" from Lord of the Rings was filmed. It was very interesting, and we had a beautiful view. Unfortunately, it started raining after an hour, and the guys had to end their excursion :D Then we continued to Rotorua, where Lukas and Johannes inspected the hot springs in the rain. Daniel and I stayed in the car because we read online that cars get broken into and everything gets stolen at this location. We didn't want to risk it. The next day, we went to Hobbiton (The Shire). Unfortunately, all the tours were fully booked, so we could only get something to eat and walk through the fan shop... it was very disappointing and we didn't know that we have to book in advance, so we couldn't do this activity with the guys. The next stop was a campground at a hot beach. Yes, you heard it right, the beach is hot. There are geothermal springs under the sand. The deeper you dig, the hotter it gets... it's really cool, you go to the beach, dig a hole in the sand, and after 20-30 centimeters, the hole slowly fills with hot water. If you dig your hole close to the sea, the waves keep bringing cold water to cool it down :D The next day, the plan was to drive to the northern tip. Unfortunately, it was so rainy and stormy that our roof construction got damaged. Our plastic sheets got torn off. So we couldn't drive all the way to the top... what we didn't know at that time, but found out later, was that this storm was a cyclone that devastated entire cities on the South Island, and we were lucky to have only experienced a touch of it. Then we slept in a backpackers (hostel), it was a four-bed room, and the mattress was terrible. I was afraid I would fall off the top bunk :D The good thing was, the next day we had our first surfing lessonJ and it was great. Everyone was so excited. It was so much fun, and we had a great teacher. On the website Bookme.com, we found many interesting things, but black water rafting was the most appealing to us. We booked it for the next day. 5 hours of adventure with a 30-meter abseil, sliding through dark canyons on a tire, seeing a sky of glow worms, exploring caves, and climbing 30 meters high. My conclusion as a scaredy-cat among the four of us: It was incredibly exciting and sometimes a bit boring in between, but okay. We had another young woman with us who was even more scared than I was J that was very exhausting, they were too slow... After the caves, we drove halfway back to Wellington and stopped in Whanganui. A very beautiful place J The next day, we drove to Wellington where we rented a room in a hostel in the city center. When we arrived, we were all so hungry that we looked for a restaurant. After receiving money for my birthday from my loved ones back home, we decided to use it to have a nice birthday dinner. It wasn't a cheap restaurant, but not too expensive either. It was just perfect. We had starters, main course, and dessert. There was also a wine pairing and a Limoncello at the end. It was delicious... the best meal!! With full stomachs, we went back to the hostel, took a shower, and took a short nap before going to the clubs in the city to end the last evening with the guys properly J Our first stop was an ordinary pub that I didn't like at all... well, we only stayed there for a short while :D The next one was so much better!!! The lady at the entrance took pictures of us, unfortunately, I forgot to download them... there are worse things :D We stayed there for ages, and it was fantastic. There were new and old songs for young and old. The entrance was free, but the drinks were very expensive! A shot cost $8... but who cares about being stingy, it was the last evening with my brother, and you don't get any younger after all :D After a few hours, we moved on to the next clubs, and well, it only got worse. Loud techno music and thumping beats, that was not my thing at all. Daniel and I said goodbye to the guys at 3:30 am, they wanted to keep partying :D Daniel was so hungry that we bought a kebab in the middle of the night :D (almost like at home :D) I wanted to have one last drink (not like at home at all :D), so we went back to the first bar where we had a drink. Back in the hostel room, I was so tired that I fell asleep right away, it was already 4 am or so. The next day, I woke up at 8 am because of my alarm clock, as there was fresh pancake batter in the hostel kitchen until 9 am. Everyone could make as many pancakes as they wanted, and they were free. The guys were all busy sleeping, so I forced myself to get up and make pancakes :D Unfortunately, it was already so late that there was only enough batter left for 6 pancakes. Well, I made them and took them to the room :D of course, everyone woke up and got half a pancake, they were surprised :D After that, we checked out and bought gifts to take home. Around 2 pm, the guys had to go to the airport.. I couldn't watch them standing at the gate to check in and all that... I felt really bad and cried a lot... It was really hard to let my brother go... But I had to. I couldn't stop crying even on the drive to the campground... I cried the whole time... I was relieved when he arrived home safely. That was our 3-week adventure with the guys. It wasn't always easy to travel as a group of four in such a small space, but it was doable and we had so much fun J It was such a beautiful time, and I'm so glad my brother was there. Thank you for being there. I love you, little brother <3