North Island NZ

Auckland is far behind me now, and that's a good thing. What I've learned from this is that it can be interesting to engage with other cultures, but there are some places in this world that should be avoided, or at least visited with a larger group. I've already heard several stories from people who have been ripped off there, and like me, they also have the impression that the individual doesn't count for much there - how nice it is to live in Central Europe!

I'm currently sitting on the ferry that has just left Wellington, heading towards the South Island. The sky is greeting me with a pure, soft blue color, which is unusual because the Cook Strait that separates the North and South Islands acts as a wind tunnel, often blowing the winds from the Tasman Sea through it as storms.
Two guys who were planning to cycle through New Zealand asked me if we shouldn't rather rent a car together and explore both the North and South Islands that way.
So now, we have already traveled together through the North Island.
But before that, I got to enjoy a free helicopter flight over Hamilton, as the man from the family mentioned in the last entry is a rescue pilot.
Then, I was spontaneously asked if I wanted to fly ^^
Strangely, I haven't seen any hobbits yet, not even in Bilbo's hobbit hole in Hobbiton. Of course, it's a must for Middle-earth fans to make a stop here, but ALL the well-known attractions and places worth seeing, that are easily accessible (meaning where heaps of Japanese and Chinese people hang around), are massively overpriced. That's why we skipped the highly promoted Maori show (Maori = indigenous people of New Zealand) in Rotorua, which cost over 100€ and only had face tattoos painted on. Instead, I wanted to experience something authentically cultural and went to a youth service. Unfortunately, I ended up in a questionable sect. When they passed out slips of paper on which you were supposed to enter your credit card number for a donation, I left the place - I've had such good experiences with my credit card ^^
Of course, we have already visited impressive places, experienced magnificent sunsets, and met interesting people, but the "adventure of wild New Zealand" that is so grandly announced in documentaries and on websites is still missing for me. As a nature enthusiast, you can take away a lot here, such as experiencing the phenomenon of seismic activity live at geysers or volcanoes. At the so-called 'Hot Water Beach', you just have to dig deep enough to come into contact with hot water.
Crossing the Tongariro National Park with the volcano that served as Mount Doom in 'The Lord of the Rings' is a beautiful thing in itself, but it loses its value for me when you do this crossing in a line, or a crowd, and hear your familiar mother tongue everywhere ('after graduating, I'm going to New Zealand' - apparently, others have thought the same ^^). Otherwise, of course, it's very nice to always be in company.
I'm looking forward to the South Island, where the population is apparently very small and driving 4 hours from one small village to the next in the Southern Alps (depending on the region) is said to be not uncommon. However, my dream of climbing the highest mountain in New Zealand (Mount Cook) has unfortunately burst, as it would cost over 5000 New Zealand dollars - around 3000€ and up! That would have been a tour with a personal guide, where you would first be flown into the area. Doing the tour alone is not an option, as I want to come back and will look for alternatives. It's just not as developed and easily accessible there as it is in the European Alps.

On the South Island, my search for hobbits will continue. We will start our search on a farm with 1500 sheep and about 600 cows - it probably won't be boring.
Some exciting places are waiting for us, including the unofficial adrenaline capital, Queenstown, which I'm especially looking forward to. So hopefully, we'll manage to strike a balanced mix of powering and relaxing.
I plan to get in touch again by Christmas at the latest. A suitable beach should be found for Christmas Eve;))

P.S .: I wrote the last part of this post on the South Island because I met such nice people on the ferry that I didn't want to spend the time writing. I can already say that it starts very impressively with the landscape, and we were warmly welcomed on the farm, and I've never been granted such a view of a starry sky before :) However, it's also a bit strange because the house is very old and dilapidated - it has been standing since 1805 and all the former inhabitants are buried on the property not far from the house. You can't miss the scattered sheep skulls during a little exploration walk, and as a welcome, we had some self-slaughtered sheep - it's something different ^^