newzealand-2025

Had a good sleep, the room in this backpacker (LyLo) is quiet, although there’s a lot going on in the lobby, it’s really lively here! We pack all our things into the car for the...

Unfortunately, this is the last leg of our journey before we fly back from Auckland tomorrow. First, we visit Sammy, the second youngest son of Heike, at St Johns Theological...

A final beach day just the way I like it, we have plans again with the two 'Germans from Münster'. Great beach, we are the first ones there and remain the only ones for a long...

We probably won't be able to see the biggest and oldest Kauri tree anymore, as we would need to drive over 2 hours north for that, but Steve is taking us to a forest where we...

Today we're going to Waipu Beach to meet friends from Münster, who happen to be here at the same time (saw on WhatsApp status)! We're meeting for coffee at their tent, then...

Soon after 8, we set off on a quite large stage towards Maungaturoto, where Ralf's uncle Steve lives and where Heike and Felix grew up. Everything is going well, the highway...

In Rotorua, a permanent scent of sulfur hangs in the air, giving 'getting some fresh air' a slightly different meaning! Volcanic phenomena are all over the city, we go to the...

In the evening we had a farewell fire at the tiny house while observing the Milky Way at night… It’s insane how many stars we can see here!!! Today we left early for Whakapapa...

In our eternal search for a 'DAMN GOOD COFFEE', we found the small train station. Wow, what a nice café with 2 sweet Samoyed dogs and seating from an old chairlift. After that,...

So, today we will be paddling a canoe on the Whanganui River from Pipiriki, which will take 3 to 5 hours. We had seen the river as slow-flowing and very calm, but when we took a...

Departing from Whanganui, not sleeping well, we do not know why... Bought bread at Soor Bros (otherwise, there's only soft bread in New Zealand), took photos of dogs by the...

The first activity in the late morning is a walk through a park along the river to the Durie Hill Memorial Tower on a hill, which you can ascend via an elevator inside the hill,...

After our first coffee, Rosa made us an iced coffee that was quite delicious, yummy! Afterwards, we drove together to Waitārere Beach and took a little walk there - wow, cool...

Beautiful 3-hour ferry ride from Picton to Wellington in perfect weather - North Island, here we come! We spend 2 hours in Wellington, not much, but we still get a good...

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Picton is a typical port town where people soon set off for the North Island, just like we will tomorrow! The backpacker lodge we are staying in isn’t too bad, it's quite busy...

Did I mention how cute the kitchen is here? Yes, I did, but here are some more photos, hehe. Still, we are leaving; we met nice people here, for example, a Dutch couple - they...

It is so wonderful here, the outdoor kitchen, the garden, and even a very nicely designed toilet - I can't say often enough how beautiful it is here! In the morning, we set off...

After it has been pouring all night long, we set off early to the West Coast - it’s about 350 km through the mountains! The rain has stopped for now, and the view outside is...

Unfortunately, I have a bit of a cold, but we still want to go hiking. However, we have to find out that the Blue Pool Track is closed, which is a shame. So we take another...

After the farewell coffee, we continue our journey alone towards the West Coast. On the way, we had coffee, lollicake, and muesli in Ranfurly, where there is an Art Deco museum...

Today, Ralf and I woke up relaxed and eventually made our way to the sea with Heike, which is only 100 meters away. It was low tide, so we could walk very far out in this huge...

We set off for Dunedin early in the morning, enjoyed some good cappuccino, and searched for street art, which we found…! The Public Art Gallery had only a few interesting...

Cool house with an ocean view, we are sleeping in the cabin and it's really great. Today we did the Huriawa Pā Walk and learned a lot about Māori culture, then we paddled with a...

Finally here, how lovely! Heike and Barry, their 17-year-old son live here. Uncle Keeney (Steve's brother) is also visiting from Christchurch. Then Danielle comes with her son...

Cappuccino and pudding pastry at Triangle Espresso for a boost on the way to Ralf's cousin, Warrington near Dunedin

6h 30 min Hamburg - Dubai 18h 45 min Dubai - Christchurch

On the way to Heike, we have nice stops... still Tuesday!

Christchurch in extreme fatigue, the Indian food at DOSA KITCHEN is a highlight

START: Othmarschen, February 8, 2025 at 5 PM