pb_neuseeland

So... now it's time. 4 months in New Zealand are behind us and it's time to say goodbye. It was 4 wonderful months full of adventures and freedom, it's unbelievable how quickly...

One last waking up in Emma in the great outdoors... The farewell is approaching. We took a walk to nearby caves, where dance events used to take place, and to the beach in a...

The day started with the ascent of Mount Mania. After dizzying 400 meters of altitude and what felt like 100,000 steps, we had an insane view of the surrounding landscape and...

The first morning on the east coast of Northland started with an idyllic breakfast on the beach. Actually firmly convinced that nothing could surprise us here, we drove to the...

The last section of our journey takes us to Northland. Upon arriving at the first campsite, the owner greeted us with a bag of freshly caught snapper, which we enjoyed freshly...

Our next destination was the Coromandel Peninsula, a peninsula with two faces: While the rugged cliffs of the steep rock coast are interrupted by heavenly beaches on the east...

Our first stop on the west coast was 'the elephant and the three sisters', rock formations (the elephant really looked like an elephant!) that rose from the beach in front of...

Our next destination was Egmont National Park. So we hopped in the car and drove west on the Forgotten World Highway. It was a very special drive. We went through idyllic...

Again Basti: After a slightly longer journey this time, we reached Tongariro National Park, which greeted us with a great view of Mt. Ruapehu (Erebor, the lonely mountain)....

But we were not done with our journey through Middle-earth yet. The next morning, we hiked through the Putangirua Pinnacles with their awe-inspiring stone columns and embarked...

Arriving in Picton, we spent a few enjoyable hours under palm trees and bathing in the Sound. Unlike our first visit, we spotted numerous stingrays in the harbor basin. In the...

Today Basti reports: Our stay on the South Island is coming to an end, and as one should, we saved the best for last. Arriving in Kaikoura, we explored the town, its cliffs, and...

Our next stop was the city of Christchurch, which is still heavily marked by a violent earthquake in 2010 - Many destroyed buildings and even completely abandoned blocks of...

Shark-tooth dolphin

So... finally back on the road! We took it slow and first explored a small peninsula in the idyllic town of Karitane. We found amazing rock arches, had a wonderful view of the...

We treated ourselves to a day off from the 'hustle and bustle' of the city on the Otago Peninsula in front of Dunedin's port. After a brief stop at dilapidated fortifications...

...a little forced break. as our Emma unexpectedly lost a lot of coolant due to a spontaneous bout of incontinence, we stayed a few days longer than originally planned in the...

The Catlins - rugged coastline, beaches, lots of wind and animal experiences. Our journey began at Monkey Beach, with self-collected mussel dinner for Basti and great views for...

Today, for a change, we took a bus and boat. We booked a day trip through Doubtful Sound - the less touristy of the fjords - and we were not disappointed. The weather was stormy...

Off to Fjordland! But before we ventured deep into Fiorland, we paid a visit to a small bird park. We saw the mountain parrot Kaka - playful chatterboxes that belong to New...

Today we continued on the trail of the filming locations of 'The Lord of the Rings'. We saw Isengard and the Ithilien Camp where Basti, like a Hobbit, hid behind the bush on the...

We continued towards Queenstown - the city of adrenaline rush - which we only briefly saw while passing through. I'm not really the adrenaline junky type, and Basti is saving...

Continuing on to Wanaka - a small, young, and truly beautiful town. We walked along the lake of the same name, visited the famous tree in the lake, and on the campsite, we had a...

First of all, I had a really beautiful and special birthday here in New Zealand! I was taken care of and spoiled by Basti all day long! After a delicious breakfast with gifts,...

On the two days, we visited the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. It was sad to see how little is left of them, but still very impressive. We also visited Peter's Pool where the...

Today we did the Mananui Bush Walk. It led through an enchanted forest (it felt like Alice in Wonderland) to the beach where we searched for jade. After a short stop in...

So - our Christmas Eve is coming to an end while it is just beginning for you. However, we don't want to withhold from you how our slightly different Christmas day went (: . We...

The day started with a visit to an old gold mine, which we explored on our own with a flashlight (and fireflies) after an introduction by the enthusiastic owner (3rd...

Today we continued towards the West Coast. We made a small stop at an old railway bridge including a preserved tunnel (both from the 1920s). Arriving in Westport, we walked...

To avoid the bad weather at Abel Tasman, we spent 2 days at Golden Bay, a little (and especially a steep pass) further inland. We visited the PupuSprings - a sacred place for...