October 23rd

We only drove about 50 km today. That's how far it was from our last hotel to Wellington. Booking the ferry crossing didn't work on the internet, possibly only because I used a comma instead of a period. You have to specify the length of the camper. Yesterday I borrowed a measuring tape from the hotel and measured our car: 7.10 m. That's how I entered it. But the program didn't accept it. Completely frustrated, I gave up. Today, when booking at the counter, it occurred to me. Maybe I should have written 7.10. Anyway, booking at the counter was much easier. We got a senior discount and an additional 15% off because we have a TOP 10 Holiday Parks membership card (the latter also didn't work with the attempted internet booking). Now we will depart from Wellington to Picton on the South Island tomorrow afternoon around 3pm. Now it's clear: we will only be able to see a small part. The South Island is about 1200 km long, the roads are different from the North, so you should plan even more time. Driving with this monster camper is quite exhausting. We will see.

We are back here in Wellington at the hotel. A photo of this plate (that's what this type of house would be called in East Germany) is included here. However, the hotel is very centrally located, the car is only 300 m away in a parking lot where it is allowed to park. The Te Papa Museum is really close. We just spent about 2 hours there. The New Zealand history of the Maori and the invading Europeans is illustrated very vividly here. But you have to speak good English or understand the Maori language. In any case, it is very clear that this young country, as it is today, has been shaped by many people of different cultures. Up to this day! There are so many different ethnicities represented here that hardly one is superior to another. The Maori mostly still have problems with the intruders. In recent years, however, the Maori have been granted more and more by the government. Respect is now shown to them and their history and culture. Nevertheless, they still mostly belong to the poorer social classes.

Another New Zealand peculiarity: So far, we have only had to pay admission at the Sky Tower in Auckland. All other official attractions were free of charge. The Te Papa Museum was also free. But you can throw a donation into a box.

We didn't really like Wellington itself. It is the capital of New Zealand, but rather dirty and mostly neglected. Auckland was much cleaner and better maintained. In addition, the architecture is a mix that doesn't always look harmonious. You can also see some of this in the photos.

The next report will be from the South Island.