Made it - Paihia

I made it - on Wednesday at 7.30 I got on my first Straybus and let the driver I trust (Scratch) take me to Paihia. On the way there were even some extra information and sightseeing: We made a short stop at a Kauri museum. Kauris are the original trees of New Zealand and their characteristic is the tall straight growth. When the Maori came to the island, there were over 2000 year old and 60m high specimens. The Maori used the trees for their houses or boats, but were very careful when felling them. Palm trees grow 50 times faster than Kauris...

As usual, the Europeans are the bad guys because they did not care about sustainability. The trade with Kauris was actually the first contact with Australia and the younger specimens were happily used as ship masts. Kauris were exported to the whole world, including the USA and Japan.

Today only 2% of the original stocks exist, only in the north of the North Island. We visited an 800 year old specimen, which was still quite impressive. By the way, the bark feels like rock...

At lunchtime I arrived in Paihia and the Centabay Lodge - my work and sleeping place for the coming weeks.

In the following paragraphs, I will indulge in a little bit of enthusiasm, just as a small warning.

First to the hostel. It is much cleaner and smaller than the Base in Auckland and I am in a 6-bed room with two other German girls. The kitchen is better, it is much quieter, only the showers were better in Auckland.

The work I do in return for free accommodation is almost ridiculous. Today I had to clean the four bathrooms, which was completely fine and not disgusting at all. Then a little bit of sweeping and we were all done by 11 o'clock. Then the backpackers sat with Jack (the hostel owner) for a good cup of coffee and biscuits together and chatted. Wonderful. I feel so comfortable here, the people are just so nice.

Furthermore, I have met two incredible people: Marina and Macarena (yes, like the song) from Argentina. The two ladies are just awesome! I have never met such positive, energetic, joyful, perfect (?) people before. I love being with them and all I think is: I want to have this attitude towards life as well.

For me, the two of them embody the typical mindset of Latinos: live in harmony with your body, do what your heart tells you and laugh. These are just a few of the things they have taught me.

Yesterday we went to a karaoke bar together and it was so much fun to watch them dance and sing. Me, being so inhibited, only performed "Mamma Mia" once. But we also played billiards together, which was more my thing...

I guess this is what backpackers report about "cultural exchange". The two of them definitely have a completely different attitude towards everything than any other backpacker I have met. Amazing!

Finally, the nature. I am currently in Northland and I could admire the surroundings already on the bus: everything is green, many mountains and hills and little human influence. Paihia is a super beautiful coastal town with a promenade and long beaches. Because the weather is so good and the sun is shining all the time, I feel like I'm in the Caribbean. Or like I imagine the Caribbean to be.

Around Paihia there are many hiking trails, one of which I tried out today. It was quite steep uphill to a viewpoint. It was quite disappointing because all you could see were trees, but the path there was wonderful. It took about 40 minutes through forests, over rivers and everything was green and fresh. The hike put me in such a good mood that I will probably go hiking every day.

Just a short report from me, but that's because I really can't find the words to describe everything. It's stunning and simply... perfect here at the moment. Hopefully the photos can give you some more impressions.