work, travel, work, travel

So, I'm checking in again after two months. A lot has happened during this time – full working weeks and even fuller weekends, adorned with challenges and emotional highs and lows. This is what my last months have looked like. As a working mouse, I have made great strides and continued to build my self-confidence. Several times I had the honor of having our guests perform Waiatas (Maori songs) and the Haka (Maori dance and song) to express their gratitude. An indescribably overwhelming feeling to witness it firsthand. On our outings, I had UNBELIEVABLE times and lived life as I had only dreamed of before.

October 25 – October 28
We were in the north, in Auckland. There, we visited the famous postcard-perfect bay Cathedral Cove and dug holes at Coromandel beach that became natural hot pools due to the volcanic springs. With my feet in the hot water, the bright sun on my skin, and my gaze on the icy Pacific – WOW. We drove from campsite to campsite, quickly rearranging the car at night to sleep in it, and we also met other volunteers from different projects there.

November 16

My gang and I tackled the Paekakariki Escarpment Track – a hike along the coast in the next town.

November

I was sick a few times, which was of course annoying and exhausting, but it gave me the time to explore the path along the river to the beach. Incredibly beautiful, where I live.

November 30 – December 1

We spent a weekend in New Plymouth on the west coast of the North Island – about 3.5 hours from here (Waikanae). The place is right next to the famous Mount Taranaki, a perfectly shaped, snow-covered volcano. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see it because the clouds hid its beauty. But we will definitely go back there! On the way back, we visited the Dawson Falls, a waterfall in the region with a short hike to it.

December 13 – December 15
One of the hikes that has been on my bucket list forever is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and last weekend I conquered it: a total of about 20 km, around 800 meters of elevation, and 24/7 amazing views. The first few kilometers were easy, then we ascended the Devil’s Staircase. Then we hiked right next to the active volcano Mount Doom (where, among other things, The Lord of the Rings was filmed) and took a traditional lunch break at the bright blue sulfur lakes. You can imagine the smell of rotten eggs when you see the pictures. Since the UV index that day was at 12, which is extreme (German summer values lie around 8/9 on hot days), we felt like we were applying sunscreen every 10 minutes. At about 1800m altitude, a cap and long-sleeve shirt were also indispensable. 

Until then, it was physically demanding, but not as hard as I had thought. After that, it was mostly downhill. By the end, nobody had any energy left, and everything hurt. We took about 8 hours, and I'm still feeling the muscle soreness. Was it worth it? 1000%! And I'm thinking about doing it again.

With a group of 23 people from El Rancho, we spent the weekend in a ski lodge very close by. It felt very vacation-like to be together with so many people. I especially enjoyed the evening when we all sat together after the long hike and spent the last time with the old volunteers who will soon fly back home. On the way back, we stopped at Gollum’s Pool – a waterfall with a swimming hole where scenes from The Lord of the Rings were also filmed. I’ve never watched the films (I can’t say that too loudly here), but it was SOOOO COOL! Beautiful, icy cold water, perfect weather, and we jumped in from the little rocks at the edge. This is exactly how I imagined my New Zealand trips. It was a perfect weekend.

In between all that, there were also parties here and there in El Rancho, which were mostly costume parties: a fancy ball (just because we felt like it), Halloween, birthday parties, the farewell party for the old volunteers, and last week we had our Christmas Party from El Rancho with a cowboy theme.

Also, we have been planning and booking a lot lately for our travel month that is starting tomorrow. I have 4 weeks off, and we are traveling around the South Island. I’m so excited for it!!!

I think now you are all back up to date and will probably hear from me again after my travel month, at the end of January.

I wish everyone a cozy, happy Christmas time and a good start to the year 2025. I miss you all <3

☆Tine☆