North Island New Zealand

After just over 2 weeks in New Zealand, my time on the North Island is unfortunately already over. I have seen beautiful places there and met lovely people!

My journey started in Auckland, where I arrived on January 16th. Unfortunately, the weather in my first days here in New Zealand was very rainy, I had rain every day during the first week. But since Auckland itself doesn't have much to offer in terms of sightseeing, it wasn't so bad. On the 19th, my Kiwi Experience bus trip started.

Kiwi Experience works in such a way that you buy a bus pass that includes a specific route (in my case, everything from Auckland to Christchurch). If you want to stay longer in one place, you can simply get off the bus and get back on a few days later. At least in theory... In practice, it is peak season and all the buses are fully booked, so I was very glad that I had already coordinated my travel plans with Kiwi two weeks before the trip 😊 That way, I am guaranteed a seat on every bus and also have all my hostels confirmed 😊 So the journey could begin!

First, we went to the north, to Paihia and the Bay of Islands. But before that, we also stopped at a waterfall. On the way there and later at the hostel, I already made some friends. MJ (Belgian), Kerstin (German), Johanna (British), Axel (Swedish), Patrick (German) and my absolute favorite travel companion Natalie! The two of us explored the entire North Island together and got along really well. Kerstin and later another German Stephanie were also with me for most of my trip 😊

The next day, we took a day trip to Cape Reinga, but unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, as it was very foggy and the visibility was poor. Cape Reinga is the northernmost point of New Zealand and where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. It would have been nice on a sunny day, but even so, we got a good impression. After that, we went sandboarding on huge sand dunes. However, it was a big mistake to do it in clothes, as the sand dunes ended in the water, and after 4 rounds, I looked like I had taken a mud bath :D But it was a lot of fun, and that's what mattered!

Before heading back to Auckland, on the 3rd day, I took a boat tour through the Bay of Islands, where you can swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins, and the weather was rainy again. However, we did see orcas! And we were really lucky because they hadn't been seen for 3 months! So it was definitely worth it. Then we went back to Auckland for one night. From here, the real journey began on the 22nd.

First, we went to Hot Water Beach and Cathedral Cove. Axel, Natalie, and I walked there for 45 minutes. However, Axel quickly had enough of us because we took sooooo many pictures :D It was so cool to have someone like Natalie who thinks the same way as I do and enjoys taking pictures 😊 But it was also a really beautiful place at Cathedral Cove. A really nice beach and the rock formations. However, we lost track of time while taking pictures and almost missed the bus, but there were still people who were even later (including Axel). Then we went to Hot Water Beach, a beach where you can dig a hole at low tide and the water in the holes is around 40-60 degrees Celsius due to geothermal activity. It was so nice to relax in the warm water and not think about the time or anything else.

From there, we went to Waitomo the next day. In Waitomo, there is the famous cave where you can see glowworms from the water. So in the afternoon, we went on a rafting tour to explore the cave. First, we were put into really sexy wetsuits because the water was freezing! Then we used tires to navigate through the caves. In between, we had to duck our heads or jump backward down a waterfall. It was definitely funny and really adventurous. And then we saw the glowworms and floated along the water in the dark. Nature is simply fascinating!

From Waitomo, we continued to Rotorua. But there was an important stopover on the way 😊 Hobbiton 😊 😊 😊 I absolutely had to see it with my own eyes, and it really looks like in the movie! We were so lucky with the weather, as we finally had sunshine from that day on! And thus, it looked exactly like in the picture books. And Hobbiton is really big, bigger than I thought. So many different Hobbit houses. Of course, we had to take lots of pictures 😊

From there, we went directly to Rotorua to a Maori village. One of the most unique experiences on my trip so far. I wanted to learn more about the Maori culture during my time here, and visiting the village was the perfect opportunity. I will now tell a little more (as far as I can remember) about everything I learned. Before our bus arrived at the village, we had to choose a chief for our "tribe". Then, we were welcomed into the village by a Maori woman singing. The chief always has to walk in the front, followed by the women and then the men, to protect the women. Then we sat down in rows for the unofficial greeting. Here, the women again had to sit in the back to be protected by the men. This was followed by the welcoming speech and greeting song of the Maori host in Maori, so we didn't understand much. We responded with a thank you speech from our chief and also a song (we chose We Will Rock You on the bus). This was followed by the final greeting with a nose kiss, also called Hongi, between the chiefs. It may seem a bit strange to an outsider :D Then we had afternoon tea, delicious coffee, cake, etc. Very, very tasty! Then we settled into our accommodation for the night. The Maori houses are very uniquely designed. They all have carved wooden decorations inside and outside. These represent the skeleton of the ancestors with arms, legs, ribs, etc. The houses can only be entered without shoes because the outside represents the territory of war, while inside is about peace, and bringing war inside is not desired. After that, we learned some Maori games and a Maori song. This song is the absolute worst earworm. It went something like this: A haka mana paka tata na pha, E heke meine peke tete ne phe... We sang it for the next few days. Then the other guests from Rotorua arrived, and there was an official welcoming ceremony with a declaration of peace, etc. Meaning, the Maori arrived on a boat and then performed a kind of war dance and offered peace offerings in the form of fern one by one. The chiefs of the individual groups had to pick them up and walk back without turning their backs. Otherwise, it would mean that they did not come in peace. We then went through various stations where we learned more about Maori tattoos, the Haka, the history of the Maori, dances, and games. Very insightful! Afterwards, we all gathered in a hall where the Maori prepared a small show with dancing and singing. And then there was food. The best food in a long time! The Maori prepare it very specially. The food is buried underground and covered with hot stones. Very tasty in any case! After dinner, we performed our Maori song for all the guests, which was really fun 😊 After all the guests left, we could still go to the hot pools and serve at the bar there. A very relaxed end to an amazing evening!

The next morning, after breakfast, I returned to Rotorua, where I stayed for 2 more days. Natalie and I decided to have a very relaxed day and walked along the lake, where there were really beautiful views. However, Rotorua has a very unpleasant smell because of the geothermal activity and the hot pools, there is a lot of sulfur in the air and it smells really bad. The lake there is also partly milky. After that, we went to the spa where we simply relaxed for 4 hours. Ah, that was nice again!

On the 2nd day in Rotorua, Natalie and I went rafting. I had never done it before and was both excited and looking forward to it. There was a 7-meter waterfall that we wanted/had to go down. Before that, I was a little anxious because I didn't necessarily want to go swimming in the waterfall :D But since all 3 boats in front of us made it through, I was confident... Well, it didn't work out that way :D Our boat ended up on the wrong side and everyone except me and one other person went swimming :D I held onto the raft so tightly that I didn't go swimming, I was still hanging onto the boat. It was definitely funny and a lot of fun, especially the smaller waterfalls, and the group was great! After it rained in the afternoon/evening, we ended the day with card games and watching Harry Potter.

And the next day, we went to Taupo, but first, we went to a park where we learned more about Maori culture, geothermal activities, and a 30-meter high geyser! Arriving in Taupo, we didn't do much except shop, eat, and prepare for the next day because what we were planning to do is not an everyday thing: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing with 19.4 km, 6-8 hours, and 900 meters of elevation gain.

So at 5:20 in the morning, we were picked up and driven 1 hour to the start of the trail. We started at around 7 am. At first, there were 3 of us, Natalie, Stephanie, and me. However, we quickly lost Stephanie during the first ascent because Natalie and I were a bit more relaxed on the way :D On the one hand, because we didn't have the best fitness and on the other hand because we both love taking pictures :D By 10 am, we had completed the entire ascent to the summit and took a lunch break and enjoyed the view. What we saw on the other side took our breath away. 3 lakes that simply don't look natural. Very fascinating. Again, a short break to enjoy the view, just like at the next lake, and then it was more or less on the descent. However, it dragged on longer than desired. Especially the last hour, we just wanted to arrive... The 3-hour descent was tough on the back, knees, and hips, but the feeling when we finally made it after a very leisurely 8 hours was awesome! But I was definitely exhausted!

But there was no time for a break because the next day we went directly from Taupo to River Valley. And suddenly, the bus driver said: "So we're going on a 2-hour hike here." Yippieh, but a little movement to relax the muscles felt good, so I went along and saw a beautiful waterfall. So it was worth it 😊 River Valley is a kind of wilderness lodge in a valley by the river, where only people from Kiwi Experience sleep. I really, really liked it here. We lay directly by the river and went for a little swim before dinner. Really delicious again. Chicken, potatoes, Yorkshire pudding. After dinner, I grabbed one of the guitars from the lodge and sat on a bench by the river. I actually just wanted to play for a short time. It turned into 3 hours. It was somehow magical in that place. The river, the stars, the full moon, me, and the guitar. I didn't need anything more in that moment. I was so happy. With this feeling of happiness, I returned to the others. We sat together, played Cards Against Humanity, and then went to bed. The next morning, some went horseback riding or rafting, but since I had already done both/was planning to do both, I just relaxed by the river, played cards, read, etc. 😊 In the afternoon, we continued to Wellington. I would have loved to spend another night in River Valley, but the accommodation in Wellington was already booked. So we continued to the capital.

However, I didn't see much of it. First, I went to the doctor and physiotherapy for my back, and then I went to the Te Papa Museum, a world-famous museum about the history and nature of New Zealand. Very interesting in any case. In the evening, Natalie also arrived in Wellington 😊 The next day, we went shopping a bit since the weather was very rainy, and then we just chilled in the hostel... so yeah if someone asks me what Wellington is like? No idea :D But the city was really nice :D And compact, the traffic is horrible :D

Now I'm already at the first stop of the South Island, Abel Tasman, and have had a relaxing day today since I'm here for 2 days and tomorrow I'm doing the big hike through the national park 😊

Greetings to Germany 😊