07.-09.12. - Day 1-3 - The Journey: From Cologne via Zurich and Hong Kong to Christchurch

Started in cold Cologne on Saturday, December 7th at 8:30 am (way too early), we first went to Zurich for a day.

Upon arrival, we spent the afternoon with one of my former favorite colleagues Nick and his wife Aurora. The remaining hours until the departure were sweetened, or rather cheesy, by my former roommate Carmen and her boyfriend Paul with cheese fondue (I love the Swiss...) and wine.

Then at 10:45 pm, we started our first 12-hour flight to Hong Kong, which we both slept through almost completely, and then flew another 11 hours to Christchurch after 3.5 hours. A bit tired, but not as exhausted as expected, we landed in Christchurch at 12:30 local time on December 9th.

The approach over the glaciers of the island was fantastic. Less exciting was the lengthy migration process, in which all equipment is meticulously checked for traces of soil to prevent the introduction of bacteria. Our hours of cleaning had paid off and the friendly New Zealander had no complaints. We quickly picked up the rental car and we were ready to go.