Off to Christchurch ...to work..

Next stop: New Zealand. As I depart, Hong Kong bids farewell with a dazzling display of lights that glimpses through the clouds. 10 hours later, land is in sight – Kia Ora New Zealand. After landing in Auckland, the obligatory customs check for food, contaminated hiking shoes, etc. takes place. I indicated food items on the questionnaire and therefore have to explain to the customs officer the difference between German and English pudding. I am of course allowed to bring in my originally packaged pudding and gelatin powder; I can make my first cakes in December, as soon as strawberries are available here. I then head over to the domestic terminal of the airport and fly another 2 hours later to Christchurch on the South Island.

My host Duncan kindly picks me up at the parking lot; it already feels great to be welcomed back in a familiar environment. We later took the obligatory welcome photo by the flagpole.

Now the “work” phase of the journey begins. I help out a bit with various tasks at Duncan’s place and in the neighborhood. The firewood supply is being replenished, and we do a little spring cleaning.

The bus is washed, emptied, and checked. The equivalent to TÜV in New Zealand is called Wof (Warranty of Fitness) and is valid until December, so we can get started right away. Last year the vehicle had to be newly registered in NZ due to the prolonged standstill caused by COVID; the associated maintenance work (the bus is 25 years old) took a bit longer. However, my daughter Katha managed to travel 17,000 km without any issues from December to August after a few initial problems, so everything should be fine now.