..Workshop..

03.12.18 Finally, today is the long-awaited workshop appointment... After driving 80km to the airport by myself last Thursday and paying customs duties to UPS for the second time, I was finally able to personally receive the spare parts package. Why UPS blocks the delivery of an express package until the fees are paid and recorded or paid on the spot, instead of settling the payment upon handover, only the gods know... Anyway, Tony was able to free up an appointment for me today, so I had enough time in the last few days to go kiting (;-)), relax at the beach, and contemplate the meaning of life (I didn't finish), work on my tax return at Bach (guest house) (almost finished), attend a wedding, and so on...

So, today at 7:45 I drop off the car, apologize again for this piece of tin that represents German engineering ingenuity, and then wander around Birkenhead and Beach Haven for 6 hours. There is an old cemetery along the way, with picturesque weathered graves... further through a park, whose winding paths lead straight to the sea. Then I return through small side streets, if anyone is looking for an affordable house in Auckland, here you go... purchase price: 577,000 €. At the travel agency, I am tempted once again by "to places never seen". In the last park before the workshop, colleagues are still working... very relaxed, they pull the branches towards them with a winch. Back in the workshop, Tony is almost finished, instead of the estimated 3 hours, he ends up needing 6 hours (someone should kill that guy... he says in the end), but he only charges me for an extremely fair 3.5 hours... I console him with all my remaining bags of Haribo...

Alright, kids, rally your mothers, I'm back on the road... on 11.12. the ferry goes back to the South Island, now I have to step on the gas a bit. Tomorrow I will continue towards the northern tip...