Another month has flown by. A lot has happened again. Our furniture (and especially my coffee machine) has finally arrived, and we were able to settle in. That day was like Christmas, Easter, and birthday all together. And it's really interesting to see what things you packed 2 months ago. I was looking forward to many things, we will probably never use some things, and for other things, you can't even remember that you packed them :-)
And of course, we also came across the wonderful farewell gifts. We unpacked them with mixed feelings, both crying and laughing. ;-)
The moving company consisted of 4 funny, strong men who really gave it their all. So, it was a fun day!
Another highlight in January was our trip to New Zealand. What a great country. We rented a camper and drove around the South Island for 2 weeks. The great thing about the trip was that we didn't have a fixed destination and just drove 'by the nose'. We didn't know exactly what to expect, and as a result, we had many great experiences that will surely stay in our memory for a long time. Travel route New Zealand Our route took us almost across the entire South Island. We were especially fascinated by the nature.Akaroa Sunset at the lake on the way to Lake Matheson Lake Matheson Lake Paringa View of Queenstown View of Mt Cook It was our first time traveling in a camper van. It was a bit cramped, but we always had everything we needed (shower, toilet, stove). And we were not tied to a particular location, and could sometimes escape the bad weather. And we were able to stay in great places, like directly by the sea or by a beautiful lake. We also encountered animals in New Zealand that you usually only see in the zoo. It is so wonderful to see these animals in the wild. Seal at Kaikoura Dolphins at Kaikoura Dolphins at Kaikoura Seal at Moeraki Penguin at Moeraki During our trip, we passed by the Pancake Rocks and the Blowholes. That was very impressive. The Pancake Rocks are rocks that look like many pancakes piled on top of each other. And the water there has so much power that it has carved large holes and caves into the walls over time. Through these holes, the water is pushed in during high tide and sprays out in a fountain-like manner. Blowholes Pancake Rocks On the way from Lake Paringa to Queenstown, we saw and experienced a lot in one day. We saw waterfalls, and at one waterfall, thousands of stone towers were built. After that, the Blue Pool was impressive. A river of glacier water that shimmers blue. Unfortunately, you can't see that on the photo, but we will not forget these amazing colors.On the way to Lake Hawea, we saw a wall of bras. :-D Yes, indeed! But this wall has a special meaning. It is meant to remind people that breast cancer is an important topic, and you can also donate to an organization there. The funny thing was that of course, many men stopped by. I hope they all donated a bit of money there and didn't just look. :-) Stone towers at Faintain Fall Blue Pool Lake Hawea In Queenstown, we spent a bit more time. On our trip, we often saw more animals/nature than people. But in Queenstown, life is bustling. There, we took a chairlift up the mountain and went tobogganing. We also visited the Kiwi Birdlife Park. A fantastic park run by a family. When walking through this park and looking at the animals, you can see how much love and passion goes into running this park. Really worth seeing!And there, we also had the opportunity to see New Zealand's national emblem. Sessellift zum Rodeln Kiwi Birdlife Park - Tiershow Kiwi Birdlife Park - Kea The highlight of the whole trip, however, was a helicopter flight to the Tasman Glacier. What an experience! The first time flying in a helicopter and landing on a glacier. If you ever have the chance, you should definitely do it. On the way back to Christchurch, we made a detour to the Wallaby Park. This park is run by an older lady who is also known as the 'Wallaby Whisperer'. We were very close to the wallabies, could feed them and pet them. But the nice thing was that the old lady showed us around and treated the animals with a lot of respect. It was very family-like and much nicer than in a zoo where it's all about making a profit. Wonderful New Zealand. The people are so friendly, the nature is very impressive, and we had a great time. Let's see, maybe we will have the chance to explore the North Island as well.
