Hello New Zealand

Day 48

Today we leave Australia and travel to Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand.

At 7:30, the shuttle bus picked us up from the airport, the plane was supposed to depart at 10:30. At the check-in counter, we had to weigh our carry-on luggage for the first time, and of course, as expected, it was too heavy. 2 kg and the nice lady at the counter was merciless. However, she allowed us 1 kg of excess baggage to our existing 30 kg. It didn't quite cover it, but we simply unpacked so much from our backpacks until it was right and then packed it back in. Thank goodness we have 35 kg of baggage allowance next time.

After checking in our luggage, we still had enough time to deal with the immigration requirements of New Zealand. It occurred to us a little late, didn't it! And it feels like you can't bring anything into New Zealand. Absolutely no food (except chocolate), animal products, and plants in any form. You have to declare if you have been in the wilderness, if you have been hiking or camping, if you have gifts or goods (laptops, cell phones, etc.) worth more than €420, if you have any medication, etc. On the flight, we joked whether we should enter New Zealand with less luggage? Or if we are even allowed to enter at all 😳.

And as it turned out, we had properly declared everything, and now it was checked accordingly. Our suitcases were meticulously searched. All the items had to be taken out. The sand we brought with us was sieved and checked for animals. Carsten's dirty flip-flops were cleaned and disinfected. The hiking shoe soles were thoroughly scrubbed, and in some cases, the grooves were even scraped out with small hooks. After an hour, we were allowed to pack everything back up and leave.

Phew, lucky us, we don't have to fly home and annoy the kids.

You might now be asking yourself (or maybe not) "why are the New Zealanders so picky?"

New Zealand is the only country in the world where there are no fruit flies, and it should stay that way. Three years ago, 4 specimens and some eggs of the dreaded Queensland fruit fly were found. The entire area was put under quarantine. Due to the concern of spreading and the resulting destruction of crops by the larvae, strict entry requirements were issued. If it helps, that is!

We are greeted by a fantastic view

and it's cold here. Currently 14 degrees during the day and 6 degrees at night. 🥶🥶🥶.

Allow me to introduce our new car, a Ford, without an armrest, but with a micro trunk and a non-adjustable back seat. We stacked the suitcases on top of each other, next time we'll try putting them upright next to each other.

Our accommodation is located on a mountain and offers a great view of Queenstown,

a huge bed that is so high that you (I) can hardly get in and of course with ..... a duvet. Cheers to the lovey-dovey couples.

On the way to our giant pizza (17"),

I bought myself a hat first. Tomorrow I'll be looking for a winter jacket.