Kia ora Aotearoa/Hello New Zealand/Hola Nueva Zelanda

Our journey through New Zealand starts in Auckland, in the north of the North Island. Auckland is the largest city in the country with a population of 1.4 million. Overall, there are about 4 million people living in the Land of the Long White Cloud (Aotearoa), as the Maori lovingly call it. This makes New Zealand densely populated compared to Australia, but still relatively low compared to Germany.

We intentionally chose a hostel outside the city center and are staying at the foot of Mount Eden, about a 40-minute walk from the center. Mount Eden is a dormant volcano and the city's landmark, offering a beautiful panoramic view from the top.

The city itself is okay, not very high-rise, with a harbor, cultural attractions, lots of Asians, nice shops, bars... but nothing particularly extraordinary. Maybe we just didn't explore the right places...

One thing that stands out to us is the presence of the Maori people. They are very much a part of the cityscape, with their baggy oversized pants and their often imposing physical stature. David read somewhere that over 40% of Maori people are severely overweight, surpassing even the Americans. We wonder why this is... it's not exactly known. There are genetic explanations, while others say that the transition from traditional to Western-oriented diet (rich in sugar and fat) happened too quickly for the body to adapt. Either way... we see many Maori people, and about 15% of the population is of Maori descent. They apparently enjoy rap/hip-hop music and going to church to sing Maori hymns 😊 It was also interesting for us to learn that the Maori were the first settlers in New Zealand. They arrived here in the 13th century from Polynesian islands, about 300 years before the Europeans.

Almost all signs are bilingual, on the streets, in the hospital, there are Maori schools... the Maori language is an official language alongside English. So overall, their situation seems much better at first glance compared to many Aboriginal people in Australia, who often live poorly "integrated" in the new Australian mainstream society in the cities. At least that was our impression.

To say that the weather here is changeable would be an understatement. The main constant so far has been heavy rain, and when it stops, the transition between sunshine, clouds, and more rain is very rapid 😉 There's also a lot of wind. But it's not cold, always above 20 degrees Celsius. As it seems, there is no really cold weather here on the North Island, only on the South Island. The hostel cat is happy about all the rain because then everyone sits in the living room and cuddles with her 🐱

We've had enough of the city for now and are very excited to be heading into nature tomorrow!

On a completely different note: We booked our flights to Australia and New Zealand online through a travel provider with cheap prices, so not directly through the airlines. It was a mistake that we, especially I, regretted. It started with them not wanting to let me fly at Frankfurt Airport because my last name was incorrectly stored in the system by the said travel provider. The name obviously has to match the one in my passport. However, the umlaut dots were missing... which was not my fault at all. But since the flight was not booked directly through the airline, they reassured me multiple times that there was nothing they could do. I had to call the travel provider. So, fine, eternal waiting, frayed nerves, then a bad connection with someone... I couldn't understand a word, so I hung up. My savior was a completely frustrated Spanish woman who works for the airline. She typed random numbers on her keyboard for a long time, cursed travel providers in general and ours specifically, made phone calls back and forth, and I had no idea what she was doing, but it worked 😄

They actually managed to misspell my last name on the ticket to New Zealand as well. To avoid going through this stress again during the flight, we go to the airport in Brisbane in advance and try to resolve the issue on-site. The airline denies any responsibility, but they let me use a landline to call the travel provider in Spain. I had to pay 80 euros to correct the umlaut dots... which is truly unbelievable, considering that it's their mistake and not mine. But I have no other choice if I want to fly and avoid the suspense right before takeoff, so I paid. The moral of the story: book your flights directly through the airline or a trusted provider. Cheap prices are tempting, but the stress is not worth it.

Nuestro viaje a través de Nueva Zelanda comienza en Auckland, situada en el norte de la Isla Norte. Auckland es la ciudad más poblada del país, con 1.4 millones de habitantes. En total, hay cerca de 4 millones de personas que viven en la Tierra de la Nube Blanca Larga (Aotearoa), como los Maoríes la llaman cariñosamente. Esto hace de Nueva Zelanda un país densamente poblado en comparación con Australia, pero aún relativamente bajo en comparación con Alemania.

Elegimos intencionalmente un albergue fuera del centro de la ciudad y nos alojamos al pie del monte Eden, a unos 40 minutos a pie del centro. El monte Eden es un volcán inactivo y el hito de la ciudad, ofreciendo una hermosa vista panorámica desde la cima.

La ciudad en sí está bien, no tiene muchos rascacielos, tiene un puerto, atracciones culturales, mucha gente asiática, tiendas agradables, bares... pero nada especialmente extraordinario. Tal vez solo exploramos los lugares equivocados...

Algo que nos llama la atención es la presencia del pueblo Maorí. Son muy visibles en el paisaje urbano, con sus pantalones holgados y de gran tamaño y su estatura física imponente. David leyó en algún lugar que más del 40% de las personas Maoríes tienen sobrepeso, superando incluso a los estadounidenses. Nos preguntamos por qué... no se sabe con certeza. Hay explicaciones genéticas, mientras que otros dicen que la transición de una dieta tradicional a una occidental (rica en azúcar y grasa) ocurrió demasiado rápido para que el cuerpo se pudiera adaptar. En cualquier caso... vemos a muchas personas Maoríes, y aproximadamente el 15% de la población tiene ascendencia Maorí. Al parecer, les gusta la música rap/hip-hop y asistir a la iglesia a cantar himnos Maoríes 😊 También nos resultó interesante descubrir que los Maoríes fueron los primeros colonizadores en Nueva Zelanda. Llegaron aquí en el siglo XIII desde las islas polinesias, unos 300 años antes que los europeos.

Casi todas las señales son bilingües, en las calles, en el hospital, hay escuelas Maoríes... el idioma Maorí es un idioma oficial junto con el inglés. Entonces, en general, su situación parece mucho mejor a primera vista en comparación con muchas personas aborígenes en Australia, que a menudo viven mal "integradas" en la nueva sociedad mayoritaria australiana en las ciudades. Al menos esa fue nuestra impresión.

Decir que el clima aquí es cambiante sería quedarse corto. Hasta ahora, la constante principal ha sido la lluvia intensa, y cuando deja de llover, la transición entre el sol, las nubes y más lluvia es muy rápida 😉 También hace mucho viento. Pero no hace frío, siempre por encima de los 20 grados Celsius. Por lo visto, aquí en la Isla Norte no hay un clima realmente frío, solo en la Isla Sur. La gata del albergue está feliz con toda la lluvia porque entonces todos se sientan en la sala de estar y la acarician 🐱

Ya hemos tenido suficiente de la ciudad por ahora y estamos muy emocionados de adentrarnos en la naturaleza mañana.