Bitter Sweet - NZ Conclusion

I have spent the last 333 days traveling through the beautiful country known as the Land of the Long White Cloud by bus, van, car, or hitchhiking.

It is definitely not an exaggeration when I say it has been the most wonderful year of my life so far.

They say you should leave when it's at its best.

I have been thinking about this phrase a lot in the past few days, because right now it is at its best.

I'll quote Jennifer Rostock with the phrase 'Time is a motherf*****', which sums up my journey quite well. A few months ago, as I have already mentioned, I had a few problems with my flights, but luckily I managed to reschedule them after a lot of back and forth. I am very grateful that I was able to stay longer, as I met amazing people, gained experiences, and created unforgettable memories during that time.

Back then, I only had one reason why I wanted to come to New Zealand. Everything has changed. I now have hundreds, no, thousands of reasons to come back. However, I probably won't return because I don't think I will be able to top this incredible time I had here, and I want to keep it in my memory just the way it was.

So far, New Zealand has been the most beautiful time of my life. Living, traveling, and working here has been an incredibly amazing experience...

The best thing about New Zealand was definitely the freedom I had. I have never felt so free in my life!

Everything here is just so uncomplicated and easy.

I don't even know how to best describe my time in NZ. New Zealand has left me speechless not just once. I have met so many amazing people from all over the world, seen such incredible places, and experienced countless wonderful, precious, and unbelievable moments.

New Zealand is simply a beautiful country with so many highlights. The Kiwis are just amazing. I am so grateful for everything I have experienced and for all the people who have accompanied me on my journey, for every beautiful sunrise and sunset, and for every smile I have left behind here.

A good friend once said to me in Auckland, 'I'm so happy that I'm a part of your life and that I'll always be a part of your life, and I hope that we'll never forget each other. You'll be remembered.' I found this statement so beautiful, and I had this thought about many of the people I have met here.

I loved the walks on the beach, the evening beer by the beach, the road trips, seeing seals, penguins, and sea lions in the wild, my plans that never became reality but always developed differently and presented me with new experiences and challenges.

I have learned to appreciate my life more, realized that my life is perfect, gained many new insights, learned that one should never judge, and learned that life is simple. I have become aware of so many things, now know what is important to me, what I want and what I don't want.

New Zealand, THANK YOU for everything.

This time has shaped me and has taken me a long way in my life. New Zealand was not nearly as amazing as I imagined it to be, it was a thousand times better.

I have become so relaxed and spontaneous here in NZ, probably because of the Kiwis, but also because everything here is so easy and uncomplicated. As a German, you can't travel any further than New Zealand, and despite the 18,300 km as the crow flies, I can only recommend everyone to visit this country at least once.

For me, this country feels like a little summary of the whole world, and in terms of natural diversity, it is hard to beat by any other country. Here, you can find almost everything. Beautiful beaches, snow-capped mountains, rainforests, barren steppes, deserted areas, hustle and bustle in larger cities like Auckland and Wellington, bubbling mud pools, geysers, volcanic craters, an active volcano, glaciers, mountains, lakes, penguins and other amazing animals, green lakes, impressive rock formations, sand dunes, waterfalls, caves, lighthouses, natural hot pools, national parks, fjords, and I'm sure I haven't listed all the highlights.

I will definitely cherish all my experiences in my memory.

Downsides? I remember a day that really shook me awake. I don't want to talk about it, but even this setback is now seen as a positive experience because I have learned from it. Otherwise, I didn't have any bad experiences in my eyes. Besides, there are no bad experiences because every experience and every adventure in the past has shaped me into the person I am today, and I am happy to be where I am in my life.

If you want something done right, do it yourself, I learned that when I wanted to reschedule my flights and had a lot of stress about it. At that time, I wished I had come to New Zealand without the organization Praktikawelten, then I could have easily booked my flights without any problems and my nerves would not have been so frayed.

My Top 10 List

- Mount Maunganui. I went there without any expectations and had an incredibly amazing time. I met such great friends there who have become like a family to me.

- Wellington. My time there in the amazing accommodation with Janine, Connor, Charlie, and Greg (who Connor has fortunately kicked out by now). It was supposed to be my first couchsurfing experience, but it turned into so much more. We have changed so much. From a huge mess, we created a livable house with Airbnb.

- Auckland. My job as a nanny was sometimes challenging, but Henry simply found his way into my heart.

- Napier. We only wanted to stay for one night, but the people we met there made it such a great evening. I never thought I would ever sing karaoke.

- Queenstown. My bungee jump took a lot of nerves, but it was an incredible feeling.

- Wanaka. We had planned to stay for just one night, but it turned into 4 unforgettable days in Wanaka. Jumping into Lake Wanaka at night after a great evening and then sitting in the hot tub until late at night was just a beautiful experience.

- Roys Peak. When we got up in the middle of the night after 3 or 4 hours of sleep to hike up the mountain. The day started with me falling because I didn't see a step in the darkness... We walked to the mountain and then hiked up to be rewarded with this amazing view and to see the sunrise. It was a great experience.

- Dunedin. My birthday at the Ed Sheeran concert was amazing. I shed tears during the song 'I See Fire'.

- Matamata. Visiting Bilbo Baggins in Hobbiton was a great New Zealand experience.

- Blenheim. White Sharks was a great group I spent my time with in Arrowtown. The Arrowtown time was so amazing and I won't forget it easily. Especially at Biddy Kate's, I had great evenings with French people and Kiwis, whether in the hostel, the pub directly below the hostel, or in the club.

- Doubtful Sound. The kayak tour through the sound was simply amazing. The landscape on the South Island blows me away every time. How can a country be so beautiful?

- Lake Tekapo. The color of the lake is just incredibly beautiful. No filter needed. ;)

- Devonport. I had such a wonderful evening there with 3 girls, and it was nice to see my old classmate again.

- Hamilton. I met such great friends there and we had so many amazing evenings together.

- My road trips with Domi, Lea, Lisa, and Jonathan

- Te Aroha. I always liked going to Villa Nine for coffee. I had a great evening there with Lea, Susu, and Adam from Israel. The two of them cooked for us, we sat together for a long time, Adam played the guitar, and we sang.

- Rotorua. My weekend with Patrick. The Redwood Forest and the incredibly amazing geothermal activities Rotorua has to offer were a great experience. The sulphur smell in Rotorua was annoying, and I was glad when I left Rotorua with Jessyca and Carmen.

- Cape Reinga. We took a long journey to the northernmost point of the North Island. The first lighthouse I have ever been to. The point where two different bodies of water meet, the Pacific Ocean in the east and the Tasman Sea in the west.

- Mount Eden. I stood at the volcanic crater not just once. With Auckland in the background, you have a great 360-degree view from there.

- Mount Robert. The definitely most beautiful hike I have done here in New Zealand, with the friends I made at the hostel.

Okay... there are more than 10 points, but it's hard to rank this amazing time in the top 10. As for the order, I can't and don't want to commit myself. When I think about it, every day was actually a highlight. I mean, hello, it's New Zealand.

It's not about how nice the accommodation is, it's about the people.

The Arrowtown hostel was pretty basic, but it was just beautiful. It was like a big shared apartment, that's how we always describe the Arrowtown time.

New Zealanders are friendly. Yes, that's definitely true. Unfortunately, you don't hear much about the real Kiwis, you only see them, and you don't often come across the Maori either. Speaking of Kiwis (the animals), I still haven't seen them here.

Moreover, it's nice to live without long-term planning. I love this freedom because I can do whatever I want.

During my last week in Mount Maunganui, I realized how much I will miss everything, especially during walks on the beach.

'Are you excited to go back?' - A question I have heard often lately.

A 'Yeah nah' always comes out of my mouth and my answer is always the same...

Bitter Sweet - I mean, hey, of course, I'm looking forward to seeing you again, seeing my life in Germany, which was on pause for a year, continuing, coming back home...

I have now become aware that nothing will be the same as it was when I left, but everything will be fine.

On the other hand, I am sad. I have my friends here, I have built a life here, I have what feels like the most beautiful home on earth, and then I 'have' to leave with the knowledge that I will never see many people again...

...and then there is also this fear.

What will change? Will I be able to maintain the attitude towards life that I have right now? Will the freedom suddenly disappear?

I am looking forward to my upcoming journey in Australia, Singapore, Bangkok, and Sri Lanka...

It was relatively easy for me to leave Germany because I knew I would see you again, but just imagine leaving friends (who are like family) knowing that you will never see them again. Saying goodbye has never been easy for me, which is why I like the good old 'See yaa' - it doesn't feel like a goodbye forever.

In this sense

See yaa

☺️☺️