What's it like on the other side of the world?

Since I've been here, I don't feel like I'm 18,000 km away from home. When you walk through the streets, apart from the occasional palm trees, left-hand traffic, and all the overhead lines, you could almost think you're in Germany. As a Northern German, I'm not used to this constant up and down, because it's quite hilly here. We also encounter very few pedestrians along the way, probably because even the Kiwis, that's what the New Zealanders are called, don't feel like walking up and down all the time (it's pretty exhausting).

But the atmosphere is already a bit different. We noticed the friendliness of the Kiwis already at the airport and even the bus drivers were surprisingly helpful when we arrived. On the way to our accommodation, one of them even took us for free for 2 stops and another one immediately asked if he could help us when we got off at the final stop and stared at Google Maps for hours.

Everything also felt much more relaxed from the first moment. This could also be because we are living day by day here, so to speak, and we have no obligations, but I still find the atmosphere here much more pleasant in general than in Germany.

Conclusion: So far, I really like Kiwiland, apart from the weather that could be a little better, and I'm excited to see and experience everything when we finally embark on our journey.