Red Max - Gravel Road

If I summarize our current average situation like this: it rains, it's cold, wet, we didn't sleep well, and electricity and Wi-Fi are a rare luxury - and yet we're somehow happy. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it's actually amazing how little you need to travel, live, and be happy. All our belongings are in the back seat of our little red car, and I'm sure we can compress them even further. Sometimes, the ceiling really does (almost literally) fall on our heads (or we get our hair caught in the sneaky sharp starry fairy lights - both are very painful) and more than once, we've caught ourselves saying that we even miss the hostel beds (but only the beds!). Nevertheless, I wouldn't want to miss this experience for anything in the world. The freedom and independence alone are worth every sleepless second. Waking up at sunrise, picking a new destination on the map, and just driving off. Maybe it's because of the constant tiredness, but we feel excited, energized, and the adventure spirit is rushing through our veins...

In fact, the camping experience is quite different from all the travel experiences we've had so far. It starts with the campsites. Here, it's much more anonymous than in hostels, and the travelers who have chosen this way of traveling clearly value their privacy (which is honestly fine with us). Nevertheless, people greet each other - as travelers do - friendly and occasionally have a chat.

Moreover, our creativity is put to the test when it comes to making the bed in the evening. Since the combination of the backseat and trunk is not long enough to stretch out our legs, we have to gather all our stuff (i.e., backpacks, blankets...) to extend our bed to the front and create a somewhat even sleeping surface. Our daily routine has also completely changed because we wake up early and go to bed early. Since it gets dark already at 7/8 o'clock, we have to cook early, and making the bed naturally takes some time. We made the mistake of doing everything in artificial light only once. Within seconds, the car was filled with insects, which we then committed a moderate genocide against. Instead of the usual evening series session, Richi now reads me a chapter from 'The Lord of the Rings' - in the cozy glow of our fairy lights. Nice, isn't it?

In the past few days, we have mainly been hiking! Taking advantage of the good weather, we tackled various hiking trails that came our way. Now we're paying for it with sore muscles. Especially the 'Mount Cook muscle soreness', a small free souvenir we brought from New Zealand's highest mountain, makes itself heard every time we climb stairs. But more on that later. Since so much has happened in the last two weeks, I'm quite behind with the travel report. So, I'll keep it short and let the multitude of (stone) pictures we took speak for themselves.

From Christchurch, we first went to the hundred kilometers northwest located Athur's Pass National Park, which impresses with its breathtaking mountain and lake landscape. The national park is named after the connecting road between the Canterbury District and the West Coast, which crosses the Southern Alps. Everywhere, various natural wonders tempt you to stop, get out, and explore aimlessly. We came here mainly because of Castle Hills, where a large number of differently shaped limestone rocks can be found, which are more reminiscent of an abstract artwork by an artist or a rundown castle than a random occurrence of nature. On the medium to large rocks, you can climb around to your heart's content. Professionals sometimes bring their entire climbing equipment (i.e., mats, ropes...). But that doesn't mean that less experienced climbers don't have fun, too. Perfect for children's birthdays, as we found out - or for us! We liked it so much here that we came back the next day. We spent the night at a free campsite in the middle of the national park, with a lake right in front of us and the mountain range behind us. A dream come true.

We also visited Cave Stream, a stream that flows through a cave. However, to explore it, you needed some experience and the right equipment. So, we contented ourselves with seeing the cave from the outside and enjoying the beautiful landscape. We stayed at a cheap campsite in Springfield, which even had showers, a washing machine, and a kitchen. Not to be confused with Simpsons' Springfield, although there was something that winked at the series with a twinkle in its eye (see pictures).

We continued to Edoras. Well, actually Mount Sunday, but in our minds, it's always just 'Edoras'. This is where the set for the capital of Rohan, the land of the horse-people, was built for 'The Lord of the Rings'. In the movie, it looked like this:

Edoras