It is time to say goodbye - East Cape and Hawkes Bay and my return flight

Then the time had come. We were back in New Zealand and not quite sure what we should do. But after one night it was clear to us: we didn't just want to hang around in Auckland!

So we rented a car again and headed towards East Cape. We hadn't heard much about this area, as some people skip this part. The few stories we heard were about emptiness, loneliness, and beautiful nature.

And that's exactly what we experienced. When we arrived at East Cape, there was no one else around. No annoying Chinese tourists. No masses of other campers. Just us alone. Exactly what we wanted. On some days, we didn't even see a dozen vehicles on the road. When we stood in the stunningly located and picturesque bays of East Cape, we felt like the only people on Earth. Even in the small hostels or hotels we stayed in, we were sometimes the only guests. But the nature of the forests around the small roads and the amazing coastal views were unique experiences. A wonderful place where, with more time, we could have experienced so much more.

On the way to Gisborne, we also visited the Tolaga Bay Wharf. The longest and probably the most photographed pier in New Zealand. Our journey continued along the Hawkes Bay to Napier. Hawkes Bay is a kilometer-long black sand beach that dominates the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. When we arrived in Napier, we found a small but very cozy and beautiful city. Napier is known as the Art Deco capital of the world! And the small town was just as well-groomed. We could have spent a few more days here.

But the next day we had to return to Auckland. We had to return the rental car and wanted to see a bit more of Auckland and meet friends. So in the last three days, I visited my sister's host family again. Nik and I also took some time to buy souvenirs and visit Mt Eden and the Sky Tower again. These were some great places, as it turned out.

On the evening of the 29th, our flight back home was already scheduled. Almost 7 months had passed and we had to say goodbye to New Zealand. It was a very unreal feeling that we didn't really realize until the last day. We were both so sad to leave New Zealand, but we were also excited to go home, to our family, and to our friends.

From Auckland, we took our first flight to Hong Kong. We had a 17-hour layover there and we didn't really know what to do with all that time.

But as luck would have it, we met a nice German backpacker at the train station on the way from the airport to the city. As it turned out, she came from a neighboring town just 10 minutes away from me. Probably the craziest encounter I had during the whole trip. I still haven't fully realized this meeting. Meeting someone like that in Hong Kong...

We definitely had a great day in Hong Kong. We spent wonderful hours in the city, with the German girl, enjoying the best weather (actually, it was too hot). We got a much better and more beautiful impression of the city than on the outward journey. But I still stick to my statement that I wouldn't want to spend more than 2-3 consecutive days in this city. When you're in this city, you're overwhelmed by all the impressions, even though we had already been here once before. However, the view from the observation platform on the hill behind Hong Kong was even more impressive. This city is just crazy. There's no other way to describe it.

Eventually, those 17 hours came to an end, and it was time for our flight back home. We were both dead tired and slept on the flight, even though the first flight was very good. When we arrived in Frankfurt, we took the train to Düsseldorf. There, we were greeted by our families and served a fantastic breakfast, as it was still 10 a.m. Both of our flights were overnight flights.

It was a very strange feeling to be back in Germany and with my family. When I finally got home, I didn't know where to go first. Everything felt strange, even though it was actually familiar. But having my own bed again, privacy, and all those things was great. In the first few days, my mother laughed often enough when things that were completely normal for her were something special for me.

Fortunately, I managed not to become depressed and not to fall into a hole;) The best thing you can do against that is to find activities at home again. I was thrilled to meet all my friends and many familiar people again. One day I was here, the next day I was there. I also immediately resumed my sports activities. Football training and such give you the connection you need!

So those were my last impressions of New Zealand and also my first impressions of being back home! If you want to hear more, feel free to contact me. As you may have noticed from the whole blog, I like to tell stories!

With this post, I will close my blog except for a few final words that are yet to come! I hope you enjoyed reading along, and I appreciate any feedback.

Until then,

Your Luca