Stricter, Stricter, New Zealand

Entering Auckland was not a very pleasant experience, I must confess. First of all, I lost a whole day when I crossed the international date line, which was quite strange. I missed a whole day! It was around midnight on December 27, 2018 when I boarded the plane in Honolulu, and 11 hours later, I arrived in Auckland at noon on December 29. Already on the plane, there was a lot of talk about New Zealand's customs and immigration procedures, and the strategy worked. After landing, I was nervous enough to declare everything, including my hiking boots and the precious honey I bought in Hawaii. The customs officer carefully inspected my boots and confiscated the honey, repeatedly emphasizing that New Zealand needed to protect its ecosystem.

I was picked up from the airport by a lovely elderly lesbian couple who had agreed to host me for a few days. We spent New Year's Eve together with some of their friends. They all seemed to be true supporters of the women's rights movement in the late 1960s, and they still had that unique atmosphere of life in the old alternative hippie communes. I really enjoyed their company because their conversations and topics were so different from what I usually encounter among people of my generation.

Auckland itself is not very attractive. In fact, I would say it's even uglier than Cologne! However, it is surrounded by a beautiful volcanic landscape, as well as many bays and city beaches. Unfortunately, many hiking trails were closed to protect the ecosystem. At the beginning of other trails, the government has installed so-called cleaning stations where you have to disinfect your shoes before entering.

At first glance, New Zealand's landscape looks very European, but the vegetation is somewhat different. Moreover, Kiwis are very British. Not only do they drive on the left side of the road, but they also have a British accent, different tea times, and rather average food ;-)

Yesterday, I arrived at a place in Bulls where I will be doing some gardening and house maintenance for 2 weeks. The family is very nice and supportive, and apart from the spiders, I actually enjoy the work. There's not much happening in Bulls, so I probably won't write again until sometime in February.