A small time travel begins, back to the past...it is a cold day in December 2003 in snowy Sonthofen, I am on my way to the Filmburg Sonthofen with my older brother and father to watch the third part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, 'The Return of the King'. I am not yet 12 years old, so my father tells me to stand behind him so that it is not noticed that I am not old enough for the film rated 12 and over. What do I do? Of course, I rush into the cinema, shout at the woman at the ticket counter that I want three tickets for 'The Return of the King'. This little blond boy immediately gives away that he is too young. My father handles everything and we can immerse ourselves in the film adventure. In my defense, I have to say that I was just too excited to be able to experience my first Lord of the Rings film live in the cinema. After all, I was obsessed with the beauty and mythology of this land on the other side of the world...
13 years and a few weeks later, the time has finally come. I am on my way to Brisbane International Airport, go to the check-in counter, drop off my luggage, get on the plane, and the screen in front of me says 'Kia Ora'. Kia Ora means hello in Maori, the language of the indigenous people of New Zealand.
Three hours later, Kenny and I arrive in Christchurch. 'Here we are mate. The next furthest place is the moon!', Kenny says to me as we disembark. I can't really grasp that I am actually on the OTHER side of the world yet, but suddenly I get chills down my spine, it must be the goosebumps rushing all over my body.We spend half of the night at Christchurch Airport, as we arrive at midnight and have to wait for our night shuttle bus until 04:30 am. When we arrive at the hostel, we realize that we are a night early. We are allowed to sleep in the lounge, shivering through the night, and are still able to check in the next morning. Now the adventure of finding a suitable vehicle begins, as we want to explore the South Island first and then the North Island by road trip and 'camping' in New Zealand.We test drive three cars, go through two security checks (here, fines, points, etc. are accumulated on the car), and two pre-mechanical tests, go to the bank, withdraw the money and hand it over to the local. My, or rather our, first car! Frodo had nine companions, and we now have our first one: a wine-red 1995 Honda Odyssey!Off to the hostel, pick up Pia, and off we go to the nearest warehouse to buy all our camping equipment. At our hostel, we meet Sam, a carpenter from Wales. He helps us build a 'half bed' in our red car. While screwing it together, I destroy one of Sam's drill bits, which I get to keep. I hang it on a chain on the rearview mirror, and that's how we find the name for our car: 'Drillbit'First stop of our road trip is Akaroa, a peninsula east of Christchurch. My best friend Leoni recommended a farm hostel here where we can also camp.The Onuku Farm Hostel is hidden in the hills behind Akaroa in a forest and nestles beautifully among the tall trees. Here, we can spend our evenings under the stars and outdoors. It is windy and cold, but with a hat, jacket, and sleeping bag, it is fine...From there, we can go on numerous and hours-long hikes. We decide to take the Ridge Walk, which will lead us to the furthest end of a mountain, after which it is only a steep downhill towards the Pacific.On the way there, we encounter countless sheep. New Zealand has more sheep than inhabitants, and the locals are lovingly called 'sheep shaggers' by the Australians. Here, the sheep can graze in untouched nature and enjoy their lives. They can't be blamed for it, after all, there are worse places to eat and spend their lives. We often try to pet a little lamb, but these little creatures are incredibly shy. A good sign that they are simply not used to humans...The next stop is Lake Tekapo. A turquoise blue lake in the heart of the South Island. If there were a word for even more turquoise, it would probably be called Lake Tekapo, because I have never seen anything as deeply turquoise as this lake. We arrive at dusk and stroll through the fields, looking for animals other than sheep.We climb over a fence a few times, ignore signs that say this is private property, and find pitch-black cows on a golden-yellow pasture by the shores of Lake Tekapo. Not particularly pleased that three unknown beings have entered their territory, about 20 cows run towards us and successfully drive us away...We flee through a small gate and suddenly find ourselves in the garden of locals who are having a barbecue. These Kiwis (that's what the New Zealanders are called) are also not pleased with our sudden and uninvited visit. Sorry sorry sorry...we simply move on to the lake, flip stones, admire the sunset on the mountains opposite, and are satisfied. The traditional Maori welcome cannot be missing in this case!Lake Tekapo is world-famous for its night sky. The University of Canterbury and numerous institutes from renowned universities outside of New Zealand have set up their observatories here on Mount John. The night sky reveals its full glory on clear nights and with no moon. Far away from any source of light, the Milky Way is within reach, and the Southern Cross is so close that you could grab it like a compass and turn it in your hand. Unfortunately, we are in the midst of the full moon phase and do not see this natural phenomenon. However, the view from Mount John during the day compensates for it. Even van Gogh or Picasso could not have put together the colors better.Camping is made easy here, you simply pay into an 'Honesty Box', i.e. it is up to you whether you pay or not. We decide to be honest because karma is sometimes omnipresent. Although it rains almost every other day, campfires and candles are strictly prohibited. We just can't resist and light a small fire. Does that bring bad karma? Apparently not, because the night sky begins to open up, and we see the first impressive starry sky...It simply feels incredibly good to be far away from everything. Far away from phones, electricity, and stress. Even us city dwellers need that once in a while. I decided to travel the world for moments like this, to experience something different. But I still have to get used to the feeling of being on the other side of the world.In some direction, 12 hours ahead, and unimaginably far away is my actual home, but now I am at home here. Home on travels and on the road with friends! Life is incredibly exciting...See you soon!
