Ashburton - Picton - Wellington - Rotorua - Tauranga - Auckland

Well, actually we wanted to stay in Ashburton a little longer and work there, but everything there had been changed, making it almost impossible to continue working there. New supervisor, constantly changing tasks, new employees (who were as capable as a swarm of dying mayflies suffering from various diseases). We endured this for a week and then we had enough and quit. Svenja and I don't have to do the work of several people for minimum wage just because they can't get it together. Well, accordingly, we looked for a new job. However, we didn't find anything spontaneously and decided to continue our journey. Our plan was to explore the rest of the South Island before it gets too cold. So off to Queenstown. On the way, we sadly realized that it would end here. In Fairlie, it suddenly started snowing so heavily that we soon started sliding and a little while later ended up in the ditch (it's thanks to my 'Need for Speed' car racing game skills that nothing worse happened *cough*... we were lucky, it could have been worse). However, we were not the only ones. Every second vehicle was stuck in oncoming traffic, in the ditch, or turned around and went back to snow-free areas. What a disappointment. An action-packed disappointment, but still a disappointment. But what can you do? Risk your life just to make it to Queenstown unharmed, was not an option for us. So sadly, we turned around and went back. We needed a new plan. The South Island was off our list for now. Oh well, let's just go straight to the North Island, at least it's warmer there.

And so we did. 8 hours of driving just to arrive from Ashburton via Fairlie to Hanmer Springs, where we had to stop because I was too tired from driving. When we arrived there, we were surprised how beautiful the city is. It was evening and therefore dark. The city was illuminated by colorful lights and everything looked so new and well, simply beautiful. We quickly found the first campsite and went to sleep. As I said, driving makes me tired.

The next morning, we thought about what else we could do. Here, they had the famous 'Thermal Pools'. $24 entrance fee for an adult. Come on, you're only here once. And it was worth it. There were countless hot pools, a beautiful atmosphere, oh see for yourself:  https://youtu.be/sWOm0bRXNKs

In the afternoon, we drove on towards Picton and arrived in the afternoon. There, we looked for a campsite near the ferry, as it was due to depart at 9 o'clock the next day.

The ferry ride was great, the way it rocks... We could never go on a cruise, well.

When we arrived in Wellington, first of all, we took a look at the city. One can say that it's crowded. Full of expensive things, full of people, and driving a car there is a complete nuisance. But the city itself, once you finally find a parking spot, is beautiful. For a person from Hamburg who has the Reeperbahn, the Europapassage, and Spitaler- and Mönckebergstraße right at the doorstep, everything here in New Zealand seems small and petty. But somehow that's part of its charm.

In the afternoon, we continued driving. Next stop Palmerston North. But there was nothing there. I mean really nothing. Nothing worth mentioning. It's comparable to Herford. Excuse me, what is Herford!? 

From there, we continued on to Lake Taupo. This time we camped to the southeast and not the northeast of the lake. So we were at the bottom right and not the top right. But no matter where you stand, it's always truly wonderful.

Next stop, Rotorua. Rotorua stinks. If you want to know how it smells there, do the following: Boil twenty eggs, let them sit for a week, then peel them and bring the shells and eggs into your hotel room. Close the door and keep the window shut for a week. After a week, you can cautiously enter the room. That's how it smells in Rotorua. Like rotten eggs. The reason for this is that Rotorua is a volcanic area and sulfur vapors escape everywhere. But that also has its advantage. There are lakes and rivers everywhere that are heated by the underground volcanic activity. You can even bathe there in winter without freezing. Very impressive. It stinks as well, but you get used to it.

In terms of sights, Rotorua has been one of the most interesting so far. Hot springs (Kerosene Creek in Waiotapu), which I mentioned above.

Okere Falls (Okere Falls Scenic Reserve in Bay of Plenty), the most impressive waterfalls so far, which is also due to the heavy rain.

And of course, the sulfur fumes escaping everywhere. There is certainly much more, but for now, we didn't want to stay there too long.

Onward to Tauranga. So far, one of the most beautiful cities, but even worse than Wellington when it comes to parking options. We only drove through the city briefly by car. When it gets warmer, we want to go to Coromandel anyway, and Tauranga is on the way. We can take our time to explore everything there.

And now we're in Auckland and tomorrow we have an interview with our future employer (if everything goes well). Traffic controller. Finally. I will surely write another entry in a few days to tell you if it worked out and if so, how the job is.

Oh yeah, here in Auckland we saw our first and ONLY H&M shop. We thought there was no such thing here. Zara was also there. We could hardly believe our eyes, crazy...