we are in New Zealand (North Island)

01/28/2018 - Arrived in the GodZone, in New Zealand, Maori Country on the North Island in Auckland.

With one of the newest and most modern planes of Air New Zealand on the Skycouch, we fly from Adelaide in southern Australia to Auckland in New Zealand, which is located in the southeast and 4 hours away.

Once arrived there, we first head into the city to enjoy the wonderful and still warm weather around 30 degrees. We went with the convertible and our personal guide and Ingolstadt Sunday footballer through the city and to the sea. Christian - soon to be Kiwi - and his neighbor Bruce first introduced us to the customs of the New Zealanders - playing pool, barbecuing, and cozy sundowning.

Thank you Christian for the wonderful days with and thanks to you!!!!

After this perfect start and with a lot of energy, the first cyclone of our trip unfortunately slowed us down a bit, which swept over the North Island and brought rain, cold nights, and some changes in plans for a few days: diving in the Bay of Islands had to be canceled due to high waves and poor visibility, and the trip to Cape Reigna literally fell into the water. Nevertheless, we were lucky as most of the damages were mainly on the South Island, as we later found out on our trip.

After visiting the monstrous Kauri trees, we continued to Coromandel in the east. At the Hot Water Beach, we moved 2 tons of sand with a shovel and uncovered the hot spring that flows under the sand. The reward: a wonderfully warm and natural pool right on the beach for maximum relaxation.

Further in the south, New Zealand also smells like New Zealand, sulfur, or rather rotten eggs.

And slowly, New Zealand also looks like we know it as Tolkien fans, HOBBITON!! Off to the hilly landscape of the beautifully maintained Shire. Knocking here and there at the Baggins' and the Bilbos' and celebrating a Hobbit feast at the Green Dragon with lots of mead and beer. I had a short rampage at the forge with a hammer and slept off the intoxication on a few barrels. For a short moment, I felt like a real hobbit and admired the attention to detail that Peter Jackson put into the Hobbit and previously The Lord of the Rings.

After a wonderful morning with the hobbits, we headed towards the Glowworms in the Waitomo Caves for a 5-hour black water rafting adventure, rafting in caves. Rappelling, drifting, squeezing, climbing, and admiring how the little larvae (yes, you read that right - larvae!!) on the ceiling glow like a starry sky. It turns out that these glowworms are just a marketing trick, as we were told. Nevertheless, it was very romantic and adventurous. ;)

After so much action, it's time for ... of course ... even more hot pools, hot springs, and geothermal landscapes. This is where boiling water springs from the ground and the smell of rotten eggs is constantly in the air (from Waikete to Lake Taupo), a perfect place to relax and recharge in the rich thermal water.

After that, we were definitely ready for a hike to the still active Mount Tongariro volcano. To avoid the crowds of other hikers, we decided to start at 4 am, in the middle of the night. Armed with headlamps, we had breakfast at dawn on the mountain at an altitude of 1,890 meters. A little tired but happy, we raced to the ferry in Wellington so that we could continue our journey on the South Island of New Zealand.

Stay tuned - our next and final entry will follow in a few days :)