Bei Tony in Cheviot und Geroge in Marahau

Tony and Anna, my hosts where I stayed next, live right on a cliff with a beautiful view of the sea near Cheviot. From there, you can not only admire beautiful sunrises, but also watch whales or schools of dolphins passing by for breeding or hunting. Anna was an herbal therapist and Tony was a life person who was blessed with craftsmanship skills and a lucky hand in buying and selling properties. While Anna appeared somewhat closed off, Tony would occasionally share something from his 65-year-old life. His father was an alcoholic and suffered from schizophrenia, while his mother was very self-centered. So Tony moved out at the age of 15 and lived with friends in a shared flat or alone in a small house right by the sea, away from all the hustle and bustle, where he could pursue his passion for surfing. He had 3 siblings, whom he no longer has contact with today. He lived in Europe for 10 years, mainly in Rome, where he shaped his everyday life in a spiritual community. After 10 years, he returned to New Zealand with his Italian wife and had 3 children. After separating from his wife, his daughters soon cut off contact with him and his son cut off contact with the entire family. Sad stories that also visibly distressed Tony while telling them. And somehow I couldn't understand how there could be so many ruptures, especially because Tony was a nice person in my eyes.

During that time, there were 2 woofer girls from France staying with Tony and me. Lilou and Indie. Two incredible funny individuals who created a wonderful relaxed atmosphere.

Actually, Tony had promised me that we would go on a big fishing trip with his boat, but it was being repaired after his last trip. So I could only listen to the stories of big tuna weighing up to 90 kilos and a fight lasting over 3 hours. Otherwise, the time was very work-oriented. While I helped him dismantle a hut, the two French girls, especially, helped with gardening work. In my free time, I explored the nearby area and had close encounters with seals.

Then we were invited for a small jet boat trip by a friend of Tony's. He used to own a construction company and sold it after a heart attack, now dedicating himself more to the relaxed sides of life, such as fishing and boating. He told us how he sometimes goes on jet boat trips with his wife, where they are dropped off together with the boat by a helicopter in remote areas and then spend a few days exploring rivers and lakes in the absolute untouched wilderness before being picked up by a helicopter again. I find that incredibly exciting, but for such adventures I would probably prefer a canoe... but this is New Zealand. And so we raced up the river with Percie, always looking for deep spots and avoiding sandbanks. At one point, he miscalculated, causing us to run aground and then all of us had to heave and push the boat back into deeper waters together. Then he made a spectacular turn and we went back down the river at double speed. The boat can apparently reach 90km/h, but he didn't drive with us at full throttle, also because it was a bit more cumbersome to steer with four people. Well, while Lilou and I had fun with the whole thing, Indie was less thrilled. Although I prefer to admire and enjoy nature more on more traditional means, it was still an exciting experience and even more beautiful to once again witness the friendliness and openness of the New Zealanders.

On another free day, we took a trip to Christchurch, to Tony's old hometown. There, a surfer friend of his, whom Tony has known since birth, was organizing a surf contest with international participation. Unfortunately, the waves were a bit wild, so there were no breathtaking moments, but it was amazing how effortlessly these surfers made surfing look.

Although I really enjoyed my time with Tony, I said goodbye after a week and made my way to George, who lives near Nelson right on the Abel Tasman Track. This track, like the Kepler, Routeburn, or Milford Track, is one of the Great Walks. Despite the long distance, I only needed 2 rideshares to arrive right at George's doorstep this time. But I mainly have Richard, a Taiwanese who has been living in New Zealand for 6 years and works in the hotel business, to thank for that. He had the day off and originally just wanted to go shopping. But he had already driven a backpacker to his destination in the morning and I couldn't stop him from making a detour of over 2 hours for me. I was greeted by George with a warm hug and a hearty dinner.

George is 88 years old and declared his BnB business finished 2 weeks before I came to him, wanting to enjoy his life with less work now. He loves to talk about his experiences as a backpacker, which he did for the first time at the age of 70. He is an incredibly friendly, trustworthy, open-hearted, and funny man who has remained mentally very young. I admired his warmth and wisdom the most. He lived by the motto that one is a visitor on Earth, that possession is only a human illusion that leads to greed and jealousy, and that in the end of life, nothing remains anyway. So he tries to share and give as much as possible, of which I was able to witness. I worked the least with him compared to any other host, even though I would have liked to help him more. Of the 10 days I spent with him, I worked for 4, because according to him, there just wasn't any more work to do. At first, we had some communication difficulties, but when we watched the movie Boy together, a New Zealand production about the life of a young Maori, I identified the solution to our communication problem. The volume was almost at maximum, so I also raised the volume of my voice and our conversations extended significantly.

Actually, I wanted to hike the Abel Tasman Track for a few days from here, but the weather was unpredictable and the temperatures were already a bit cooler. So I made some small day trips, collected shells for dinner, kept George company, and specifically took the time to plan my future life after the trip... with little clear results so far.

But after Easter, there was a day when it was supposed to stay relatively warm and dry. So I planned to hike the track in one day. Since it wasn't a proper loop, George offered to pick me up at the end of the track, which I gratefully accepted. One challenge was that I had to be at a certain point by 11 a.m. because it was only possible to cross it at low tide. If I didn't make it, I would have to spend a night there or walk back. Since it was 30km away, I decided to start before sunrise and jog until then. I planned generously, so I should actually be able to make it. But it became a struggle. I was doing well until about kilometer 20 and still had a good time buffer, but then my knee started to ache and the elevation gain increased. Memories of a run with Mathieu to Kandel came back to me. In the end, I fought my way through somehow and made it on time. I hiked the last 15km and enjoyed the beautiful views and paths along beaches and bays. When I arrived in Wainui Bay, George was already waiting for me and we headed home. We reached George's house after 90 minutes. George usually had some trouble getting out of the car and walking due to his age-related stiffness and used to say that he was stiff. When we both got out of the car, his stiffness resembled that of a young deer compared to mine. We both struggled to get out of the car and made ourselves comfortable in his living room... So in the last two days, my main focus was to regain more flexibility in my rusty and more lively bones.

Upon arriving in Auckland, I visited Jaqs again, my first host during my time in New Zealand. It was really nice to see her again, to see what has changed, and to hear about her experiences. So we spent a nice evening together, she fulfilled a promise and gave me a craniosacral therapy session, but then we also went to bed early because I had to be at the airport again at 4 a.m., where Jaqs kindly drove me in the morning.

An eternal long flight over Australia and Singapore then brought me to the Philippines with tired eyes and swollen legs.