03/07/2018 - The coldest winter in 5 years?

After spending the night at the cemetery in "Ashhurst", we were looking forward to continuing our journey. Yesterday, the State Highway was closed due to wash-outs and road damage, and it was still not open this morning. Therefore, we had to take a detour. This led us through very bumpy country roads for the first few kilometers - typical countryside. The locals knew their stuff (= potholes) and fixed the worst ones early on. We, on the other hand, had to make several intense braking maneuvers to avoid immediately destroying our new wheel bearings. With calmness and no time pressure, we safely reached a familiar place after about an hour. In "Eketahuna", we came across the oversized Kiwi statue. Already in December last year, we took commemorative pictures with the cute bird. This time, the white Kiwi wore a nice winter coat to match the season - of course, completely in black, including the "NZ and Silverfern" inscription. ;)
After a short photo break, we continued our journey to "Masterton". Before checking in at today's campsite, we drove to a small paradise for bird lovers. At "Henley Lake", we were greeted by a large flock of quacking ducks. They were excited and curious, bustling around us.

The lake is home to various bird species. In addition to the ducks, various species of geese, black mourning swans, and New Zealand feathered creatures feel right at home here. With such an unusually large variety of birds, there is much to observe and discover. This includes birds with cute faces and yellow beaks that were unknown to us until now. :)

It was a great place to be. We enjoyed the pure sunshine, the mild weather, and the animal activity on and around the water. Some were sleeping, others were diving, and still others were defending their territory. - Amidst all the hustle and bustle, our plan to continue writing on the blog was only moderately successful. ;)
After eating an apple by the lakeside, we headed to the campsite. The elderly operator greeted us warmly. When he found out that we were from Germany, he told us that he had just watched the replay of the World Cup match between Germany and South Korea and that we had been eliminated. We quickly agreed: the performance this year was just too weak...
We parked the car in the designated parking space and then took advantage of the campsite's offer to do the laundry for free. As soon as we finished folding it, heavy rain started. With cooking utensils and ingredients for dinner under our arms, we took refuge in the kitchen. We had spaghetti carbonara and apple-beetroot salad - just the right thing for the upcoming night, which is supposed to drop below freezing again.

We have heard several times in the New Zealand news that this is the coldest winter in five years. For German standards, it is relatively mild except for a few exceptions. But as soon as the temperatures drop below 0°C, the excitement on New Zealand's North Island is high. ;)