04. February Arrival in New Zealand - Bunnockburn

Queenstown, a tight landing, the runway is nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains. What immediately strikes me is the pure air, it makes the colors appear so brilliant. Insane. After immigration and biosecurity checks, our journey leads us to the car rental. 😳😦🙄😬

'Oh, your driver's license doesn't say Driver License, so I can't rent you a car, you can't drive in New Zealand with that.' 🤯🤮😱 What to do? Ah, luckily a certified translation is also sufficient, it doesn't have to be an international driver's license. And luckily, the employee from the car rental can recommend a translator who can quickly do it online. So I sent a picture of the driver's license, paid NZD 49, and received the translation by email 20 minutes later. - You can think what you want, but it's true and of course we should have read more carefully. 🙄😬 Finally, we were in the car and on our way to Bunnockburn, our home for the next 2 nights.

In the 13th century, the first people probably arrived from Polynesia to New Zealand and spread across the island.

In 1642, Abel Tasman became the first European to reach New Zealand, and in 1792, James Cook set foot on New Zealand soil. Since both Abel and James were not equipped with particularly intercultural skills, both encounters ended bloody and with casualties. And so it took a bit longer for the first Europeans to settle. Only in 1814 did the chaplain Samuel Marsden establish the first Christian mission station. In 1833, James Busby became the first official English resident of New Zealand.