ආයුබෝවන් Waiheke Island!

08:00 am: We are not used to getting up so early, but today we unfortunately have to change hostels for the first time and check out early. Instead of staying in a comfortable double room with our own TV and fridge like before, we are now going to an 8-bed dormitory at the YHA Hostel Auckland - here we feel more like backpackers!

10:00 am: Since we also want to work here, there are still some things that need to be done: open a bank account, apply for a tax number, and take out car insurance. So after checking out, we first go to a bank: the Kiwibank, one of the common banks for backpackers. However, we are told that we need an appointment to open an account (who would have expected that?), so we have no choice but to make an appointment for Wednesday and wait...

As soon as we are out of the bank, we collapse exhausted on the next park bench and need to catch our breath - making a two-minute appointment has really drained our energy reserves. Alex and I agree: we definitely need a break from this stress! Since the weather is reasonably good today, it doesn't take us long to decide how we can relax...we're going to...

...Waiheke Island!

After strolling to the port and getting ourselves a ticket, we're soon on our way and heading towards Waiheke Island on the ferry - with a great view of Auckland's skyline!

After about 40 minutes of sailing, it's time to say: Welcome to paradise. We have landed in a completely different world! Of course, there are also cars and people on Waiheke Island, but otherwise only bird chirping, palm rustling, and the roaring of the waves. Many exotic birds and plants here really make you feel far away from Germany (cities in Western style do tend to resemble each other quite a bit).

Once we have left the harbor, we only come across a few people and cars, so we can really enjoy nature! How empty it is despite the decent weather can be seen in this picture of our first resting place: Oneroa Beach.

Unfortunately, the weather fluctuates between drizzle, cloudy, and sunny from noon onwards - and all that in 3-minute intervals! You can imagine that we spent half the day putting on and taking off our rain jackets...

After thoroughly enjoying Oneroa Beach, we continue to the next beach recommended by a local: Palm Beach, supposedly the most beautiful beach on Waiheke Island. On the way, we see many nice houses and villages, like this house by the beach that harmonizes perfectly with the boats in terms of color.

After a 3km walk past vineyards and over many hills and through numerous valleys, we finally arrive: Palm Beach!

Unfortunately, the weather is spoiling our plans here, so I couldn't take a photo of this infamous beach. We only managed to capture this picture for name clarification!

Now it's really starting to get uncomfortable! We decide to leave the beautiful Waiheke Island behind and warm ourselves up in the hostel with good old spaghetti + canned sauce. An exhausting day - but at least we were able to successfully deal with the stress of making an appointment...Phew!