Northland

The sheep on the golf course keep the grass nice and short but occasionally interfere with the flight path of the golf ball. However, neither humans nor animals show any signs of irritation.
There are 18 brush-tailed possums per capita in New Zealand. These 70,000,000 furred marsupials belong to the possum genus (not to be confused with American opossums) and feed on kiwi eggs, which makes their popularity here almost 0.
At the show sheep farm (the same one where Frederic drank the milk intended for the lambs almost 7 years ago), there is information about the Baa-Code, which can be used to trace the complete production chain of clothing back to the sheepskin.
There are no goats on "Goat Island", but there could be. Apparently, the Europeans used to name all the islands where goats could potentially survive like that. In the adjacent marine reserve, a triangular fin emerged from the waves and a few snorkeling teenagers squealed loudly - first in fright, then in delight, as two dolphins allowed themselves to be stroked by the group.
Sunglasses on, air conditioning on, and off to the beach - with "Last Christmas" playing on the radio...
Next to our accommodation north of Auckland, a charity event in support of a clinic is taking place. They installed all the Christmas lights that are available in the Chinese shops. And to top it off, "K.I.T." stands in the garden - yes, that's right, Knight Rider, David Hasselhoff from the 80s...
Together with a travel-hungry family from Hamburg, whom we met on the Cook Islands, we spend a few days in the "Bay of Islands" in the north of New Zealand. In the local museum, we learn what we have always suspected: the Dutch discovered it, named it after one of their provinces, and then messed it up.
On our way back to Auckland, we will visit a glowworm cave and meet with Wolfgang and Tanja (also acquaintances from the Cooks) in Auckland for a BBQ.
Since we will start our cruise to Tasmania and Australia on December 21 and will most likely be offline on the way, we wish you wonderful Christmas holidays and a happy New Year in advance!