Busy Weekend

What a weekend! I'm so exhausted, but I managed to write this blog post as promised.

On Saturday, I sailed to Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf with my roommates. The ferry ride took about 40 minutes, and it quickly became windy and cold on the upper deck. From below, we had a lovely view of the many islands without the wind blowing away our top layer of skin. We had amazing weather with blue skies and sunshine. I even remembered to use sunscreen because the sun was definitely strong.

For the island, we got ourselves a hop-on-hop-off ticket. Only about a third of the island is accessible by roads, but it still took two hours to complete the circuit. With 93km2, Waiheke is the second largest island in the gulf. Approximately 9000 people live permanently on the island, relying on rainwater for their water supply and without streetlights, schools, or medical facilities. But the natural beauty more than makes up for it!

Our first stop took us to the beach at Palm Road. It was stunning. Everything was just perfect. I could go on and on about the blue sky, the soft sand, the green hills, and so on. It was so beautiful that I almost started crying from the overwhelming beauty.

After a quick snack, half of our small group had to leave to buy a car. Everyone has their commitments, I suppose.

I stayed on the island with Carolin because we had paid $60 for the ticket, and we wanted to make the most of it. There was so much more to see:

Waiheke is full of vineyards, with almost every hill covered in vineyards and accompanying restaurants or cafes. You could even try three wines for $10, but none of us were really interested in wine.

So, instead, we went hiking and explored another bay. Along the way, we peeked into people's front yards and couldn't help but feel a bit envious. There are many exotic plants growing on Waiheke, such as aloe vera and palm trees, which give the island a Mediterranean feel. We even briefly chatted with a local islander and received a home-grown orange from him (oranges!).

But the day was coming to an end, and eventually, we had to return to Auckland. Unfortunately, we missed the ferry and had to wait for the next one because so many people were trying to leave the island. It was insane.

Back in Auckland, there wasn't much happening. We quickly grabbed some food and went to bed. After all, I wanted to wake up early on Sunday.

For the day, I had booked a tour to the west coast. It started at 8:15 am, and our guide was Dave. He was a super relaxed guy, and it was so much fun talking to him. On that day, I actually spoke the most English since being in New Zealand. Since 90% of the backpackers are German, you don't really get many opportunities otherwise, which is a shame.

On the bus, I also met Lily, a true Californian. Cool. We quickly struck up a conversation and ended up spending the rest of the day together.

Our first stop of the tour was at an information center for a national park, where we watched a video and received general information about the park.

Our second stop was more interesting - a waterfall nestled in New Zealand's forest. It was the first time I had seen real "wild" nature, and it was simply impressive and beautiful. This is what I came to New Zealand for, and now I was experiencing it. Amazing!

After that, we drove to another, HIGHER waterfall. Lucy even went swimming there! It was the "worst idea of her whole life," but I think she was somewhat proud of herself. I didn't have swimwear with me, otherwise, I might have jumped in too, even though it was very cold and windy. But at least it wasn't raining!

Next, we went to Piha, a tiny town on the coast and a surfer's paradise - partly because of the black sand. Embedded in the beach is the "Lions Rock," and with a bit of imagination, you can see a lion in the rock. Fun fact: the vertical rock by the Tatas is supposed to be an extended middle finger towards Sydney.

In Piha, we took a 1.5-hour walk to the highlights of the beach. We couldn't stop being amazed and taking photos. Along the way, Dave gave us useful insider tips or we talked about various topics.

Unfortunately, it was already time to return to Auckland, back to this... city. Oh well.

In the afternoon, I walked around the city with Lily. And then the day was already over. At least, the active part.

In the evening, I worked on applications, made plans, and worried. The usual stuff. For the past five days, I've been surviving on rice, beans in tomato sauce, and apples. Today, I even treated myself to pureed corn - it was the cheapest option after beans.

Now I'm really exhausted and just want to sleep.

So, greetings from me!

PS: I have now decided on a job, but I'll keep the suspense up ;)