31/05/2018 - Will everything work out?

Kia ora "Kaikoura"! We're back again. But this time for a very specific reason. In the past few weeks, we found various "Paua Shells" on the beach. According to research, importing them to Germany shouldn't be a major problem. However, we were always concerned about the remaining marine debris that is on the outside of the shells. What would the customs think of that? On the internet, we learned about a shop that grinds, polishes, and varnishes the shells. In the processed state, we shouldn't have any difficulties, right? After all, these shells are sold in exactly this way in many souvenir shops. The thought encouraged us more and more - we would love to take these special unique pieces with us, reminding us of the unique time in New Zealand. That's why we came back to Kaikoura. Because only here is the only shop in all of New Zealand that deals with self-found Paua Shells.
With two sample specimens, we visited the "Southern Paua - Factory Shop". We confronted the employee with our inquiry: Is it possible? How long does it take? Can all shells be processed? How much does it cost? We quickly received answers to all the questions. - As long as the shell doesn't have any bubbles or is too thin and therefore too porous for the grinding machine, there's nothing standing in the way of processing. (She demonstrated to us on a shell how small pieces can be broken off by hand. This would ultimately cause the Paua Shell to break under the grinder.) The entire refinement can take up to a week and costs $5/3€ per shell. With all the information, we returned to the car. Without saying a word, it quickly became clear that we wanted to commission our little treasures. So we packed all our finds and had them checked by the employee. Out of a total of 16 Paua Shells, 12 survived the examination, which we subsequently commissioned. We should plan for about a week for the procedure. The upcoming Friday (June 1, 2018) was agreed upon as the pick-up date.

While the shells are being ground, polished, and varnished, we bridged the newfound time in the library. Every day we worked on the blog and posted many new articles online. Sometimes we avoided the rain and played or did puzzles for a change.
To balance things out, we breathed in fresh air on a beach walk, took a little stroll through town, visited the market, or a lookout point with a view of Kaikoura.
At the moment, there wasn't much going on - we felt this especially at the campground. That's why we dedicated ourselves to laundry, without the usual struggle for a washing machine or dryer. Likewise, we indulged ourselves with delicious food during this time, as the refrigerator had plenty of space. Only a handful of campers besides us used the cooling option.

After the long period of traveling, it was nice to stay in one place for a "longer" time. For the most part, we enjoyed a quiet and relaxed time in the coastal town. Until the day came when we got in the car, turned the key, and ... nothing happened. Our car didn't start. Just like that. Out of the blue. We couldn't explain the situation. Was it the battery? Did the cold have something to do with it? Or was it something more serious? - After several unsuccessful attempts, we were at a loss. Fortunately, we are members of the AA (New Zealand's ADAC). We contacted them and ordered assistance; it could take 30 to 45 minutes. A timeframe that felt like an eternity for us. We imagined the worst possible scenarios. What if they have to tow the car? Or keep it in the workshop longer? Where do we sleep tonight? What do we do with all our belongings in the car? Nervously, we watched the traffic from the campground kitchen, hoping that every potential company vehicle could be it ... And then he came rushing around the corner and drove straight to Sam. (How did he know where our car was!?) He parked one spot away, unpacked his jump-start kit, and connected it. Tobi turned the key and the car started immediately! It didn't take a second. I could only shake my head. After all the paperwork was done, the employee advised us to drive around for 15 minutes. That's exactly what we did - we drove to a secluded part of Kaikoura that we hadn't been to before.
Having to call the AA was one thing. But our battery giving up exactly two days before the membership expired was another. Lucky us! The nearest office is several hours away by car. As soon as we find it, we will definitely renew our membership.

We believed that not much would happen within the week and that we could take a rest. As always, we were proven wrong. ;)
Tomorrow is the day - the commissioned Paua Shells, if everything worked out, are ready. The excitement is building. We are curious to see how they will look.