#sweet home week 7 – 13

The best home one could wish for. During our time at Kiwi International Hotel, we lived with two Chinese, Nick and Qun, and two Czechs, Adela and David, who also worked with us at Kiwi Hotel. While we were quite shy towards each other in the first few days, an unforgettable time followed in the small house owned by the Chinese. Our Chinese friends finally know what alcohol tastes like. The beginning was difficult, but Nick and Qun soon got into the swing of things and were not afraid to ask for beer and Bacardi. Countless picnics in the park, BBQs on the beach, and nice, liquid evenings made our stay at Nick's and Qun's house an unforgettable time. We were also allowed to celebrate Christmas with our cool flatmates.

To give you a brief description of Nick and Qun as well as Adela and David (as flatmates), I will provide you with a short personal description:

Nick

Nick is 25 and a very shy and correct guy. If it weren't for the evil alcohol, the reserved boy would become quite talkative  Nick is very helpful and tidy. Everything has its designated place in the house. Changing plans at short notice is not an option for Nick. Nevertheless, Bibi and I quickly took him to our hearts. When playing Uno, he really opened up and eagerly awaited the opportunity to catch us out.  Playing Uno with Nick and Qun is definitely fun. Thank you for an unforgettable time with you.

Qun

The also shy 26-year-old is very cosmopolitan and always ready for anything. Her spontaneity doesn't shy away from trying new things. Nick and Qun almost seem like an "old" married couple. The fresh breeze brought by Adela, David, Bibi, and me made the two of them very happy. Qun always had the upper hand when playing Uno. She was really cute when she had a little alcohol. Her cheeks always turned red  We also thank you, dear Qun, for the time with you that we wouldn't want to miss.

Adela & David

The lively Czech girl lovingly prepared breakfast for her beloved every morning. Adela and David always agree on cooking. It has to be good. And it was every time. The culinary skills of the two will probably be remembered forever. And so will the jokes and witty remarks :D

December 24th: The Christmas Dinner:

Chinese dumplings

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Czech liver dumpling soup

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Baked fish with bread crumbs or cornflakes

Austrian potato salad

Czech potato salad

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Vanilla crescents

Cornflakes kisses

Raffaello balls

Day trips

During our time at Kiwi International Hotel, we also had days off. And they were always very productive.

Day off number one:

After a long nap and a sufficient breakfast, we wanted to explore Muriwai Beach today. So we packed a nice picnic and headed west. When we arrived, a horrible smell greeted our noses. What on earth was that? We walked through bushland to a fantastic beach. And this beach was covered with seagulls that settled there evenly. Ah, now we also knew who stank here  Bibi and I held our noses and enjoyed the indescribable view. The sun reflected on the sea, making it glitter, while giant waves crashed against the coastal walls. Just when I was about to take the perfect photo, I was hit by a wave. But who cares... we're not made of sugar.  We chilled at the edge of the coast, watching the wonderful waves shooting up against the coastal wall, and enjoyed every ray of sunshine on our skin. A perfect off-day that definitely paid off. 

Day off number two:

We took the ferry to the island "Rangitoto" at 10 o'clock. Rangitoto is the youngest volcanic island in New Zealand. Before hopping on the ferry, we grabbed sandwiches for a nice picnic on the island. We enjoyed fantastic weather that day. It was really hot. When we arrived on the island, we had to orient ourselves and decide which walkway we wanted to take. "Of course, to the summit," Bibi exclaimed excitedly. Said and done. We climbed the hard, jagged, and black volcanic rock. We sweated like crazy. Climbing up the volcano wasn't easy. Almost at the goal, we had to conquer a few more steps. And there it was. The amazing view. We could see all the way to Auckland. The open sea was stunningly beautiful. The sun shone on the dark volcanic rock, which made it feel even hotter. On the way back, we took a detour through a volcanic cave. It was a huge crack in the volcanic rock. With great caution and a headlamp, you could climb through it. Since we didn't have one with us, we slowly felt our way forward in the dark crack until we finally reached the daylight on the other side. Done  On the way down to the ferry, we walked fairly quickly. Unfortunately, we had to wait for our ferry in the blazing UV sun for almost an hour. Now we just had to catch the right bus, which also worked without any problems this time. At Nick and Quni's place, we had dinner and went to bed quite early that day.

Day off number Three:

Our second day off took us to the Tree Adventures Park. Our tree climbing tour was supposed to start at one o'clock. As I'm not the best climber, I was twice as excited about what awaited us. The beginning was difficult, especially since it started to rain. The carabiners and I didn't become friends right away. So we climbed trees through ladders and climbing walls, balanced on various ropes, suspension bridges, and wooden blocks, swung like Tarzan with ropes to the other end, and then cruised quite confidently with the Flying Fox back to solid ground. At the beginning, I secured myself with a carabiner and suddenly couldn't get loose. I pulled and turned in all directions. After 10 minutes, I gave up and had to ask for help from the staff. Oops  The most difficult part, with a slight stomach ache, was conquering the 14-meter-high course. The feeling when we completed it was even cooler. Unfortunately, there was no more time to try out the mountain bike park. So we postponed that to our next day off  At the end of the day, we treated ourselves to Fish n' Chips and a really good burger as well as Ginger Beer at a nice little restaurant. The day couldn't have gone better 

Day off number four:

Finally, the day had come. I was eagerly waiting to show Bibi how cool it is to bike through the forest. We set off after breakfast in great spirits and drove back to the aforementioned Tree Adventures Park, rented bikes and helmets, and pedaled up the mountain. The heat was almost unbearable, and we were sweating like crazy. The trails were very diverse. One moment, we were riding through dusty, sandy hills, and the next through the forest. It was also very different compared to Austrian trails, as the trails went continuously up and down, and there was hardly any time for a break. But breaks are overrated anyway. Bibi and I really liked one trail, and Bibi was completely ecstatic afterwards. Unfortunately, I expected too much from it, and the bike park didn't completely satisfy me. Oh well. It was still a great day with Bibi 

Day off number five:

Our 5th day off was a bit different. It was shortly before Christmas and before the Christmas party at work. That meant: SHOPPING, SHOPPING, SHOPPING :D Outfits, gifts, Christmas dinner, and so on  So we set off early enough to do our Christmas shopping. We went to Westgate, where there was a huge shopping center. We had to start in the first shop we saw. It was a knick-knacks shop. Here, we found colorful, kitschy $2 Christmas tree ornaments. We immediately had the idea of using Nick and Quni's little green plant for a different purpose to have at least a bit of Christmas feeling. We were completely beside ourselves and were as happy as little children to have a "Christmas tree" after all. We shopped Christmas glasses, Christmas gifts for our flatmates, and of course, the perfect Christmas outfit. In the late afternoon, we relaxed in a park, ate a fantastic Kumara-Carrot salad from Pak n' Save, and had a chocolate muffin with buttercream. We let the sun shine on our bellies and enjoyed our independence. We were both really looking forward to the Christmas party and Christmas with our flatmates  Now our baking session awaited us. We wanted to bake vanilla crescents and cornflakes kisses for our favorite flatmates. We were so excited. Since not all the necessary ingredients were available in New Zealand, we had to improvise. Instead of vanilla sugar, we added vanilla extract and rolled the crescents in vanilla pudding powder and powdered sugar. Nevertheless, the crescents turned out to be a true delight for our flatmates  we did it, and we were really proud of ourselves that our crescents turned out so well. Since we had way too many cookies, we even brought a tin to work. And poof... they were gone within five minutes 