Moke Lake, West Coast and Abel Tasman

Alright kids, my last week has begun and I thought this would be a good time for a blog post. After Amy and I finished our work in the cherry field, we drove on to Queenstown. There, we both got a helix piercing and spent the afternoon exploring Queenstown. After that, we drove a little further to a super beautiful and hidden campground in Moke Lake Reserve. There were hardly any people and the lake was surrounded by a stunning mountain landscape. At night, we enjoyed the starry sky (which is a thousand times more beautiful here in New Zealand than anywhere in the world, because you can actually see the Milky Way?!) and in the morning, we got up early to watch the sunrise. It was definitely worth it. Then we had breakfast together and unfortunately had to say goodbye. Amy continued towards Milford Sound and Dunedin, and my journey took me further along the West Coast.

Already on the way to the West Coast, the weather quickly turned, which means it rained non-stop for five days and after two days, practically all roads were closed due to flooding. I was lucky because I quickly drove up the entire West Coast towards Golden Bay, but Amy got stuck in between. At the West Coast, I didn't do much, I briefly stopped at the Blue Pools - unbelievably blue and freezing glacier water - and took a quick dip. I also made a brief stop at the Pancake Rocks, but there were too many tourists to stay there for long. So, I quickly moved on to Golden Bay.

Once I arrived there, it finally stopped raining. I had originally planned to stay here for only two days, but unfortunately, I had a small car accident at the campground, which stole one day from me. So, I didn't see much, but what I did see was breathtaking! Beautiful golden sandy beaches with turquoise water and 30 degrees - what more could you want? In Abel Tasman National Park, I did two small hikes, both of which led through a lot of rainforest (by the way, it was incredibly loud here due to some animals. I don't know what it was, but it sounded like crickets).

After that, I continued on to Christchurch for a little family reunion. By now, I know everyone in the Forrester clan and I have more or less been adopted :D Carl (Nigel's son) participated in a triathlon - Coast to Coast - from the West Coast to the East Coast. We cheered him on enthusiastically and afterwards celebrated his achievement (a bit too much). I spent the last few days with family and friends, and now I am in Cheviot, the hometown where everyone lives. Here, we visited Gore Bay and some super beautiful local spots.

I think this will be the last post from New Zealand for now, there won't be much happening in the next few days. I have to go back to the North Island and return the car, then I will spend three more days in Auckland before flying to Australia.

Take care, see ya!