Hallo Auckland

The camper is gone. My home from the last few weeks is no longer there. The handover was short and painless and he was gone.

Luckily, I had already left my luggage at the hotel before dropping it off. So I didn't have to drive it back across town. Driving back wasn't that easy anyway. The public network doesn't seem to be that well developed here. It takes just under 2 hours to get back from the camper rental company by public transport and the next bus stop is not around the corner. But right after me, two more women dropped off their camper and the three of us shared a taxi into the city. Within 40 minutes I was back in the middle of it.

Auckland is big, full of high-rises and somehow reminds me of Sydney. The streets are full of people and cars. There's a lot going on here. I'm not used to that anymore. The last few weeks I've been traveling in smaller places and even Wellington, as the capital, isn't that huge.

Since I'm there early, the exploration tour can begin straight away. Walk straight through the streets in the city center.

In the middle of the city, next to the town hall is Aotea Square. There's a lot going on here. There are various food stalls and music. It's an Africa festival. A few streets away, in a smaller square, the Chinese are celebrating a festival with food and music. There's something going on everywhere here.

I now know that taking public transport in Auckland is super complicated. You have to buy a chip card and top it up. However, the card cannot be returned and the money once on it stays on it...

So I do the tourist circuit with the hop on hop off buses. This also takes you halfway through the city.

My first stop takes me to Mount Eden. Once at the top you have a great view over the city

I'm on top of a mountain, but I'm looking straight into a crater in the middle. Mount Eden was once a volcano. After it was extinguished, there was a pa on it and now the tourists run up for the great view with the crater and city panorama.

2 Stop is Sealife. Unfortunately I don't have enough time here. Because the last bus is leaving soon, earlier than expected. So whiz through Sealife. See penguins, sharks, large and small rays, turtles, fish and a tuatara. And get back to the bus quickly, otherwise I have to walk to the city center (1.5 hours).

In the evening, in bed, I suddenly hear a very strange, long signal. What is that? Oh yes, one of the large cruise ships sounded the ship's horn in the harbor. It sets off and the journey continues. The journey no longer continues for me. I still have almost the whole day tomorrow. I don't have to go to the airport until the evening. Then the journey is over. It's always amazing how long you wait for something in advance and when it's there, time flies... The 4.5 months have flown by...