Coastal ride
The northwest coast of the South Island is stunningly beautiful. It was an easy drive and I advanced fast. At first the landscape was surprisingly dry. Hills with yellow gras fields, all dry and mowed down by the countless sheep… only a couple of trees or smaller forests. Then: wine country. Vineries galore and endless […] Read More
Cook Strait
This morning I boarded the ferry to the south Island. 3h10 for the passage from Wellington to Picton, passing through the Cook Strait and Marlborough Sounds with its islands and waterways. The coast line in this northernmost part of the South Island is outright ridiculous, and reminds you of a fractal, in its endless repetitions. […] Read More
Art, wind & politics
Art, wind and politics would sum it up for me. Wellington is a nice town, the setting on the harbor is amazing…. the town itself reminds me of Seattle or Portland in the US… same style of houses, the street art, the slightly artsy, alternative feel. On Friday I went up to the Botanical Garden […] Read More
Shaky grounds
My neighborhood is called Mount Victoria, after the highest peak in the city. I wanted to hike up there to get that famed 360 degree view over the city and the harbor, luckily a bus line went half way up – the rest of it was tough enough. On top, I was reward with a […] Read More
Auckland budget
New Zealand money is pretty similar to the Australian dollar. Maybe it comes from both being made of polymere… same feel. The 10$ note depicts Kate Sheppard, suffragette, who won her country over to give women the vote already in 1893. Those Kiwis are progressive. Speaking of which, of course the Kiwi is on the […] Read More
Heading South
I woke up to a great sky and decided I’ll hit the road early, no detours… choosing the fastest track, an easy-to-navigate highway. The cliché that there are more sheep in New Zealand than people is surely true. I stopped counting… Farmland, forests and hills make up most of the scenery. Sheep, cows and bulls! […] Read More
Heaven and Hell
I slept like a baby after the evening in the Polynesian Spa, ready to start the day in Rotorua… But somehow, I was undecided what to see, the thermal pods in the park, the Lake, the Māori site with the Geysir… I walked a bit along the lake and through those sulfur and steam vents… but […] Read More
Thermal
It was a long day in the car. I underestimated the time it would all take, even if I only drove about 225 kilometers. Most of it was on tiny, windy beach-mountain-beach roads that took forever. I also did not factor in how much time I would actually like to spend in various spots, so […] Read More
Super/Natural
Night came early. It was pitch black at 9 o’clock. I went to the beach and had an amazing experience: The full moon high in the sky above the Pacific Ocean. So bright I cast a clear shadow. The animal sounds. The deserted beach at night. The sea looking like silver and black at the same time. […] Read More
Coromandel Peninsula
I got my car at 10 in the morning, then packed up my stuff, got a coffee for the way and my repaired bag, and ran into Clint and a friend. Final hugs, and off I go. My first stop tonight is Hot Water Beach, however I took quite a detour via the Coromandel Peninsula. Separated by […] Read More