Not quite ...

... all pictures from New Zealand were online before - but now they are (start with pic 181). Hong Kong pics are in preparation while enjoying "backpacking deluxe" with another Business Class flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.*like*

PS: Ever seen a giraffe chase after zebras? no? Here you go.

Nachtelfirokesen (engl. night elf with a mohawk)

A short note upfront: this is one of the rare occasions where the German word is smoother than the English. We will stick with German.

"Nachtelfirokesen" are probably know to everybody who plays WOW (World of Warcraft). So was I told. I also was told they originally were thought to be an invention by some smart marketing guy to help promote the game by the help of Mr. T.

All bull***, we met one on Piha Beach in Auckland ;-)

The new 17 pics (Start with pic 164) were the last pictures of New Zealand - Good-bye southern hemisphere. We are already in Hong Kong, busy with hotel-room-window-sightseeing and sleeping as Philipp doesn't feel very well (either the Sushi or the Nashis ...). So we rest until the "Po Chai Pills"  (I cannot believe there is a Wiki-page for them) do their work.

@Mums, don't worry, he is already feeling better! And yes, I make sure, he drinks a lot ;-)

Finally ... big picture post

163 pictures were uploaded today. So brew a coffee, put on some music and enjoy a journey from the South to the North Island with us. Our last route description finished in Dunedin and on Dec 11. Let's get started:

1. Dec 12 - We start off with the steepest road in the world in Dunedin and then drive up the coast to the Moeraki Boulders. These "pearls" are formed below the surface and then washed out until they get stuck on the beach. We enjoy a hidden DOC campsite with a pet wild pig, a self-build dam and a geocoin in surprising dimensions.
2. Dec 13 - The day of the bush! From the DOC campsite there is a track towards some limestone rocks. After a loooooooooong breakfast (Thank God no check-out at 10). The climb is beautiful, even challenging, and the views are amazing. We decide to not return the same way but keep on walking looking for a track to go home ... 5h later we are back, exhausted, tired and so happy that apart from some heavy scratches all over our bodies we did not suffer from anything else, while crouching through dense "furze" forest and knee-deep swamp. But, anyhow, we saw wild horses ... and sheeps (of course).
3. Dec 14 - We meet Aoraki / Mt. Cook. After a few morning clouds it is a beautiful hiking day with crystal-blue water (glacier flour!). Only the Nazi-campsite and the snow at night weren't actually part of the "ideal holiday-day" plan.
4. Dec 15 - Again Aoraki / Mt. Cook, this time from the air, on a tiny helicopter. Amazing, breathtaking views and clear-blue sky with only some clouds. We did a snow landing and also flew over Fox Glacier. Well worth its money!
   A big part of the night we spend driving - and hoping - to catch the ferry to the North Island the next day (Dec 16; Dec 17 we drive up north to do the Tongariro Crossing).
5. Dec 18 - A 5:50 am alarm clock. Nuts! At 7:30 we are on track, walking/climbing the Tongariro Crossing - what a unique adventure ,-) But the blue is convincing. We enjoy two nights at the perfectly organized Whakapapa DOC campground - incl. UMTS *yeah*! It seems like all Germans (speak "I am fffrommm Tschöarmaniiiieeeee") have retreated to New Zealand by now ... they are simply everywhere here.
   
6. Dec 19 - We continue north to Lake Taupo and come across floating beaches, curious swans and warm rivers. 360 degrees Jet Boat spins sound a lot more dramatic than they actually are, but squeezing through canyons with 40 degrees hot waterfalls is actually fun. And I am so thankful to Philipp that he actually did not mention that there were waterspiders running around where I had my nose ... The treat of the day is the Lake Taupo Top 10 Holiday Park - best facilities ever, close to hot springs. A must-stay! And it didn't even rain. Lesson-learned: Being a camper does not mean you cannot turn on the x-mas lights!
   
7. Dec 20 - belongs to the hot and boiling elements. Volcanic valley, bubbling mud pools, fuming busses and sparkling camper-x-mas-trees fill the day.
8. Dec 21 - The Pueroa Forest contains some left overs, some 50 others 2,000 years old. The Deer Jaw-Inbox is another reason why hunting is not on my fun-thing-to-do-list. Groce!
9. Dec 22 - 100m down, water, rocks, crawling, climbing, swimming, jumping, screaming, eating. This is our Waitomo Epic Cavetour experience in a few words.
10. Dec 23 to Dec 26 - Our campingtour is over. We say good-bye to Pippilotta after we "checked-in" with our lovely couchsurfing host in Auckland. 4 nights in Auckland, no driving, sunshine (finally!) and good food are waiting for us! We visit sparkling Franklin Street and celebrate x-mas with a bunch of couchsurfers from around the world. Santa was here. But not only he, also Markus flew in from Guzbach to make sure we keep up the BBQ-spirit.
    

Wow, by now it is 3am in the morning and the SD card already holds about 100 new pictures from our day out at the famous Karekare and Piha Beach. But for now I am going to say "Good night!".

All pics from this post can be found in the new picture album on facebook.

Merry x-mas, happy holidays, a happy New Year and all the best!

We wish you a wonderful time with your family & friends, enjoy a few quiet days off and don't freeze to much where it is cold and where it has snow. We are thinking of you (while we party BBQ at the beach)!!!

Are you afraid of heights?

Just a quick note: We will do this tomorrow. No, I haven't done absailing before, why? And yes, I am usually the one who freezes her a*** off (pardon my french) below 25 degrees. Sounds like a straight forward "fun" holiday activity, doesn't it?

Philipp does absailing every year but this little tower is a 30-m-piece of cake compared to the 100m into a pitch black cave that is waiting for me tomorrow.

Well, travelling is about stretching your boundaries, right? Hope to be back online the day after tomorrow ;-)

South Island trip notes

Yes, we are still here. I mean, there.
Since leaving Australia we did not update you with where we went. Here we go:

1. From Sydney, we flew to Christchurch. But not only there. Also to Winter. To rain. To cold. To a sleeping room with no windows at all (Christchurch YHA) and no smile on the face of the reception staff. So far, all a little bit depressing ... And to rain. Did I already mentioned it rained? And it was cold? Very cold? Winter?
2. We picked up Pippilotta @ Escape Rentals and drove off to Akaroa. On beautiful Banks Peninsula we met the sun (Thank God!) for a few hours and enjoyed one of the Top10 holiday parks with a splendid view.
3. Dec 2 greeted us with rain again so we decided to go to a Spa. Unfortunately Spa in this country means "hot pool outside with no roof and no heating". So instead of being warmed up we froze even more. Especially because the Hanmer Springs Holiday Park did not feature any heating whatsoevèr. How do the Kiwis do this when it is really winter? With snow? Also weird, the Sauna at the Spa was time restricted - 30 mins slots. How am I supposed to "do Sauna" in 30 mins??? Still all a bit depressing.
4. Our way to the West Coast was then a turn towards the better. Our first DOC campsite was cheap ($10), clean and a paradise. The sun turned up and we enjoyed a lazy afternoon and a beautiful evening walk through the rainforest.
5. Unfortunately that should change again the next day, with Franz Josef keeping it grey, as well as the Fox Glaciers. But we did enjoy the great Holiday Park.
6. We didn't see the sun again until further south on "one of the most beautiful roads of the world" (at least according to Lonely Planet) ... well, the weather was better ;-) Really amazing were again the DOC campsites we stayed the following two nights. And the fact that "Nikolaus" showed up ;-)
7. The Conyon Swing in Queenstown is already covered by an earlier blog-post. And the area really looks like "Lord of the Rings"-country, yes.
   
8. In Te Anau we were back to the usual grey and wet and really appreciated underfloor heated facilities at another nice holiday park. Well, let's say you enjoy the small stuff after 1 week of continous rain. Btw: Have you ever seen aerial hunters?
9. Luckily the weather worked according to the weather report and finally on Dec 10 we saw the sun again. Perfectly in time for our trip to Milford Sound. Breathtaking landscape, an 25 metre deep aquarium and another beautiful DOC campsite. Snow, santas, Keas and some close-up flowers.
10. Leaving the Westcoast (and the sand-flies - we admit murder in about 1,000 times) towards the east coast solved one major question: How does the milk come into the coffee? Here is the answer for Cappuchino and the answer for Espresso Macchiato.
11. Further north in Dunedin we were back to rain which made space for a visit to the movies (Where the wild things are) and the Otago Peninsula Aquarium before heading north towards the Moeraki Boulders.

As always - there are a lot more pictures online than tagged in the text. Just browse though the album. Enjoy.

If you're my mum ...

... don't, really don't and I mean that, click on this link.


p.s.: I'm writing this post so this means I'm alive :o) and Martina is too

Quickie

This blog entry is going to be a quick one for a few reasons:

1. My laptop clock says 13:33, which means it is 1:30 am in the morning where I am currently sitting.
2. Wireless and Internet (it seems like) just recently arrived here in New Zealand and is a) not very much available and b) hideously expensive.
3. There is so much to tell what happened over the last few days that we rather do it in pictures.
4. I am freezing (did I say that already?). It is summer. In New Zealand. We have about 5 degrees at night.

Check out the the new pics in the picture album - there you can find our (partly crazy and scary) story of the past few days. And to all who do: please be careful where you couchsurf! But on the other hand - no holiday without adventure, right ;-) ?!


To Lee: I know you have said it all along ;-). We are allright, the police did a great job.

The best of far away

... is sometimes home. 6 weeks Australia lie behind us. Enough time to get a glimpse of a (very big) country. This is what we liked - and what we realized is (sometimes a lot) better at home.

The best-of-the-best:

1. Free flying cockatoos over wide landscapes - these birds are simply not designed for cages. Everybody who puts them in a cage should be put there him/herself.
2. Sunrise at Whitsunday Islands after a night out at sea.
3. Stars. Everywhere. And so different!
   
4. Electric BBQs at most rest areas and  public parks - have your fresh, self-made lunch on the beach or in the middle of a just wonderful National Park. Cheap, easy, tasty.
5. To cuddle Koalas, Kangaroos and Wallabies
   
6. Service orientation of officals - ever tried to ask for restaurant tips in a German police station? Well, Good-luck!
7. Sushi rolls. Simple, easy, huge and tasty.
8. Sleeping in a tent while Wombats and Koalas have their fun outside (earplugs appreciated as they can make a hell of a noise).
9. Orange M&Ms and crumpets with Nutella (although the Woolworth Chocolate Spread actually tastes more like Nutella than Nutella itself over here)
   
10. The beaches, the weather and the sun. But this is why we came here, right?!
    

 Where home was missed

1. Leberwurst, Kalbsfleischwurst & thin bacon slices that actually can be wrapped around a date (the fruit, not your next-door-neighbour- although, each to his own!)
2. Public transportation systems - try to find out which bus brings you where in Sydney (no iPhone at hand!), when it is supposed to leave and where the bus you are currently riding will stop ...
3. Road kills being removed before they skeletonize
4. Being able to sleep in your own bed, in your own appartement with your own kitchen and stuff. Very much sometimes (especially when the place you stay at has pets called cockroaches or spiders in all scary sizes).
5. Shoe variety. I still cannot belive I survived the past 10 weeks with only 4 pairs of shoes. Only 8 to go ...

Well, so much for the big continent with its red heart. We have moved on and were shocked to learn that it has less than 15 degrees here in Christchurch, New Zealand. Currently 8 degrees. We also opened a new picture album - stay tuned!

Would you take all! of! your! clothes! off! for 1 day of rental car for free?

Obviously Wicked Campers is convinced that this is a great discount opportunity and ask their customers to pick up the vans "as god created them" to get 1 day for free. Customers 60 and older get the day for free anyway - they rather should keep their clothes on. I am sure this is not very compliant with age discrimination, but anyway ...

(quote from the homepage)
The Naked Special
Due to popular demand the Naked Special is back!  If you are renting a van for 14 days or more, and you pickup your van NAKED we will give you your first day rental free. Don't believe us? View our Naked customers here (if you're over 60, leave your clothes on and we'll also give you a free day!).

"Unfortunately" the photo link does not work anymore today - it still did yesterday. And I can assure you, it seems like a lot of customers actually thought this is a great discount opportunity ...

I honestly don't know - we chose an Escape camper - dilemma solved ;-)
Maybe we even get one in green ...

the good side of a cold

We are known for often squeezing 48 hours into 24 mostly between Frankfurt, Munich, Walchsee, Zurich and sometimes even Seoul for a night - and if snow needs to be involved also adding 1500 km on the Autobahn on a single weekend. Sometimes this pace just doesn't work well - either with schedules, friends or health. This time my health put a stop to packing boxes, renovating my appartement, meeting friends, dogsit Ronja, clarify admin stuff and worry about Philipp falling off a mountain at the same time. A cold now cleared my calendar for the one thing I wanted to do for the past ... hmm, six months. Reading travel guides. I am getting more excited about our trip with every page I read. Travel tips are very, very, very welcome and much appreciated! Thank you.

There are great places to visit out there - I already found Dieter's favourite and Heike's (No, Heike, you should not click this Link!!!).

Speaking of a cold: This is the right moment for my (meanwhile second) favourite YouTube-Video - bless you!

The Land of Stuff

She -actually me- is currently packing up her stuff in Munich. This means taking everything you own into your hand and decide whether to keep it, to sell it, to give or simply throw it away.

Giving away works great - as soon as you post stuff for free on any ads platform it is gone. People take everything. As soon as it costs only as much as 5 EUR ... nobody calls. Is that the financial crisis or a simple form of self-perception? Maybe it is just smart ...

To throw away is also easy: Didn't touch it in 6 months? Don't think it is worth a picture and an ad? Gone.
With 1 and 2 a lot of stuff is covered.

To keep is the hardest part: Why on earth would I want to keep all my seminar papers of 5 years of university + one from school? And why wouldn't I? They are all the "originals" with real notes and real grades (in ink) on them. Will never EVER use them again but will never EVER give them away either. And there we go ... "This pair of shoes I wore when Bryan Adams kissed me (real kiss!) at a concert (true!) [I actually had a hard time giving away the shirt last summer when we cleaned out the house I grew up in. What do you think, would it have been worth keeping??? ;-)) ] ... that picture I don't have electronically, this dish was a gift of (you name any person), this book I always wanted to read again" ...

Living on the 5th floor (no elevator) actually helps not to collect too much things. Nevertheless I need more than 50 boxes to pack my (just me) 1 room appartment. Still, after 17 moves, nbr. 18 on its way to be completed. This is way too much stuff. But I promise, for every one of them I have a very good reason to keep it.

Our travel will teach me a lesson there. 5 months and all I (think I) will need I have to carry every day. 15kg max. I have no idea how this will be possible. When we are back in FRA next Wednesday packing starts. It scares me already now. I keep you posted.

If DHL delivers to the Fijis?

Btw: Stuff is everywhere - even on the other side of the world. There "stuff" even wins awards - regularly. Also a lesson somehow.