The isolation caught me

16th of May 2017
Rarotonga, Cook Islands

After I have spent four amazing Raglan days with my wonderful and bubbly friends, I wasn't sure how I'm feeling about being alone on the Cook Islands. I knew there's no WiFi - what I'll kind of enjoy.

I rented a room over Airbnb and was excited to get the Island shown by a local. Unfortunately she got stuck in NZ for some medical treatment. I was picked up by her neighbours. Peter waited for me at the exit of the airport with a necklace made of flowers. Whilest I waited for my luggage, an old man, wearing a flower printed shirt and a hat covered with flowers, was playing guitar and singin a song in Maori. Later on I read that he've sung to almost every visitor arriving here for the last 35 years.

When Peter brought me to my new home, he explained to me, that Chrissy probably won't make it back before I leave. I'm having a house for myself and should make myself at home.

Exhausted of half sleeping at the airport the last night, I only unpacked my backpack and went for a little walk. To that point I wasn't really taken a back by Rarotonga. The beach close to my house was rocky and was greeted immediately by the shallow, not as green or blue as I expected, water. So there was actually no beach. Tired and hungry I went back to the house. I cooked some pasta, felt asleep when it was still bright outside and woke up eventually. I forgot to set my date and time when I arrived so I had no idea when I actually left the house on the next day.

Before I went to town I did a stopover at Peters and Marks house. "The hot water and the stove isn't working" I told Mark. "And..." I paused, not sure if I should tell him, "...there's a lizard in the living room". "You're in the tropics, sweety." was his simple answer. Fair enough! They're actually quite cute, though it's weird to live with them.

I rented a bike and drove almost 16km (half war of the Island). At the end I treated myself with a coconut cocktail. So far I didn't find a paradise beach. Sweating and exhausted again I came back to the house.

Appropriate to my current life I started reading "Wild - A Journey From Lost To Found". Way too early I felt asleep again and slept for 13 hours. It was cloudy and windy but warm when I woke up. I read a bit, completed my New Zealand maps and did my laundry. I went to the market and bought some fresh, cheap, local fruits.

When I brought back my bike and saw two people my age working in the bikeshop, I decided I had enough of the isolated life (yeah, I could bear it for 2 days). I need people around me. I started a simple conversation and got invited for some drinks with them after work. Tom picked me up with his scooter and showed me - finally - some really nice beaches. He dropped me off at th brewery where I met Steele, the girl who's working at the bike shop again. Chatty as I am, I got along well with her friends and partner. After an hour we made plans to hike on the weekend. Moreover her partner Jerry offered me to go snorkling with him. Awesome!

Once again I just can recommend to travel alone, be open minded, walk with open eyes and became friends with locals.

When Steele dropped me off at home she told me how excited she is to show me the Island. So am I!

We fell in Love
Right by the Ocean
Made all our Plans
Down in the Sand

Besides I learned that a lizard in Maori is called Moko. On that note pō pai - good night

Choose happy!

2nd April 2017
Oamaru

#butfirstcoffee

Already April - I can't believe it. Time flies by...

I took the chance in Whangamata and earned some money. During the daytimes I worked in the Barista Cafe and in the Palms Tavern the night shifts. It was a lot of fun working with all these locals together!
Thank you all for this experience and for accepting me so fast and for that short period as a complete team member!

Marie and the Maori Crew

 

Coffee Lovers

Certainly I spent my last days on the north island in Raglan.

I catched my first green wave in my new wetsuit, had heaps of good laughs and too much coffee at the Raglan Roast.



Imagine this
Another world
Another place where magic exists
- Be A Kid - Twin Atlantic

Back in Christchurch I slept for two days before I wanted to make my way down the east coast for picking up my car in Orepuki. Just a look on workaway.com and I found the lovely couple Helen and Mark from Oamaru. Famous for the blue penguin colony I wanted to make a stopover anyway.

xmas feelings, xmas hoodie!

Winter sneaked in and we spend good days in front of the fire, baking, feeding the goats, chooping wood or just reading a book. With a local friend I'm going to Queenstown and Wanaka for a weekend road trip.


Afterwards I'll live a couple days with Helens son, he's a barista and is keen to teach me the basics. I appreciate all these little things I got teach and can learn during travelling so much. I make my own necklaces, can play two songs on a ukulele, baking my own grain bread and soon I might be able to brew coffee.
And in-between I improve my surfing skills every week.

Choose ↠ Happy

A week of craziness

25th February 2017
Whangamata

I don't know how I can describe the last few days. It happened incredible much of crazy, funny things I would've never dreamed about.

Instead of driving up the east coast after leaving the Menpes family, which I lived with for a month, I just booked a flight from Christchurch to Auckland. Particularly to catch up with David again, a guy from Dresden I met on Stewart Island. Because he is leaving New Zealand today and I wanted to see the Coromandel in summer anyway, we met each other in Whangamata.

I hitchhiked all the way from Auckland and he from Taupo. Without any plans and only a tent with us we started our journey.

Hitchhiking deluxe

I arrived a few hours earlier than David. It were 28 degrees and for the first time since Raglan I liked a place immediately. After I spent too much money in new shorts, the shop owner told me about a rock festival end of March. I just decided that I wanna stay and work in Whangamata and probably intentionally missing my flight back to the south island in two weeks. I popped in a few cafes and restaurants and got some contact details. During waiting for Davids arrival I met a guy at the beach, who offers us to build our tent in his garden for the night. Sweet as!

On the next day we drove to Hahei and walked to the beautiful Cathedral Code. The waves were massive but it was absolutely worth it to jump into the water. Afterwards we got a ride to the Purangi Winery, where I wanted to go anyway. We had a jug of cider and a delicious pizza and in exchange we could sleep on their camp ground for free. For sure one of my best days in New Zealand so far. On the next day we hitchhiked to the unknown Otama Beach. To swing at an empty beach on a hot summer day makes the day even more perfect.

Cathedral Cove

Otama Beach

On our way to Coromandel Town Seff, a benevolent family father, took us with him and offered us after only two sentences to overnight in his caravan. No tent building today, yay!

The way up north we went with Maurizio. He is depending on his wheelchair for 20 years. This year he fulfilled his dream and travels through Australia and New Zealand by himself. It was a pleasure to met this strong, spirited characater, who showed me again that you can do anything and that there are no excuses for not to travel.

Fletcher Bay with David and Maurizio

When we came back to Coromandel Town we got a ride with a man from Germany, who moved with his five kids and his wife from spain to New Zealand a few years ago. It's absolutely crazy, how many different people and stories I've met and heard already during my time here in Oceania.

We slept the night in a garden of an old couple in Thames and I had to decide if I wanna go to Raglan and join Daivd on his way to Auckland or if I should go back to Whangamata. I rang Andy, he gave us a ride out of town when we were in Whangamata a week ago, for asking if I could tent in his garden. And then the unbelievable happened: He told me he's not at home for the night but we're welcome to stay at his place. He told me where I can find the keys, gave me the wifi password and offered me to usw the washing mashine and the kayaks. We only spent five minutes with each other! Anyway...Because David got super jealous we hitchhiked a last time together and made David the greatest last day in New Zealand with kayaking to Hauturu Island.

Kayak professionals

A huge thanks to David for that amazing week!