Western USA

Hallo,

Rainer and me spent the last 4 weeks traveling around the western part of USA, visiting many National Parks and doing a lot of miles with our camper van.

The landscape was amazing and incredible vast. We enjoyed it very much. Although we often wished we had had more time to spend, doing some trekking or other.
We visited Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco, which you will recognise in the pictures.

Our time in the US comes to an end and soon we will be home again.
We are sending you regards from the "currently not so sunny" Californian coast. :-)

Regards, Renate

Cast away on the Cook Islands

Hallo,

I know I have you waiting for a long time for the "Cook Island Blog Entry" :-)
I am sorry. But now here we are:

I have visited three different islands of the Cook Islands: Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Atiu. There are several more, but even more difficult to reach and even more remote. So I settled for these three.
Each islands was totally different from the other. One thing they had in common though, was the abundance of churches and mosquitos!
Rarotonga was a "metropolis" compared to Atiu. Moving from Rarotonga to Aitutaki to Atiu brought you in a slower and slower pace every time. When they told me on Rarotonga, that on "Aitutaki" everything is going to be "slow"....I already wondered ..but then on "Aitutaki" they told me that on "Atiu" everything will be "slow"...I could not believe my ears....how should this be possible, as on Aitutaki everything was already incredibly "relaxed and slow"... but it was definitely possible to have everything even slower. :-)
Returning from Atiu to Rarotonga for my flight to US, I was shocked by the number of people and cars! ;) I was really afraid of continuing to US...me being in that state of "relaxation" :-)

All islands had their own charm and were very beautiful, although I liked Atiu the most.. it was the quietest, most rugged and wildest of the islands. We were 3 tourists on the island when I was there and they told me that they never get more than 10 tourists at any point in time at the same time on the island :-)... very cool!

I have uploaded some pictures for you!

I am now in the US and have another 3 weeks to go... but then my trip will come to an end as well :-(
I hope you are well and am sending you my regards!
Renate

Diving in Fiji

Hallo,

I am back from the diving boat! And it was great!
Fiji is a very beautiful country, consisting of hundreds of islands and I am very sad that I cannot spend more days here exploring the islands, highlands and villages.

Fijian people are the most friendly, welcoming, smiling and heart warming people I have ever met. So it is a real pleasure to meet them and spend time with them. They gather together, play music and sing nearly every night...just because they love to. And they have a "national" drink which is called "kava", which they drink every night. It has no alcohol ;) and serves as THE socialising part. And they love it if you join and take part.
I enjoyed their company very much and I will surely come back spending more time on Fiji and with the people. Made a lot of friends here already :-)

Diving was great as well! A lot of colours, corals, huge schools of fish and an incredible number of amazing animals. So much to see!
The sea was pretty rough most of the time, so diving was not easy...but every dive was more than worth it!

I am happy to present you with some amazing pictures, also underwater, which, thankfully, my fellow divers provided me with, as I have no underwater camera!
Please enjoy! :-)

Tomorrow is my last day here and I will continue to Rarotonga(Cook Islands) on the 23rd of April.
I hope you are all well and am sending you warm regards and hugs!

Renate

Leaving New Zealand

Hallo,

These are my last days in New Zealand. I will leave New Zealand on the 9th of April, continuing to Fiji. I will be on the diving boat for 10 days hopefully doing a lot of dives in warm, clear water and sunshine.

So saying "Good Bye" to New Zealand, what could my summary look like...?

New Zealand has:

• a very vast as well as beautiful landscape
• a lot of well maintained but also over-promoted tourist attractions
• too many tourists during the season
• a weirdly, restricted attitude to alcohol
• overpriced accomodation
• decent white wine
• a very impressing coastal scenery
• very expensive restaurants and food
• an unpolluted and carefully protected environment

New Zealand does not have:

• interesting food
• cheap and good kiwi fruits in the market :-) (though one might expect otherwise)
• a lot of public transportation
• a reliable weather forcast
• good red wine
• stable weather conditions
• any interesting culture to indulge, other than the culture of the Maori, which is not very visible and hard to find
• historical buildings in the european sense :-)

New Zealand on the one hand captures you with its natural beauty, vastness and emptiness, but on the other side challanges you with other things as e.g. very expensive food, limited public transport and limited accomodation or harsh weather conditions.
I personally think that New Zealnd was not the easiest place to travel, at least as a backpacker over a longer period of time. At times, this was more challanging than travelling throughout Asia.
I take with me many stories to tell, though.

I am sending you my regards!
I wish you that spring arrives soon and that you are all well!
Take care! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Renate

Tongariro - or my trip to another planet

Hallo,

I have done a treck in the Tongariro National Park, the "Tongariro Northern Circuit", which is 3 long days trekking in an incredible, otherworldly environment and landscape.

I think I was lucky with the weather this time, but it ranged from pure sunshine to rain, clouds, fog, storm etc... I had to change clothes and adapt pretty often :-) All in all, it felt like stepping in and out of a different world and even planet. Walking this treck alone, I sometimes had the feeling that there was no other human being left on the planet except me... and the rocks and mountains, especially if there was thick fog.
I enjoyed it very much, though is was a long walk.

I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Sending you all a hug!

Renate

Christchurch - Ghostcity

Hallo,

I have left the South Island after visiting Christchurch. Actually I didn't want to put an extra post for Christchurch. But it was such an interesting and weird experience, that I decided to do one post for Christchurch only. The sight of the city Christchurch is the strangest sight I have ever seen in a city in a rich country. Christchurch had to suffer two very strong earthquakes (one in 2010 and one in 2011) which left the city crumbled into a heap. There is really literally nearly nothing left still. There are nearly no buildings, empty slots big as football fields (where the leftovers of the buildings have been removed, but rebuilding has not started yet) and still buildings which have been untouched since the earthquakes. Nearly no houses, no shops, no restaurants, no...nothing... They have set up a few containers with shops and cafés but that's it. No companies, no business, no traffic, no traffic jams, no busses, no pedestrians...except tourists and a few ones working for those container-cafés or container-shops....and construction workers, working on the new building sites trying hard to rebuild the city somehow.
But Christchurch is now/still dormant or maybe "comatose" ??? :(

It was a strange feeling and the whole city had an indescribable eary athmosphere.

Talking to locals, they always freely started to talk about the earthquakes and their thoughts. Their stories and thoughts were really interesting... of how they live now, whats going on, what they plan to do etc. At least they really seem to make the best of it.
I have never been so "close" to an earthquakes aftermath as here.

The visit was worthwile, because of exactly this experience. You really can see and feel and understand what such an earthquake does to a city and a people.
It was incredibly impressing, maybe depressing, if not the locals were such a friendly, optimistic bunch. Made me contemplative and thoughtful!

Have a look at the pictures!

Regards, Renate

Nelson & Marlborough

Hallo,

After I finally managed to leave the west coast (roads were blocked due to slips and fooding :-O! ) I found myself  "on the sunny side" again, visiting the north coast of the south island.

 I did everything "one" has to do :-)
- some walking in the Abel Tasman National Park,
- visited the Cape Farewell (the northermost point of the south island) and
- did a boat tour and a walk in the Malborough Sounds.

Tenting was an option again as the sun was shining and I am now accustomed to sleeping using not more space than the 50-60 cm of my sleeping mat :) Finally managed also turning within this space. ;)
And as autumn is starting over here, I started to wear my thermal underwear during my nights in the tent... it is getting real cold sometimes.

These are my last days on the south island...I will continue to Christchurch and then go over to the North Island again.

Hope to hear from you!
If you want to see pictures... here you go.

Best regards, Renate

WestCoast...the rainy part which dares you to keep up your good mood...

Hallo

After crossing over to the westcoast I was greeted by ...rain! and it kept following me day and night. From drizzle to rain to heavy rain and back... :-(
And it is really hard to keep up your good mood, when you try to do "outdoor things" and "enjoy nature"... when nature blesses you with so much rain!

I tried to "dar la vuelta a la tortilla" ;) ...and tried to see the "depressive part" of the west coast as the one I am interested in...not the "sunny part"...

Having said that I let my pictures speak for themselve.
Decide for yourself how I experienced the west coast....

:-)

Regards, Renate

Mt. Cook and Central Passes

Hallo,

Everybody who says Mt. Cook is "just another mountain"... is right but also wrong.

I was so extremely lucky with the weather and when there is blue sky the mountain is situated magnificently and looms impressively over the whole beautiful valley. So it is a mountain...albeit a very beautiful one in an awesome scenery.

After that the weather detoriated and got worse and worse. So my driving over Arthurs Pass was during heavy rain and - thus I am sure - lost a lot of its beauty.

have fun with the pictures...

Regards, Renate

Can you fall off the southernmost point of New Zealand?

Hallo,

the answer is..... naja... probably yes, but you would only be hurt, not dead :-) Although the wind and cliffs would finish you off, once in the water ;-)

I visited the southernmost point of the South Island of New Zealand. It was cold, rainy, windy and rough.
Most of my visit of the south Coast I was not so lucky with the weather...but I tried to mollify myself with the thought that storm and rain is probaly more authentic than sunshine. Probably most of the year it is like this. So I think I got the "real south coast" feeling. :-)

I am now on my way to the center of the South Island again...hopefully to get a glimpse of "Mount Cook" & Co.

I hope you are fine! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best regards, Renate

Still good weather....

Hallo,

Here I am to report my days in Te Anau, Wanaka, Mount Aspiring National Park and Milford Sound.

I had good luck with the weather. A fact that is paramount for the mountains and milford sound. I spent my birthday in the Mount Aspiring National Park, eating chocolate and admiring glaciers.

After that I again was lucky with blue sky when visiting Milford Sound. An incredible valley leading to the the impressive Sound.

But what I am wondering is... are there any people left in Germany at the moment? Because I think half of the german population is now here ein New Zealand. Wherever you go and turn.. you only hear german. Or Chinese for that matter...the chinese posing the other 50% of the tourists here...

By the way...meanwhile I think I am addicted to Cider and Muffins.

Still annoying is the accomodation situation.. everywhere you turn, all rooms and beds are booked. So it is pretty hard to get a bed each night. I wonder when will be the first night I have to spend in the car.... :-( So enjoy your bed every night :-)

If you want to look at some pictures: Mount Aspiring NP, Milford Sound.

Regards, Renate

Getting serious with trekking...

Hallo,

in the last days I started to do the trekking I was talking about :-). I was so very lucky with the weather I still cannot believe it. But I am sure there will be different times as well. :-)

I flew into Queenstown and had nice weather right away. So I immediately started with the "Ben Lomond" Trek and then the Routburn Trek. On both I was joined by many others...very popular treks. The scenary was great. Although I found myself comparing the mountains with the alps. Maybe the valleys are a bit larger here and less populated...but you could find similar views also in the alps at home. The big difference though is: here you cannot find any huts with "Radler" or "Speckbrot". You have to carry everything for yourself. :-)

I had to buy new mountain boots as my old ones desintegrated in Australia already, before my trekking even started :-( And now I have a lot of blisters on my feet, as feared. Thus I am forced to take a short "medical recovery break" before I can start again. But the weather is supposed to be rainy the next 2-3 days anyway :-)

I have uploaded a few pictures from my first two treks.

I am sending you my regards! :-)

Renate

Can you fall off the northern tip ????

The anser is....yes! :-)

You defenitely can fall off the most northern tip of New Zealand. It is a steep cliff :-)

But it is awesome and wonderful, wild and incredible beautiful!

We were lucky with the weather this time, driving north to the most northern point of New Zealand. The sun was "with us" :-)

And it made the scenery wonderful!

We also visited "90 mile beach" although we could neither check if it really is 90 miles long nor dared to drive on it, having the local advice "Whatever you do...don't drive on the 90 mile sand beach" in one ear and the warning sings before our eyes. So we chickened out ... considering the camper van we were driving. :-) 

From the one german guy who said he would dare to... we never heard of again ;-). But we also did not exchange any conctact details...so we'll never know :-)

Sandboarding on the "Big Sand Dunes" gave Rainers camera the rest and reduced it to "something-scratchy-all-over" :-) But we have some nice videos :-)

These were, unfortunately, the last days for Rainer and he had to leave today to go back home. :-(

I will continue to the South Island tomorrow and hope for good weather.

As usual....here some pictures for you!:-)

Take care!

Bye!

Renate

Coromandel Peninsula

Hallo,

after our rainy days we finally found more sun on the Coromandel Peninsula.
We enjoyed the sun and the dry weather and visited a lot of beaches and spectacular landscape.
We even had bright blue days in the mountains for some day tracks.
The "pinnacles" were a real highlight of our time on the Coromandel.

Also here for you the pictures to endulge :)....

Best regards! :-)
Renate & Rainer

Caught in the rain on the Central North Island

Hallo!

During our first weeks here together in New Zealand (Rainer arrived for his holidays :-) ) we went south on the North Island to  visit the central plateau. Unfortunately we got caught more than less in a bad weather front and had very much rain and cloudy days.

When looking at the tourist "must do" here on the central North Island we would like to create our own "must do" list instead:

• drive the most scenic road when it is cloudy and rainy
• stop at THE amazing, spectacular lookout in heavy rain with no view
• get lost in the "forgotten valley" being the only tourist in the damp and rainy campground
• look at postcards of what "you are supposed to see here in good weather"
• reserve a much sought-afer bed in the huts for the Tongariro Circuit Treck only to not do it, because of the severe weather warnings
• walking tracks in your bathing suit because you know you will get totally wet anyway
• frequently drink coffee indoors escaping rain
• ask people at the info center for the weather forecast (although you already know it) only to hear them say "rainy and cloudy" crushing your last hope
• drink a bottle of wine every day or at least some cider and/or beer to cheer up :-)
• keep your good  mood at any point in time ;-) 

So instead of the standard "must do" we adhered to our own "must do" list :) But we wanted to go "off the beaten track" anyway ;) Who wants to do standard tourist things ;)

Have a look at the pictures to take part. :-)

Best regards, Renate

Paihia - Bay of Islands

Hallo!

weather Update: More sunny days than rain :-) Yeah!!!
The last days I spent in Paihia, Bay of Islands. That is on the east coast of the Northern Island and the bay has hundreds of small and bigger islands.

-> All islands are bright green (when sunny :-) ) and green when cloudy :-),
-> the water is crystal blue and turquoise when it's sunny and dark blue when cloudy :-)
-> it is really warm and hot when sunny and rather cool when cloudy

But however the weather, it is marvellous! Really very beautiful. Walking on the islands is amazing, enjoying the view over all those bays and beaches and islands! The town itself is small but charming and has some nice seaside bars.

I found a very nice hostel and got to know many very nice people from all over the world! It was really fun drinking some wine together in the evening or having breakfast with whoever was around! Was great!

I went diving one day and found out that the waters are really cold in NZ... on 20m in the water it was "freezing" 18°C :-O.
One day sailing through the islands was warmer :-), but we unfortunately did see no dolphins, which were supposed to be around.
Walking the trek to the "waterfalls" was nice until I noticed, arriving at the "waterfalls" after hours of walking, that there is a big parking lot and many tourists were posing for photos... hmmm. you could drive there with a car! ..so no romantic small, lonely, hidden waterfall in the middle of the forest... ;-) But the walk was nice anyway. :-)

The Bay of Islands was great!

Take a look at the pictures, although they are only a glimpse on what there was to see!

I hope you are all well! Take care! Thinking of you!
Regards to all of you!!

Renate

Auckland

Hallo to all of you!

I have landed in Auckland a few days ago. And I was overwhelmed by how "green" the city as well as the whole surroundings are. But on the other hand it was immediately raining, and out of 4 days here in New Zealand I had two days (50%) of rain... but I guess that's the price you pay for all that lush green :-)

Auckland is a very nice city. I liked it very much. It is green and friendly, many cafes and bars, restaurants and parks to sit.
On Sunday there was the "IronMan Auckland", which was rather a spectacle.

I enjoyed the city very much! It is great!

I am sending you some pictures!

Hope you are fine and I am thinking of you! Take care!

Best regards, Renate

Coral Coast and Shark Bay, Dryandra and Rockingham

Hallo,

The last week I was snorkelling with sharks and mantas, was lying in the sun getting roasted, drove many kilometers and was fascinated by the landscape.

Did you know that there are so many different forms of "Nothing":

Sand with rocks
Sand without rocks
Sand with bushes
Red Sand
White Sand
Sand with Grass and dead trees
Grass and bushes
Gras and Grass Trees
Bushes and rocks
...

Everywhere when you drive up north, there are hundreds of kilometers where there is not a living soul, no house, no gas station, no...nothing...
That's where you don't want to have a breakdown.

It was really very hot the last days (up to 45-48°C) and the wind felt like a hot hair blow dryer held agains your face.

But one thing you at least could rely on was, the sun will be there next morning. I had two days where there were a few clouds up in the sky, but they were gone by 9am..no chance against the sun.

Approaching Perth again, the bushes got bigger and greener, till there finally turned to trees again and the rivers sometimes actually were filled with some water again.

I visited Dryandra Woodlands and enjoyed looking at those cute little native marsupials, which are nearly extinct now in Australia :-).
Unfortunately they are active only during the night, so the pictures are not good, but at least a glimpse.
In Rockingham - Penguin Island I spotted some "little penguins" :-).

I am back in Perth now and returned the car. On the 16th I will fly to Auckland.

Here are the pictures for Coral Bay, Shark Bay, Coral Coast!

Sending you regards, and I hope you are all well!

Renate