The Kiwi

Talking about the Kiwi, you must be precise. The word Kiwi has several meanings: the local New Zealander, a bird which can't fly and the fruit. Well, on our Kiwi tour we had a closer look at the fruit. The Kiwi is a Chinese mulberry which has been further developed by the New Zealanders to grow bigger and to last longer. And now they are making a fortune out of it. A whole region is making a living out of Kiwi orchids. Yummie.

The earth is alive in Rotorua

Rotorua is in the middle of volcanic activities in New Zealand. The odor of spurting geysers, steaming hot springs and exploding mud pools can be smelled well ahead of the city. For the next couple of rainy days we visit all these smelly places. But what do you do if it continues raining? "Woman" starts to bake a Zopf (typical Swiss bread) and a rhubarb-pie while "man" will say he shared some work to do it ;-)

"El Coche" was the best!

The weather is just beautiful when we arrive in Auckland. The sun is out and it's beautiful warm. Heavenly. In-between we get some camping equipment. We also dosome sight-seeing. Instead of having a fully functional fridge, we have to get accustomed to an ice-chest. Now we only need some cheap chairs and a few kitchen utensils and we're ready to leave. But first, we're looking forward to see some friends. Urs and Susanne from Switzerland are spending their vacation in New Zealand. By coincident, they arrive in Auckland the following day. While having dinner together, we enjoy to chat and to get us updated on the latest news from back home.

We miss our "El Coche" from the very first day. It was neat having a little home in our hand-luggage. After having trouble with our rental car already on the 3rd day, we definitely know that "El Coche" was the best. After a short stroll on the beach, our Subaru doesn't even think about starting again. However, the good thing about New Zealand are the short distances. Within a quarter of an hour an AA mechanic was on the spot to jumpstart our rental. We follow him to his garage where the battery is being replaced. Well, it could have been worse.

In the north of New Zealand some 2000 year old Kauri trees still can be found. These trees are huge. Unfortunately, most of the old Kauris have been logged in the past and only a few have been saved. The Bay of Islands can be found in the north east of New Zealand. Numerous islands can be seen from the mainland and it would be just beautiful to explore the area on a boat. Unfortunately, the nice weather has left us quite a while ago. Furthermore, there is even a storm coming up from Auckland, where it has damaged several hundred houses. Well, then we go for the bad weather program. We visit the Treaty House in Waitangi, where Maoris and the "white people" founded the New Zealand of today.

New Zealand also has beautiful beaches

And we move on through the Coromandel peninsula The roads in New Zealand are winding up and down all the time. Having arrived on top of a hill we enjoy the amazing scenery from up here, idyllic bays and tiny little islands in a clear blue sea. Back down again the beautiful beaches and the crystal clear water invite to take a dip. But the water is just too cold for us. Brrrrr... On top of one hill we meet a local, who is also enjoying the view. After chatting for hours he invites us for coffee. Unfortunately, we travel in the opposite direction. Who knows, probably at another time?

Adventure No. 1

New Zealand is the ultimate Outdoor country. After having done some interesting walks on the ground we're seeking an adventure up in the trees. More then 10 meters above ground we feel like Tarzan and swing through the air. Well, probably not as dynamic and a bit slower, but at least as enthusiastic. For more then 4 hours we crawl and balance over and through different parcours. At the beginning I had thought it was all about agility and being brave. However, at the end I can feel each bone in my body. But it was so cool ;-)

Adventure No. 2

Still feeling like Tarzan, we're already looking for the next thrill. The only difficulty part is to pick the right one from all the options: Bungy-Jumping, White-Water Rafting or Sledging, Skydiving, Rock-Climbing, Jet Boating, etc. However, Reto fell in love with Zorbing. Unfortunately, it's not suitable for people with neck problems. Therefore, I'm only a spectator while Reto is having fun in the Zorb ball. And it seems like a lot of fun ;-)