The first 2 weeks (14.10. – 28.10.2012)

The start in Hamburg was not good. 40 kilos luggage, including the sport luggage, was allowed, I had 42.4 kilos. For the 2.4 extra kilos I have to pay € 150. The result was that one of my two windsurfing sails stayed in Germany.

Thanks to all who were at the airport. I was impressed and I’m sorry that we did not have more time together before I left.

The flight was very long. From Hamburg to Dubai took 6.15 hours and after a 4 hour stopover in Dubai, it was 18.45 hours to Auckland with a short stopover in Sydney.

When I arrived in Auckland, I was very tired.

Jo picked me up with her car. On the roof a kayak, on the rear rack a mountainbike. In Auckland we borrowed from friends a second kayak and a mountainbike and drove north.

 

 

The next 2 days we stayed in a lovely motel in Snells Beach.

 

We biked from Snells Beach to Scandrett Regional Park and the historic Scott Homestead. It was stressful, because the roads go constantly up and down, but we had beautiful lookouts and fantastic weather.

Then we drove up north, had a stopover in Sandspit and Matakana and drove to the Tawharanui Regional Park, where we stayed in a tent on a campground near the beach for the next 3 nights.

 

 

I was at this park half a year earlier for one night, see  http://www.axelweitweg.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/22022012-tawharanui-cape-rodney.html .

This park is very beautiful, with sandy beaches and nice walking tracks.

 

 

 

 

 

Friends of Jo from Auckland visited us and we biked near Matakana and kayaked at Leigh.

 

Every second day we had some rain and I missed my campervan. We decided to go back to Auckland for one night and then to drive to Coromandel.

 

Jo’s brother has a house in the bush North of Colville. The next and only neighbour is more than 500 m away, no phone and TV, but electricity from a solar panel and generator and hot water. A perfect place for relaxing. Here we stayed for 3 nights and enjoyed the nature.

 

One of these days we did a bush walk and missed the right track. So for hours we were on a climbing tour in a jungle and we used our compasses in the I-phone and camera to find the right direction!

 
Before we drove to the Bay of Plenty, we visited Port Jackson at the top of the Coromandel Peninsula. To reach this small town, you have to drive many km on gravel roads. In this area, there are some nice campgrounds.

 
In Tauranga, we picked up a Windsurfboard, which I bought from Germany on Trade Me, that is the Ebay of New Zealand. I’m now the owner of a F2 Axxis 254 Wave. Then we visited friends of Jo in Papamoa Beach. They have a house directly on the beach with amazing views on the water.

 

We walked up Mount Maunganui. On the top we had beautiful lookouts.

 

The day after, we drove along the coast to Whakatane, Ohope (see http://www.axelweitweg.blogspot.co.nz/2012_03_11_archive.html )and Opotiki and had a bike ride on the Pakihi Track, a part of the Motu-Trail. It was mostly easy riding, because we did the downhill part.

 

Afterwards, we started the long drive back via Rotorua, Taupo, Turangi, Taihape to Waikanae Beach.

On the way we had a view of Mount Ruapehu.

A police car stopped us, because the bike and bikerack on the back of the car obscured the number plate and the backlights. After a warning without a fine we arrived at the beachhouse that night.

Next day I hoist the flag of Kiel.

We visited the brother of Jo, who lived some houses along the beach and had a bikeride in Waikanae.

Sunday, the 28.10., we drove to Wellington.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intro

Diesen Blog werde ich überwiegend in Englisch führen, was mehrere Gründe hat:

1. Der Blog kann von mehr Personen gelesen werden, auch von der australischen Verwandtschaft.
2. Die meisten Deutschen sprechen deutlich besser englisch als ich, so dass es kein Problem sein wird, zu verstehen, was ich schreibe.
3. Für mich ist es eine Möglichkeit, mein englisch zu verbessern.

Ab und an werde ich sicherlich ins Deutsche verfallen und meine englischen Ergüsse werden hoffentlich meistens redigiert, bevor sie hier erscheinen.

Auf Kommentare und Verbesserungen freue ich mich.

So sieht es aus, wenn ich an diesem Blog schreibe:

 

Abschied

Mit dieser Neuseelandreise heißt es wieder Abschied nehmen.
Nicht nur von Freunden und Verwandten, auch von meinem geliebten Fuhrpark.
So richtig trennen konnte ich mich bisher aber nicht von meinen Fahrzeugen, lediglich meinen 1988 erworbenen und bis 1995 gefahrenen Passat GLI, Bj. 1979, habe ich schweren Herzens veräußert. Nach dem Verkauf ist mir dieses Auto noch mehrmals in meinen Träumen erschienen.
Damit ist auch ein lange vorgenommenes Projekt gescheitert und ein Lebensabschnitt endgültig beendet.

Alles andere wird wieder untergestellt oder ist gleich eingemottet geblieben, wie das Golf 1 Cabrio.
Gerne hätte ich einen VW Bus mit nach Neuseeland genommen, aber der Transport von ca. 5.000 Euro, der dortige Linksverkehr und die Vorschriften der Einführung in Neuseeland machen das Vorhaben unwirtschaftlich.
So bleibt der Fuhrpark in Deutschland.