Last Weeks in NZ

Wellington

I have to say I was very happy to be back in the North Island. It was great to be in a familiar city again where I actually knew my way around and got to see some familiar faces again. I spent a lot of time at the harbor, reading my book and enjoying the city. One day I went to a comedy bar. That was really fun! I had seen some comedy shows the last time I was in Wellington, so I actually knew some of the comedians already. On my last night I went to an open mic poetry night. That was awesome, too. I ran into some people I already knew who I then hung out with. Wellington is one of my favorite cities of New Zealand, because there is just so much going on. Whether it's poetry, comedy, magic, theater or music. You can find something to do almost every day. It really feels like the city is alive.

Rotorua

My next stop was Rotorua. I have also been here again, but just for an afternoon. I really wanted to do a Maori experience, where you visit a village and learn about the culture. That's why I decided to come back.

That first evening I went to a restaurant and good a really good deal for a 3-course meal.

Usually I would not do that, but it was 30NZD (=20EUR). First course were some Risotto Balls, main course was Sirloin, prawns with a cheese sauce and desert were melted marshmallows with chocolate and berries in a woven sugar basket. After a lot of very basic backpacker meals that was simply amazing!

The next day I walked around the city, saw the lake, and went to the Polynesian Spa. That was very relaxing. They took water from some of the natural hot pools, which have a temperature of about 100°C (210°F). They cool that water down to about 40°C (104°F). The water contains a lot of good, natural chemicals which is supposed to be good for your skin.

The next day I relaxed at the hostel. On my last day I went on the Maori experience. That was incredible, and probably one of my favorite things I have done in New Zealand. We first went to a river where some Maori warriors came down the river in their canoe. Afterwards, we went to the hangi place and saw how hangi is made. Hangi is the traditional way Maori cook, which is in a hole under ground with steam. Next, we went and saw a show, where they showed some traditional dances, songs, chants, toys, and weapons. At the end they performed the famous haka. The haka is a dance that they perform in various circumstances, to make their enemies fear them, welcome visitors, show respect,... A common place where the haka can be seen nowadays is in sport games, like rugby. They perform one before every international game. Seeing it in real life was awesome. Next, we had a great buffet dinner that was all cooked in the traditional way, hangi. The evening concluded with us going back down to the river where they showed us some typical plants, like the silver fern. You could also see some glowworms at the riverside. It was a true privilege to be able to see and experience some of the beautiful Maori culture. Of course, that was all done for tourists, but it was all done by Maoris for tourists to be able to learn about their culture. I appreciated every single thing they shared with us.

Tauranga/Mt Maunganui

My last stop before Auckland was Tauranga, or to be exact, Mt Maunganui. This is the place I had lived in for two months during summer. It was great to be back! Coming back was like coming home. I know this place by heart, spent so much time there with so many different people, and worked. Some of the people from summer were still there, and others had returned as well. It felt like a big reunion. I went to the beach almost every day, and just enjoyed my time there. It was awesome. After one week, my time there was over, though. Saying goodbye was very hard. I was quite melancholic on my last day. This place will forever hold a very special place in my heart.

Auckland

Auckland was my last stop in New Zealand. This is the place where everything started, and ended. Before everything ended, I did have some very exciting days, first! On my second day in Auckland I took a tour to Hobbiton and the Waitomo Caves! Hobbiton was awesome! It truly looks like the movies. Luckily we had a sunny day, too, which only made everything look even better. During the tour we got to walk throughout all of Hobbiton and see every Hobbit hole. Sadly you can't actually go into one, but they're currently in the process of building one. At the end of the tour we got a complimentary drink at the Green Dragon. Afterwards we got a great buffet lunch. And yes, the hobbits know how to cook.

Our next stop were the Waitomo Caves. That was one thing I always told people I really look forward to doing in New Zealand. The cave is famous for its glowworms. The tour was nice. I learnt some new things about glowworms. The highlight was supposed to be a boat ride through the cave with the glowworms on the ceiling. Honestly, I was a but disappointed. The glowworms were cool, don't get me wrong. The thing is, though, that I had already seen some on two occasions. I thought we would actually be riding through some cave tunnels. Instead, we just went in a circle twice before we exited the cave. It was cool to see so many glowworms at once, but the whole experience is a bit overrated in my opoinion. It was still a great day, though, and I wouldn't want to miss it. Especially Hobbiton was very special.

On my second last day I met up with a Kiwi I had met at Milford Sound, on the South Island. She took me to the west coast to a black sand beach. I had never seen a black sand beach before. Afterwards we went to a 30m high waterfall. On our way back to Auckland we drove by some beaches. Usually those would have been a beautiful blue, but since it was a very rainy day, everything was gray. It was still nice to see, though. We ended the day with dinner at a Burger place.

The following day was my last day in New Zealand. It was crazy to think that it actually was my last day. It didn't feel like it. But at the same time I wasn't sad. I was very content to leave. I had done everything I wanted to and considering the circumstances I was happy to leave. I went to Devonport, to Cheltenham Beach. That was the very first beach in New Zealand I went to. I sat down and reflected on the lat few months. In one of my backpacker WhatsApp groups someone said that it was his last evening in NZ and he wanted to spend it with someone. So we met up and spent our last evening in NZ together. We had some dinner, and then got some alcoholic ginger beer and just talked. If you ever get the chance to try alcoholic giner beer, go for it! It's so good! Anyways. We had a good time together. It was a good last day.

The next morning I left for the airport quite early. I was excited for what was to come next. I had already said all my goodbyes in Tauranga, so I was ready to go.