12th month: New Zealand!

March 12th: Welcome to Kiwi Land 🇳🇿

The time is there. Australia, you were absolutelu stunning! I’ll Miss you so much! With Tears in my eyes I left OZ today. Can’t wait to be back already. But it’s time for a new adventure. New Zealand, here I come! After a bit of drama at Sydney airport because it was closed between 11 PM and 4 AM and loosing one of my running shoes, it still worked out fine. Got my shoe back! Yay! At 9 I could finally check in and I was starving as I didn’t really have dinner because I was flying from the afternoon till the night and then the airport was closed. So I ate something before my next flight already. At 11 AM we could finally board. When we departed I started crying. I couldn’t help it. Australia felt like my home. I didn’t want to leave this place yet. And yes, I can always go back, but I have other plans at the moment… At 5 PM local time, I arrived in Auckland. Thought I could go straight through the security but damn, this queue was endless…. After waiting for my luggage and security check, I could finally take the bus to our stay for tonight. I’m gonna travel from north to South Island with a German girl named Lin. She’s 21 and we met through a Facebook group for New Zealand and we’re in contact for a few months already. It was so nice to finally meet her! She seems so lovely! We are both very excited to finally start traveling tomorrow!!

March 13th: Roadtrip Day 1!

Yaaasss!!! Finally our roadtrip is about to get started!!! I woke up early and went for a run to explore Auckland a bit. Found a little hill and watched the sunrise and then I ran back to take a quick shower. We wanted to take the bus to the airport to pick up our car, but we missed it, ao we booked an Uber to be there in time. Ready to pick up our minivan! Or… maybe not… After checking in at the office they told us to have a seat and wait a few minutes so they could check everything for the car. Well, 2 hours later we still didn’t have our minivan? Are you kidding me? We paid for today as well… Pick up was at 9, and we finally hit the road at 11:30… Great! Whereas lucky rentals should be a good company… Then we drove 1,5 hour to our first stop which were the Kitekite falls, and then the last 30 mins the road was closed… great!!! Oh well, great start, but we still made the best out of it… We decided to go straight to the Whangarei falls instead and they were gorgeous! on the way there we drove to the Waipu caves which was a glow worm caves but then for free. It was soooo pretty! Crazy these worms light up in the dark! After that it was time to find our first free camp. Lots of campgrounds are only self-contained unfortunately which we are not, but we still found one. Here I called a friend from the Netherlands for a bit and then we went to sleep.

March 14th: Day 2- Amazing views & sandboarding!

What a day! I woke up early and went for a run and on the way back I called my parents for a few minutes. The connection was pretty bad unfortunately but they could still hear me a bit. Then I came back and Mailin was also awake. Time to hit the road cause we have a pretty busy planning for today! Our first stop was St. Paul’s Rock. This was a bit of a climb but damn absolutely worth it! Sooooo pretty! After that we drove to Cape Reinga which is the furthest north point of New Zealand. Here was a lighthouse as well and the view was cool! I met another Dutch girl there and we asked if she wanted to go sandboarding with us. We drove to the Giant Sand dunes and rented a sand board here. It’s more like a boogie board so we had to go of the dunes on our belly. It was so much fun but I was the only one who failed this a bit and had sand everywhere.. damn… I put my bathing suit on and rolled in the River but this didn’t really help unfortunately… It was also killing for your legs to walk up the dunes all the time. I did it 3 times but damn! That’s enough! Lin and I then decided to look for a free camp again but there wasn’t much around here. We passed a picnic area and a man was sitting here outside his campervan. We asked him if camping was allowed and according to him it should be fine as there was no sign. So we parked here as well. We cooked some pasta and then went to sleep.

March 15th: Day 3- What a day!😵‍💫

What started with a great day at the Hokianga Harbour to Rawena, ended in a well… Jees what a day! We felt like everything that could go wrong did… We have been on the road from 7:30 AM till 9:30 PM! Pfff! We enjoyed the ferry ride and the Tane Mahuta at Kauri Forrest and the Pohuehue waterfall, but that was about it… Cause when we drove back to Auckland we had to fill our water tank, get fuel, do groceries and we wanted to shower. Well, where should I start? We bought an aux-cable to connect our phone to the radio for music, but as the car is older, that didn’t work with the radio or only a few seconds. Then we drove to the fuel station but the line was insane as that was the cheapest one here. After 40 mins we finally got fuel. We couldn’t find a water tap as the ones shown on Wikicamps were to hard to get by car. Then we did our groceries but couldn’t find any parking at first. And after that we went to the public showers but they didn’t have a door! Nice! And kat but not least we had to drive to our campground and we didn’t know there were two with the same name in a completely different location so we had to drive na hour extra after we figured this out.. Pff let’s just go to sleep. Tomorrow’s a new day!

March 16th: Day 4-Coromandel😻

Today was a bit less busy! Lin decided that she wanted to try to join me for a morning run today. So I adjusted to her pace. After 4km she wanted to walk back. I ran 1 more k so I would have 10 in total. And did a little workout once I got back to the campground. We got changed and ready for the day and then we drove to the Hunua falls. Very pretty! We did the little loop walk and then we drove to Coromandel. This is a popular holiday destination for Kiwi’s and has cool free camps as well. But we mainly wanted to see the Cathedral cove here. Unfortunately this also got hit by the cyclone which is why the hike has been closed for a while. The only way to get there was by boat and when we saw the water taxi sign we saw the owner and he came to us. We saw it was $40 and when he told us the ride would be 30 mins in total we thought that was pretty expensive. When he was about to leave he saw us doubting and came to us and whispered we could get on for $20 each. So of course e did that! So nice! He said this was the last chance for a few days as the weather would be too bad the next few days. The cove was very pretty! Of course one crazy Dutchi had to try the water and jumped of the boat! 😂🤦🏼‍♀️ The man told everyone that we were pretty lucky as the beach here would normally be full with people all the time, but now there’s no one allowed there. So perfect for a picture. After this nice boat ride we drove to Mount Paku cause I really wanted to run up and check the view quick while Lin waited in the car. The view was very nice! We are camping in Karangaheke Gorge tonight and it looks so pretty! Can’t wait to go running here in the morning!

March 17th: Day 5-Rotorua & Taupõ

Today I went for a run at the gorge but also here was a lot of damage after 2 km already. I still saw the Ruins of the mine here which was pretty cool. But probably the trail got damaged because of the cyclone as well. So I ran the other direction and had to go along the highway to cross the bridge. Here I found a beautiful trail. So I finished my 10 km again and did a little workout on the way back near a bench. When I got back Lin was also awake and we got ready for the day. We drove to Rotorua to check out the Mãori village and geothermal parks here. We used the restrooms and saw we could walk through the little village and at the end we realized it was a paid attraction… Woops… But why can you enter from the restrooms then? Weird? Then we went to Kuirau Park and this was literally breathtaking! The geysers and geothermal pools are insane but smell soooo disgusting!🤢 After this we drove to Te Puia but unfortunately this big geothermal park with the famous geyser was $80… whereas we just saw it for free 2 km further? So we decided to skip this park and drive to an aquatic center to have a hot shower for only $3! Best shower ever! Yay! Fresh and fruity we drove to Taupõ and made a stop on the way at the Huka falls. Absolutely stunning! Then we drove to the Mc Donald’s for wifi and because the one in Taupõ had an airplane! So funny! Later we drove to the campground for tonight and made tacos for dinner! Yum!🌮

March 18th: Day 6-First BIG hike in NZ!😍

YAAASSS! Finally our first big hike in New Zealand! WOWWW! What an adventure! We did already a few shorter hikes of max 8 km but this, this was different piece of cake! This, this was the real New Zealand! I woke up early but decided not to go running as we were planning on doing a longer hike at Tongariro National park. This is a national park with mountains and volcanoes and beautiful views over the Emerald lakes. It took a bit until we figured out which hike we wanted to do but we ended up with choosing the Tongariro Crossing. A 19.4 km hike along a waterfall and between two mountains. It was de perfect hiking day! The sun was out, it wasn’t cold, there was a little breeze and we were super excited! We had a pretty good pace and reached the Taranaki falls pretty fast. The second stop was at the lower lake tama. Here we had a little lunch break and then was the big climb to the upper lake tama. What a view from there! Insane! we took some pictures, an apple and a sip of water and then it was a pain in the ass to go back down… It was so slippery with these tiny rocks. It was more like sliding down.. But we made it! We did this 6,5-8 hour hike out and back in 4 h and 50 mins! Proud of us!! Great we both have long legs and are pretty active. After this we checked out the Waihaikau Falls and then we drove to the west of the North Island and watched the sunset at the Three Sisters & Elephant rock. So pretty! Now we’re sleeping in New Playmouth. Tomorrow time for another hike on my birthday! Excited!🤩

March 19th: Day 7- Feeling 22!🥳

Yay! What’s better than a birthday on top of a mountain?! This morning I went for a run and stopped at the Maccie for calling my parents who wanted to wish me a happy birthday. Later Lin drove here with the car and she surprised me with a very cute breakfast and ‘happy birtdhay’ balloons. So sweet!! Really didn’t expect anything like that but it was so nice and we ate this at the ocean! After this we drove to Mount Taranaki. It seemed a great day until we got there and everything was covered with clouds… But it wasn’t raining, so we still wanted to do a hike. As yesterday was a big one, we decided to do an 8 km hike today. We went about half way to the top and followed the track from there to the visitor center. It was a nice loop. We ate soup and a filled cheese/garlic focaccia. After this we were looking for a shower, but my kiwi friend Sarah, (who I met at the farmhouse daycare in Mansfield) said we could shower at her house as we were planning on visiting her tonight. So nice! We drove to her town called Whanganui. So nice to see her again after 8 months! Her and her boyfriend moved here not that long ago and met in Mansfield as well! We had a nice warm shower, did our washing and they ordered Indian food. Soooooo yummy! And coincidentally, that’s also one of my favorite dishes! It was delish!! They even bought ice cream and a birthday cake for me with a candle. So cute! I’m very thankful for this little birthday! We decided to park in their drive way and sleep here for the night so we didn’t have to find a campground again.

March 20th: Day 8- Relax day! 😮‍💨

Today was finally a little relax kinda day! I went for a run along the River in Whanganui this morning which was pretty. After that I enjoyed my last warm shower probably for the next few days. And then it was time to say goodbye to my friend Sarah. So thankful for her and happy to see her for a bit! Our clothes were washed but we needed to find a dryer as they didn’t have it and they were still wet even though we hang them outside overnight. We drove to Palmerston but unfortunately there wasn’t much there. After driving around a while we finally found something. Pretty silly you need to pay for a card first and then pay for drying… We did some errands and then drove to a campground about an hour away from Wellington. It wasn’t really my day today. I think because I just missed my family and not being able to celebrate my birthday with them and my friends. We cooked some pasta with veggies and sorted out our clean laundry and cleaned the car a bit. Later we watched a little part of a comedy movie and then we went to sleep.

March 21st: Day 9-Rain turned into sunshine!🌞

Today we woke up in the middle of the rain. Great! We tried to put our backpacks in the back from inside and then drove in the direction of Wellington. We stopped at a parkingspot at Macca’s for wifi and then the rain was completely turned into sunshine. It was a beautiful day. After looking for a while we found a nice hike at Belmont Regional park. We did a 15,7 km hike here and we absolutely loved it! From rainforests, to mountains and stairs and rocks. Everything along this trail! We crossed many little rivers! So what started with a bad rainy day, turned into a beautiful one! After that we needed a rest and ate a sandwich and then we went to a campground. Our last campground for the north island. Excited to go to the South Island tomorrow night!🤩

March 22nd: Day 10- Wellington

Today it was pretty chilly in the morning but I still wanted to get out to go for a run. Many hills here! But it was so pretty along the ocean! It took me a little longer this time but I still did 10 k and did a little workout after this. We had breakfast and then decided to drive to Wellington. After looking for parking for 40 mins we finally found a spot and walked around the city for about 2 hours. Then we did some groceries and got fuel for the South Island. We also got our front tires pumped up so we are ready to go down south! Tonight our ferry leaves at 8:30 towards Piction where we will arrive around 12 AM. We will camp somewhere near there for the night. Excited!🤩

March 23rd: Day 11- Nelson & Abel Tasman National Park!🍃

Yeehooo! There we are! Down the South Island of New Zealand! So excited!!! After a VERY rough ferry ride of 4 hours and flying over waves up to 5 meters high we finalle made it. We both normally never get seasick bjt now.. this was terrible! I’m glad we made it! At 1 AM we arrived in Picton and still had to drive to a free camping spot. (Yes, we are still good with free camping!) I was awake enough to drive so drove us to the campground and we immediately went to sleep. When I woke up I folded the end part of the bed so i could move the driver’s seat and drive. Lin was still sleeping while I drove to Cullen Lookout and the Pelorus Bridge. After this we arrived in Nelson and I checked out the Japanese Gardens, but unfortunately they were under construction. Now- as many people know- I LOVEEEEE peanut butter. Well guess what? Pic’s peanut butter factory was in Nelson, so I HAD to check it out. But of course they ask an insane amount for a tour.. so we just looked around and then left to Abel Tasman National park. Wow! What a view! We checked out the Split Apple Rock and after that We wanted to try to rent a kayak but as it was noon already, there were no more available. So we hired a stand up paddle instead for 2 hours. This was soooo much fun! The National park is amazing! So pretty! After this we could take a free hot shower at the rental company. Amazing! After that we drove to a very nice free camp near a river!

March 24th: Day 12 Nelson Lakes & Punakaika

Today was a busy day again. In the morning i went for a run and decided to run all the way to the town we were nearest to and used the wifi outside of Macca’s. lin drove here to meet me here and we made a plan together for the day. I really wanted to check out the Nelson Lakes so we drove here and that was incredible! Such a big lake with the mountains at the background! Amazing! We did a little walk here and then we went to the Upper and Lower Bully Gorge. This area was very pretty! We went over New Zealand’s longest swing bridge which was funny! Then we drove to the Old ghost road and did a little walk here. The road had this name because it was a very random ‘ghosty’ road. The whole road is 85 km so of course we didn’t have time for that. After this we went to the Pancake Rocks and Blowhole. Wow! Sooooo gorgeous!! What a view. On our way to Greymouth where we found a camping spot, we stopped at Motukiekie Beach but this walk didn’t seem that special so we decided to directly drive to the campground. Here we watched a movie and then went to sleep.

March 25th: Day 13- Hokitika Gorge✨

Damn… What a grey and rainy day today. Pffff… But… We still saw amazing things today! I went for a run in the morning when it wasn't raining yet. And I’m so glad i did, cause after that it was drizzling the whole day! When I got back we drove to the Glow Worm Dell but as this was not a cave, you could only see them in the evening when it’s dark. We drove to Hokitika beach but here was not much to do with this weather. I really wanted to see the Hokitika Gorge and Lin as well, so despite the weather we drove here and walked around the gorge. Woooooww! The color of the water is insane!!! Sooooo blue! I absolutely loved it! After that we were cold and needed to warm up a bit. We drove back to Hokitika and sat at a cute South-African Cafe. We charged our phones here and had some wifi and a drink. After this we drove to the next camping spot we found near Franz Josef and Fox Glacier where we want to go tomorrow.

March 26th: Day 14- Glaciers & Lakes!😍

Today was a very very busy day again. I woke up at 7 and decided to drive in the direction of Franz Josef already while Lin could sleep a bit longer. We first did a hike around Franz Josef which was very nice. And then we drove to Fox Glacier where we also did a walk near the gkscier. Insane you can see the glacier! It’s beautiful! Sucks you can’t go to the top of these mountains.. There was one 5 hour hike but we didn’t have enough time for that as we had so many other places we want to see. We drove to Lake Matheson. I had high expectations as I heard about it before, but it wasn't that exciting in the end. I actually think the cows were more exciting for me than the actual lake!😂 But after this the drive was amazing. Constantly amazed by the scenery we had! We drove to 2 waterfalls: Depot Creek and Thunder creek. Bothe very very pretty! The depot creek falls were hiding in the forest next to the highway and there wasn’t even a sign or any others there! So great! After this we had our last stop at Lake Hawea and the color of this lake was insane! We drove to the campground and cooked rice with vegetables which was delish!

March 27th: Day 15- Queenstown!🤩

Today was a bit more relaxed. Today everything was a little too much for me and my head was completely full. So of course a few things went wrong today. But ey- Queenstown. What a city! It doesn’t even feel like a city! With all it’s beautiful mountain views! Amazing! I had to go for a run here! So pretty! I ran along the lake and couldnt stop looking aside for the amazing view! Later when i got back and got changed, we drove to the Gondola where we did the Tiki trail. A beautiful but pretty steep hike. The view over the city was amazing here! We really wanted to shower but the hostel we went to asked $15 for using the facilities. That was way too much for just a shower we thought! So we ended up taking a cold shower near the lake… But first someone needed to try the lake. 🙋🏼‍♀️ After this we felt fresh and drove to the campground near Kawau Bridge. Pretty cool the sky here full of stars!!🤩

March 28th: Day 16- Can’t believe I did this!😱

What a day! This one- I never expected! We woke up in a very cold morning and drove back to the city.  Here we noticed something weird immediately. Huh? Was there snow on the mountains? That wasn’t there yesterday, was it? Crazy! That’s how cold it was last night! We wanted to warm up at a cafe and after that we walked around the city for a bit. We booked the Nevis Swing for today but unfortunately due to the wind, that got canceled very last minute. So we had been waiting the whole morning for no reason? Great.. We were so excited for this Bungy swing.. And then Lin had another idea- what if we could go bungee jumping instead? Hmmm… I wasn’t sure about this. It had definitely been on my bucket list but I get a bit terrified of the idea of landing upside down. But, that was still available so er decided to go for it. At 4 PM we were at the Kawau Bridge where we camped last night. But this time not to camp yet but to jump… Man. What an incredible feeling. I felt like i was flying! So amazing!! What a jump! It wasn’t as scary as i thought but definitely more scary than skydiving! And I still think I love skydiving much more as you can enjoy the free fall way longer and the whole jump is longer as well. But this was also a great experience. With all the adrenaline I got from this, i decided to go for a run along the gorge here. So pretty! After that we cooked and stayed at this place to camp here one more night.

March 29th: Day 17- Fiordland & Milford Sound

Today was a busy day again. I woke up early and decided to drive in the direction of Fiordland National park. I got some fuel on the way and then Lin was awake as well. We drove to the Fiordland Visitor center to check which hike we wanted to do but there werent many options so we decided to just walk around the lake there and then we drove towards Milford Sound. On our way we did the Routeburn Track. This was a steep 3-hour hike but we did it in 2 hours! Yay! The view was amazing! Wow! When we got back down we drove to Milford Sound. Unfortunately you had to pay $25 for parking. First time we had to pay for parking tho, so we’ve done so well with free camping and parking etc! Crazy! We did a walk around the area and this was unbelievable. Sooooo beautiful! The waterfall between the mountains and the ocean behind and between them! On our way back towards Fiordland (as we had to drive here to drive further south) we stopped at Falls creek, Lake Marian, Marian Cascades and the mirror lakes which were actually like a mirror. All super cool spots!😍 After this we found a free camp and cooked pasta with chicken. Yum!

March 30th: Day 18- Chasing waterfalls!💦

Today we had an a little more relaxter day. I went for a run and did a little workout after this and then we parked at the library for wifi. We made a plan for the day. We decided to drive to the furthest south point of New Zealand. This was called Bluff Hikl. From thst hill you had an amazing view! We wanted to go to Waipohstu falls but the track got way too muddy after 20 mins so we had to turn around. Luckily these waterfalls weren’t a must for us as they weren’t as cool as others. So we drove towards the east coast and stopped at Curio and Porpoise Bay. Very pretty bays! We walked around here for a bit and rhen drove to Koropupu falls and Mc Lean falls. Both incredibly stunning! Definitely go here if you get the chance! After this we drove to the Purakaunui falls which were cool as well. Later we drove to the Cathedral caves. An official Māori area. Insane! So beautiful! Lastly we drove to our canpground and I made a quick stop for the Matai falls. Also pretty cool! Unfortunately due to the wind it took us forever to cook tonight… And later we had to leave the campground as it turned out to be for sef-contained only. Luckily we didn’t get a fine and the man who was checking everyone just helped us to the nearest free camp. So nice!

March 31st: Day 19- Great start today…

Today the day started a little less fun… Yes i found my shoes back, but after we went to the fuel station and were getting the directions to our next destination, a man bumped into the right back of our car with his truck. Nice! Great. And now? Well we didn’t know what to do so we called the company. The damage wasn’t too bad but still. They told us to do an online police report and ask the man’s details. Thank god the man came back to give us his information. And then an hour later we finally hit the road again. Man.. what a beginning… But other than that we had a great day! We drove to Dunedin to go to World’s Steepest street. Insane! Fromm 30 to 100 m and the street was sonly 250 m long. Of course we took some funny pictures. After this we drove to a beach where we found a few caves you could walk through. It was great as this place wasn’t touristic and we were the only ones here! Later we went to Moeraki Boulders where we walked over the beach and went to the visitor center. I bought a nice Cap with the Letters New Zealand on it. Finally a souvenir! Yay! After this we drove to Oamaru where we did a short walk and there i wanted to go for a run as it was very nice outside and sunny. I spotted a whole jetty full of Yellow-eyed penguins. How cute?!! And i also found a big Seal! After this run we drove to the next free camp we found on the app.

April 1st: Day 20- Mount Cook

Today was a chilly morning again. I was so cold that i just wanted to drive as i could turn the heat on then. I drove towards the clay cliffs but the last 4 km the road was closed. Thanks for giving any warnings for that before! Instead, I drove to Twizel. Here we sat at a bakery for a bit to charge our phones and warm up a bit. After that we drove to Mount cook. I already found the Hooker Valley track but i still wanted to go to the visitor center to check if thwres other hikes as well. I really wanted to climb Mount cook but theres no track to the summit as its 3000 meters high.. So we just did the Hooker Valley track and after that we went to Tasman Glacier. Very pretty!! It’s quite sad to see the glacier is actually getting between 400 and 800 meters smaller each year! After these hikes we really wanted a shower. But unfortunately thats not that easy in New Zealand. The man at the visitor center told us there were showers near the toilet block down at the start of the track. What he didnt say is that you had to pay $4 for 2 mind or take a cold shower instead. Ugghhhh… So i took a FREEZING COLD shower. It was ao cold that I nearly passed out as my head got too cold and shocked. But i survived and even washed my hair and shaved my legs! Pretty proud i did it! On the way back towards Twizel we wanted to stop at the Alpine Lavendel but as its off season, there wasn’t any purple lavendel to see unfortunately. So we drove to Lake Pukaki. Insane how blue this lake is!! We got fuel at Twizel and used the wifi and then drove to a campground only a few mins from here. We ate tacos and wrote in our journals a bit.

April 2nd: Day 21- Happy Sunday!

Today it was Sunday and in my life that usually means it’s a ‘chill’ day. But as the clock went one hour back last night, i woke up even earlier. So i decided to go for a run. Sooooo pretty along the lake and a canal of the lake Pukaki!! The water of the canal was insanely blue and the sunrise was so pretty! After that we drove towards Timaru where we sat down and enjoyed the weather for a moment. We also needed fuel and after that we drove to Lake Ellesmere. We enjoyed the rest of the day here in the sun and I realized now my last week will start in New Zealand! Unreal!

April 3rd: Day 22- Hiking day

First of all- It’s April 3rd, so Happg 20th birthday to the best sister in the world!❤️ 

This morning i went running again and after that we went to Hilltop. Unfortunately the hike became waaay too muddy after half an hour so we had to turn around. Instead, we drove to Takahe near Christchurch where we did a lovely hike througb Victoria park and to Sugar Loaf. After that we drove to Kaikoura where we want to camp tonight. On our way there we made a stop at Cathedral Gully. Nothing special but the rocks kinda created a cathedral shape. We stopped at Gore bay to see the view and then finally arrived at the campground where i could sing for my sis! Hope you had a great day!

April 4th: Day 23- A dream coming true!😍🐬

Wooooww! What a dream! Today I did something from my bucketlist again!! Very very last minute I booked something last nightI had already been swimming with dolphins before. But this time- I went swimming with WILD dusky dolphins!!! Kaikoura is one of the world’s best spots to swim with wild dolphins. Dusky dolphins are the small playful dolphins that only live on the southern hemisphere. Of course it’s pretty expensive, but i had a very high budget for New Zealand as I knew how expensive it would be here. But dolphins have always been my favorite animals and they’ll always be! I had to wake up at 4:50 AM as i had to be at the Dolphin Encounter company at 5:15. Pff pretty early but luckily Lin could sleep in the car and it was only 3 mins drive from our free camp! Lin didnt want to do it as it was expensive and she didnt feel like going. At 6:30 we left to the harbor. From there the group got divided in 2 groups as there were 2 boats. We all had our wetsuits on and snorkel gear had warm clothes for after the swimming. After just 15 mins we had our first swim spot already! Insane how many dolphins I saw! I’ve literally never seen this many wild dolphins and so close to the people. It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had! They come soooo close to yiu! We had 4 swims in total and all of them were amazing! Even tho the visibility wasn’t great, I still loved it! Back on the boat we got changed and could watch the dolphins showing off with all their tricks. Later we went back to the harbor and Lin and I wanted to do the Mount Fyffe hike. But, we didn’t know that this was very steep 9 km up and then back down. Lin turned around after 2 km as her knee was hurting. She told me i should keep going if i wanted to. I walked as fast as i could and reached the summit in just 2.5 hours instead of 5,5! And then I ran back down in 1 hour and 20 mins! Damn, now my legs are DEAD! But, this was my last long hike in New Zealand! Crazy to realize I’m leaving this Sunday!

April 5th: Day 24- Last day of our Road trip!😢

Today I woke up with a very bad muscle pain! Definitely from the hike from yesterday! Ugh! So no running for me today unfortunately. So instead I went for a nice morning walk. I met a very nice lady around 55 I think and we walked together for a little bit. Then i walked further down the road and later back to the campground. Today we started the day at Macca’s to charge our phones and make a plan as i wanted to do my laundry and Lin needed to organize her bag and we wanted to see a few things around Christchurch wnd hava a nuce dinner to end our trip together. We drove to Taylor’s mistake beach where we did a beautiful hike along the coast! We found a few cool hidden caves here! After that we FINALLY had an amazing WARM shower! Man! This is what we were soooooo craving for!!! After this I picked up my clean clothes and we drove to the city where we had a nice dinner at Pegasus Arms. It feels sooooo weird we will go different ways tomorrow. After traveling together for 3,5 weeks! Crazy! 

April 6th: Day 25- Goodbye Frankie😔

Today it was time to say goodbye to our dear friend Frankie, who took us everywhere in New Zealand. What a weird feeling! From now on I wont have a car again and I’ll be on my own again! This afternoon after I said good bye to Lin and got to my gate to fly to Auckland, I realized how much we had actually done and seen in just 3,5 weeks. We’ve seen literally a WHOLE country! We’ve driven nearly everywhere and seen almost everything we wanted! Unfortunately my flight had an hour delay and then i had to wait for my luggage… But later when I got my bus ‘Hop’ card, I saw a girl struggling with getting one too. I saw her Dutch credit card so i knew she was dutch and j started talking to her. She told me she was going to Rangitoto so maybe I’ll also go to this island tomorrow as it’s near Auckland. I got really sick on the train for some reason and turned completely white… It was terrible and I almost had to throw up but luckily I survived the 40 mins and could walk out just in time and then I felt  better again later. I’ve had this a lot already and it’s really not fun. I cant do anything to help the pain until it goes away. In my hostel i talked with some nice roomies from England. They’re all so lovely! I booked my ferry and I’ll go to Rangitoto tomorrow! Excited!

April 7th: Rangitoto Island!

Today i finally had a good night of sleep in a normal bed! I felt great and went for a run around a little part of the city. But it wasn’t pretty. Tomorrow I’ll try to run along the harbor. I love running near the water so much better! Later I took a shower and walked to the wharf but unfortunately I didn’t see Froukje… Just before we left she ran on the boat. Apparently she booked the wrong date. She booked it a while ago already and selected March 7th instead of april 7th! Woops! Luckily the captain let her on the boat and they were still able to scan her ticket as she hadn’t used it anyways. But- she made it! So we went to Rangitoto together. It was so pretty! Rangitoto is one of the Islands near Auckland. It’s a volcano island and the tracks are over the lava stones basically. It was very cool to see this! We went to the lava caves and did the coastal walk and later we went to the summit. In total we walked 15 km! Yeehoo! At 4 pm the ferry took us back and then i went to my hostel and Froukje to hers. I played cards with the people in my hostel and then went to sleep.

April 8th: Exploring Auckland

Today my morning run was so much nicer than yesterday the weather was great and the sunrise too and I found a nice way to ran along the harbor. I did a little workout after that and then I ran back to the hostel to take a shower. Later I talked with my roomies a bit and then it was time to head out to explore the parks around the city. First i went to Robinson Park which was pretty nice. Later i went to Auckland Domain and I absolutely loved the rose garden and the winter garden. So pretty all these beautiful flowers! After this i walked all the way to Mount Eden from there. I enjoyed the sun here and wrote in my journal a bit till Froukje came. Together we relaxed at the summit and wanted to stay for sunset but after 2 hours we felt kinda done. Damn. And then of course the sunset was very pretty… But instead, we went to Ponsonby Central which was a food market. Here we tried very yummy Venezuelan Arepas!! So yummy!