So, where do I start? I Have been putting this off for so long that I am not even sure if I remember have of what I have experienced since I last wrote to update my blog.
Hawai'i was a culminating moment of my life, the cradle of surfing and still the epicenter of modern day surfing. The North Shore... I lived there, I was privileged to surf there (at the mellowest breaks of course) and met some great people. I thought this is too good, does it get any better? I think it does, all the time. I landed in Fiji, where I was greeted by friendly Bulas (Hellos) and a ukulele band. As a blooming ukulele player I was quite thrilled by this reception. I then went to a low key backpackers resort that was close to some of the best waves in the world and mosquitoes tried to devour me whole. I had no less than 40 mosquito bites on my right and left ankle and foot. My time in Fiji was most unusual, the resort had only just changed management and I was pretty much the only guest on the island for most of the time. Notable exceptions Eleanor, from Germany, that was a good chess companion in the long and lazy tropical afternoons and Tobi, also from Germany, who arrived just in time to surf some truly epic uncrowded waves in the island paradise of Fiji.
The staff that worked at the backpackers was absolutely fantastic. I have stayed in 5 star hotels in the past and nothing came anywhere close to the kindness and attention that I received while staying at the resort. One day it was raining and without us realizing it, they left umbrellas for us right by our sides for us to get back to the rooms and since we were the only guests they would ask us what we wanted to eat at meal times. Fijians seemed to me like genuinely welcoming, not because they had to be due to the nature of their jobs in then hospitality business, but more because of their culture. I hope that I will get an occasion to return to this little paradise and this time I will pack some real heavy duty insect repellent. My highlight in Fiji was surfing world class waves at the outer reefs of Wilkes' Pass and Namotu Lefts. Sitting in the middle of the ocean with one other surfer, perfect waves, the great Joseph the boat man and the closest land 1 km away was a beautiful experience. In Fiji you can surf while you check out the beautiful tropical fish on the colourful reef, just make sure you don't fall on the reef or you will damage it and yourself in the process. Tropical paradise, emerald green islands surrounded by intense aquamarine water, so beautiful that the Creator had to infest it with blood-thirsty mosquitoes that I can guarantee will try to eat you alive.
From Fiji, I took a plane to Auckland, largest city in New Zealand. The weather was gray and gloomy and as I stepped outside it felt very cold. Here I was to pick up a camper van and wait for my good friend Robin from back home to join me on this leg of the adventure. I somehow drove out of the urban chaos and spent two nights in the serene little beach town of Piha, about 50 minutes from Auckland airport. I was secretly hoping to get some surfing done before the arrival of Robin, unfortunately the weather had other plans. A full blown storm hit the region, the winds were so strong that I thought the faithful camper van would topple over or be blown out to New Caledonia. After having spent over two months in the tropical sunshine of the pacific I was not quite prepared for the cold conditions in Piha and thought that I was going to die of hypothermia on my first night. This of course was just exaggerated by my mind, as it was actually not really much colder than 12C at night and the locals were not phased by the storm and they kept on sporting shorts and flip flops to prove that summer is a state of mind, not a season in which the air temperature is high. No wonder the inhabitants of the British isles felt so at ease relocating this far from home, the weather is just the same, thought I.
Anyway, survived the storm and the sun made its first appearance to show just how beautiful the Land of the Long White Cloud is. Green rolling hills, snow capped mountains, rainforests, cliffs, roaring seas of blues and greens. I picked up my mate and we set off to do the impossible: visit the whole of New Zealand in three weeks. We drove an average of 400km per day in our faithful Samantha (this is the nickname Robin gave to our old, beat down diesel guzzling beast of a van). We watched the natural beauty of New Zealand roll by, from Samantha's mosquito splattered windows. We did touristy stuff and then we went were no tourist ever had gone before, we went full circle on the South Island and almost full circle on the North Island. We even went to Invercargill, don't think the locals had ever seen toursits before.The kiwis (inhabitants of New Zealand, not the fruit or the bird in this isntance) were super hyper friendly. If you love the great outdoors sell everything you own and relocate to New Zealand, or you could also just visit on a vacation. Highlights included: climbing the Franz Joseph glacier, walking to the lake at the feet of the Abel Tasman glacier, walking along the ebach with snow capped mount Taranaki in the background and -of course- swimming with wild dolphins in Kaikoura. I could write a million words but nothing would do the experience justice. Three weeks flew by faster than you can say “70 million sheep” and it was time to see Robin off. It was an absolute pleasure to travel with Robin and I would like to thank him for patiently putting up with my long drives in search of the best surf spots. Since you left Robin Samantha is no longer the same, she cries everyday and is even slower going up hills before you got here. Since then I have surfed in magical Kaikoura and made my way back up to the North Island. I am currently in Raglan, New Zealands surf capital. There are plenty of really good surf spots in close proximity but also the biggest crowds you will experience in New Zealand. Lana from Slovenia had seen on Facebook that I was headed to New Zeland and said that I was welcome to visit and I have been blatantly abusing her hospitality ever since I got to Raglan. Lana was a surf instructor that I met at an all Slovenian+one Swiss surf camp in the South of France. I cannot say how glad I was to have a place to rest my sore bones after running around the whole of Kiwiland.
A big hvala/danke schön/thanks goes out to Lana and Thekla for letting me stay in beautiful Raglan. It was an absolute pleasure to live with you. Upcoming plans before leaving New Zealand include surfing some of the best waves in the country and visiting family friends in Auckland. More on that in the -hopefuly- upcoming future. Currently in Taranaki, surfing in the shadow of the imposing snow capped volcano.
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