The Adventure Couchsurfing

Oct 10, 2015 | Photos, The Great Journey, Trips

Couchsurfing is a great invention for travellers to get in touch with true locals.
I took this opportunity and was rewarded with some adventurous days.

After a ride through the wunderfully beautiful Catlins and some ravel road, I arrived at the house and was greeted most warmly. Tina, who I partway (in New Zealand you always say goodbye ‘partway’) said goodbye to in Queenstown, and a very nice French girl were guests there as well. 🙂

Steve, our lovely host, practically supplied us with the all of his house. Even supper was being shared.
So, amongst other things, one night we made hamburgers. But Steve, a farm manager, hunter and all, knew better than to buy mince from the store.
We ended up having deer for patties. (Venison. It’s deer, my dear. -Steve)
And it was mouth-watering!

This was not the only special experience by a long shot. Next to good meals, delightful talks and a warm atmosphere we had much to discover.
Buckle up, there’s a lot of pictures this time! 😉

Did I succeed in taking a ‘dramatic’ photograph?

See here Steve’s answer to Garfield. Stripey is so fat, he can lay on his back all relaxed! 😀

One night our calm gathering was interrupted by a loud squeal and Steve went looking for the reason of the commotion. It was nothing less than a young bunny that fell prey to the food chain in form of ‘cat’.
You might just imagine the reaction of the girls, but to save such sweet animal didn’t leave any hearts cool…

Scared to the bone and obviously wounded, there was not much hope to put into this little bunny.

We took good care and fed and bedded the poor creature. But in the morning, all life had left him.

After we finished mourning baby-bunny, Steve took us on a tour through the Catlins. It is the ultimate, to have a local for a travel guide. This tour I documented via photos, of course thinking only about you. 😉

Curio Bay.

The remains of the petrified forest in that place. A small riddle: Where else have I seen petrified wood? 😉

Funny underwater plants…

Not-so-funny surf.

 

 

All the way through the Catlins, there is one attraction after the other on the side of the road. We made, just as good tourists would do, rest at the Niagara Falls. Yes, they exist in another place, too. In New Zealand. New-Zealand-like… 😀

 

 

My legs are still shaking because of the view unfolding! 😀

Another spectacular stop we had in Jack’s Bay. There we saw a sea lion. But when it goes ‘RRrraA!’, you better increase distance…

 

 

Somewhat cuter this little boy was in appearence…

In New Zealand you see many of these odd shops. But one that specialises in teapots…

Penguins come to the shore by the late hours only. That’s why we went to Nugget Point after a short stop-over ‘at home’…

 

 

And again, one of those curiously attractive buildings…

Those are the nuggets, by the way.

 

 

Eye-catching stacked shapes…

Then we began to lie on lookout. Without Steve we might have never found this spot…
We had plenty of time and didn’t know when the penguins would arrive, so I tended to the surf again…

 

 

The Crab with the Grey-ish Claws.

 

 

After a time, a penguin finally emerged from the sea. These penguins are there rarest kind on earth and I had never seen one in the wild, so this was very exciting. At this point warm regards to Frauke. 😉

Praise the zoom!

He got closer and closer, reluctant of whether it was safe. Penguins can hardly defend themselves and are overly cautious because of that…

 

 

Who can spot the penguin?

 

 

So that was the big day when we saw the Yellow-Eyed-Penguin! Sadly he was all alone, BUT STILL! 🙂

 

 

That is what Couchsurfing looks like! For that one night two Canadian girls came visiting.

 

 

One other night, we went by ourselves to see Jack’s Blowhole. No, not Jack Sparrow! 😀
It was named after the tribe leader ‘Bloody Jack’, who was being chased and swam all across the bay.

A HUGE hole in the ground. Nothing more, nothing less!

My thermos. My thermos. My tea!

 

 

Just a few words on my current situation, we wouldn’t want to differ from the timeline. 😉

I have arrived in Dunedin and look for a job in electronics on more hope. Because the students are on their semester break, finding a flat will be easier…
Dunedin for sure is a wonderful, old city. I like it here.

A Little Lamb Went Straying

Oct 4, 2015 | Photos, The Great Journey, Trips

My halt in between I took in Invercargill. That is a somewhat bigger city than Queenstown in the outtermost south, which I looked at via Google Street View long ago in excitement.
I only spent one night there and in the morning, before moving on into the Catlins, I looked around the town a little… The early rise even gave me some of the last morning dew.

 

 

At the museum you can see Tuararas, which get more than a hundred years old. But to publish pictures is all forbidden. (and this one is just a statue 😉 )

Spring shows us more and more of its warmth and colour…

When in Invercargill, Bluff is not far away. Bluff is a little extension south of the city and is, pretty much like Cape Reinga, not the most southern point, but still very close to that…

 

 

I promised the staff that I would come back for this latte. Who wants to join me? 😉

Here I come down from the Bluff Hill Lookout. Those who want to follow my blog further, in the future will be able to decide with me, which Bluff Hill is the ‘better’ in New Zealand. 🙂

And OH, you go through meadows and forests and ALL AROUND there are those little lambs to see! Such precious time of the year, I might just steal one right of the field. 😀

 

 

A little expedition into the rainforest was the visit to the McLean Falls. Nature is just wonderful! I think there is not much more to say about that…

 

 

 

 

Also, the time change has gone through already over here. So from now on, there is a difference of 11 hours to Germany. 🙂

Where did I just end up?

Sep 30, 2015 | Photos, The Great Journey, Trips

At first I was thinking to stay in Queenstown for a longer while. But it always goes different. My photo tour I took on, nevertheless. 🙂

 

 

Whilst at the supermarket mostly offered for impulse purchase, this cookie got its own bar in Queenstown…

 

 

View on the city from the promenade.

 

 

EVERYONE travelling to Queenstown will get word about the legendary ‘Fergburger’. And well, they are undoubtedly stunning phenomena, those ones. 🙂

 

 

Suburb Frankton, home to the airport and situated by the Frankton Arm of Lake Wakatipu.

 

 

 

 

Queenstown is also known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. Whoever is looking for Bungy, Skydive or helicopter rides, look no further.
I didn’t indulge in those pricy undertakings, but didn’t miss out on another real adventure:

The Ride through Skippers Canyon!

 

 

Suddenly you find yourself in another world.

The New Zealand roads are never boring, but this one definitely took all the cake.

In the valley flows the Shotover River, where a little further down scenes for The Lord of the Rings were filmed.

 

 

At this spectacular sight I sat down and added the only logical thing to truly enjoy this moment: A KitKat Chunky from the parcel from home. 🙂

You surely would agree that the street’s menu looks all inviting. 😉

Oliver Evolves

Sep 29, 2015 | The Great Journey, Thoughts

I just discovered a very very old playlist of music on my harddrive. Especially when you evolve abroad at a breathtaking speed, you find these useful as a static reference point to look back. ‘Accentuated’ by this old music, I look at pictures from home.
And I can’t help myself, but to start writing this post.

To evolve, to change, learning things, leaving things behind… In these regards, there is a lot happening with yourself in the last time.

While listening to well-known music I am looking at the well-known, but strangely strange looking images of my home, I notice my jaw dropped. Just how much actually happened!
Maybe some of you have waited for a post like this. At least Susi had asked for it pretty much an exact half of a year before. 😉 And think it is about time, being abroad for almost 10 months now…

Oh, details?? You want some details?

Let’s go then:

  • Normally I am slow to decide on bigger matters and liked to stay in one spot, without moving on too much. Though today, I just decided that Queenstown is far too expensive to live in and that Dunedin offers more work alongside lesser living costs. Spending a night in Invercargill and my first experience as a couchsurfer (details on THAT later) will make me arrive in Dunedin a few days later… Or the decision to leave my host family. I would never have thought that you will be this much happier because of a decision like that.

 

  • As soon as you realise that you practically eat your own money, you don’t have to stuff yourself anymore and 2 meals a day are plenty. Come to think of all the times being invited at friends’ or with the own family and you get served the most outrageous meals, I start to understand why you always say ‘Thank you’.

 

  • For a few weeks now, I am drinking 1,5 litres of tea on a daily basis from my lovely ‘T-pot’ (the T stands for either, ‘thermos’ or ‘tea’). Coffee I get exclusively in cafés, for no household I visited yet had a fully automated coffee machine. (Might I be a little fussy, after all? 😀 )

 

  • As soon as you learn that doing laundry usually is going to cost you, you can get a looooot more careful in what you start wearing.

 

  • When normally I would only stop for an outrageous sunset at golden hour, my inhibition level has dropped dramatically to pull over for pictures.

 

  • Most of you might know me as a classic extrovert, an open person who always tends to not mincing matters rather than the opposite. It has shown, that I inhabit those ways best in a familiar environment. In the foreign, I learned that I very much need time for myself to process new things and to get used to new situations. As the social structure here resembles as little of what I know from familiar circles, I will sooner or later be in need for a break.

 

  • I often found myself in a secluded position, rather than in constant contact with new people.

 

  • Many travellers tell about english language dreams or similar elements as an effect of the change in language. I think in English and German equally, but was startled to find myself thinking out a conversation with my parents in English, strangely enough…

 

  • When I was given constructive criticism, often it was about my sturdily positive attitude towards life. Fortunately, that one has not changed until now. 🙂

 

  • In Queenstown I had to help to clean a building site from rubbish through the agency. Doing that, for the first time in my life I had opportunity to maneuver a right-hand drive, diesel-powered, manual transmission, pickup truck, pulling a trailer, backwards. I am a little proud of myself, as it worked out without struggling…

 

  • One of the greatest things that changed dramatically, is the relationship with my parents. You might think that there’s not much potential for that this far apart, but you are wrong. No other time I could have been more sure about how much I owe these two people than walking the other side of the earth all by myself. Every nuance of my personality has been predetermined at home and much has been shaped already. I am not a finished human being yet, but even separated from home, where many cuts and shapes are done without their supervision, I learn that their preshaping has been all wundrous and wise. No other person in this world I love more than my parents.

 

  • One idea for my return I already have: I will ‘pretend New Zealand’ as much as I can. Be it making meals I learned here, be it talking to travel acquaintances, be it listening to music you connect with the time here, be it asking the cashier who they are or be it grabbing the camera, ideally alongside some friends, and going on a roadtrip… For best results over the weekend and staying at internationally rich places. 😉

 

  • Different to the eating habits at home, here the only thing that matters in that department is the money. And when saving is the goal, you might just go with spaghetti plus pesto and apples plus the cheapest cookies on the shelf for a snack. Or else 1,5 litres of tea plus the cookies that were on sale…

 

  • What more came to my attention, is that I used to think a lot about what to take with me into the shower when on trips or recreational getaways. In the countless nights at hostels I have found the answer to the minimum requirements: You need an exact two items (sorted by relevance, descending): A towel and shower gel.

 

  • My consumption behaviour also changed, as you are on your own now. You start looking predominantly at the value for money of something, rather than choosing by brand. Because of the typical discounts in New Zealand your approach tends to get diverted rather smoothly. 🙂

 

  • As I look through the old pictures, I have to admit that, compared to the present day, I had to move much more cheek flesh when smiling back then. But the somewhat slimmer Oli is much more to my liking than the chubby-bellied Oli from 2014. So outdated! 😀

 

  • What I also noticed was that you can see my smartphone in many pictures. These days you can hardly spot it. You heard right, me, who knew every new model a year back and who recommended all the best apps, now owns a Huawei Y221. No Whatsapp, no Facebook messenger, no games. Well, I use Facebook via mobile browser, as you are FAR too cut off from the other travellers otherwise, and the Gmail app (no automatic synchronisation) for mails from employers and, more importantly, my family. Still, the only things that can make my device ring are the alarm, calls or SMS’. The rest only gets a request when I(!) want it. Initially, it was my goal to go through New Zealand without half my thoughts in my pocket. And I think I want to continue like this at home. A little ‘reset’ of the mobile usage, so to speak. 🙂

 

  • At a pretty early stage of my past, I learned that my taste in music makes my stand out rather lonely. I would have the opportunity to accept many new styles, whilst here. And indeed, I can find interest in a not too little count of songs from the different genres.

 

  • Still, my deepest admiration is towards the sounds of classical music. And here in New Zealand my passion for singing has been awoken for good. If I find a stable job in Dunedin, I might invest more into that…

Well, the Oli as you know him changes rapidly. Some of him remains, some of him will be left on the side of his road… 🙂

Dirty Work

Sep 21, 2015 | The Great Journey, Thoughts

He’s breathing and pulsating while puking out the last drops of thick, black matter as I wait and hold him upside down relentlessly. I am surrounded by snowcapped mountains and the sun shines down from a blue sky onto the industrial estate near Queenstown.
I shake him, pound his shoulder into the rim of the barrel and close up his soiled orifice.

The oil can flies point-blank into the collecting container and I manhandle the next one up to the rim of the waste oil barrel.

Shortly after that, there’s replenishment coming in. I once again stand in front of the conveyor belt and rummage through waste with my luckily, or more like necessarily, gloved hands. I fish certain kinds of plastic and nonrecyclable rubbish out of the filthy avalanche.
The idea to see all previously known order of New Zealand garbage separation on their final destination isn’t long-lasting at all. Seemingly noone washes their containers or depletes the containers of air here. Nothing of that, there is all kinds of recycling to find in one heap. Embedded in general waste. Smells, colours, shapes and sensations bring you fireworks for the senses!
Shoes, a flat iron, a telephone, rubbish bags, a docking station, a whole microwave, bent frying pans and much more can’t come close to the teeth of the further machinery. Variation is no alien concept here. 🙂

To go to one’s rubbish is as questionable of an amusement as looking through their windows. Still, it gives you a not to be underestimated view into society. What do they consume, in what way do they get rid of it, what do they throw out, what literature will you find in the trash?
Admittedly, after one day at the recycling plant you cannot answer all questions. But nevertheless, I had a nice look inside the final destination of the consumer society. My helping hand was needed for a single day only, so that I quickly popped in to the agency and got another assignment on the spot.

The very next morning I will get some more exclusive looks into unknown areas at the airport.
Two late shifts, helping to move some X-ray machines. Meanwhile, the agency looks for more technically demanding jobs for me. In Queenstown there is not much industry to be found. Though for a job that makes more use of my wits, I would be willing to move to another place. 🙂