Akaroa

I had decided to drop off the Stray bus a little earlier so I could have a few days of rest before I headed to Fiji. But I really wanted to see the lovely village Akaroa! Our tour would go there the next morning so I asked our driver if we could join and then find our own transportation back. But she came with the solution that she could also drop us back at Christchurch! That was perfect! So the next morning we were ready and super excited! We took the scenic road and it was absolutely beautiful! I didn’t know where to look! Every time we wanted to stop the bus for some photos! It was such a relaxed morning. We could totally drink in all the views! I was back in my happy moment!

Adventure capital in the world

Woohoo this is going to be exciting! We’re going to the most adventures capital in the world Queenstown! We have three nights to enjoy this lovely city. We arrived in the afternoon and in the evening we had a nice dinner in the London bar. It was really relaxed. It was a Good start of our time here. 

The next day Angie, Cloë and I went off to the bungy en swing head quarter. We were getting more nervous when waiting for the bus that would bring us to the jump location! Angie and Cloë booked the bungy and I had booked the swing. The drive took about 45 min. I was so excited to swing! But first the other ladies went off for their jump! I wanted to watch them so badly! It took a while before it was their turn but wooow! These ladies are truly die-hards! It was amazing to see! Have I already mentioned that this is the highest bungy of 134 m! Yeah they freaking did that!

Yeey now it’s my time! I was so happy and not scared at all. Walking with full excitement over to the bridge and entered the swing location. Hi there, I’m here for the swing! I had to wait a while before it was my turn. I asked them what the most awesome way is to swing and they told me to go backwards with my arms wide. I was like okay, let’s do that! Sounds great, is it okay if my hair is loose? Or will it block my view? No you will be fine. Nice, I’m ready to go!! Hanging there above a big canyon ready to... Wwaaaaaaaaa here I gooooo! Woehoe it was that feeling you fall out of your bed into the deep and then you wake up haha but instead of waking up out of a dream I was not at sleep. But My hair was all over my face and I was struggling to get it out of my face but the wind was blowing it back all the time and blocked all my sight. I couldn’t enjoy this swing the way I hoped for. When they pulled me back up I asked if they had place to schedule me in again and YES! There was room for it! The second time I went forward with my hair in a ponytail. That was the best experience! I was sitting and could see how deep the canyon is! They again did a surprise release and there I go again.... down into a 70 m freefall. It was sooo Awesome! Whoohoo this is exactly the experience I wanted to have. I couldn’t stop smiling!

After the Swing I went with Ronald up the mountain with the gondola to see the Queenstown skyline! It was breathtaking. We also booked two rides on the ludge. You will slide down the mountain on a fun track! We totally felt like Mario card! This day couldn’t be better! <3

Doubtful sound cruise

Today we headed into Fiordland National park, one of New Zealand’s most beautiful and untouched locations. It has stunning valleys, lakes and mountain scenery! I’m not overreacting, I definitely loved this part the most of my New Zealand journey!

Within Fiordland we visited the magnificent Doubtful sound, deepest of all fjords, for a truly magical cruise experience surrounded by towering peaks and unspoiled wilderness. We had to take a ferry to the island, then we hopped on a bus that took an hour to take us to the cruise ship. On the boat we shared a small sleeping cabin with 4 people. They had a restaurant on board where we sat most of the time enjoying the free food and drinks or we where outside on the deck to take in all beauty the surrounding had to offer. In the afternoon we could join an awesome kayak trip. They had really cool tiny yellow kayaks! I definitely thought I would fall into the water haha. Luckily, I survived without topping over! It was the best part of this boat trip. Just to paddle in the middle of nowhere with such an atmosphere cannot be described. It was absolutely breathtaking! I felt so peaceful, like I was the only one out there. Surrounded by the sounds of the Forrest. Hmm take me back please! Haha

After 45 min paddling and taking many photos we had to get back on board. I took a nice and warm shower. What I thought was a really good idea. Until I noticed that the waves where so rough! When I tried to put on my undies I just fell in the shower haha. It was hard to keep my balance and I got nauseous in the small room. I felt really see-sick afterward and asked the crew on board what to do. They told my I should eat ginger with sugar. The most terrible thing I have ever eaten! But hey.. it helped! So that was great!!
 
We were all very curious about dinner! We were told that it would be the best food we would eat during our Stray journey through New Zealand! Well they were right! There was a big buffet with lots of tasty food choices! We had so much fun during dinner. It was absolutely lovely to have those belly shaking laughing moments with great company! Thank you Jesus for this awesome day! Time to try out that small bed in the sleeping cabin. Good night everyone.

Franz Jozef Glacier

We had an extra day to explore the natural wonder of Franz Josef Glacier. We took a taxi that brought us to the hiking area. We started our bush hike to get as nearby the glacier as possible. Jana and Marlena, my German friends on the trip, were like me in a photo shoot mood. Every time we walked for a few minutes, the surrounding totally changed again into another amazing view where we had to take new photo’s! I really liked the walk! It was not that hard and the area was just stunning. To be honest I liked the walk to the glacier even more then the acutely view at the bottom of the glacier. It was a great day! Because we really took our time we missed the taxi back. We didn’t want to wait an extra hour for the next one, so we decided to hitchhike. There we were, 3 ladies with their tumbs up waiting for a ride back to the village. First car.. coming nearby.. excitement in my belly.. will they stop!!???... oeh they are so close now.. aaaah too bad they drove further. Well we were lucky at the third car! A lovely couple from Taiwan were happy to help us and brought us back downtown. Back at the hostel I jumped into the outdoor hot tub to relaxe a bit. What a perfect day it was!

Pancake Rocks

Today we had a long drive to Franz Josef Glacier. We had an amazing activity break during our drive. We stopped to visit the spectacular limestone Punakaiki pancakes and blowholes. We had 30 min to walk around. It was a bit of a hurry but I definitely wouldn’t miss it! The views were absolutely amazing. So wonderful and peaceful. The sound of the ocean waves that hit the rocks, the lovely sunshine reflecting on the water and the look across the rocks into infinity. It made my day! Those moments remind me how big our God is. Life has so much to offer! We just have to take a minute to stop, look around, receive, take it all in and carry it for the rest of our lives in our heart as a warm memory.
 
We continued our trip to pick up 5 new girls. They were already waiting for us. Hop in the car and off we went to our final destination for today. In Franz Josef Glacier we ended our day with a pizza fest and a good glass of white wine!

The south island kick off

Yeey our adventure on the South Island is going to begin! We woke up early for a drop off at the cruise that will bring us to the other island! On the boat, we slept most of the time. Fully recharged we arrived at our new destination and our new driver Wahea was already waiting for us.

She is known for her positivity and great tips for the best food all around the South Island. We started off to the famous Marlborough wine region. Well, if you going to pass a region like that you have to stop for a wine tasting! We were all really excited about getting some good quality wine. Yeah, I can definitely tell you the wine was super tasty! Completely satisfied we continued our trip to Abel Tasman National park. Wow what a great place to stay and having an extra free day to spend in an surrounding like that!

The next day we took the water taxi to the other side to start a 4 hour hike back to our hostel. The weather was good and we took a lot of photos on the beach. Marlena, one of the girls, didn’t wanted to wait any longer for us and decided to just go without us. I tried to let her wait and walk with the others but she already left.. unfortunately she took a wrong turn and it took her about 1,5 hour to finish that road before she got back where she started. We couldn’t reach her by phone because of the bad reception,  and we decided to start the hike back to the hostel without her. 

This coastal track made us discover some of New Zealand’s best natural golden beaches. It was amazing to have lunch on a beach like that! We also saw lots of greens and little waterfalls. It was just perfect! Even the little rain that came in the afternoon was a joy! We were all really relaxed, taking in every moment. We took some more photos and we already could see the bridge that we needed to cross to get back to our hostel, when suddenly Marlena was saying Hi!! We were very surprised that she already made it so far back to the hostel including the extra 1,5 hour track. Her legs were all burning, she didn’t had a break and had walked as quickly as she could! Well done girl! I couldn’t do it! So in the end we arrived all at the same time back, satisfied from an amazing hike!

cathedral cove

We departed today from Auckland with our new driver named Wings and with some more new people on the bus to Hahei. We started by driving to a hot water beach, a unique surf beach where you can dig a hole in the sand to create your own personal spa pool.

We found a nice hot pool that someone left so we didn’t needed to dig a hole but we could directly enjoy the hot water. It’s insane how some parts of the pool were really boiling hot! You had to be very careful! It was a fun experience.

After that we drove to our hostel and started the hike to Cathedral cove. During this hike we had the most spectacular scenery and stunning sea views from this beautiful coastal spot. It was an amazing and exhausting afternoon full with explorations.

It took us 1.5 hour to hike to Cathedral cove, a lovely beach with a nice cove! Also know as the famous film set of Narnia 2! I was so tired and wanted to get a water taxi back but unfortunately they didn’t sail anymore at that time of the day so I had to walk 1.5 hours back as well. But with very nice company and with a good conversation the time flew! We ended our day with a lovely group BBQ

Moari Village

Today we drove from Hahei to Rotorua.
Here we would have two nights. I was so happy to have a bit more time in one place to catch up some sleep and rest. It was a long journey and when we came in Rotorua I was slightly disappointed. There is a very bad smell in town because of the vulcanisation. It smells like rotten eggs. Even in our room you could still smell it a bit. Luckily it was way less intense then outside though!

In the evening we went on a trip to Maori village; a cultural experience with a traditional hangi meal, Maori songs and dance and interactive cultural performance. It was such an amazing night out and the food was cooked in an underground oven! Super tasty and we were all very hungry as well haha. We enjoyed every bit of it! It was special to learn more about the Maori culture and we were able to ask many questions. If you have the chance to visit the Maori village, I would highly recommend it.

blue duck station

Yeey,  our destination today is one of the most remote parts of the north island accessible by road. Stray is well know for taking you further on the off beaten track! Well today is a day like that. We’re heading for the award winning blue duck station in Whakahoro, a 7,200 acre high country farm that’s both a working sheep and beef station and an environmental conservation leader.

This afternoon we have a 4WD Bush Safari and farm adventure in the planning. We were right in time to hop on the 4WD. They took us through the native bush, shared a lot of local history, and learned us more about the farm’s conservation efforts.

To be honest you have to like the topic and then, a lot of information during this 4WD tour will be really exciting. For me it was missing the thrill and I was longing for more adventure. Anyways, It was fun to hear about it and see more of the surroundings. We also made it fun with each other. We had lunch outdoor and there was a beautiful horse! Lisa imitated the sound of a horse and it was so funny that the horse reacted to it! He was so confused! hahah We al laughed so hard! The highlight for me of this trip was after lunch when we headed to one of the waterfalls. It had rained the day before so everything was muddy and slippery. The guide really helped me to get down to the waterfall. The view was so nice when I finally made it all the way down. I’m happy I didn’t missed it.

At night we had a nice dinner made with local products of the land and we ended the day with a nice and cozy home party. We had such an amazing place to stay again with a private living room and kitchen with a view over the river! It was like a dream come true. We ended our night with a great house party. We all had bought some drinks. put on the music. did some dancing and drinking games. It was the perfect ending of our trip with our tour guide Wings.

Sand boarding

Woohoo I am so excited for today! We will start the morning with a ferry ride across the Hokianga harbour to experience the thrill of sand boarding down massive dunes!! We were a little bit late but the boat was still waiting for us.

In no time we were on the other side, grabbed our board, ran up the dunes and slide down on our belly. We were instructed that if we wanted to stop you have to put your toes in the sand, or you simply don’t do that and sail right into the water. It was a bit cold so I decided to stop in time haha.

It was a fun and also sporty time we all had! After 45 min everyone was out of breath with big smiles on our faces and ready to go back to the car. We had a long journey ahead of us, cause we had to go back all the way to Auckland. Luckily we scheduled a view stops on the way.

Nr 1 - an amazing and stunning waterfall!
Nr 2 - NZ’s largest Kauri tree
Nr 3 - idyllic Kai Iwi lake with beautiful crystal-clear water surrounded by a pure white sandy beach for lunch!

We arrived late afternoon back in Auckland from an amazing and satisfying day! Thank you seagull for the first three awesome days of our Stray journey!
Tomorrow we will hop on another Stray bus with a new driver and some new people.
But first we get some sleep

Dolphin cruise

Good morning everyone!

This morning we have an amazing scenic cruise on the planning around the beautiful bay islands, a collection of 144 islands bursting with marine life. There is no better way than to see them by boat.

We hopped on the boat and found a nice seat on the middle deck. We were all very excited cause on this cruise we would also look for dolphins and visit the amazing hole in the rock! The boat sailed off and we were amazed by the beauty of the islands! Suddenly the captain announced that dolphins are jumping around our boat. It was spectacular to see them swimming and following our boat for a while. I felt really lucky!

We headed further to the famous hole in the rock. It’s an fantastic view in the middle of the sea. There is a little island with a massive hole in a rock and we were trying to sail right through it with our big boat! At first I didn’t think it was possible to go through it but the captain succeeded! It was a great experience! 

After that, we headed back to Paihia; bought some lunch for on the way and continued our journey to Hokianga. Our driver Seagull stopped on the way at an amazing view point! I really loved it. New Zealand has so much diversity to offer!

When we arrived at our destination, we couldn’t believe that we were staying in such a luxurious appartment with stunning beach views! Definitely the best place to stay so far on our trip.

Stray tour

Yeey here we go! The New Zealand roadtrip is going to start! We all met at the Stray shop in Auckland at 7 am. Our tour guide for the next three days is Seagull.

First stop is at the big Forrest were we see a Kauri tree that’s 800 years old. The Mauri people really believe that hugging the tree will give you good travels and health! Well I’m always up for that! So I gave the tree a big hug.

We drove a bit further to a nice beach were we had a view minutes to take photos and to absorb the peaceful view. We were super lucky with the weather today. The sun was nice, warm and happy to join us.
 
After that we drove to our hostel in Paihia! Woehoe I shared a room with 3 other girls. Jana my German friend and I decided to take the ferry to Russel,a town on one of the island. It was fun that more people from the group joined us! We hiked all the way up to the highest point of the island and we’re very blessed with a stunning and breathtaking view! We could see the island in 360*! I didn’t know were to look first, it was so beautiful. I had a smile from ear to ear.

Waiheke island

I met two amazing girls from Germany Martina and Christina. They invited me to join them on their trip to Waiheke Island! I was so excited! I heard amazing things about the island and couldn’t wait to go!

I met the girls at the harbour right on time. We bought our boat- and hop on hop off bus- tickets and hurried to the ferry. The ferry trip was just lovely. The views were very nice and the weather was just perfect! A sunny day with a lovely breeze.

On the island we took the local bus because the hop on hop off bus was already full. It’s so nice of them that they allowed us to use the local bus with the same tickets. We stopped at a village to have some coffee and a treat. Well, the view was again breathtaking! It was an amazing start of our day trip on the Waiheke Island.

We took the Dubble Decker bus and went to an amazing beach! It’s lovely to smell the fresh sea air, feeling a warm breeze on our skin and have a scenery view. We took some pictures and continued our trip to the vineyards. When we came there it was the most amazing experience! The vineyards where beautiful and the wine tasting was delicious! It was all super fancy and it was such a great and relaxing time. And that just for €5, I was amazed by how cheap it was for the good quality that they provide!

After that we went to another restaurant with a view that I have never seen before! My mouth literally felt open! It was so stunning! Looking out over the sea you could see the Auckland city skyline! We chilled at the big grass field in sit bags. Perfect way to relax a bit more.

After that we walked back through the forrest to the harbour to catch the ferry back to Auckland. The sunset started during the trip back. It was an great ending of a lovely day on Waiheke Island!