In our three months in New Zealand, we didn’t give ourselves anything, lived frugally and hardly did without anything. We were able to compensate for the 50% increase in prices since 2008 by camping more and eating out less. Good living, almost 14,000 kilometres of rental car and a few adrenaline passes ended up costing us €1,800 per person per month plus €1,000 for the flight.
For one of the last three days in Auckland, we treat ourselves to pure luxury. The SkyCity Hotel is located right at the foot of the Skytower in the centre of Auckland. Huge rooms high up, even bigger beds, the latest cinema films on demand. A Korean barbecue at the table with 50 delicacies. We savour until our brains fail – and then even further. (more…)
The Rocket Kiter From Wellington
The animal experiments on manned space travel in the 1960s brought NASA one ground-breaking realisation in particular: dogs have a short life. To be precise: too short for interstellar space travel. NASA is therefore now looking for suitable human test subjects for longer-term employment.
The job advertisement calls for a pronounced bounce and promises excessive opportunities for inner contemplation as well as few pee breaks. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, which is why applications have so far fallen well short of NASA’s expectations. Rumour has it that the first test subjects have already been abducted. (more…)
Lake Wanaka & Rob Roy Track
Lake Wanaka is a kitesurfing hotspot on the South Island. Directly south of Mt Aspiring National Park, the lack of wind is bearable. My cold persists, as does the urge to move. We drive 50 km north along gravel roads full of flocks of sheep to the last car park in the national park.
The Rob Roy Track leads steeply uphill in the gorge of a glacial river. Last time I had to miss out here with Georg and Arnulf – my right knee was pretty sore from the Abel Tasman Track. This time the ascent takes a long time via some rock slides, but it’s doable. Once at the top, my lungs stop stinging. Dozens of waterfalls, dandelions and the white edge of the glacier sting my eyes. (more…)
Heaven Lies Before Paradise!
“Paradise – 37 km”, says the sign behind Glenorchy quite modestly. A few kilometres of dirt road through incredibly beautiful farmland before Mount Aspiring National Park and you’re there. First, of course, you have to cross the Jordan River. No problem, at this time of year the riverbed that runs across the track is dry.
The next two river crossings are also doable without a jeep. But the fourth, with a good 30 cm of water and large stones, shows Tutukaka his limits. This paradise is obviously only open to four-wheel drive vehicles. A great advertising idea for BMW, but certainly a bitter disappointment for religious extremists of all colours due to the inconvenience they have had to endure so far. (more…)
The Mermaid
I rode my first mermaid today! Hanmer Springs is a good way off the beaten track in the centre of New Zealand’s South Island. The way there leads along lonely roads past abandoned farms through golden hills. In Hanmer there is an overpriced thermal spa, a few hotels, pubs and the Dutch hostel owner Tristan.
After almost two weeks without a suitable wind, I’m completely under-kitted. The wind forecast in Kaikoura wasn’t right either. Instead of good wind, there was just a tornado, which put a second roof on the church. I studied the maps, but the lake that hostel owner Tristan was telling me about was so far off the beaten track that I couldn’t possibly find it. (more…)
Windy @ Wellington
Strong winds transform the wheat fields on the way from Wanganui to Wellington into billowing green seas. Shortly before Wellington we stop in Wakanae. The wind is weaker, but some kiters are already out in 15 knot full onshore waves over a metre high. The old year ends well with a few clean full washes.
We have an appointment with other travellers at YHA Wellington. Backpacker factory, but clean, large and well equipped. A four-course meal is a good basis for the New Year’s Eve feast, during which I lose Uli, don’t get to see any fireworks because of the storm and end up in bed at half past one, very tired from travelling. (more…)
Merry Christmas Kite!
12 days in the doldrums and some dream spots not kited as a result can be damn hard. But today is Christmas, and my wish comes true: the tail of a cyclone is pushing a lot of wind onto Lake Taupo. It’s blowing from the north-east at a nice 15-30 knots. The only kiteable beach in the wide area is 5 kilometres south of Taupo on the eastern shore.
The beach is full of people. But because of the shape of the bay, it is the only safe launch zone, even for me. Beyond a 200 metre long headland there are only 20 kilometres of open sea with uninhabitable and uninhabited coasts to the east and west. The 13er is far too big, the 9er a little too small in places. Only on the second start do I catch a good gust that takes me away from the beach. (more…)
Travel Kite @ 90 Mile Beach
One of my big plans for this trip was to kite 90 Mile Beach in the north of New Zealand. But the wind forecast had been more than poor for days and for our entire time travelling in the Northland. In Kaitaia, the last major town before the wilderness in the north, we fill up with food and petrol. Then it’s off to the beach in Ahipara by car.
The 90 Mile Beaach is marked as an official highway on all New Zealand road maps. Last time we managed 153km/h without any problems. This time we don’t make it that far. After two small river crossings, I spot a kite on the beach. Kite instructor Leslie says the wind here is always stronger than forecast when it’s sunny. He’s right. (more…)
Kiteboarding & Jugglers In Christchurch
I work for a few days. Remote maintenance, support, skype, web design…even from bed. Life can be really hard :-) I take the bus to the beach near New Brighton. Buses in Christchurch are good: frequent, good network and cheap with a Metrocard (day: €2). Unfortunately, the wind is only good enough for a few bounces on the beach…yesterday there were 45 knots here and several thousand households without power…
The 10-day Buskers Festival is currently taking place in Christchurch. The whole city is full of buskers. It’s great fun and delays my every move. Mimes, jugglers, high-wire artists, clowns – there’s something to laugh and marvel at everywhere. I walk through the pedestrian zone with my kiteboard and am looked at as if I’m part of the festival. (more…)
Ripping the Milford Sound
Did I say something like “I was kiting in the most beautiful place in the world” the day before yesterday? Me Thor! But who could have imagined a day like today? Not me. But from the beginning:
Two lovely days in Te Anau. A short tour over 40 kilometres of gravel road to the Mavora Lakes. A nice Swiss woman accompanies me. I stop to chase an escaped sheep. I really wanted to shear a sheep in New Zealand. A Kiwi had already enquired: unfortunately it is forbidden for foreigners for disease control reasons. So today, privately and without a razor: plucking. When the sheep runs into an electric fence in panic, the fun stops for the actually very funny Swiss woman. I have to abandon the plan without success. (more…)
Kitesurfing on the Southern Lakes
Forget Queenstown for kiting! Completely overcrowded beach, almost never enough wind. One boat after the other. And the more remote boardwalks: thick trees every 10 metres and nice big rocks everywhere on a 5-metre-wide launch zone. I’m really pissed off that someone seriously gave me the “tip” to come kitesurfing here. Then I hire a car.
I drive 45 kilometres north along the adjacent Lake Wakatipu. There are more and more white chops on the lake. Wind!!! I’m coming!!! The end of the lake is reached in Glenorchy. Isengart used to be here, and the Routeburn Track still starts here. The only important thing for me: the wind is chopping at up to 30 knots. Very gusty, sometimes only 5, but it’s blowing. Kite on the gravel bank and off we go. (more…)
Burnout in Queenstown
Our last stop together is Queenstown, the capital of adrenalin. The world’s first bungee jump took place just a few kilometres away. Jetboating through narrow gorges, paragliding, aerobatics. Downhill mountain biking, speed luging, windsurfing, sailing, water skiing, climbing, canyoning, rafting. Choose the colour you want to paint a boring life an exciting colour!
There are twice as many tourists and three times as many bars for every 16,000 inhabitants. Queenstown is nevertheless nice and small, and still much quieter than Zell am See in the high season. The weather is absolutely unpredictable: Rain in the morning, sun in the afternoon, storms in the evening. Unfortunately, I didn’t find a single good kite spot for the same. Which devil had recommended Queenstown for kitesurfing? (more…)
Advents-Kite in Nelson
The crossing to the South Island is steep. Firstly, I was still three local beers short the night before, and secondly, the night was only four hours short again because of the concert. The sea was comparatively calm. Nevertheless, the ship rocked quite a bit and there were nice white bags hanging behind every seat. After 1.5 hours, I see the South Island for the first time.
The entrance is into a long fjord. The Queen Charlotte Track runs along to the right. A few fishermen’s houses cling to the steep slopes. The sun is finally back. We are told to change cars in Picton because of a crack in the windscreen. The local Indian has no idea what to do, who is who, etc. After 15 minutes I advise him to call his company’s hotline, then something will happen. (more…)
Kitesurfing in New Zealand: Raglan
We set off early. The girls move on to Coromandel, I take Cédric to Hamilton and let him out on the road to Rotorua. His heart was calling him there. My next destination is Raglan, the surfing and kitesurfing mecca of the North Island of New Zealand. I don’t arrive until the evening. Once again, we haven’t missed a single road on the way.
As so often before, the first hostel is beautiful, right on the beach. And they forbid me to use my laptop. Web design in New Zealand is much harder for me than on the last little island in Fiji. I’m on 180 again and I’m pissed off as I speed 8 kilometres along the coast. My anger is gone by the time I land. (more…)
From Whangarei to Waitangi
I’m lying flat in bed. My lungs are stinging. Bad cold. My laptop is behaving in solidarity. Apparently caught a nice virus from the diving school on Mana. I sip honey tea and worm my workbench. It’s raining and storming outside all day. I do a bit of work and pin the second couchsurfer and Canadian from Khandahar, Maurice.
I feel better the next day. Not the car at all. I’d left the lights on. Maurice helps with the resuscitation. His car is a Holden Astra, no joke. Viva la globalización! My destination for today is Pahia in the Bay of Islands. This is where today’s New Zealand began with the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Ancient cultural land. (more…)
The Author
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.