New Zealand Weekly Update #8

Last updated on Dezember 18, 2022

12th of November until 18th of December 2022

Approximate reading time: 8 minutes

People come, people go, people stay

While travelling, you meet many new people. Short-term friendships might emerge. Random encounters may end up in a new friendship. Or drunk people just ask you if you want to go with them to the next bar (sometimes people here are a little bit to open-minded, but it is still fun all the time).
But in the end you know, that all of those friendships, encounters and people will not last forever. The time you spent together is limited, really limited. And that makes them even more special, more important, more memorable. And there will be always as strong bond between you and your friends from all over the world. Because you spent a special and unique time together.
As time goes on, also friends and collegues will leave soon. For several reasons. In January, almost all of our neighbors (and good friends) will leave Wanaka to travel again. At the same time, Thomas and Julia will leave Wanaka and travel to the north island and later to Asia.
As you see, things change quite fast, even if you find yourself in a „normal daily life structure“ abroad. And then it is about how to handle these situations. Of course, I am sad, because the amount of people I love to spend time with decreases. And I will miss them a lot since it is always fun, to share stories, experiences and deep talks. Nevertheless, people come and people go. And it will be always like that. In the end it is about, if they stay (in your mind, in your heart and in your memory as well…). And they will 🙂

New Canyons, new people

This week it was all about canyoning and being in new canyons in the Haast Area in New Zealand. The Haast are is located north of Wanaka, about 80 minutes by car. While driving to this area, you pass the Hawea Lake and the Lake Wanaka as well. Both Lakes are seperated by the so called „Neck“. Just the journey to the canyons is great and full of nature, mountains and beautiful spots. There are several canyons which we are able to run with our customers. One on them you already know from a former Update (Wilson Creek, totally stunning canyon!). This week we have been canyoning with customers in Cross Creek (one of our beginner trips) and Robinson Creek (on of our intermediate canyons). Stunning water colours, high jumps, amazing rappel sections, partly icecold water, narrow and deep from time to time. Amazing canyons and beautiful nature. Whenever you have the chance to join a trip in that area – do it! Especially with Deep Canyon as we have lunch together after each tour hehe 🙂
Friday we had a tour at Big Nige, one of the intermediate canyons. Our customers have been boat guides from Milford Sound area and they have been so confident and fun. It almost felt like being with friends in a canyon to enjoy a nice and easy day outside. And as we took one of our housemates with us (Anthony), we were able to ask him to do all of the picture and video content for us 🙂 . As Milford Sound is still on my To-Do List, I will definitly meet with the guides and have a boat tour with them as well 🙂
In the evening, we met them again for some drinks at Kai Whaka Pai and for a fun and nice evening with small talk, deep talk and shitty talk of course. And Anthony invited us for a drink and a dinner as well as we took him to the canyoning trip for free.

And since Thuersday, the guide team from Deep Canyon has been completed as Daniel arrived in Wanaka. Daniel is a very experienced guide with his own canyoning company in Germany – Canyoning Erleben (and most of the time he is really nice as well and ready for a nice conversation). And he will stay some weeks and guide with us.

Football’s coming home

Since there is something like a daily routine as well as a working routine, I am off from time to time and I am able to „travel“ a little bit around the area (of course not far away as I need to work normally every second day). The other day I was off, I just jumped into my car and drove the street. Follow the route out of the town, along the street, nature around me. Drove a really old bridge, following the signs towards Hawea River. And I just stopped there for a nice walk along the river. And at Hawea River, there is a really famous spot for surfers and boat people as well. Because there you can find the famous „Wave“, a wave that is on the same spot all the time and you can surf it as long as you want to. Really impressing to watch people over there trying to get on their boards, withstand the power of the wave as long as possible. A nice place to visit, to walk and to enjoy as well.

As you all know, the football championship takes place at the moment in Quatar and as Argentina won the semi-finals, there have been small parties all around the town this week. Lots of argentine fans drove with their cars or bikes around the town, honking and celebtrating their country. And all of them have been sooo happy, smiling and just grateful. And we met some of them, sitting in the gras, dancing to music, waving flags and been sooo exciting for the final game on monday, 4am. And we will watch it as well (and this will be the first game I see from this years championship). So I need to go to bed early sunday evening…

Whenever I need a short time to rest, to reset or to breath, I take the opportunity to grab my kayak and go to the Lake. Sitting in the kayak with water around me, silence and nature around me as well is just a peaceful experience. You can just listen to nature, to the small waves and unfortunatelly sometimes also to some jetski boats 😉
And it is always nice to explore the area like that, to sit at Ruby Island, having a fresh made coffee on the BBQ station (which is free of charge by the way) and to enjoy some hours of freedom with friends.

What else to say?

Time is running, christmas day is just a week ahead and it doesn’t feel like it is. No snow. No christmas markets. No cold. No christmas songs everywhere. This might be the most weird christmas I’ve ever had. But nevertheless, it will be special. And we might always remember it as special, unique and memorable. And we want to celebtrate it all together, having good food, good music, a good drink. And our neighbors (and Robin as well) are just a little crazy, as they bought tattoo needles and colour, to have a new tattoo on christmas day. And at the moment we talk about the desings, the position on the body and about who is in and who not 🙂 And to be honest, I also think about a new tattoo as well as I already have a nice idea about the design 🙂
Nevertheless, sometimes I miss home. I miss my friends, my family, my adventures at home as well. And I miss my granny, the special christmas cookies, her peppermint tee with lemon and sugar. And thatswhy I made my own shortbread cookies to have a little christmas feeling right here in New Zealand. And I was quite proud 🙂 (and a friend of mine, who is also an educated baker, just told me the have been „overcooked“ – they still tasted like heaven 🙂

Well, as you see, time in New Zealand for me is all about canyoning, being with friends, being outdoor and try to enjoy the time and every moment I am at this beautiful spot. And as more and more people think I am not coming back to Germany – I definitly come back home as I miss a lot of you and want to see you again – all of you crazy, lovely and hearty people. 🙂
There is one thing, I just want to show you, as it is pretty nice and beautiful art – and sometimes I am not able to understand how people are able to be so creative. A friend of mine (who is also the baker) creates oil paintings from time to time and just shared some of her paintings with me. And I just want to show you one of them – watch and enjoy them 🙂

And finally I got my drivers license – a quite important document as I can use it also to prove my identity in New Zealand and to use it to apply online for lots of things (e.g. a new bank account).
See you next week, have a lovely and heartwarming christmas time with good food, good conversation and good people around you. Enjoy the time with your family and friends, whereever they might be.

Your Dingyinternational
Felix