New Zealand Weekly Update #48

Last updated on September 25, 2023

18th of September until 24th of September 2023

Approximate reading time: 10 minutes

Lets get it started

Good morning folks, this weeklys blog is a little late, apologies. It has been a busy week and nature went crazy as well. On Wednesday, there has been an earthquake in the south island and it felt pretty weird. While I was talking to a coustomer in our shop, lamps and posters were moving from one side to the other and I felt a little dizzy and like being drunk. So it did not feel pretty intense but kinda interesting. Fortunatelly, everyone is good and the shop is still in one peace. Furthermore, we have had some heavy rains on Thursday and Friday. Roads have been closed. State of emergency in Queenstown and driving along the roads has been a tough challenge as well. At least my car is clean now, on top and bottom 🙂
And this week has been also a pretty important one for me as well, since I reckognized that boundaries and saying no if you don’t accept things or people who treat you the wrong way or in a disrepectful way is pretty important. Saying no to people who don’t respect your boundaries, who don’t care about your boundaries and emotions. Saying no of being just an energy refill and kind of a backup solution for someone. Saying no to energy suckers. To not get pushed down by people, to not try to please people. And if you say no to all those things, you say yes to yourself. You say yes to much better. You say yes to positive things, to joy, to peace and balance. You say yes to your boundaries, your needs and emotions.

Thursday evening, I have made my way to Arrowtown, a cozy and sweet little village close to Queenstown. You might remember that I have been there already a couple of times (e.g. for the autumn festival or some hikes with a good friend of mine – Anthony). So I have made my way a long the flooded roads to have a dinner. It was supposed to be a short one, since we had to get up quite early in the morning. But we ended up sitting until almost 11PM. Talking, laughing, eating. And the food was great at Slow Cuts in Arrowtown. On the way back, I had to take another route since most roads have been closed, big rocks have been on the strees and it took me almost twice the time to get back to Wanaka. But it was worth it the effort and the drive – spending time with energy filling people is quality time. And more like a pleasure rather than effort…

Along the lake

This weeks monday, we have had amazing weather conditions and Anthony, Paula and me went for a hike in the area of Lake Hawea – Dingle Burn Peninsula Track. This one is a 24km in and out hike, not very steep but with a lot of gret views along the lake. You follow a 4 wheel drive road along the lake, a little up and down into an amazing valley. And after about 2-3 hours you end up at the peninsula. Quite windy, but peaceful and full of great views. Some snacks, some naps and afterwards all the way back in the sun and with blue sky above. And of course, a skinny dip at the end of the hike. To refresh. To clean. Body. Mind. And spirit. This hike is not crowded at all and definitely a gem in this area. And it can be done also by people who are not into hiking a lot, since it is quite flat – it is just a long one 🙂

A long day off

Saturday evening, some collegues and me went for dinner at Kika in town, since it was Anna’s birthday and we wanted to celebrate together. So we ended up with a lot of different courses, salmon, lamb, some nice dessert and some glasses of wine to cheer on Anna and to spend a great time together.

Sunday morning I woke up quite early (and we lost one hour since time has beend adjusted in New Zealand to summer time again, we are now 11h ahead of you guys back in Germany) to prepare my two day hike in the area of Glenorchy. The idea was to walk the Mt McIntosh Hut Loop track and to stay overnight at the upper hut, since the hike was supposed to be 4-6 hours one way, partly steep and exposed. So I have made my way to the parking area, which took me almost two hours driving. Fortunatelly, the streets are in good conditions and not closed anymore. Starting close to farmland, you walk up all the way and after about 1 hour you have to walk down again into a valley and cross a river (and this can be dangerour especially after heavy rain fall or snow). So I tried to find a good spot to cross this fella. In the end, I ended up standing in the water. Feet wet. Hip wet. Shoes wet. But all good, river crossing succesful :). And afterwards you hike up in kind of a zig-zag until you reach the hut. With some amazing views while turning around.

After 3h 40 mins, I reached the second hut, McIntosh Hut. A cozy little one, in former times used by miners since this area was a huge mining area. SOme bunk beds, a small kitchen and a fantastic view (if it is not cloudy and foggy as 🙂 ). And after half an hour of break and tea, I decided to make my way down again and finish the loop track, since it was just 2PM. The way down is a tough one since it is pretty steep and slippery. But with a great view to the Lake Wakatipu. After two hours and some slips, had to cross a little creek again. But the spot where hikers are supposed to cross it is quite dangerour. If you slip or the water level is too high, it can end up in a quite serious situation. Funny sidefact, 10 meters next to the supposed spot and blocked by a fence, there is a pretty easy spot to cross this area. And well, I took this one, dont want to slip and hurt myself though 🙂
Back at my car 4.30PM, I decided to drive back to Queenstown and to stay overnight. Having some drinks and some talks and a great time with fantastic company. 🙂

What else to say?

Quite a busy and exciting week in New Zealand. Important decisions have been made. Great hikes have been walked. And I have had some great conversations and company around me. And again I became aware of that sometimes you just have to say no to certain people, to say no to things you don’t want to accept. That you have to say yes to yourself, to your gut feelings and to your boundaries. And that sometimes, a „no“ can lead to great opportunities and experiences. Cheers guys, I hope you gonna have a great week, great company, great talks and time with people around you, who respect you and treat you the way you deserve it.

Your DingyInternational
Felix