New Zealand Weekly Update #9

Last updated on Dezember 26, 2022

19th of November until 25th of December 2022

Approximate reading time: 12 minutes

Should I stay or should I go?

The other day I had a really intense talk with Amelie , who lives in Wanaka since more than 2 years. And we talked about the pro’s and con’s of living abroad, living in New Zealand, living in Wanaka. Of course it is an amazing place to enjoy outdoor life. To meet new people all year around. To enjoy this beautiful area and explore it day by day. A small town to set up a social life, a daily life and also a worthy life as well. On the other handside, Wanaka is a town, where people get into your life quite fast, but they also get out of your sight again quite fast. Because they travel, they want to explore, they want to move on, or they are just tourists in Wanaka for several days.
And at this point it becomes difficult, because with most of the people you meet here, you set up a quite intense and unique bond. You explore new places together, build up unique memories at unique places and have a really good deep talk from time to time. You talk about the reasons why you are here, which decisicions you had to make, which obstacles to overcome. And you also hear about a lot of different stories, interesting stories, shocking stories and also about a lot of brave decisions.
And then, when you already started to enjoy this bond, this friendship, this way of having a little bit of a „normal“ life (whatever a normal life is for you guys…), most of these people leave again, move on and step out of your sight (of course not out of your life in total).
And Amelie just told me, that it is getting more difficult the more time advances. Because from time to time you tell the same stories, but maybe with less emotions, with less effort and you start to become a little sad, because you already know, that most of the people you meet here will leave this place again.

So what is the solution for this situation? Leave town as well? Stay and try to be a little stubborn and patient? Go back home and just travel around from time to time?
I don’t think, that there is the one and only solution for that – there are options and you should always ask your belly – because he (or she, or it?) is right most of the time 🙂
Anyway, living abroad and travel around has a lot of advantages, a lot of nature, a lot of people, a lot of new experiences. But to be honest with you, it also makes you very, very lonely from time to time.

Santa Claus is coming to Canyoning

The week just started quite funny and intense, as Thomas, Daniel and I went for some recreational Canyoning into the Haast area to see some new canyons and to gain more experience in guiding them as well. The first canyon we went to was „Wilson Creek“, one of our advanced canyons. The hike to the entrance of the canyon takes at least 90 minutes, partly steep and demanding. Through forrest and crossing another creek to step into Wilson Creek. This canyon is beautiful, partly narrow and the water colour and surrounding area is just stunning (and reminds me a little bit of the canyons in Switzerland). As I brought my Santa Clause costume with me, we also made some content for a nice social media video to be shared on Facebook and Instagram.

The second canyon we went in that day was „Imp Grotto“, one of the intermediate canyons of our company. This one is quite a short canyon, the hike up is just 15 minutes, but the first section is a 12 meter jump into a small pool, followed by a technical rappel section with sharp edges. And in the end you abseil 40m into a waterfall and can have a nice big slide into the last section of the canyon. A high recommendation (even it this canyon is pretty short, it just took us 30 minutes to run it). The next days have been all about canyoning, about guiding Niger Stream with super customers. Most of the time I guided 2 persons per day, easy going water level and they have been really confident, especially a young boy (10yrs old) with his mother from Sweden. He was just brave, happy to do every jump and already so confident in abseilig. And I recognized again, that the sun in New Zealand is way too strong, as I got a heatstroke on my head after sitting 30 minutes outside with my customers for lunch (and it was partly cloudy that day). In that evening, I sat at the couch with some icepacks at my head and my back to cool down my body and my head – all good 🙂

Meri Kerihimete

The day before christmas (the day with the heatstroke 🙂 ) I went to the local cinema (Cinema Paradiso) with a friend of mine to watch the movie „Avatar – the way of water“. And this cinema is quite a nice one, as you have a lot of cozy couches and even a small car with 2 seats inside to enjoy the movie. And you can order pizza, cookies and food for the break and they will serve it for you. If you are not able to finish your food before the second part of the movie, you can just grab your stuff and take it with you – nice, cozy place to be – especially on rainy days 🙂

Christmas day #1 – 24th of December
And here we are, christmas day in New Zealand (and for me christmas day is the 24th of December, no discussion about, even if New Zealanders hand out their presents on the 25th of December – strange people outta here 🙂 )
In the morning, I decided to have a nice breakfast at Big Fig with a coffee and just sitting outside. Even if Wanaka is quite busy this time of the year (with a lot of tourists, many, maaany people on the lake and at the beach), it was peaceful, not busy at all and just a nice scenery to watch and enjoy.
And we prepared a lot of food for the christmas day on sunday (potatoe salad, sauerkraut, sausages, feta salad, bread, drinks and much more). Because the plan was to celebreate with about 14 people from more than 7 nations – dingyinternational christmas time.
What a nice feeling, weather was not so good and so I jsut relaxed at home, prepared some food, had a drink with my housemates and listend so some nice christmas music. And I have lit some Incense candle I brought from home – smells like christmas and like home as well 🙂
In the evening, we have been together with all of the housemates (almost everybody from Germany) to eat Sauerkraut, sausages, potatoe salad and having a good whisky. And as german people are used to celebrate christmas on the 24th of December (and this is the real christmas eve 🙂 ) we also opened up our presents. Books. Socks (and socks rocks!), some cheese, a can of a really good beer and also some chocolate. A really nice little christmas at our house with friends.

Afterwards we went up to the neighbors to have a conversation, a drink and to sit until 3am in the morning to watch the stars, the sky and some shooting stars as well. Sitting there, having a glass of whisky in your hand and just listening to almost nothing than the silence is gorgeous. And we have been so lucky to see the milky way. And if you have a twon like Wanaka with less light polution, the sky is even more impressive… Merry Christmas from New Zealand!

Christmas day #2 – 25th of December
Second christmas day in New Zealand. And we started with a nice swim in the cold Lake Wanaka, a nice and refreshing moment with our neighbors and friends. Afterwars we prepared the food and the terrace for the big lunch. Everybody made something special. We had Sauerkraut, Potatoe Salad, a vegan pie with nuts, guacamole, garlic bread, couscous, feta salad and much more to eat. And prior the lunch at 2pm I went up to the neighbors to share some presents with them as well. And I was lucky that I’ve found some nice and funny books for all of them at Wastebusters. And for Robin I’ve found a reaaaaally big coffee cup with a sentence on it „It’s all good“. The perfect fit for Robin as he always says it is all good 🙂
And for me? I’ve got a voucher for Big Fig and some nice food as well – what a nice gesture 🙂
Down on the terrace of our house, everthing was prepared – but we’ve got interrupted – by some kids from the neighborhood sooting with water pistols on our food. And we grabbed our waterguns and joined the fight. And in the end, Julia got the idea to use our hose to fight back with a massive amount of water. And the kids got aware of that they don’t have any chance anymore 🙂

Time to eat, trink, enjoy and being together in a nice group of international people. Celebrating christmas with friends and our own New Zealand family. Even if it was not cold, no snow, no christmas market, not dark. It was gorgeous. Amazing. Memorable. So special. Peaceful. It was what christmas is about. Being together and spending time with each other. And appreciate the company.

After the big lunch, Will and Piers asked us to join an international quiz they have had prepared. Such lovely guys. The first part was answering questions about different countries. E.g. how many Tim Tams are sold in Australia per year or how deep is the deepest spot at Lake Wanaka. Quite a funny quiz with also a lot of discussions about possible answers as well 🙂
The second part was just about giving true or false anwers about the naming of different mushrooms and birds in latin lanugage. And this was the point everybody got confused because even the quizmasters did not know anymore the right sequence haha. Nevertheless, funny and entertaining moments.

And what can I tell – afterwards we went back to the Lake, swimming in the lake, playing with two teams of seven persons each with a volleyball and tried to catch the ball from the other team. Sun above us, blue sky, many people at the beach as well. Christmas can be so beautiful even without snow and the cold…
And it can also be great to just put some matresses out of the house onto the terrace, grab some blankets, a drink and just sleeping outside watching the stars and shootings stars.

What else to say?

Argentinia finally made it! We watched the game early in the morning (4am) to join the fever and to celebtrate the team. What an exciting game and what a victory, it was really fun but also quite to early. After the game I went back to bed and had some more hours of sleep (and I was lucky to be off that day hehe).

The other day in the week we went to the Lake with some friends to join a big group of people doing the slackline, juggling, having a BBQ and listen to some music. It was a nice and cozy evening in the middle of a lot of nice and interesting people. With some nice conversation, one or two drinks and also a fireshow from one of the guys. And a nice swim in the Lake as well 🙂

If you ask how christmas in New Zealand feels like – with the right people it is a once in a lifetime memory. A special time with special people and special memories. No more, no less.
To end this weeks blog article, I want to say thank you to all of you. For all of your lovely messages, videos, phone calls, pictures and gestures. You guys made my christmas as well and made me feel a little mor christmassy 🙂

Next week, next article for you – enjoy your christmas time and I hope you got lots of good food and presents 🙂

Your dingyinternational

Felix