Auckland Museum

Today i visited the Auckland Museum and it was great! 😀 I know i haven’t made an Article about Auckland yet, but there is one in the making, exactly like the other article i teased yesterday is still in the making and yes i still thing i can keep up with that, opposed to the two film reviews i teased but never go to deliver, maybe i will put out a film summery after I’ve seen Star Wars on the second January, but i will stop promising that stuff…

But enough with that and more about the Auckland Museum (Its original name is Auckland War Museum but only 1 out of 3 floors was about war.

 There were great Exhibitions about the Maori Culture and the Maori History and also about New Zealands Nature and some general Polynesian and Asian Culture and, for some Reason there also were Artifacts from Greece and Rome there.

  
  
  
Also really well made was the Exhibition Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Air New Zealand with Lots of Video Content, many physicall Stuff like two historic Planeparts you could go in and also a lot of Interactive Stuff like a Game where you should try to board a plane as fast and as comfortable for the passengers as possible, or a virtual cockpit with lots of Explanation on all the parts.

 But the most impressive thing in the Museum was the use of VR, for one part they used it in their War Exhibition were Students Rebuild the only Battlefield New Zealand fought in WW1 in Minecraft, which is a cool idea, so they had a few PCs were you could walk around in that, but the cool part was walking around there in VR, two of the PCs were Equipped with an Oculus and although it was laggy and all i enjoyed it quite much, as it was my first VR experience ever. Flying around and seeing this Battlefield from above just was a cool thing.

  
 The cooler VR experience was the not that interactive, VR is interactive all the time because of the looking around stuff, showing of the Plan of the Future flight experience from Air New Zealand. Their Plans simply include one thing VR Headsets, that doesn’t sound that revolutionary as it is and why it is so revolutionary they showed of very well in their Demo. While you sat in a Plane in the beginning, like you were sitting in a plane seat in real live, they started to explain the possibilities this technology brought with it, at first they let everybody experience that they could move around with their heads and look there where you looking in VR. Although it was kinda awkward that they had simulated a body of you in the Demo, but your arms and legs didn’t move in the picture you saw when you did in real live, so i instinctively sad in my chair like “my body” in the virtual world was sitting so it didn’t felt that weird. After this the cool stuff started, at first they removed the sides of the virtual plane so you cold see “outside” and see the landscape, which, like the whole Demo, wasn’t that graphical advanced, more like a game from 10 years ago, but it did not feel weird for some reason. The next few Demos showed animals walked around the plane, or yourself in different places like a beach, a romantic Cafe somewhere or at new years Eve in Singapore, all of this were cool Scenarios to watch, and if there would be enough of that in a real flight and if the hole movie programm would be viewable in VR, if not VR movies this had to be indirect like you in a living Room or a Cinema, such things already exist, it would be a great thing to make a flight more enjoyable :).

Whitianga

Whitianga is easily one of my favorite places in New Zealand so far, I can’t really frame it, but from the beginning I there was something special about this place and that not only was the beatiful nature or something like that, I felt something like a feeling of belonging there, and so I stayed there quite long from the 19th till the 27th and I may even return. Staying there over Christmas was very nice, I came to know a few people in my time there and in the TV Room/Kitchen was always someone you could talk too.

Surfing with Kajaks was great Surfing on Christmas, I mean the 25th, the 24th sadly had the worst weather since I come to NewZealand, was amazing, cathedral Cove was beatiful (the filmed the beginning of the second Narnia there) was great and my walk to cooks beach also was cool. So generally I had a great time there, but had to figure some things out for myself (more on that in another post).

So I hope you had a great Christmas and I whish you a great now Year.


  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

Hobbiton

Hobbiton is the most beautiful movie set I’ve ever seen, just everything is still intact and everything has so many details on it, i would have stayed there for a very long time, but sadly you have to stick t you guided tour. But even despite this it was one of my definite highlights of my new Zealand Journey so far, It really is a beautiful and stunning place, that no one that likes Lord of the Rings should miss.

Enjoy the pictures of this beautiful place.

(Also i have to thank my Sister for sorting all the pictures that wordpress had put in the wrong oder, she’s just the best, this post would be worse without her awesome help)

Rotorua stinks

Many things in this City look good, but with all the thermal activity there is a lot of sulfur in the air and its rotten eggs all over again :/

The Redwoods are cool tho, they just looks fantastic and do not stink 🙂 Tomorrow I’m of to Hobbiton and I’m excited to see that 🙂

Fortunately for you pictures have no smell, so you can probably enjoy watching them more, then i could taking them… Have Fun


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Tongario Crossing and Mt. Doom

Doing the crossing was great in general and a really special experience for me, because i never before, was no near to a volcano, or in a so different nature from the European, also i can’t remember when i pushed myself to my so far to my physical limit. The day begun very early, as i was getting up at 4:45 to get the bus at 5:30 that would drive to the beginning of the walk, i arrived there around seven. Sadly i had to hurry on the end of the way because the last bus goes at 16:30 and if you do Mt. Doom (it’s name is Mt. Ngauruhoe originally) , that time frame is not that big. (All on Wednesday)

This Picture is made out of the Bus, but the Mountains on the other side just looked beautiful, i think it was the first time i saw them this clear :).
So i finally arrived there, it was still very cold and it was very busy at the bus stop.As i took my first steps on the track i got this awesome view of the area surrounding me :), the Sun was just over Mt. Doom
Don’t know what Mountain that is, but it looked awesome :D.The first glimpse of the now closer Mt. Doom, still with the sun next to it.
Here you see the way you have to take and the mountains that are in front of you.
A look back on the way i took (i think, i’m not sure)Me looking awkward in front of the Soda Springs
A look aside to the mountains you’re passing 🙂After you’ve gone up a little bit and you’re in front of the Devils Staircase, you get this awesome view back at the land 😀
After you passed the Devils Staircase, sadly don’t find the picture i took of that :(, you have Mt. Doom right in front of you, its almost 2300 Meters high and you still have to go up 600 of them if you want to get to the top.As Mt. Doom really isn’t that easy to climb and i was already a little tiered of walking after the devils staircase, partly because I’m not in form and partly because i took to much stuff (food) with me and because my big travel backpack is also heavy, i really wasn’t sure if i should to this.
I decided to do it after all, don’t knowing if i ever get another chance, and because i simply could turn around if it would become to much. I put the Lord of the Rings soundtrack on and mixed it with “Gonna Fly Now” (The Rocky Music(Creed i blame you for that(still want to write something about that movie))) now and than 😀On my way up i got this cool view of the surrounding Mountains.
Finally arriving at the top, while “Gonna fly know was perfectly kicking in :D, i got this awesome view 🙂Standing on the edge of the crater (lyrics from the song i had to think of when i looked down (it’s Mike Oldfield – Nuclear)
Shirley in front of the crater, tired as ever, but she looked how my legs where feeling after this 😀A look to th other side of the mountain.
A look down this surreal landscape.😀
As clouds passed through I now and then got i glimpse of the nature surrounding me.A look down the way i would be going, the fact that you couldn’t see the ground, because it was cloudy made it especially scary.
At Mt. Doom there is, logically because it’s a volcano, volcano ashes and lots of little stones, walking up wasn’t easy because of that, but walking down was even worse, because you constantly slided down the mountain, never knowing when the ground would change, so that you could fall. Finally at the Ground again, now 600 meters lower than shortly before.
The way looked cool with all the Steam going up from the heated ground.A look back at Mt. Doom from the next point a little bit higher, i couldn’t believe i just was up there, the mountain looked so impressive and it felt crazy that i was there and gone again so fast.
It really felt crazy.These Mountains just looked cool 🙂
Panorama of the way ahead, you also see the crystal lakes.The lakes look fantastic, but smell like rotten eggs, because of the sulfur of the volcano.
Now you see the Blue Lake, which looks cool and doesn’t smell 😀
Again a look back and again that crazy feeling.
looking in all ways and having Shirley with me 🙂
A look at the way down, the lake you in front is not lake Taupo, but you can see a small blue area in the upper right, thats lake Taupo.These Mountains just looked sooo different from all I knew from Europe.

Some more cool views down the way.This picture is just randomly taken out of the bus, because i needed a good and. It was a really beautiful, challenging trip, but the nature i could see was so rewarding, i would do it again anytime.

 

PS: Yes i know i used “a look” far to often…

Huka Falls

So what can i tell you about the Huka Falls?

They are a nice place a little bit outside of Taupo (walked there for maybe an hour) and they are part of the Waikato River, which the track to them mostly follows, on the way you’ll also discover some free Hot Springs, which is really cool and being in them is very relaxing :). Sadly i forgot to take a photo of them :(. I went there on Tuesday :).

This is at the Spa Thermal Park, which lays in front of the track to the Huka Falls.  The River is very clear and the blue, sometimes green color looks great. (Also a Duck :D)   The Track leads you up and down quite a bit so here is a panorama photo from a high point.
  The colors are just great.  Here you can finally see how fast the river is going, there is no swimming through.
  And finally the Huka Falls, which are not really a waterfall, but its still impressive.
  From a little bit up the hill 😀

A edited photo of me sitting at a high point, i found an unofficial path, which was really cool and gave me great views.  And another one, this time with Shirley (YAAAAAY :D) a little bit down the way.
  And a panorama pic i took at the point the little fun path ended, sadly only a, i don’t know what, field :/.  A picture i took on my way back to the hostel from a nice lookout.
  And i walked down a way from the lookout and found myself near the river, this is on the outside of Taupo again.

Just an Announcement…

Update: The Hostel internet wasn’t working so sadly I can’t upload pictures, which means the post I’ve thought of and prepared make no sense, because the pictures are an essential part of them.
So I will try to publish three articles tomorrow.

1 about my cinema visit on Monday,

1 about the Huka Falls yesterday and

1 about the Tongario Alpine crossing I did today 🙂

I hope this will work, but I’m really not sure yet, here you have a little photo 🙂

Taupo

I’m in Taupo! The Lake is just fantastic and the promenade is really nice, the hostel, rainbow backpackers, is cool too and it’s the same with the people.

Because I’m to lazy and tiered to write more, just enjoy the pictures, also well yeah I’m here and it’s nice, I just walked around town a little bit, nothing special yet to tell you. 🙂


  
  
  

Frustrating Job search

So my plan originally was, if I find no work, to go to Taupo and try my luck there, also the Tongario National Park is near Taupo and if you do the Tongario alpine crossing you’re basically climbing Mt. Doom from lord of the rings. I still want to go there and do that, but why haven’t I done that by now? Well that’s a little complicated…

To put it short, I thought I would have a job, but it turnt out that this was not the case, so i missed the opertunity to take the bus and stayed here, because I got the possibility to may get a job, which I again would not. So I’m still at the accommodation I found and the place is nice and chilly, originally it’s a farm stay accommodation, but the host lets me stay here anyways all the other people that stay here are nice, so it’s that’s great, for example I met a journalist from China who just graduated and the French man I’m in a room with is really a good person to talk to and the host is super nice and helpful too  the only problem is they are all away working half of the day and I’m not, also I have to walk a while to the next bus stop, so my days were boring. Now I have a hostel in Taupo starting Friday and maybe I have a job there, I’m obtimistic towards that, because the “employer” found my profile on wood and contacted me there.

I hope it turns out better in Taupo on the job front than it did in Napier.

(No pictures because of the bad wifi)

Frustrierende Job suche

Ursprünglich mein Plan, wenn ich keine Arbeit finde, nach Taupo zu gehen und mein Glück dort zu versuchen, auch die Tongario National Park ist in der Nähe von Taupo und das Tongario Alpinecrossing ist im Grunde eine Wanderung auf den Schicksalsberg aus Herr der Ringe. Taupo und gerade der Nationalpark waren schon die ganze Zeit eins meiner Ziele, nur wieso bin ich noch nicht da, wenn es in Napier eh kein Job gibt? Nun, das ist ein wenig kompliziert …

Um es kurz zu machen, ich dachte, ich würde einen Job haben, aber es stellte sich heraus, dass dem nicht so war, so dass ich die Möglichkeit verpasste den Bus, nach Taupo, zu nehmen und bin deshalb noch hier, weil es erneut die Chance auf einen Job gab. Jetzt bin ich immer noch in der Unterkunft die ich gefunden habe, welche ganz schön ist. Allerdings ist es ursprünglich eine Farmstay Unterkunft, aber der Host lässt mich hier auch ohne Job bleiben, er ist, wie alle hier sehr nett und man lernt interessante Menschen kennen, zum Beispiel einen Journalisten aus China, welcher gerade seinen Abschluss gemacht hat und der Franzoze, mit dem ich in einem Zimmer bin ist ein wirklich guter Gesprächspartner. Das einzige Problem ist, sie sind alle weg zum arbeiten die Hälfte des Tages und ich nicht, auch muss ich eine Weile, bis zur nächsten Bushaltestelle laufen, so dass die letzten Tage recht langweilig waren. Jetzt habe ich ab Freitag ein Hostel in Taupo und vielleicht habe ich dort Glück mit einem Job, ich bin optimistisch, mehr Glück, denn es hat ein Host (auf wwoof) aus der Nähe von Taupo mein Profil gefunden und mich angeschrieben, was doch ein gutes Zeichen ist :).
Ich hoffe es stellt sich heraus, das man in Taupo besser Jobs findet, als es in Napier der Fall war :).

(Kein Bild wegen dem schlechten WIFI)

PS: Ja die deutsche Version kommt vom Google Übersetzer, mal gucken wie vielen das auffällt 😛 verbessere das dann morgen. (Schon geschehen)