Queenstown, New Zealand

Since being here down on South Island for few days the weather has been marvelous even a bit cold in the evenings, near freezing point. We have been driving a lot and I have seen the most magnificent landscapes and sceneries of my life. I have a lot of photos which will be added into my diary after my journey next April.
Today I am exactly in the middle of it.
During the last days I spent due invitations my evenings with young South Americans,with a couple from Argentina Sebastian 30 and Natalia 32, and with four students from Mexico Aura and Hermino, dating friends and Armando and Honorio , all 18, but very mature.
Yesterday Armando did a Bungy Jump from 132 meters.
The day before I really considered to make the same from 42 meters at the place it all started 1988, from a bridge to a river creek, but the possibility came to me to quickly, there was only five minutes to prepare myself with it, and I absolutely would had needed a night before it, as those who did jump.
Queenstown itself, is a most beautiful and very amusing small city, most expensive in whole N.Z.to invest in land or properties. Here I could have stayed longer, but I did book my trip further to Dunedin for tomorrow.

Nelson, Greymouth and Franz Josef, NZ

Now I had arrived to the Southern Island. First reactions were cooler weather and very different landscapes. In all those places I stayed only one night having great sceneries from the bus ,when crossing mountains or driving along gorgeous shore lines or passing multiple rivers.In Greymouth we visited local Monteih's Brewery having a lot of free tasting of their seven different type of beers.
Smewhere we also visited a big seal colony of and very strange pancake rocks, formed by sea and rain storms during millions of years.

Wellington, NZ

My time went in Wellington very quickly even I spent there 5 days.I just did stroll around the city every day and when there was a nice bar I dropped in.In the last day I managed to put some other culture in my daily program, visiting for a couple of hours the world famous Te Papa Museum. I should have left for me at least two hours more. I have agreed to meet some people to celebrate my last eveing there.Mostly I sat after sunset in the hostel's Blend bar, where we coud get some free snacks every evening like pasta, rice or hot dogs etc., of course we enjoyed the Happy Hour too.
During my stay here I have just briefly met Kiwies, they are all young Europeans as before, like beautiful Maria 30, lovely Jenny 21 and Josefina all from Sweden,Flora 30 from Ireland, Nicola 35,Chris 33,Rupert31,Jack 21 all from England and Josh 18 from Wales.Then Last Saturday I flew with a small Cessna, it took only 12 passengers, over the sea and mountains to a tiny airport of Picton. W e then were transported to a township called Nelson, where we the Magic bus tour members, did overnight. Those tour members might change every day because everybody has their individual interets, but sometimes you meet somewhere old friends you already met before. Now there was pretty Margaret from Ireland I had seen in Paihia 10 days earlier.

Awesome adventures on Northern Iisland , N

Last Tuesday I went with a bigger group of all possible nationalities, mainly Europeans anyhow, to Cape Reinga the north point of NZ. It was very interesting to look how the dark blue Pacific Ocean met the light blue Tasman Sea, the waves really hit each other. A very beautiful viewing point too.
Later we climbed up a at least 200m high sand dune of about 60 degrees. Toughest work I have done in my whole life. But then sliding down with a special board 100km/h
was a real big thing of that day, and paid back all the troubles getting up.
The evening was splendid with many pretty girls around at Base Backpackers bar.
Best regards to Taz, Becky and Annika in their mid twenties, all from England. And very best regards to Dempsey 25 soon, our fantastic funny Maori bus driver, guitar player and good guy.
I then was back in Auckland for one night to continue to Rotorua.In the first morning
we (12 brave, ones 9 guys and 3 girls ) went exploring underground caves and river one hundred meters down from earth level.We spent over three hours with rubber tires in total darkness (water 11 degrees celcius but wet suits on us, it did not feel cold). Millions of glowworms, cascaiding undergrond waterfalls and partly very small cave passages was very exciting.
Next day however I lived the most thrilling experience of my life.Kaituna Cascades.
In their own words ....pass trough amazing steep, narrow, bushclad canyons,over and trough 14 rapids in purpose built Kaituna rafts in one hour including the 7 meters Tutea Falls. Culture, History, Adrenalin overload. This trip offers it all.Grade Five.... Fabulous paddling and of course we did swim after this big one and after another one too. I also did do one rapids just swimming by myself, and was rescued to another boat. But it was an absolute great fun , I did not panic in underwater turbulencies and followed given instructions, and did not even loose my paddle.
That was an adventure of a life time in Rotorua. And I have a dvd with plenty of pictures showing how we managed the falls. One staff member took on shore very good photos.
Today we visited Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland with its volcanic environment. Now I have arrived to Taupo, and continue tomorrow to Wellington.

Paihia and Russel , NZ

After 8 hours beautiful travelling with Magia bus we 19 backpackers arrived to this beautiful township some few hundred kilometers north from Auckland. I was lucky and got a very good apartment for NZD50 only at Bay Adventurer.
On Tuesday I decided to study the first historic capital of NZ until 1840, Russel (or Kororakeka )on the other side of the bay. This little town (1000 inhabitants),once very important one,is now a romantic place for retaired people or honeymooners from different places of the world.
I visited the oldest still working church in NZ., the fine Museum, the Flagstaff Hill,after heavy climbing, where the treaty between England and Maori chiefs was made and The Duke of Marlbrough Hotel bar, which also is the oldest in NZ.This city was once called the Hell Hole of the Pacific, because of the rough life of the whalers and Maori women, who fighted drunk in Dukes's bar.
I there met some local gentlemen,who then invited me to private Swordfish Club,and I was not allowed buy a drink because someone always did. A fine evening.

Aotearoa

This word is the Maori name for New Zealand, and means The Land of Long Clouds.
I like to go back to Auckland to thank very helpful and also atractive Melissa Irwine and the whole staff at Darby street's Flight Center for their efforts and work to make my further journey so enjoyable and economy as possible.
I also still like to praise The Maritime Museum having there HMS Bounty"s anchor found almost 200 years later after Bounty's destroy. Very interresting were also many smaller and bigger outriggers from different South Sea islands.

Seventh day in Auckland , New Zealand

My first days just went in running to travel agencies and Air New Zealand officies
for some formalities plus arranging my coming routes here and partly in Australia too. I also spent a lot of time looking U.S.Open of tennis in my hotel room with some resfresment or in local pubs.
Yesterday I however had a very interesting harbour cruise almost privately because only a young Japanese couple was there with me, and I had a plenty of time to teach the capitan and the bar tender the history of Finland. I also learned a lot . I never knew that at the end of 19th century Russia was a real threat here too.
Afterwards I visited for several hours The Maritime Museum, and it was the best I've ever seen. And I have been in many of those around the world.
Today I spent first the morning hours in the magnificent Sky Tower about 200m over surface and then had a snapper lunch at the beautiful marina of Viaduct harbour.
It also was the first warm day during my visit as long the sun was there, until 3.30pm.
There was yesterday also a nice surprise, when I did check out from my CityLife Hotel. The clerk just said to me, wait a minute and vanished coming soon back with
another pretty lady. I thought that someting is wrong but the new young lady just smiled friendly and asked, if I am from Finland in Finnish.She was the Assitant Manager of the hotel and years away from Finland and from our home town Helsinki.
Her name was Sanna Jurvainen, and it might be possible that she is moving back to Finland some day , her next destination however is Irland, her boy friend's home country.

Auckland , New Zealand

I yesterday arrived back to cold weather. Not too cold but under 20 degrees in celsius anyhow. But my son Kristian did arrange a most luxury suite at the main road
of Auckland downtown for me at a reasonable price. Hotel's name is CityLife at Queen's road. I still stay here for 4 nights, and continue then further southwards.

Aitutaki ,Cook Islands

After very enjoyable days on Rarotonga I flew for two nights to Aitutaki. Aitutaki itseif was with it's 1500 inhabitants a boring place but the lagoon there was a thrilling experience. I got some bread in hy hands to feed fishes, and suddenly some hundreds of them attacked me.The biggest ones were about 40 - 50 cm long, and of all possible colours and forms. I could touch many of them. and one mean fish eventually did bite my finger.
I have written a lot about young girls I met during my journey but there was no hanky panky with them, just friendly conversations, dinners and drinks together, with usually many more girls than men, and often very pretty ones too.
The ladies in Polynesia are mostly not so beautiful but especially on Rarotonga I saw some slender, fantastic goodlooking and elegant local females.
I have been thinking, if Finlandia Vodka does still excist because I have not seen it anywhere before Guatemala in comparison with the rival Absolut Vodka ,which is everywhere. 25 years ago you could find Finlandia in all corners of the world. Now except Guatemala I saw it in one place on Fiji and here at taxfree in Auckland.
What is wrong with it's marketing?