Silver Peaks

On Sunday 20th of March Guido, Sofia, Karla and me left Dunedin and headed north to the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve, just 20 minutes north of the city. Sleeping-bags and provisions for the two-day-hike in our backpacks we left the car-park behind us and got on our way to Jubilee Hut where we would stay over night.

The hike itself was about 11 hours in total, 4 hours on the first day from the car-park to Jubilee Hut and about 7 hours on the second day to complete the loop and get back to the car. 

Silverpeaks is definitely one of the most beautiful hikes around Dunedin and although it was pretty cloudy on both days we had amazingly warm temperatures around 27 degrees and had a great time. So here´s a few impressions from the hike:

The four of us taking the obligatory selfie at the starting point of the track.

The path leading up to the peak from where one has an absolutely staggering view of the whole Silverpeaks reserve.

Every few kilometers a fence or gate blocks the path to keep the sheep from wandering around.

The Catlins (2)

On Saturday 12th of March I embarked on a weekend-trip to the Catlins with my flatmate Guido and two of my friends from the complex, Rosie and Sofia. As it was already my third time in this marvelous area of New Zealand, I didn´t really take a whole lot of pictures. So here are just a few impressions from another unforgettable trip in paradise.

Guido, Rosie and me at Slope Point, the southernmost point of New Zealand.

Sofia, Rosie and me at the beach at Kaka Point where we found heaps and heaps of magnificent Paua shells that might serve as a little souvenir for some friends back home. 

The Catlins-region has an almost in-numerous amount of waterfalls to offer, so we stopped at two or three of them and took a nice leisurely stroll through the woods until we reached the falls.

Deep in thoughts at Nugget Point, most certainly one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring places in the Catlins.

The shore at Nugget Point

Another group picture, this time at Curio Bay where we stopped to swim with the dolphins.

Lake Wilkie

MacLean Falls

Piha and Raglan

After coming back from Australia on January 10th, I had two weeks before my parents would arrive so I decided to spend the majority of those two weeks surfing in Piha and Raglan (both spots are reasonably close to Auckland and therefore highly frequented by huge parts of Auckland's residents). So here are some impressions from New Zealand's two surfer paradises, Piha and Raglan:

 Waves coming in at Manu Bay, Raglan

 View onto Manu Bay, Raglan

Piha's main beach and the famous Lion Rock

 The Lion Rock, until today a sacred site for Maori people and awe inspiring landmark of Piha.

 The sea around Piha is always very rough and the waves are therefore rather powerful and make this spot in combination with the dangerous rips and currents an amazing but quite challenging and perilous adventure.

Surfing in Oz

Surfing was a major part of our vacation in Australia. So here is a blog-post with some pictures of the surf-spots and beaches we visited along the east-coast between Sydney and Brisbane.

The best part about surfing in Australia (compared to NZ) was probably the water temperature. While the temperature is about 20 to 22 degrees Celsius in the north of NZ (which is pretty nice if you have a wetsuit), its around 24 to 26 degrees in Australia; and that makes a huge difference! 

Going for a swim at Nambucca Heads.

Warnings at Shelly Beach: sharks, strong currents, marine creatures like jellyfish, submerged rocks etc etc
Australia is definitely a bit more dangerous than New Zealand...

Byron Bay, most certainly one of Australia´s most famous surf spots.

Surfing is exhausting - time for a nap on the beach

Surfing from dawn til dusk - evening mood at the Gold Coast

Greenmount - probably my favorite surfing spot in Oz. In the background you can see the skyline of Surfer's Paradise (Gold Coast). A few hundred meters to the right you can find Snapper Rocks - a world famous break where Australias Quicksilver legends surf some of the best waves the Pacific Ocean has to offer.

The beach between Greenmount and Snapper Rocks. 

Our spot at the beach with our backpacks and the surfboards.

The waves were flattening out, so it was time for a break with the beautiful skyline of the Gold Coast in my back.

Eating lunch at the beach - joined by one of the in-numerous wild turkeys.

Greenmount

Seeking some shade from the scorching sun.

Wild turkeys patrol on the beach.

Time for a nap

Our first and then two weeks later also our last surfing spot in Oz: Yamba