The Auckland Sky Tower having disappeared behind me to join the hills and surfers of Raglan, my adventure with the Kiwis continued wonderfully, with a first successful Helpx experience. For those who don't know, Helpx means Help Exchange, and that's really the name of Helpx! In exchange for a few hours of work for a private individual, you get lodging and board, but also advice and sometimes very useful feedback. An excellent way to travel economically, but also to meet people and learn a little more about the country and its culture. And the work required is often spread out over half a day, so you have time to discover the surroundings. So I was able to enjoy the black sandy beaches of Raglan, dream at the foot of a waterfall of 55 meters, or even escape to Hobbiton at Les Sacquet (chills guaranteed for fans of this universe.
So everything was going well, I said, until a certain Wednesday, December 14. I was preparing to tackle a new day of painting, when I suddenly had a click:"But mer**, in 10 days it will be Christmas! And I still don't have any plans!" Actually, it was rather difficult to realize that the holidays were approaching, since here it's summer... I reassure you, the weather is capricious and very changeable, it's not sunshine every day with 35°C in the shade, and as soon as it hides the coolness falls very quickly... But still, we're far from the morning frost. And despite some decorations in the streets and Santa Claus hats on some heads, I have to tell you, there was a little spirit of Christmas missing in all this atmosphere.
As a result of this awareness, I have completely changed my plans. It's also the journey, sometimes we don't know what will be done the following week, and even when we know it, everything can very quickly be upset. I thought I'd stay for a while in the North Island and Auckland area, but I finally invited myself to a childhood friend's house at Mount Cook, the highest peak in New Zealand. Head for the South Island!
When my work in Raglan was finished, I went back on the road, to go down far, far to the South. 1500 km, 4 days. New Zealand is famous for its hikes. But another activity is also very enjoyable: driving! Not that it's simple. Here, we drive on the left, and my first steps were difficult, with a lot of distress at the approaching roundabouts, and frequent confusion between my turn signals and the windshield wipers of the car... But the landscapes we cross on the road are simply sumptuous! And so diverse... Hills, plains, volcanoes, mountains, waterfalls, lakes, rivers... With a wide range of colours. And all these changes in a very short time. It's almost dangerous, because we forget to look at the road! So every day I have travelled a little bit of road, and to rest, stops in free camps, free campsites and managed in most cases by the New Zealand government. The first night in the car was cool, but we're getting used to it.
