Goodbye New Zealand

I can’t believe I’m already writing these lines, seems like yesterday that I arrived here… but as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun.

I’m deeply thankful for this year in New Zealand. It has been amazing beyond any imagination, a wonderful adventure with even more wonderful people. I’m sad to leave and I will never forget what I experienced here.

I have inserted a gallery below, if you like the pictures you can find more amazing pics on instagram, I recently got an account.

Anyway, my flight leaves in a bit and then I’ll be in Australia to dive and snorkel and cuddle some Koala bears.

These stones were all around Franz Joseph glacier

Kaikoura’s coastline

many volcanic areas produce colourful and somewhat strange natural phenomena

ice cream at Kaffee Eis in Wellington – a mus on hot days

Maori influenced street art everywhere

Fern in many forms

Te Ahnau in autumn

seals are friendly

and cats are friendly too

summertime is so beautiful

penguins are friendly as well

rugged coastlines

and deep woods

sunrise on Stewart island – the southernmost point of NZ

many encounters with dolphins

oceans so blue… incredibly blue…

this minimalist is climbing over trees

trekking the Tongariro Crossing

taking pictures of Tongariro once it cleared up

Taking pictures of the amazing Tongariro landscape

Around Coromandel

Relax on sand so soft and white I’ve never seen anything like that before

Making my way on the long beach

Capture nature’s most beautiful parts

Coromandel Cave. I also did some Yoga there

Some controverse thoughts on Minimalism

After my popular post with some humorous thoughts about minimalism I want to throw some more controversial thought into the mess and thus this post was born.

About the meaning of minimalism and what comes after you’ve done all the decluttering and is minimalism really the way to make you happy.

10 truths about Minimalists

1. Minimalists count their possessions and those with less possessions are better and considered the “Great Minimalist Masters”. There can only be a group of 100 people like that in the whole world, so it’s a big race and a big dream for every minimalist to be like them.
2. You can only be a Minimalist when you’re 20-30 years old. If you start any later than that, you won’t be able to get the same results. Ever. Once a minimalist reaches age 30, they have to say goodbye to their lifestyle, get married, accumulate stuff and get kids who want more stuff. Because you can’t be a minimalist and have a family at the same time. Everyone knows this. We, as a minimalist community mourn the loss of these members and pray for their souls.
3. Every minimalist has at least tried meditating once. If you haven’t gone on one meditaion retreat or if you’re not a firm believer of Jesus Chris or insert your religion here you’re not able to call yourself a minimalist. Minimalism is not about stuff, it is about what’s beyond that. If you’re neither meditation nor are religious you will never get that. Ommmmmm.
4. Minimalists love Yoga. Namaste! Putting your feet over your head or making a pretzel of your legs is the only alternative you have to the point above. If you’re not able to do that, you disqualify as minimalist.
5. Minimalists will judge you when you have trouble letting go of sentimental items. Who cares that you got these earrings from your favorite aunt who died of breast cancer last year? Get rid of them or you will have too many possessions to be a “Great Minimalist Master” and you will have failed the community.
6. Shopping is minimalist torture. Because even if they like stuff, a minimalist can never admit this. If you take a minimalist friend shopping with you, you will see the famous minimalist ritual: They will take a pen and paper and write the things they want to buy on a list. The minimalist will then wait and buy the thing 3 days later. In secret. When nobody can see them. They will never buy anything when a non-minimalist can see them as this would destroy their credibility.
7. Minimalists want to save the earth. They refuse to drive a car because that will make their footprint on mother earth bigger. Even if they have 4 kids and live in the countryside they will refuse to drive a car, because they want to be superior to you. They will also grow their own vegetables, but will only have a shovel because they don’t want to get too much stuff. They will then frequently come to your house to borrow items from you.
8. Minimalists hate decorative items. They will come into your house and will try and convince you how vain you are, because of your collection of antique vases that you got from your grandmother, so never invite them to your house if you can avoid it.
9. A minimalist will never give you a birthday present. They don’t believe in material possessions, and if they don’t get a present, you don’t get a present, so the most you can expect is a book about minimalism. From the library. That you have to give back in 7 days.
10. Minimalists have to quit their job and travel the world. If they decide to keep their 9-5 job, they won’t be able to be one of the “Great Minimalist Masters” ever, so every minimalist tries to at least become self-employed (even if they’re not made for that).
11. Additional: Christmas is Minimalist hell. They have to explain to everyone that they don’t want any presents and force everyone to give them perishable items or experiences instead. As a present you can only expect these items from your minimalist friend.

Rotten eggs for everyone!

I breathe in and the sulfur hits me in the face like a sledgehammer. I turn around nauseated, trying to find out where that smell comes from and why it is there, in the middle of the city. I’ve arrived in Rotorua 2 days ago and I’m still not used to the smells that come from the volcanic activities surrounding the city.

Rotorua is the 10th biggest city in New Zealand and it is on my way between the Tongariro Crossing and Coromandel, my next stop which is why I decided to spend a couple of days here. It is famous for its “geothermal activities”, which means that the whole city smells like rotten eggs and that you can take mud baths in natural mud pools and that there are geysers and volcanic craters.

Taupo’s little (not so hidden) gem

It’s hot and sunny and I’m leaving National Park, the next stop is Taupo.

Lake Taupo greets me with sunshine and I happily get off the bus! Taupo is known for a couple of adventure activities, like bungee jumping and swinging and wild water rafting but I go for a walk through Taupo instead after I deposit my luggage at the hostel. While everyone else is heading to the hot geothermal waterfalls and the Huka falls, rafting down the river or lying in the sun, I take my camera and head downtown.

A minimalist on the Tongariro Crossing – my bad weather alpine experience

“What you see is what you get. If you don’t like it, you can stay in the bus, I’ll bring you back and you will get a refund”

It was raining. I’ve waited 10 months to do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and it was bloody raining. I got out of the bus, which had brought me and 20 other travellers ot the carpark of the Crossing at 8:30AM in the morning and immediately put on my rain jacket.

Bye bye Wellington – this minimalist is traveling again

Sorry for not having posted new posts for a longer time, I’ve been busy with travel prep and leaving the country prep…

Now I finally arrived at my next destination and free library Wifi allows me to post some updates of what happened recently and how minimalistic I’m traveling now. So what happened the past 2 weeks? Well, I had to do what everyone who wants to go overseas has to do: disassemble and sell a household. This is the 3rd time already that I’m doing that and it’s kind of a routine now – I’m getting good at reducing and minimizing things to get to the essence of what’s really important.