New Zealand: Ice cold Auckland

Since about 1pm I’m in the hostel here in Auckland City. It’s quite new - just open since September
last year and therefore still everything clean and tidy! The 10 hour flight from Singapore was easier than I expected. I knew that the flight doesn’t provide any complimentary food or drink for Otto's like me. Arrangements initiated - I prepared myself with chicken adobo, biscuits and drinks from Singapore..hehe!! Watched one movie and soon, the sleeping/waking up routine started. But as I had two seats, I was able to try many different positions and combinations, and finally I remember, I found some really good sleep – even it was just a few hours. Arrived in Auckland at 4.30am Singapore-Time, whereas here in New Zealand it already was 9:30am.

AND IT IS COLD HERE!!! Just about 15 degrees and strong cold wind this morning!

This afternoon, after having some minutes of sleep, I already started to roam around the City. Based on what I saw, im little bit disappointed…:D! No, seriously, I knew that Auckland, the biggest city of New Zealand, has just a small business district compared to Sydney or Singapore. But I didn’t expect it so small and, for the first impression, sorry, boring…!! However, maybe I wasn’t just really in the mood this afternoon. Will make my final judgment on Saturday, when I leave Auckland and drive to the south.

Will have the car for 11 days and the plan is to move from Auckland to Wellington and then to the South Island. Following the road to the west coast with the famous glaciers. Further down to Queenstown and Milford Sounds, with its famous Fiordlands. On the bottom of the South Island, heading from westcoast to eastcoast and finally up to Christchurh - where I finally will leave for Fiji.

Singapore: My new home?

Arrived in Singapore and will remain here for a few weeks. Its time for Job search.

Sydney: Good Bye Australia

This was my last day in australia and I don’t know if I will go back in foreseeable future. Maybe just
when I got a job offer. So tomorrow morning, I will take the shuttle to the airport and then at around lunchtime the plane goes up to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur! There is a stopover for 1 hour and then the job journey continues to Singapore.

Enjoyed these last days in Australia. Beside contacting job agencies, doing all the remaining sightseeing places, drinking coffee, trying to win a ipad in the casino, watching movies, I yesterday went for a visit to Sydney's famous Blue Mountains. Its a 2 hour train ride from the City. Spectacular view and absolutely worth the visit even when its just to get a change in the surrounding landscape and getting some clean breaths outside the buzzing city.

Don't have much to share for the next few weeks while im in Singapore, cause it will be all about Job searching. On march 18th, I'll take the 10-hour direct flight to Auckland, New Zealand. The plan so far, hiring a car, moving it down to Queenstown and then along the coast up to Christchurch.

Syndey: Pure paranoia

The last car service went smooth. But as I had no idea if everything was alright with the car or if it
was for the trash, my pulse doubled while listening to the final judgment of the mechanic and in the presence of the not yet new owner - especially under the circumstance that I didn’t have the money yet. The funny thing: the new owner didn't even check, if all the additional equipment is in the car and so he left Sydney the same day. Therefore the chance that he comes back to hunt me in the case the Pajero fails or doesn’t have all its stuff in it, is quite small :)

Moved now into a hostel, in the center of Sydney. It’s a dorm room with bunk beds. Everything else was too expensive. At least it is just a 4 bed bunk dorm and currently just occupied by one indian immigrant, who is searching for a job. But he is alright, except that he snores, is depressive and has paranoia about being observed by the Australian government. He thinks there is some kind of conspiracy thingy running against him and that he therefore doesn’t get a job anymore. Actually it was little bit scary, as he told me the whole never ending paranoia conspiracy story and as he later brought me some coffee. Me, little bit skeptic about that while imagining “what if he suspects me as a spy and put some kind of anti-spy-fluid in the coffee to kill me?” – I just drunk a few milliliters and dumped the remaining toxic soup in the trash :D! Well, maybe, Im paranoid too.. haha!

Sydney: Pajero! You're fired!

Sydney Harbour

Sold the Pajero today. Since several weeks it was advertised on the net and since one week it is
advertised in many different hostels all around Sydney. Had 2.5 persons which were interested and thankfully one of them finally bought it. After testdriving checking everything, he bought the car – or at least a hand in hand agreement! My thoughts now: hopefully this mate does not decide else!! Is a handshake a definitive deal or might he undo his decision? Its not normal to undo a handshake, right?

The price is ok, and definitely better than I probably would have received from a garage or dealer. So now, on monday I have to call the garage for doing a last Service and then it is ready to hand over. It might be already next Wednesday. And from then on, I have to sleep in a guesthouse again for the rest of the time here in Australia! This means I have to check tomorrow if there is any hostel that has an affordable room available for me.

Sydney: Final destination

I finally arrived in Sydney. The last major challenge for the Pajero is done. Started the last 320

kilometers this morning. The devastation caused by the Superstorm was visible everywhere along the road. Some segments of the road were halfway flooded and trees and other obstacles were about of being removed all along the way. Sometimes complete roads were closed and it caused me to drive 150km's of detours. So it wasnt boring at all and i enjoyed it - it was the last part of my Australian roundtrip. Arrived at about lunch time in Sydney City - perfectly timed to the worst rush hour! Except some clouds and little bit rain, there wasnt any sign of the storm anymore.

Tomorrow i will go to the print shop and get some copies from my Pajero-Advertisment. Its time to sell it. Therefore I will drive to different guesthouses and backpacker hostels, to hang up the advertisments there.

Brisbane's Super Storm

Back to Australia, Gold Coast, right into the eye of the cyclone! Since Friday here in Queensland is a very severe super storm roaming around. The flight yesterday to Brisbane was scary and people were shouting around :)! But it was long time ago since i last time experienced passengers applaud and clap their hands for the pilots at the end.

Actually, I booked the train from Brisbane Airport to Gold Coast, but because of the storm it was out of service. Thankfully I booked the ticket in advance, cause now the train company had to organize my trip to Gold Coast.  They simply put me in a taxi – a business class taxi and the transport costs were over 200$ - including a swipe out to McDonalds :D

The Pajero seems to be alright. He is little bit sick cause one tyre is flat. But except of that and the parking fine, everything looks good and I already was able to start the engine this morning. I actually planned to leave Gold Coast today. Hopefully really everything is alright with the Car and so I can go pump the tyre, driving to the next shopping mall to get some foods and then continue the last part of my Australian journey! Its about 870km to Sydney… Will be a long way again, but accompanied with the south-moving-cyclone, I should have a very pleasant time…