Well, I'm writing these lines using a university computer in Potsdam. Yes, I'm back home.

I spend 3 really great days in L.A. enjoying Mike's cooking skills as much as the Ghetty museum and the beach of course! Thank you so much again.
After that I was headed to Colorado. Where, despite the pessimistic predictions of some fellow travellers on the plane we could land. No snowstorm, so far. But once I got to Fort Collins, about 1 hours drive from Denver it started snowing, and it didn't stop till the next morning. Which was fantastic! A belated X-Mas for me :o) They even closed down the university on Friday by midday. So everything was looking good for Susan's and my snowshoeing adventure.
Once we got the car on Saturday morning we took off into the rocky mountain national park. But I have to tell you think twice before you rent a car with enterprise, at least in Fort Collins. We had agreed on a pick up at twelve. But when we got there this unfriendly looking woman told us we have to wait. After 30 min her colleague turned up, busy with handling another customer. She talked to him and then returned to us offering us a twelve seater minibus! Apparently that was the only car they had available. What the f..k. After having set our eyes on the monstrous vehicle we decided not to take it, not just because you cann't park it anywhere, but the petrol costs would have killed us. NO WAY. Disappointed and angry we asked for alternatives, but she couldn't come up with anything. So we went back inside the office, seeing our weekend plans vanished. But then there was tis third guy telling her there is another car 5miles away, thats available. So finally after waiting nearly 90min we could drive off in a malibu/chevrolet. Why did it take them so long to figure that out? This woman was just totally incompetent, as were her colleagues.
But hey. The waiting was worth it. Snowshoeing is so cool! We went down south as well, to the Colorado Springs, Cripple Creek and the royal gorge bridge. The highest suspension bridge in the world, but entirely for tourists. Yes, thats right. There isn't a use for her other than having tourists paying money to see the bridge, maybe cross it with the car. But it's not used as part of a public road? Don't ask, it's definitely worth seeing but still doesn't that make it less a bridge, if it's not used as a bridge? Like for normal traffic? Anyway I enjoyed the stay in Colorado very much and hope to go back one day. Maybe employ Sonia to be my guide then :o)
After Colorado I spent the last weekend in London, or better to say in Sutton, south of London. With my friend Steffi and the Chandler family. This has been so nice. I knew Steffi moved last year but I didn't ask where to, so it was a nice surprise to spent the weekend, with Claire and Neill and their 3 kids and Steffi. Arriving in London I went to Greenpark and had a quick look around Trafalguar sq. since Steffi wasn't free till 6pm. And what can I say being back in europe for only 3 hours, I ran into a demonstration. The last 8 months everything exiting as far as it concerns politics happend on tv. But being back in europe I instantly was surrounded by political activists. I didn't know but the G20 summit was taking place only a few km from me. I should've paid more attention, but then the news in the states only had the snow chaos as headlines. What can you do...
So, so much to my last adventures, I will put up some more pictures within the week. But as for writing I think until I start my next travels there will be no more posts. I enjoyed the time, the people I met and the different countries I went to equally. I recommend it to anyone just thinking about taking time off to go travelling, don't think twice, do it. You won't regret it. No matter how long, how far or on how much a budget. It opens your mind and your heart!

During the last week I made my way up north stopping in Taupo, Rotorua and finally arriving in Auckland yesterday. In Taupo I stopped for 2 days, with the intention of hiking the tongariro crossing, but like it always is you cann't predict the weather in the mountains. So unfortunatly it was windy, raining, foggy and I could only see for about 100m. Then 2 days in Rotorua and then up to Auckland. On my way here I caught a cold, so I wasn't really up to anything today except go to the museum, which was really nice. Now I only have to organise my luggage and tomorrow I'm off to L.A. paying Mike a visit. I'm not sure how the internet is over there so you may have to wait a little bit for more news.


that's the descent to the emerald lakes, of which there are 3, but at the time i could only make out two :o( - the more a reason to come back and try again :o)


that's a maori cemetery in Rotorua, the stinky city. It's incredible you have to cope with the smell of rotting eggs constantly. It's in the same thermal active area as Taupo but here it just hit's you in the face once you get out of the bus.



a marae - maori meeting house, the carvings are so amazing


that's taupo again, at the craters of the moon park. That was the only place in taupo where you could smell the Sulphur, other than that there wasn't much action no Geysir, no explosions only some small boiling mudpools.
Which reminds me I could also smell sulphur on the Tongariro crossing. And that made me think of how it affects a climber since the amount of oxygen in the air is replaced by the sulphur? And we are talking about alpine hiking. any ideas?


And Taupo again, the further north the more maori culture.

The last weekend I spend in Napier with a nice Couchsurfing couple and their dog Ngaru. That's maori for wave, and i just loved the dog. It's not a really good picture but anyway.



That's a famous statue of a maori pincess, appenrtly she drowned in the sea.


Some art deco images

Some pictures from my stay at "Maraetuna Farm" close to Havellock North


from a naerby lookout, in the background the pacific ocean


somewhere on the farm, don't askme where. It's just so big I couldn't say.



That's Mt. Ruahepuh (tangariro national park). that's a view from the farm close to Taihape. Yes they have actually two farms. And I was lucky to see both.


That's the homestead from a nearby hill

a first glimpse of the Art Deco in Hastings

the famous opera house, and keep in mind in Hastings living only about 50.000 people. They are serious about Art.

Ok that has to do for now. I'm off to Taupo and the Tongario Crossing.

on request of a certain friend - some more pictures


searcing for those "rings" spots


Wellington skyline



Cuba St. Carnival


traditional maori tattoo

free concert "Fur Patrol" - guess they found a new fan

maraetuna farm

Hey, I made it from Wellington via Masterton to Hastings about 2 Weeks ago and there I got picked up by Sandra one of my hosts for the last 2 weeks. I decided to do a farmstay to experience the "true" New Zealand. And it worked out really well. Sandra and Ken live about half an hour from the next bigger town on a fairly big farm with cow and sheep and a couple of dogs, cats, chicken. Just like a proper farm. They even have a second one about 4 hours drive to the north west. We went there last week and it has an even better view. It's close to Taihape and once your at the homestead you are on the biggest hill sorrounding Taihape, so everywhere you look you look into the valley. We arrived there around 1am so we didn't see much and it was freezing and really windy. But the next morning the sun was out and the view made up for the unfriendly welcome. The next two days we were counting and weighing sheep, putting through a shower with chemicals against insects and all the other stuff that you do on a farm. Down here on Maraetuna I cleaning jobs and also some farmwork. And I can hardly believe it my time here is already up. It's my last day tomorrow and then I'm heading to Napier. A town well known for it's Artdeco building. Apparently around the 1930 there was an earthquake which destroyed the old town so they build a new in the recent building style. So I'm pretty excited.

But now it's diner time for me -lamb of course, so catch you guys later.