Wooo! Merry christmas... well not really. A little late for that...
For Christmas I was in Dunedin. One of the bigger cities in NZ, second biggest on the south island (if I'm not mistaking). It's pretty far off in the south and more a uni city, but in my opinion with some nice things to do, even if you aren't studying there. But during holidays and such the city loses several 1000s of people, because the students all go home.
Here I camped - the first time in NZ. Because I arrived a day before my friends came along, I checked in a hostel to have a nice bed before sleeping on my air mattress and in a sleeping bag.
It was a rather small and cozy hostel and I was dropped off by my nice lift. The people inside were all in groups and in holiday spirit. I did some shopping and had dinner and checked the post office, my parents wanted to send me a christmas package :D
Of course it was closed, but I took fotos of the opening hours during the holidays, so I could come back, when it's open. And they close an aweful lot during the holidays. 25-27th december and then again 1st-3rd january. And some days with shorter hours (like the 24th and so on)
Wow... Anyway I got ready to head out the next day to meet up with my friends.
They arrived at about lunch time on the 24th and so shortly after I followed with my luggage and took a bus to their campsite. They were just returning back from shopping, when I arrived, so I put up my cheap 17$ tent (and additionally I bought a 3$ plastic, actually used for painting, to make it waterproof ^^ ). Luckily it didn't rain while we were in Dunedin, though the weather could have been a lot better! We had an awesome bbq session, made some music and I wore my blinking santa hat all day ^^
The next 2 days we hung out together, visited Dunedin and also the Cadbury Chocolate Factory! That was amazing! Of course we got alot of chocolate, which was awesome. We also got a small caramal chocolate santa, because we did the tour on the 26th of december! ;-)
On the 27th Ronja and Sönke left and I extended for another day, before I left as well and went to a small free camping site to save some money.
It was a rather small and cozy hostel and I was dropped off by my nice lift. The people inside were all in groups and in holiday spirit. I did some shopping and had dinner and checked the post office, my parents wanted to send me a christmas package :D
Of course it was closed, but I took fotos of the opening hours during the holidays, so I could come back, when it's open. And they close an aweful lot during the holidays. 25-27th december and then again 1st-3rd january. And some days with shorter hours (like the 24th and so on)
Wow... Anyway I got ready to head out the next day to meet up with my friends.
They arrived at about lunch time on the 24th and so shortly after I followed with my luggage and took a bus to their campsite. They were just returning back from shopping, when I arrived, so I put up my cheap 17$ tent (and additionally I bought a 3$ plastic, actually used for painting, to make it waterproof ^^ ). Luckily it didn't rain while we were in Dunedin, though the weather could have been a lot better! We had an awesome bbq session, made some music and I wore my blinking santa hat all day ^^
The next 2 days we hung out together, visited Dunedin and also the Cadbury Chocolate Factory! That was amazing! Of course we got alot of chocolate, which was awesome. We also got a small caramal chocolate santa, because we did the tour on the 26th of december! ;-)
On the 27th Ronja and Sönke left and I extended for another day, before I left as well and went to a small free camping site to save some money.
As quickly as I wrote this, is how I felt it happening to me. In a rush I was there, my friends arrived, we ate, had fun and suddenly they were gone again and christmas was over. It was nothing compared to celebrating at home with your family. Especially for me, because since 2009 I also had to drive home, it felt like a special place and in that time of year, you get the "christmas spirit" as you might want to call it. Time slows down and you enjoy everything. Now while I was travelling it seemed more like a normal day, except that there were some decorations here and there, people wearing santa hats and christmas music being played in almost every shop/ place in the cities.
It might also have to do with the fact, that it is warm, you know you are on the southern hemisphere and it is summer, no chance of a white christmas. Though our christmas was cloudy and not as summerly as people told me the previous years were.
But it was nice to be with friends at least, who you could spend this nice day together with. I really enjoyed hanging out with them and with them getting into the christmas spirit (before I didn't really feel much). But when I put on my hat and people wished me merry christmas and then finally meeting them and celebrating together, I got it. It was a good day!
We tried recording a "winter wonderland", but the wind destroyed all the audio I think but sang it just for us and just had a fun evening with christmas Gin Tonic and the great bbq food ;-)
It might also have to do with the fact, that it is warm, you know you are on the southern hemisphere and it is summer, no chance of a white christmas. Though our christmas was cloudy and not as summerly as people told me the previous years were.
But it was nice to be with friends at least, who you could spend this nice day together with. I really enjoyed hanging out with them and with them getting into the christmas spirit (before I didn't really feel much). But when I put on my hat and people wished me merry christmas and then finally meeting them and celebrating together, I got it. It was a good day!
We tried recording a "winter wonderland", but the wind destroyed all the audio I think but sang it just for us and just had a fun evening with christmas Gin Tonic and the great bbq food ;-)
Wow I look crazy.... And those santas blinked! ;D
VCP Beer! (VCP is my scouting organisation in Germany)
Woooo! Cadbury factory
The Cadbury trucks, these delivered milk to the factory and transported the chocolate around town
Ah yes, Kids love it! (right Benjamin? ^^)
The Dunedin Justice building and
the Dunedin Trainstation are built in the same old fashioned style
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