New Zealand is generally considered a natural paradise and rightly so, because nowhere in the world can you find a more diverse mix of different habitats than here. In a short time, you can get from desert regions to the rainforest. The coast, glacier and jungle are only a few kilometres apart. Furthermore, you will find a fascinating volcanic landscape on the North Island. Here you also have close contact with Maori culture.
A river looks for its bed to the sea, a wonderful landscape on the North Island of New Zealand. Many New Zealanders, especially in more remote areas, have their cars, their boats and their small sports plane right in front of the house. The beaches on the Coromandel Peninsula are infinitely long and almost always deserted.
Such classic cars from the twenties can often be seen standing on the side of the road. Has Brigitte ever made friends with her new darling? But then she gave preference to our comfortable motorhome.
The smaller cities in New Zealand are usually dominated by a single main street with shops. In small shops you can find everything for your daily needs. This is also where the hotels and guesthouses (B & B) are located. As a rule, the houses are no higher than two storeys high and in the countryside are almost always built of wood. Exceptions are the public buildings, town halls, hospitals and churches that were built of stone. At the bottom right you can see a typical New Zealand shop, beautifully painted and with a lot of advertising.
Pictured below left is the bathhouse with thermal springs in Rotorua. On our trip we see a huge flock of black swans on a lake, which have settled here in search of food.
On our trip with the motorhome we find a hotel in the style of the turn of the century in a small village by the sea. There is a pub on the lower floor and the rooms are upstairs. We often have to cross rivers. The bridges are usually characterized by single-lane carriageways, which are even shared by railways and cars.
The “Empire Hotel” Melodious names have to replace the standard on the periphery in New Zealand. On our further journey we see a gold panning plant from the old days.
New Zealand is a natural paradise: snow-capped mountains, lonely beaches, bubbling hot springs and a landscape that is immensely varied. Coconut palm, which had to serve as a “bulletin board”. The colour “white” dominates the flora of New Zealand.
The towering rocks of the North Island are often home to birds of prey, which find ideal conditions for their breeding and rearing here.
In the coastal areas, one usually finds a rich and often impenetrable plant cover. Often the shore zones are overgrown with mangroves. We always find impressive landscapes that offer an unforgettable panorama. In many places on the North Island, we found a temperate rainforest interspersed with mosses, ferns, tree ferns, creepers and lichens.
