It is spring in the southern hemisphere. Weird.. after fall in Canada. The weather is changing at least two times a day. Feels like April in November.

Finaly enjoying the benefits of beeing a parking lot bum again.

As 1500 other tourists as well I did the famous Tongariro alpine crossing.

To avoid the crowds I did a little detour and climbed Mt. Ngauruhoe witch is also known as Mt. Doom in the movie "Lord of the Rings". On the summit I met Christoph from Bavaria. He decided to join me for a quick descent on the approximately 400m gravel slope. One of the most enjoyable "Schotterritschn" runs ever.

I like signs in general. But it made me really happy to discover two good ones at the same spot.

In Wellington I had to go through some bureaucratic barriers for my upcomming travels in Asia. So waiting and killing time. Besides sightseeing, a lot of walking and tea brakes I got to see the Governor-General of NZ as well.

Wellington is a hilly windy city with a vast network of mountainbike trails in it´s backyard. To defeat the weariness of my soul I rented a bike and it´s been totaly worth the money. Man-made single tracks made me smilling again immediately. And of course the f.....g rear brake is mounted on the wrong side here as well. I never did such a graceful highsider since a long time ago.