Hello travel friends, today we are visiting one of the most beautiful countries in the world and I hope you are going to join me.
In my life have fortunately had the chance to visit and walk in different corners of this wonderful planet. But if someone should ask me, where it was the most beautiful, the answer wouldn't be so difficult and I would quickly and happily shout out "New Zealand".
Oh yes, everyone who has been to this corner of our planet will agree with me for sure. A true natural paradise, which of course isn't perfect and has its fault. As you know, the true heaven on earth does simply not exist. But you should be able to find your own spots of paradise and feel at home there. And that's what I've tried and done for some time, while collecting the most amazing impressions, memories and also many photos. And it is a pleasure for me to share these with you over and over again.
And so today there are a few pictures from probably the most beautiful country in the world, which has something to offer for everyone. Beautiful coasts and beaches alternate with exciting rustic forests and breathtaking mountain landscapes. I had the great fortune to spend a few months in the country and managed to see a lot of it. At that time I had just bought my very first digital camera and had tried to capture and preserve the beauty of our world. I didn't always succeed perfectly, nature simply looks best in reality.
But if you take a look at today's pictures, you will immediately see what I am talking about. The landscapes in New Zealand are not only spectacular and beautiful, but also show themselves in the most different facets. Sometimes you see long-streched beaches with beautiful sand, sometimes steep coasts with rocks and cliffs. And elsewhere massive snow-capped mountains and deep unfathomable forests. It is just wonderful!
New Zealand consists of two main islands and the South Island in particular is covered to a large extent with mountains and hills. Huge areas are nature reserves, where we humans have no business, and where nature is taking care of itself. But still, the country is well developed for tourism and offers a lot of different sights. The adrenaline junkie gets his money's worth with bungee jumping or white water rafting and the nature lover has countless hiking trails where they can explore the green and wild heart of the country.
I took this picture near Hast, on the way to the west coast of the South Island. A river with turquoise, very cold water meandered between densely forested hill ranges. Far and wide there were no other people to be seen, and we had this wonderful place all to ourselves.
In the middle of the South Island, the mountains continue to rise, with the Southern Alps running through the entire island. There you can find the highest mountain of the country, Aoraki or Mount Cook, with peaks at 3.724 meters. In many places the mountains are covered with glaciers, which unfortunately have become smaller and smaller in recent times. The worldwide development does not stop at New Zealand.
Most glaciers are rather difficult to visit, but on the west coast there are two glaciers that reach from the heights of the alpine mountains almost down to the coast. Like the Fox Glacier, which can be reached quite comfortably by car and even from the very bottom it looks amaying and impressive. The eternal ice has already taken on a rather grayish tone, as it has picked up vast amounts of debris and sand on its way down into the valley. Some tours lead directly over the glacier and if you like you can ecen check out the glacier from a helicopter.
But of course New Zealand also has animals! Especially sheep, the secret rulers of the country, can be found everywhere on the main islands. The number of sheep is said to exceed the number of human inhabitants by a factor of ten. With five million people, there seems to be quite a lot of sheep running around. And as you can see here in the picture, they seem to be quite aware of their position and status in the country
But also near the coast there is a lot of interesting wildlife to see, like here in Kaikoura on the east side of the South Island. You won't just find those cute furry animals, who seem to have a relaxed time here, but there are also whales in the waters off the coast that can be seen during many the tours offered from various places.
There were no land mammals here until the arrival of the Europeans, so the islands were able to develop an extraordinary bird life. Unfortunately, the appearance of introduced farm and domestic animals has been very detrimental to the ecosystem of New Zealand. Some, bird species who aren't able to fly can now only be found on the predator-free smaller islands off the coast. The New Zealand government is trying to protect the still unique fauna and also flora with various measures, on some islands they are working to return them to their pre-colonial state.
For me, New Zealand is most beautiful on its coasts, which could hardly be more varied. In the north which seemed almost a little tropical, you find clean and endless sandy beaches, which suddenly change to steep cliffs and wild bays. In the far south, you almost seem to feel the influence of Antarctica, the weather and wind can change more quickly there and become quite rough.
On my trips around the country, I always stopped at the coast and enjoyed the wonderful views. You are offered the most wonderful panoramas everywhere in the country and I couldn't stop raving about the beauty in front of my eyes. Often I spent the night directly at the sea, because there is nothing better than waking up with such a view. Especially on the North Island, the weather is usually pleasantly warm, in summer it is never really hot here and in winter it is very mild. Perfect temperatures I would say.
A wonderful but also very famous place is Cathedeal Cove and Cooks Beach, which are located on the North Island and where the next pictures are from. It is just amazing and so beautiful and I would love to stay here until eternity. When I passed by, I had the great fortune that not too many people were bustling around the beach and we had this piece of paradise alomost for ourselves and could therefore enjoy all the more. In recent years, this was probably less the case, but since last year, the paradise finally has gotten teh chance of a break, in which it can recovera while from all the many visitors.
These wild cliffs on which still some trees can hold themselves are really photogenic and have surely made it already in innumerable photo albums. Also I could not resist and had to take out the camera, but fortunately we had enough time to admire this sight with our own eyes and to enjoy it extensively.
When you lie there in the sand and look at these rocks in the water, who doesn't go into raptures. I then always start to dream and feel at the most beautiful place on this planet. I was probably also, because ultimately only the moment counts and what we make of it. And lying here and admiring the splendor around you was the only right thing to do at that moment. Fortunately, there were no smartphones back then that could have distracted us. So you could still concentrate on your surroundings with full power and also properly perceive the beauty that surrounded us.
If you ever want to venture to New Zealand, I highly recommend motoring. Whether two, four or possibly even more wheels is up to everyone, but flexibility when traveling is often the key to real adventure and many sights that the regular bus does not approach. I was still lucky enough to be able to sleep almost directly on the beach in my little van. I think those times might have changed a bit too. But you will still often have the opportunity to be very close to nature and to listen.
And right by the sea there are so many wonderful melodies to listen to, the wind and the water play their very own tunes, often familiar but always in a charming way yet completely new. And some of the most dreamy melodies can be found in New Zealand, a paradise on the other side of the world.
I'd love to walk and drive in the footsteps of yesteryear again, but there are so many other destinations I still want to head for. In the last two years, I have limited my travels and excursions to my immediate and intermediate surroundings, and even in doing so, I have gotten to know many wonderful places. Our planet is sometimes most beautiful right outside our own front door. We just have to open it up and start really looking.
Please let us not forget, wherever
we travel, let us protect our
beautiful planet and let us only
leave footprints.
Love and Respect!
[//]:# (!pinmapple -42.378756 lat 173.681336 long New Zealand got it all - BEAUTIFUL PLANET - Pictures from a great journey d3scr)