Back in San Francisco

Many of you have been wondering "What happened to Ralf?" or "Where on this planet is he traveling right now?". Well, unfortunately all good things come to an end ..... maybe for new good things to begin. I returned to the US and my home San Francisco. I am still in the process of adjusting back to the 'normal' life and spend a lot of time re-establishing my business network and looking for my next exciting opportunity. There are still about 2 weeks of photos missing from my last stop in New Zealand and I really hope that I will be able to upload them as quickly as possible. In the meantime I would love to hear from you schundel@gmail.com.

New Zealand - Mount Cook

Two amazing days at Mount Cook. The previous storm provided a wonderful snow cover, almost too much to hike in some areas. Had to hike through snow knee deep in my shorts :-)

More details and info to follow.

The trip towards Mount Cook ...

The trail towards the climb to "Mueller Hut".

One of many shots of Mount Cook. The light was very difficult to take photos since I was facing the sun at all times.

A view down from the hiking trail. At times it was almost climbing rather than hiking.

..... and another Mount Cook .....

The "Mueller Hut" at 1800 m, we had to climb straight up from 700 m, sometimes wading through knee deep snow, crawling on all fours or balancing on top of slippery rocks.

Captain Adventure with Mount Cook in the back drop.

Captain Adventure before crossing a hanging bridge on the way to Hooker Valley.

Another Mount Cook ......

New Zealand - Lake Tekapo

Just a brief stop at Lake Tekapo on my way to Mount Cook. When I arrived the weather was absolutely awesome. The next morning on my hike I was caught by a storm and got soaked to the bones .... On the up side it provided a fresh cover of powder on the mountain tops .... beautiful. More details will follow.

Lake Tekapo, viewed from my hostel





Almost too dark, but I wanted to share the incredible atmosphere ....

After the storm .... the mountains are coated with a little powder sugar ....

The road to Mount Cook ... the drive was just awesome, blue skies, sun shine, snow covered mountains ...

New Zealand - The Beautiful South (Le Bons Bay)

After only 3 days up on the North Island I flew down to Christchurch and picked up my camper van. Actually I got a free double upgrade and instead of my little van I got a honking big monster of an RV with shower, toilet etc. I stocked up at a close by supermarket and then took off towards Akaroa and Le Bons Bay. I enjoyed the ride, the landscape was just awesome, however I felt a little comfortable going on the left side with this huge car.

I will provide more details later ....

My little cabin ....

The bay viewed from the sea ....

Dolphins ....

A little penguin, fishing ....

New Zealand - Impressions of the North Island

I only had a few days on the North Island. After a brief stay in Auckland I went up to Keri Keri and stayed in an awesome hostel called "Kaheo Farm Hostel". I used it as my base to explore the area. More info will follow later.

New Zealand - Report soon to follow

Hello All,

Hope you are well and happy. On May 1st I flew from Sydney to Auckland in New Zealand to start the last part of my journey. It is incredible how time has been passing by. It feels almost like yesterday that I took off and now I am already counting the days ..... 22 as we speak. New Zealand has been amazing so far, I am traveling to quite a few remote places without Internet access, so the first photos have to wait a little. After a few days on the North Island I went to the South Island ,,,, beautiful. More to come soon (hopefully).
All the best,

Ralf

Australia - Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

More comments will follow soon.