NZ · Discover New Zealand during 4 weeks – also in the nude [28 April 2019]

How do you get the idea, to travel from Germany about 20,000 km around almost half the planet for a nude holiday?

Quite simple: To see friends from the USA again and to do something together with them, to get to know new things, to meet people and to speak with them, to finally report about it. New Zealand is famous for being a world of its own on Earth, offering a lot of different landscapes and many options to enjoy nature. A German experienced that together with naturists from USA.

We travelled between Auckland on the north island and Queenstown on the south island. Our activities are associated with many memories.

Could you be tempted to turn to the naturist way of life? It's your turn now.

Intro: Could you be tempted…? | 1

And that's how it turned out:

In 2017, 48 naturists from 10 countries got to know each other during NEWT.

One evening, Milt presented nude hiking in the USA. Afterwards, he informed us, that he would be in Florida in February and March and that interested naturists could visit him there.

That was a great offer. Horst and I visited him in the naturist club ‘Sunsport Gardens’ in Florida, met other naturists there, and explored the quite wide surroundings.

We learned during our visit, that Milt wanted to explore New Zealand nude in February 2019 with Dan and John (also USA). That was the next temptation.

From 6 February to 5 March 2019, Dan, John, and I were able to explore New Zealand with Milt – well prepared and relaxed thanks to his precisely elaborated planning. We travelled 10 days on the South Island, then continued on the North Island.

The size of the islands, the diversity and uniqueness of the landscapes, flora and fauna were impressive.

Southern Alps, Fiords – “Fjord” is written “Fiord” here – and Sounds, an extensive network of well-marked hiking routes, water-rich rivers, numerous waterfalls, lonely beaches and much more are to be emphasised. Particularly impressive were giant ferns (trunk height up to 8 m; leaf length up to 3 m), cold rain forests with lush vegetation, columnar Kauri trees and redwoods, which need a group of several people to embrace one of them, geothermal energy around Roturua, boiling lakes and bubbling hot mud holes even in the middle of the city park, thermal bathing opportunities in approx. 39°C to – in the “Hot and Cold Water Pool” next to a country road – approx. 46°C hot streams. The "Hot and Cold Water Pool" was very special – especially hot from an inflowing stream, cool in the main current. So it was very easy, to create a pleasant mixing temperature by gently moving back and forth or to feel two temperatures at the same time.

Intro: …to Aotearoa | 3

Great Tracks: Mistake Creek (walkwire) | 1

The South Island of New Zealand is world famous for the so-called Great Tracks – hiking trails over long distances, for which several days have to be planned for each of them, in order to hike them in full length.

Accommodation along these famous tracks is very popular in the high season and must be booked well in advance.

We preferred, to only travel for a few hours on sections of some of these trails.

With the foresighted caution and experience of my friends, hikes were also possible partially in the nude from their point of view without conflict.

Milford Sound is since a long time one of New Zealand's tourist attractions.

In the meantime, Doubtful Sound, which twenty years ago was still an insider tip, has become more touristy and overcrowded.

Therefore, we renounced Doubtful Sound as well as a 4 hour journey from Queenstown to Milford Sound, which is expected from many tourists.

Instead, we started very early in Te Anau and reached after two hours the first ship at Milford Sound, which departs in the morning. So, we had time after that for further sightseeing and hiking tours.

Milford Sound | 1

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At the site, where such activity has been invented, this is called “Bungy” and probably will not be pronounced as “Bungee”.

Jetboats are flying over the water more than moving in it.

Others found it great, to whiz down a rope and then suddenly be stopped by an obstacle.

We preferred to travel on and explore nature again.

Compared to the forces and energies of nature, a human is nothing.

All this is too often forgotten and the belief is maintained, that human technology could counteract this.

In view of plants, against which in comparison a human being has the size of an ant, against sea forces, against which nothing can be humanly directed, such an idea of supremacy is presumptuous.

Force of nature: Bendigo Historic Reserve | 1
Aurora Creek Track

"Mother Earth is cooking: Roturua | 1
Marae

Around the city of Roturua, geothermal energy causes a lot of heat in the ground. This can also be found in other places on this planet – e.g. in Yellowstone National Park in the USA or on Iceland. Here, the city is located intentionly in this area: Maori founded it exactly here centuries ago.

When I arrived barefoot in front of a church and noticed, that the ground there was significantly warmer than the surrounding ground, locals told me, that the asphalt, we were walking on from the village square approaching them, was new because lava had broken up here a few weeks earlier.

Also surprisingly positive was the reaction of residents sitting in a hot pool on the outskirts of their village, which they had worked up into a kind of swimming pool with fixed vertical walls – with the appearance of an outdoor pool, freely accessible, natural water geothermally heated to bathing water temperature.

The mood was good everywhere. On Dan's question "Do you mind nudity?", those present welcomed us positively and accepted our nudity. Often, we heard several languages in one place – international English, German, French, Spanish and even Kiwi (a nickname for some sort of New Zealand style English).

On Dan's question (see above) they allowed us to take off our clothes and sit nude in their pool, with the restriction “As long as there are no children”.

Although it is a pity, that there are practically everywhere some adults thinking, they have to protect children from the sight of nude bodies – however, be honest: How likely would at least such a limited consent be at the edge of a village in Germany?

After all the unusual, spectacular experiences, we enjoyed finally returning to naturist tranquility.

New Zealand is a small world of its own in this world with a nature, which has developed unusually due to its remote location.

In addition to the landscape and the many friendly people, we also enjoyed the open-hearted community of naturists. Glenne in the Bay of Plenty and Sally in Auckland were attentive reference persons, who brought us into contact with regional naturists. Milt seemed to be flying after these very positive experiences.

Somewhat off the beaten track of places and routes visited by tourists, we always found paths and spots for being nude, where we were almost always alone. Those, who met us there nevertheless, appeared unperturbed.

Impressive were street signs, which drew attention from both directions to the turning to a naturist area. Impressive were also Kauri trees, which stand like a column – no, like a tower in front of you.

Again pure naturism: Okere Falls | 1

On the south island, we stayed in Te Anau, Glenorchy, and Tarras. Our itinerary on the north island ran from Auckland through Raglan, Waitomo, Ohakune, and Rotorua back to Auckland – in between, we visited the naturist sites of Katikati Naturist Park and Auckland Outdoor Naturist Club (AONC).

My friends are used to “Cover up!” from their nude hikes in the USA. From the perspective of a German naturist, such precautions partly happened quite frequently. Nevertheless, it happened now and then, that we encountered people without being able to cover up in time. Those, who encountered us in this way, reacted relaxed and tolerant, like naturists are used to in Germany.

Law in New Zealand is not quite as in favour for nude activities in nature as in Germany, however, perhaps quite close to it.

The awareness of nude hiking, for example, is in Germany certainly quite high since at least 2008 due to media reports in newspapers, printed magazines, broadcasts by public radio and television, because this has effectively promoted the information to a broad public. Naturists, we met in New Zealand, listened with interest regarding that.

“[…] Aotearoa […] is the Maori name for New Zealand. It was originally used by Maori people in reference to only the North Island but, since the late 19^th century, the word has come to refer to the country as a whole. Several meanings have been proposed for the name; the most popular meaning usually given is ‘long white cloud’, or variations thereof. This refers to the cloud formations which helped early Polynesian navigators find the country.
Beginning in the late 20^th century, Aotearoa is becoming widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations and institutions. Since the 1990s, it has been customary to sing the New Zealand national anthem, ‘God Defend New Zealand’ (or ‘Aotearoa’), in both Maori and English,[…] exposing the name to a wider audience. […]”
 – Cit. from: Aotearoa (en.wikipedia.org) – 2019, layout modified by editor

“[…] The total land area of New Zealand is 269,652 km², slightly smaller than Italy or the Philippines, but slightly larger than the United Kingdom. While the main islands of the archipelago are never wider than 450 km in an east-west direction, they extend along the main axis in a northeasterly direction for 1,600 km. The total coastline is about 15,134 km. […]
[…] New Zealand was discovered by Polynesians towards the end of the 13^th century, but at the latest in the first half of the 14^th century, and settled in several waves of immigration. […] The first European to see New Zealand was Dutch sailor Abel Tasman. […] When an expedition under Hendrik Brouwer found out a year later, that the coastal strip found by Tasman did not belong to ‘Staten Landt’, the country was called Nova Zeelandia (Latin) or – like the province of ‘Zeeland’ – ‘Nieuw Zeeland’ (Dutch), following Australia, which had been called Nova Hollandia or Nieuw Holland. […] It was not until 1769/70, that new expeditions to the waters around the islands known as New Zealand were started. […]”
 – Translated cit. from: Neuseeland (de.wikipedia.org) – 2019, layout modified by editor

Besides Britons, there were also Scots among the immigrants. This explains place names of Scottish origin and also names like ‘burn’ for ‘brook’ and ‘glen’ for ‘valley’.