Welcome to
Sebastian’s Pacific Diary!
November 2019 – January 2020
Staring at the sea
Being an archipelago, New Caledonia (or Kanaky, if you prefer) is much characterised by the Pacific Ocean in various shapes and forms. One such form is the lagoon of Ouvéa. Those of you with a good memory will recall that I spent several days on this little island last December in search of , among…
What are cars for?
First of all: what is a car anyway? Is it a vehicle to get yourself from A to B, along with other people perhaps and some stuff too heavy to carry otherwise? I guess that’s not the whole story. Not for a lot of people anyway. Having lived in Germany most of my life so…
Wobbly mattresses
Full title of this article: Wobbly mattresses and other things to keep you busy on your first day of the school holidays. Main protagonists of the story:the aforementioned wobbly mattresses (two),a broom,a door,a curtain,a wall,little boys (three),an unimpressed dog,(a photographer). It’s the first day of “les vacances”on the island of Lifou. Well, strictly speaking, school…
The ghost of the forest
For some strange reason, I have earned myself the reputation of being the German gentleman who likes to play it safe. (If you really, really want to have all the background info, just watch Kane Williams’ travel video). Now, there is indeed no denying the fact that ‘no risk, no fun’ isn’t really my life…
Kaikoura landscapes
All in all, I didn’t spend an awful lot of time in New Zealand as part of my trip to the South Pacific. Many people will tell you (as they told me!) that a mere 16 days on both islands is basically a crime against…, well, … against what actually? Against New Zealand, I suppose.…
Christmas in the lagoon
We have already established two important facts with regard to Christmas 2019 in New Caledonia: Firstly, yes, they do know it’s Christmas. And secondly, I had the huge privilege to spend a wonderful Christmas Eve among complete strangers (now friends). But that’s not even the whole story! More miracles were to happen. Ever since my…
Friends old and new (part 1)
One evening, a few days before Christmas, I happened to wander around Noumea’s Place des Cocotiers. I had met with Kane (my fellow traveller) and another guy called Jérémy to eat a falafel (slow and expensive, but delicious). Afterwards Kane was searching for some yoga friends in the crowded square, and I kind of followed…
Albatross!
The legendary Monty Python sketch, of course. “Aaaalbatross!” Who doesn’t love it? John Cleese as a very rude vendor in the cinema with a huge stuffed albatross on his tray. Yet this can’t be the whole story. There’s got to be some link to my journey too… There is indeed! The possibility to see wild…
Lunar landscapes
It was one of my last days in New Caledonia. Kane (he of Fellow Travellers fame) and I had gone to the wonderful Parc Provincial de la Rivière Bleue in the south of Grande Terre – he for some hiking and sightseeing, I mainly for the remarkable bird life there. The park closed its gates…
Parrot progress
It is no longer a secret that I am fascinated by parrots. They are doubtlessly my favourite topic here on this blog, if you look at my previous posts from Sydney (Parrots galore & Do they fly) and New Caledonia (Particular parrots). So believe me, it was all the more painful when I had to…
Hilltop hikes
While I was staying with them in Nelson for four days, my friends Yulia and Yarek took me to a number of really interesting spots in the northwestern part of South Island. We went for lovely walks amid breathtaking scenery (let’s say they were moderate hikes), and some decent birds were also seen. On the…
Top of the South
I’m in the northern part of New Zealand’s South Island now, practically in the very centre of NZ. My friends Yulia and Yarek are so kind to host me for a couple of days in their home in Nelson. Spasibo bol’shoe! By the way, this is where we greeted the New Year together: Yesterday we…
Tiritiri matangi
A man is an island. No, wait a second. A man VISITED an island. Yes, that’s it. (Hang on, I think I got it all wrong anyway. NO man is an island. Well, let’s better forget about this…) Anyway, so on my first (and in fact, only) full day in Auckland I went on a…
Sydney 1 – Auckland 0
The good news first: Auckland has construction workers, yay! The biggest deficit I experienced in New Caledonia during those five weeks of my stay there was the almost complete absence of women and men in security gear operating heavy machinery in the streets. Or controlling the traffic. And you know how I have a soft…
Kia ora!
I’m ready for the next chapter! So much yet to be written about my previous destinations, though. I wonder how I’m gonna cope with that… My hostel in downtown Auckland may look like the least glamorous abode from the outside, but it’s really nice inside. Plus, I have a great view from my window! The…
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