THE INTERNAL - NEWSLETTER 38/04

FIRST DAYS IN WOX OFFICE

Hi guys! Sedina has finally quit her job here and I have taken over the work on Monday. Therefore it is now me that is in charge of the WOX affairs … J    

If you have any questions or suggestions how to improve things please tell me and I will see what I can do! So far, I hope that we will all have a great time together in Auckland! Have a nice week!

ABOUT ULRIKE

The last newsletter had some wrong information about Ulrike. Her last name is not Engelhaeuschen, but Engelaender!!! I am very sorry for that! She arrived on Friday last week and started her internship at Eurest on Monday. Her email is Ulrike.Engelaender@gmx.de and her phone number 021 2028488.

GERMAN INTERN IN AUCKLAND

Matthias Nuschke is a German guy that works for Wynton Hufer’s Soccer School. He dropped by the office this morning to get into contact with others. His email address is matthiasnuschke@gmx.de and his phone number 021 2034247. Maybe you can give him a call…?!

TRIP TO WAIKAREMOANA LAKE

Last weekend some of us interns went down to Lake Waikaremoana (what a success - I finally manage to pronounce it right without dropping a syllable!!!) and had a wonderful three-day trip around the lake.

We started on Thursday, packed with our new backpacks, hiking boots and camping gear. Unfortunately the last 72 km were gravel road and thus it took us more than 2 hours to finally get to the motor home. When we arrived we made some tasty rice and chicken even though it was already around 11 pm. Friday morning we set off to the starting point! The first day was the most difficult one since it was quite steep uphills – pretty tough with the extra weight on the back (but nothing compared to the load of the 2 Danish guys we met since they carried 25/35kg each!!!! They were absolutely crazy!) Although the weather was not too nice we had an excellent view of the lake! Christoph was a little bit too eager to get the perfect shot and slipped – luckily he survived his little accident without any problems except that his camera was not completely working anymore! The huts were very simple, outdoor toilets, no comfy beds, no shower, but running water – however, generally speaking, absolutely fine for the purpose of relaxing, sleeping and eating on a hiking tour.

The next day was the most exhausting for all of us due to the fact that we hiked about 20km that day which meant almost 9h including a 30min lunch brake. Still, it was a great day: sunny, the trail closer to the lake, different vegetation from the day before, the scenic view of a waterfall, fun on the suspension bridge, nice guys to talk to on the track, a jump in the lake to get cooled off (and to clean ourselves as well J), the same delicious meal as the other days “pasta”, going to bed at 8 or 9 to catch some sleep and then again get up at 6 to 7.

On Sunday we finished our tour and walked to the water taxi pick up point where we had to wait for almost 2h. That was not too nice since it was quite rainy and our stomachs were longing for some “Schnitzel” and “Radler”. At least another German couple gave us some chocolate to shorten the time … ! To end our nature trip and return to civilized world we had some burgers at Mc Donald’s on our way back to Auckland late in the evening.  

To summarize the trip: we certainly had heaps of fun and suggest it to everyone who likes to discover pure nature and enjoys being part of it!    

WEEKEND SUGGESTIONS

As most of you already know, there is trip planned to Lake Taupo Region this weekend. The lake is in the very heart of the North Island and known as New Zealand’s largest lake. On Saturday some of us want to do the Tongariro Crossing which is often called the best one-day hike in New Zealand. Let’s set off to find out why! To get an impression of what we can await there are some pictures of the hike:

On Sunday the crazy ones of us will do the jump of their life: 12000 feet skydiving!!! Who also wants to risk his life, please contact Christoph as soon as possible since he is going to book the jumps today!

Those of you, who do not want to travel 5 hours south, go on a harbour cruise, visit the zoo or one of the different museums in Auckland. You can also do some daytrips in the near of Auckland, e.g. experience Waiheke Island, Rangitoto or Motutapu Island. There are a couple of concerts going on Friday night as well as the Grey Lynn Park Festival on Saturday with live music and much more. For more information visit www.greylynnparkfestival.co.nz.

MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN

Hi guys!  Hope you had a nice weekend.

One of the big sporting events in NZ over the last decade was the Three America’s Cups regattas that saw NZ win, then keep, then lose the trophy.  These regattas were followed closely by many in NZ, and Kiwi’s liked to boast about NZ’s yachting achievements.  The truth is that not much of the rest of the world noticed, but who doesn’t like a good festive atmosphere, so why burst their bubble?

It’s pretty obvious, given NZ’s geography, we they have produced such good sailors.  Not only is NZ an island nation, but Auckland is a harbour city.  We are fortunate to have instant access to not one, but two oceans - the Pacific on the east coast and the Tasman Sea on the west.  We have a beautiful Gulf right on our doorstep (Hauraki) and a rough but bountiful Harbour on our west coast (Manukau).

If you fancy yourself a budding yachtie, several companies in Auckland offer lessons on how to sail.  These ranges from little one-man yachts all the way to group sailing tours on old fashioned schooners.  Nothing is as exciting as being out on the beautiful harbour on a summers day (esp if you have a fishing rod and beer!  But that’s another story.).  If you fancy yourself a sea person, why not try lessons?  While it might not be the most useful skill to take back to Germany, it’s still a good bragging point, that you sailed a yacht in the South Pacific.

Jonathon

SAYING OF THE WEEK

John Lubbock said:

There are three questions which in life we have over and over again to  answer: is it right or wrong? is it true or false? is it beautiful or ugly? Our education ought to help us to answer these questions.

That’s it for today!