After 18 flights, (roughly) 60 trips with boats and other watercraft, 37 days in a rental car, and more than 250 trips in other means of ground transport (e.g. train, bus, taxi, subway, or bicycle), and travelling almost 44,000 km by air, about 800 km by water, and surely over 10,000 km by land, I have finally returned to Austria. Now, it is time to look back at the high- and lowlights of my trip.

The Good, …

The most beautiful country …

French Polynesia

Luang Prabang

View from Lewis Tops

Magpies Mirror Chalet

… (apart from New Zealand) was France – or, more precisely, French Polynesia. I simply fell in love with the South Pacific beaches (which appeared to come straight out of the picture book), the turquoise-blue lagoons, and the fish (both to look at and to eat).

The most beautiful city …

… (which I have not visited before) was Luang Prabang – even though my (high) expectations were not quite reached: It is still a cozy little town inviting you to stroll its (comparatively quiet) streets.

The most beautiful beach …

… was the one of Les Tipaniers on Moorea.
 
However, if Tonsai Beach had remained a beach independent of the tides, then it would probably have claimed the top spot.

The most beautiful corals …

… were found in the coral garden on Bora Bora.

The best hike …

… (which I have not done before) was a difficult decision, but in the end the winner is the Lewis Tops Track – thanks to the permanent grin that the great view from up there put on my face.
 
An honorable mention goes to the Routeburn Track, because the section from the Routeburn Falls up to Harris Saddle was equally great, although the clouds prevented any further views afterwards.

The most impressive animal observation…

… is a really difficult decision. Therefore, I can only narrow it down to three candidates:

• Snorkeling with humpback whales on Moorea
• Snorkeling amidst a school of fish on Rangiroa
• Kiwi watching on Stewart Island

The best accommodation …

… was Magpies Mirror Chalet near Whangamata due to the friendly hostess, who was the epitome of New Zealand hospitality, the cozy little pods in the beautiful garden, and the sweet rabbit family under the pods.
 
Also on the podium are

• Moanaiti Lodge on Huahine (which was quite expensive, but is very lovingly furnished in Polynesian style, and offers a beautiful veranda with a view of the surrounding garden), and
• Bokre Angkor Hostel in Siem Reap (thanks to the extremely friendly and helpful staff, who also speak very good English, and the cozy, cheap room, albeit with a somewhat rustic bathroom).

The best food …

… was the Mahi Mahi (dolphinfish) at Tama Hau Opunohu’s Bay on Moorea – I have rarely eaten such juicy, tasty fish.
 
An honorable mention goes to the beautifully soft and excellently seasoned Mok Pa (fish steamed in banana leaves) at Tamarind in Luang Prabang. If the vegetables had been just as perfect, this dish would probably have won first place.

… the Bad, …

The worst accommodation …

… was actually not that bad, but it just was not as good as the others: Nomads Queenstown was more crowded, louder, and (possibly due to some of the guests being drunk after a night out partying, and therefore being not very considerate) also dirtier than the other youth hostels on the trip.

The worst accommodation type …

… (at least for me personally) were “real” AirBnBs, where you stay in a room in the host’s private household. Even though my hosts were all very friendly and accommodating, I always felt a bit l ike an intruder in their home.

The most annoying thing …

… was that I tore not just one, but three pairs of pants:

1. When I squatting down, my hiking pants split open along nearly the entire length of my butt (in an almost comic-like fashion).
2. My shorts got caught on a protruding part of a door leaf.
3. My second pair of hiking pants was pierced from the inside by the pocket containing my hotel room key while climbing down a low wall.

The scariest experience …

… was the dog attack on Bora Bora.

The most stressful experience …

… was the moment when I realized that my cell phone must have slipped out of my pocket in the taxi to Papeete airport. At that time, I was standing in line at the check-in counter at the airport, about to check in for my flight to New Zealand. In the end, what saved me was that

1. the check-in counters at Papeete airport are outdoors, and I therefore stood in line practically right next to the road,
2. my taxi driver had moved my journey forward by ten minutes because he had scheduled another trip afterwards, and
3. this other trip also went to the airport.

The most superfluous thing …

… was (once again) the behavior of a German who not only announced his disgust when our tour guide explained that the dishes on one end of the table were vegetarian, but even walked away from the (only!) free chair next to me (and the vegetarian dishes).

The worst surprise …

… was that I got food poisoning not only once, but twice.

… and the Quirky

The most surprising thing…

… was the bomb threat at the airport in Huahine – an island with just 6,000 inhabitants.

The most illogical thing…

… was that the banks in Laos all list sales rates for currency exchange, but then refuse to sell foreign currencies.

The most honest person…

… was the tattoo artist on Koh Lanta when naming his studio:

The most bizarre accident…

… was at the airport in San Francisco, where a tourist managed to bowl me off the escalator with his trolley because he was obviously too dumb to hold on to it. Thankfully, I was not really injured (apart from some pressure marks on my hands from the escalator steps).

The shortest flight…

… was the one from Tahiti to Moorea: Although we departed only a minute before the planned arrival (!), we arrived only five minutes late. In other words: The whole flight only lasted six minutes.

The fastest identification…

… as a German speaker took place at the campsite on Lake Waikaremoana: I could see through the window that someone was coming towards my front door. So, I opened the door and simply said (with a slightly questioning inflection) Hello. The gentleman then apologized: He actually wanted to go to his friends next door. Shortly afterwards, I heared him through the wall telling his friends about his mistake and that a German had opened the door.

The most annoying mix-up…

… was being mistaken for a German.

The best humor…

… definitely belongs to the Kiwis, i.e. the New Zealanders. This does not even stop at official signs, as this example from a pedestrian bridge in Picton shows:

The most comments…

… on my blog entries were left by my colleague M.-Th. – thank you for that!

Many others have also stayed in touch with me through other means. By doing this, they have not only shown me that I am not forgotten despite being away, but also why it is definitely worth coming home again. A big thank you for that too!