Ahhh, it’s nice and warm, I can take off my woolly hat. Especially in contrast to outside. Brrr. Meanwhile we are far south. In the evening it is now -2° C. Even less at night. We are at the reception of a campsite. Another customer in front of us. Shhhhhh. The automatic door opens. A Chinese guy slips in. Shhhh. Door closes. Shhh. Door opens. Freezing cold is coming in. Now another Chinese. Shhh. The door closes. The same repeats ten more times. Then a Chinese teenager stops at the automatic door from the inside and shhh door opens. Freezing cold coming in. Shhh. Door closes. Door opens. Door closes. Door opens. Door closes. Arrrgh. Get away from that sensor, now! It was actually nice and warm in here. You’re not five years old!
We are assigned a spot for our campervan “Opi”. Right next to the big kitchen. We look for our pan, pots, cutlery for cooking together, Matthias goes ahead. I’m still sorting the groceries. Meanwhile Matthias defends “our” hotplate inside. Because there they are. The Chinese tourists. In no time at all, they occupied the other six hot plates. And fill the big kitchen with smells and noise. And they’re so bustling. Just like at the registration. So annoying. On the beach, quite lonely with our bus, just the two of us and the ocean, it’s just one day ago. It was so beautiful there. Oh man!
But that’s how it is. The more people on the globe, the less lonely places there are. And yes, the Chinese are getting richer and are traveling now too. We still rarely see them as backpackers. Here in New Zealand they come in large campervans or coaches. But maybe this will change in the next few years… And where it’s nice, everyone wants to go.
We are now at the Franz Josef Glacier. Many years ago it reached as far as the sea. But like everywhere else in the world, it is in retreat due to global warming. When Matthias was there 19 years ago, you could still hike very close to the glacier. Now Franz Josef has melted to such an extent that it has become too dangerous. The Kiwis have reacted. All agencies in the area offer helicopter tourism. Flying over with a helicopter or even landing, hiking on the glacier, flying back. Or take a helicopter to two glaciers. Or additionally Mount Cook. But time works against the kiwis. If the glacier becomes tiny, no more tourists will come.
We decide against the helicopter flight (sure, I know, it’s cool, but no). And start the Alex Knob Trek early in the morning. At the entrance of the trail there is a sign, almost apologizing that you will hear many helicopters, due to the fact that this is the only option to make excursions on the glacier. And to earn money for the kiwis, we add. It’s a wonderful hiking climb for us on this day. A thousand vertical meters, and we are rewarded with a 360° view. We see the Franz Josef glacier in its full splendor, beside it the mountains and up to the sea. One hour we sit on top of the summit and enjoy the sun and the view.
On the way down we hear them again. Tons of helicopters. During the time we walked up and down, there were probably more than 40 helicopters. Crazy. Then what is it like in high season here? Do they fly every 5 minutes? And can you still enjoy nature?
New Zealand is one of the most beautiful and breathtaking countries I know. Many people share my opinion and keep coming back here or become immigrants. Two years ago, 3.5 million people arrived – compared to 4.7 million inhabitants. Whew. They’ll have to come up with something, the kiwis, if they want to preserve their nature and solitude. ‘100% pure’ is their advertising slogan. But already there are enough complaints from New Zealanders about too many tourists, overcrowded holiday towns, the garbage at the campsites and the tax money spent on the tourist infrastructure.
High prices automatically minimize the number of visitors, and advertising for the low season and less touristic places is already in place. Perhaps the New Zealand government has to do even more to regulate tourism. Otherwise their paradise will be lost.
