• Isi Schwingen
  • Jake Searle
  • Isi Schwingen
  • Jake Searle

Jake and Isi in Middle-Earth

New Zealand Read more
  • Visiting Steve and Rachel

    May 14, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    After Wellington saw our friends Steve and Rachel in Taupo again. We spent a few days with them but didn't really take any pictures. The only pictures we took are of Greg and Mr Jones 🐶

  • Kuirau Park II

    May 16, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    While staying in Taupo we were looking for seasonal jobs. We found a job in a kiwi packhouse in Te Puke. On our way there we stopped in Rotorua for quick walk around Kuirau Park. It's such a cool place with steaming and bubbling pools everywhere.Read more

  • DMS Pukepack

    June 1, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    For the last 6 weeks we've worked at DMS, a kiwi packhouse, in Te Puke. We did nightshift from 7.30pm to 6.30am.
    Jake was a grader and Isi the grading supervisor. Graders stand at their own grading table as the kiwi fruit rolls past them quite fast (see last picture). They have to look at all the fruit and then sort it into three different grades. Grade 1 is perfect fruit, that gets exported to the rest of the world. This fruit stays on the belt and goes to packing. Grade 2 is fruit that is still acceptable but not perfect. Graders have to pick those fruits out and put them on another belt. These kiwis get collected and are mostly being sold in NZ. Grade 3 is reject fruit. The graders have to find those kiwis and throw them down the reject chute into the bin.
    Isi as the supervisor was telling the graders what to look out for in each grower, checking on the graders, trying to make the grade better and doing checks on grade 2 and reject fruit.
    We had a great team of graders (picture 1) and met lots of lovely people from all around the world. In picture 2 and 3 are the boys from Bali and on picture 4 Sukhdeep and Charlotte from India.
    Read more

  • Kiwi Corral

    June 16, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    While working at DMS we stayed at the Kiwi Corral hostel in Te Puke. When we got there we met our friend Max from Wellington who was also staying there as well. What a great surprise! We spent many of our nights off together playing Monopoly Deal. On other nights off we also went to a party from friends we met in Wellington, we saw Isi's friend Hanna who made an awesome vegetable pie for us and went out with Kim, Shire and Andre, friends from the hostel.
    On Jake's birthday we stayed up after work and saw a really pretty sunrise while eating fish and chips at 9am in the morning. What a breakfast!
    Read more

  • Auckland with Joe

    June 26, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We came upto Auckland to visit Joe for the weekend. On Saturday we went to Mercer Bay and Karekare Falls. Afterwards we had a late birthday dinner for Jake. It was obviously Burritos! On Sunday we went to the Hobsonville farmers market to get pasties. They were pretty good.
    Joe got Jake a massive LOTR-themed cookie for his birthday. 🍪 It was spectacular!
    Read more

  • Pouakai Tarns

    June 30, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    After seeing Joe in Auckland we spent a view days in New Plymouth.
    While being there we did a hike to see Mount Taranaki from a bit closer up. We hiked to the Pouakai Tarns which makes for great pictures of Mount Taranaki.Read more

  • Back in Wellington, again!

    July 2, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We're back in Wellington, again! 😁
    At first we only wanted to go to Wellington for a visit but quickly decided to stay for a bit longer. Jake got his old plumbing job back and Isi started working in Macpac which is an outdoor retail store. We're living in a flat share with our friends Hannah and Max. Every Sunday we take turns doing a shared flat dinner and we're often playing games or watching movies together. Aside from working we're trying to see our friends as often as we can and just enjoy everything Wellington has to offer.Read more

  • Lockdown Walks

    August 31, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    In August all of NZ went back into a Level 4 lockdown for 2 weeks. During this time we played a lot of games with our flatmates, exercised plenty and went for quite a few "socially distanced" walks.

    1: Empty State Highway 1
    2: View from the Bolton Street Cemetery
    3: The Beehive (part of the NZ Parliament)
    4-6: Oriental Bay from above
    Read more

  • Friends and Activities I

    September 18, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Just a couple of pictures of what we've been up to recently.

    1&2: Hannah and Isi roller skating at the waterfront.
    3: Night out playing pool.
    4: Philipp and Nenna came over to our place for dinner.
    5: Stephen and Jake having a sneaky one at the lagoon.
    6: Visit to the hostel to celebrate Mattia's 30th birthday.
    Read more

  • Blossom Valley

    September 26, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    On the weekend we went for a day trip to the Aston Norwood Gardens with Hannah and Max. The gardens are known for their abundance of cherry trees and the beautiful blossoms in spring 🌸

  • Friends and Activities II

    October 2, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    A couple more pictures of us with friends.

    1&2: Joe came over for a visit from New Plymouth. We had quite a few burgers together 🍔
    3: Maïlys' last night before she went back to France.
    4: Hanging out in the park with Mattia.
    5&6: Last "Welly on a plate" burger with Stephen and Kayla right next to the beehive.
    Read more

  • Mount Kaukau

    October 16, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    We went for a hike up Mount Kaukau with Hannah and Hannah 😁
    It was a great day and we got awesome views over Wellington. We started in Khandallah, did parts of the Northern and Skyline Walkways and ended in Johnsonville.Read more

  • Belmont Trig

    October 23, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We went on another awesome Saturday hike with Hannah, Hannah and Max. This time we up Belmont Trig in the Belmont Regional Park close to Petone. Again we had great views over Wellington, Somes Island and the surrounding hills.Read more

  • Martinborough Wine Tour I

    October 30, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We went for a weekend away to Martinborough in the Wairarapa with our friends Hannah, Max, Stephen and Kayla. We stayed in an Airbnb which included bikes. Friday evening we got Fish and Chips and had a couple of beers while enjoying our lovely accommodation.
    After breakfast on Saturday we started the wine tour. We cycled from vineyard to vineyard and did a wine tasting at each vineyard.
    These pictures are from the Luna Estate vineyard where we also had lunch.
    Read more

  • Island Bay Walking

    November 7, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Joe came over to Wellington for a visit. On Sunday we went for a nice walk from Island Bay to Lyall Bay. After our walk we headed to Oriental Bay for a cooling swim.

  • Some More Welly Pictures

    November 9, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    1: Hannah and Isi at Oriental Bay.
    2: Isi's goodbye drinks with the Macpac crew.
    3: Lyall Bay's coastline.
    4: Jake on the Solace in the Wind Statue (aka the naked man).
    5: Donnie Taco takeaway family dinner.
    6: View over Wellington from Roseneath Park.
    Read more

  • Butterfly Creek

    November 20, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Another Saturday hike with Joe, Hannah, Hannah and Max. This time we did the Butterfly Creek track in Eastbourne. It was a great hike with a beautiful picnic area in the middle. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with fish and chips on top of the boat sheds.Read more

  • Breaker Bay

    November 24, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Couple of pictures from our short hike around Breaker Bay which offered so many good views of the bay. On our way back Jake went for a swim.

  • Goodbye Pizza Party

    November 28, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    It's nearly time for us to leave Wellington for good 😔
    We invited our friends over to ours for a last pizza party. Even though not everyone could make it we had an amazing time.

  • Last Days in Wellington

    November 29, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    A couple of pictures from our last few days in Wellington.
    1&2: Drinks at the Rogue and Vagabond.
    3: We saw a Little Blue Penguin! 🐧
    4: Rays in the Whairepo Lagoon.
    5: Franco and Jake loving life.
    6: Last flat dinner with Hannah and Max. Franc and Kiki joined in and stayed for a couple of rounds of Magic afterwards.
    7: Leaving Wellington! Such a sad day. We'll be missing Wellington and all our friends very much.
    Read more

  • Taupo

    December 1, 2021 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After leaving Wellington we went to Taupo for one week before heading back to Europe. We stayed with our friend Steve and had a great time as always. We helped him paint his ceiling and spent a lot of time with Greg and Mr Jones.
    For our last weekend Joe came to visit!
    Read more