I’m currently working on the New Zealand features, which will be published internationally in several languages and in all leading Kiteboarding magazines.   Check my blogs for updates on when the first features are out, u’ll gonna  l u v those ones 4 sure, my trip through NZ was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure !!!   

So, yeah, I’m chilling and working here at the base of ITLKB that stands for In the Loop Kiteboarding, my current hosts. Yes, I’m staying currently in a super dooper cool house, home to “In the Loop Kiteboarding” -  an innovative bunch of kiteboarders, truly passionate about our sport & watersports in general. The team is amazing, incredibly funny, super kind & hospitable, yeah those guys ROCK !! I’m staying in their lovely tropical Queensland house, just a block from the beach, sick!

There’s Marvin, the ‘big boss’ a really cool German dude, who’s been living in Townsville for more than 3 years. He runs the business, shop, school, admin etc. Mate, I’m so appreciative for your hospitality, t h a n x !!  And there’s Luke, a pilot from South Africa and the captain of the small planes that the crew from In the loop Kiteboarding uses for their insanely cool kite-trips to remote islands in the area !!).  Luke is a TRUE ROCKSTAR, wow, I owe so much to him, thanks to Luke I have a mountain bike here, and even if I have to go further than I actually can cycle, Luke’s always happy to help me running my errands around the area. Luke is also passionate photographer and already has taken some sicko shots for yet another brand-new feature that I’m currently working on (it goes without saying that I will keep u up-2-date on that one too folks).

Oh yeah, and there’s Sharkie, the watch-dog, always right there by my (and my kite’s) side …if he’s not sleeping Check out the pics of Sharkie in the gallery, he’s so cute,  he even gave me a smile into the camera !!

Although not a direct part of the actual In the Loop Kiteboarding-Team, there’s currently another kiteboarder in da house: Ron, Oceanograhper & Surfer from Oahu, Hawaii as well as Marvin’s beautiful girlfriend Rachel make the house complete as the most chilled out base, I’ve been enjoying in a long time, THANX GUYS !!!

Tomorrow I’m off with Rachel and Luke to a kitespot about 2 hours north of Cairns. Yeah, we’ll be camping and hopefully kiting A LOT, forecast looks good and I’m really looking forward to it!

So guys, if u ever come to the area, u know who to hook up with for lessons, guiding, special-trips, good vibes and loads of fun: ITLKB – the place to be & folks to kite with in tropical north Queensland   

Have fun!
Gabi

Thus folks, there’s LOTS-A-GOOD NEW STUFF to read up on in English and German, all ready for you to download or simply check out online. Simply go to MY PORTFOLIO, then further to PUBLICATIONS and select the article that you would like to review.

Have fun!
Yours Gabi

It was a typical NZ-day, we had ‘4 seasons in a day’, rainsqualls passing, hauling wind, then again sunshine and blue skies, smooth 20 knots and then BANG again and back to another season…     A really good mate of mine, who I owe more than I ever could express in words to  (I’ve been welcomed to stay at his lovely, chill-mansion for the past weeks ever since I returned my campervan. His home was my home and it was soooo important to have a home after my 14.oookm joyride. So much to catch up on the computer, 5000 photos to select…how would I have ever managed without a home like I had here – THANX MATE !!!), took me away from the computer and down to Muriwai for a last, very emotional session in the roaring tasman Sea.  Yeah, I stayed out till sunset, cruizing along the golden light, reflecting on my time here in Aotearoa, the original Māori name (ao tea roa translated “Land of the Long White Cloud“).

That’s NZ, the country that I fell in luv with over the last 3 months.   Every dream has to come to an end, though, and so will my once-in-a-lifetime-kiwi-adventure in a few days…   I feel sad inside but as soon as I start getting emotional, I try to change those feelings into the opposite and feel truly grateful for this unforgettable adventure and all the amazing experiences and new friendships that I have been privileged to make along the way…

I could write a novel here…  Pictures do say more than words, though, and I’m currently in the process of selecting the very best photos, soon to be posted here in the blog section exclusively 4 U !!!

Stay tuned, more to come soon mates,
Yours abi

(my sick campervan, check it out !!).  Wow, what a brilliant time we had together

So, yeah, had to return it to the depot at the outskirts of Auckland where I’m currently spending my days at a mate’s house, pretty much 24/7 behind the computer, desperately trying to catch up with things, soooo much to do !!!

However, a few days ago, I did make some time and went into the City of Auckland.  A true ‘must-do’  for every visitor here is to check out Auckland’s world famous Sky Tower, one of New Zealand’s most exhilarating and spectacular tourist attractions.

The skytower is a truly captivating experience. At 328 metres, it is the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand and offers breathtaking views for up to 80 kilometres in every direction.  Given this height, the Skytower is 4metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris (324m), 24metres higher than Sydneys Tower (304) and 76m higher than the Donauturm Tower (252m) in my birth-city Vienna in Austria.

On travels up in glass-fronted lifts to one of the three spectacular viewing platforms, or for more thrills   -  typical ‘adrenaline-driven-kiwi-style’   there’s more for visitors seeking action  -   and excitement, you can SkyWalk round the pergola at 192 metres or SkyJump off the Tower!

YEP, the SKYJUMP is New Zealand’s highest jump and declared as  ‘base jump by wire  -  192m (630ft) off the ground   -   resulting in a Superman-like flying inbetween the skyscrapers of Auckland, just that it only goes downwards, with a speed of about 80km/h and a freefall of 11 seconds …  SICK !!!

It took me quite a fair amount of time to take ‘the step’ over the edge, the ones who have been following my blogs know that I’m scared of heights (come and bungy jump with me !!!)  but really like to conquer my fears, mind u, this jump was THE hardest and standing 192, above the City centre, busy streets, cars, people, WOW, that was unique and can’t be compared to any bungy jump over a bridge or from a crane or…

SICK joy, I was soooooooooooooo scared, once down, felt so good, though   and the slogan behind the SkyJump  ”FOR DAREDEVILS WHO LOVE LIFE”  proved 1000% right !!

SICK, what an experience, having spent all my kid- and teenage years being totally obsessed with snowboarding, ever since I’m living my pro-kite-career, have not had the chance to snowboard down some sweet slopes…

Even better:  snowboarding down the slopes of a dormant vulcano !!  Yeah, Mount Taranki has been due to errupt for the past 30 years…hehehehehe, could happen any day

It was too funny to drive up to the carpark on the mountain and seeing all the jungle, just like the NZ palmtrees (they are called ‘mountain cabbage’) covered in snow, what a special sight!

The most joy, what a perfect day…the kiwi’s even had some sliders and jumps built, wow, I enjoyed myself like a little kid

The feature is called ‘Free as a bird’ and was written by Helen Harvey, one of the newspapers top-journalists.

The action photo was taken at my favourite beach in the area    -   which I won’t name right now, otherwise might be killed by locals )

Check it out here  http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/features/2435229/Free-as-a-bird

The best wave venues on Surf Highway 45 have names that you’ll never forget. There’s Back Beach, Kumara Patch, Graveyard and The Dump, just to name a few.

Ever-present on this journey is the looming shape of Mount Taranaki (2518m), a huge volcano which last erupted around 250 years ago. The mountain sits at the centre of Egmont National Park, which has a comprehensive network of hiking tracks.

To me Mount Taranaki is THE most beautiful mountain that I’ve ever seen, it’s simply perfect and looks so ‘proud’ … even better:  to watch this beauty with fresh snow on the top right from the surfboard out in the joy waves of the ‘naki (as locals call taranaki)!

Here’s the major surf breaks on route (not that I’ve had already the pleasure of testing all of them, nope… however I rocked a few already and hopefully a few more before I have to leave this stunning corner of New Zealand, which also maks my last stop on my amazing road-trip that took me over 11.000km all over the South and the North island) in case u cruiz’ past this paradise coast of surf one day….:

Major Surf Breaks En Route:
Ohawe Beach – right-hander, fast, popular for swimming and fishing
Mangahume – A-frame, challenging wave in NE wind
The Dumps – best at lower tide
Opunake Beach – right-hander, high-tide, offshore NE wind
Arawhata Road – right break; left and right in middle of bay
Kina Road – popular windsurfing spot
Stent Road – five spots, working on all tides, offshore NE
Graveyards – left-hander, SE wind
Rocky Point – Rocky Rights (NE wind) and Rocky Lefts (SE wind)
Weld Road – good longboard spot
Ahu Ahu Road – gentle left-hander and fast right-hander
Oakura Beach – local club spot, beach break
Back Beach – West-facing, bars change frequently, deceptive wave size
East End Beach – NW-facing, best at mid-high tide
Fitzroy Beach – local club spot, barrels, right and left-hander
Waiwhakaiho River Mouth & Groyne – left and right off A-frame peak

Will keep u updated on action @ the ‘naki !
Catch ya,
Gabi

Cape Reinga with its wild natural sourroundings, roaring Oceans, a lighthouse and above all its ’story’, is a special place. The name of the cape comes from the Māori word ‘Reinga’, meaning the ‘Underworld’. Another Māori name is ‘Te Rerenga Wairua’, meaning the leaping-off place of spirits. Both refer to the Māori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld. Wooooow, spoooooky !!!

According to mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife in the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki. At Cape Reinga they depart the mainland by leaping off an 800 year old Pōhutukawa tree on the cape.

What makes the atmosphere at Cape Reinga further special are the wild Oceans sourrounding the cape. It’s where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean and this clashing of the two seas is unique to watch from high above at the lighthouse: the tidal race as the two seas meet to create wildest unsettled waters just off the coast. Yeah, I’ve seen waves from one point into all directions just like 2 swells of opposite direction meeting…crazy to watch, luved it

Although I feel privilged that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting my friends the dolphins naturally in the water many times in the past during kite and surf sessions (yep, have been playing in several oceans of our beautiful planet with quite a few different species so far…), when I passed by the ‘Bay of Islands’ on the northeasters coast of New Zealand’s beautiful North island, I had to do ‘the tourist thing’, though, and jumped onto one of the big boats that take visitors out into the stunning archipelago.

And ‘YES’ this was certainly a smart move cause the boat found a bunch of huuuuuuuge bottlenose dolphins  -  seriously guys, the dolphines were almost the size of a small whale!?) and I jumped into the blue, super clear water and had a little play with them   Yes, even touched them! Later during the boatjourney, we met another school of dolphins with this cute little baby-dolphin swimming right closely to its protective mother, sooooo cute !!!

We all could learn from dolphins, they are incredibly smart  p l u s  they love life and seize their days with mates out there in my beloved Ocean, one of Mother Earth’s greatest treasures.

I threw myself already a couple of times off some cranes and bridges about 10 years ago, when bungy jumping conquered Europe, I have to admit, though, each time I was shi$%ting myself as I’m really  -  and I mean  r e a l l y  – scared of heights !!  ‘Why do it then’, you might ask, because I feel it’s good to face & conquer your fears, try it, you’ll see, that counts with all sorts of fears in life and even if it’s something like travelling to a foreign country alone, once you go for it, you’ll be stoked with it 4 sure !!

Thus, I decided onto New Zealand’s highest water bungy at the beautiful lake Taupo on New Zealand’s central North island.  Taupo Bungy  boasts the world’s first cantilever platform which extends out 153 feet above the crystal clear waters of the Waikato river.  Just like 10 years ago, I was scared as standing up there and looking down I’ve been asking myself many time ‘why why why..???’, it took me a fair amount of time to persuade myself that it’s good to conquer fears (as you’ll see on the video), then the dude counted me in… 3, 2, 1… I couldn’t do it !?  Then I simply told my mind to shut up, concentrated in enjoying this, asked the dude of Taup Bungy to count me in again, this time from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1  B U N G Y  and off I went, siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick    Once down, I wanted to do it all over again but had to continue my adventure further up the East Coast of  New Zealand’s beautiful North island.  

Come and join me on dailymotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x93762_come-bungy-jump-with-kitegabi-in-ne_sport

Oh, by the way, did you know that a bundy cords stretches up to 4 times its length on a single jump and that one reaches about 60kph in air?
Catch you later,
Gabi