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News – October 2009 (Auckland/New Zealand, October 31, 2009)
- Website statistics: In September we were able to welcome on our website 36'691 visitors who did 1'229'110 hits.
- (August = 33'217 visitors – 1'115'318 Hits / July = 29'138 visitors – 1'041'609 Hits)
- The visitors are coming from about 157 different countries!
- Record day since 12/17/1998 = the birthday of our website: on 11/5/2007 = 13'407 visitors and 787'456 hits
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- It was October 18th, 2009, when we could celebrate our 25th Anniversary "of exploring the world" in Arue near Papeete on
- Tahiti. It was on the same day back in 1984, when we boarded at 7am in Zurich's central station the train to Luxembourg to fly
- from there to America to collect on November 5th, our LandCruiser in Montreal in Canada, which was shipped two days earlier
- in its 1st container. Now, 25 years later, after having driven 401'500 miles in 17'750 driving hours through 165 different
- countries, our car is sailing in its 17th container on the vessel "MV Coral Islander" of the 'Greater Bali Hai"-Shipping Line from
- Papeete on Tahiti to Nuku'alofa in Tonga.
- Six days later, on October 24th, 2009, our 2½-month's stay in French Polynesia ended by flying with Air New Zealand to
- Auckland. Unfortunately, we were able to visit only two of the 120 islands – Tahiti and Moorea – because shipping like flight
- costs within the archipelago are so high that we simply cannot afford them. Nevertheless, it was definitively worth all the efforts
- spent, be it moneywise or solving the country's bureaucracy.
- After a 6+ hours flight we landed delayed in Auckland that was very cold and windy. Currently in October there is here the
- authentic European "April-weather": Showers, strong and chilly wind and in between some sun warming-up nicely. Fortunately,
- on November 2nd, we can board again a plane bringing us back to the tropical warmth, respectively heat, to our 166th country: Tonga, the only kingdom in the Pacific. Our destination will be the country's capital Nuku'alofa on the island of Tongatapu. The
- 169 different islands of the 'Friendly Islands' – how the country was called as it was still a British protectorate – is inhabited by
- around 101'000 Polynesians; since 2006 the Kingdom is reigned by King George Tupou V. Until 1995, Tonga was the first
- place to greet each morning the new day, because it is situated a bit East of the International Dateline (GMT +13); but
- afterwards this feature was taken over by the Republic of Kiribati, its island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) that lies even more to
- the East (GMT +14"). On the main island of Tongatapu, where we shall land, live around 71'000 people. It measures 100 sq.mi.,
- (District of Columbia = 69 sq.mi.).
- We intend to remain about two months in Tonga. Where are we heading afterwards? – We simply don't know yet!
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Tongatapu Island |  |
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Tahiti
1st part (Aug.-Sept. 2009) Tahiti 2nd part (Oct. 2009) Moorea (Sept. 2009) |
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Rarotonga Island |  |
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Temples, Pagodas, Shrines | |
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| The visit of 13 Pacific Islands with and 1 without our LandCruiser | Pacific February 2008 - |
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| The visit of 13 Caribbean Islands with our LandCruiser | Caribbean June 2003-Dec. 2004 |
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| + added from the United Arab Emirates: | Fairytale Wedding in Dubai (March 1999) |
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| + added from a earlier visit to the USA: | Las Vegas (Millennium change) |
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| + added from our Arabian Peninsula round trip: | Pictures from Yemen (May-June 1996) |
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| + Flashbacks of our Worldrecordtour: | Pictures from "all the continents" (Oct. 1984 - April 1997) |
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