The day that new thing started
The shock moment happened right before boarding the plane to New Zealand. They x-rayed my stuff, but pulled me out of the boarding line. I had to wait. I didn't know what exactly the problem was and was not told until 15 minutes later. Apparently they didn't know that the New Zealand working holidays visa was digital only and they were looking for an official stamp or computer record. End of story was they did let me leave.
The funny thing was, as soon as I landed in New Zealand I passed customs/immigration without any problems. They even said that the papers I provided were exactly what they needed (I was pretty nervous about that after the sudden stop in Singapore). It took me not more than 10 minutes to get from customs/immigration to my hostel shuttle.
The shuttle driver was kinda weird because he had a hook on his hand. I did not take a picture of him unfortunately but believe me he is there and he was one of the first people I met (Dwayne Johnson-like customs man was also quite nice). On the way from the airport I met another German guy who is staying in Auckland for a week. We chatted a bit. I gave him my card (yes I have that!) and maybe we'll have a drink.
What was all the “get a shitload of papers”-fuzz about anyway? All you need is a valid passport, the visa, an arrival card, travel insurance and a smile. Save the money for the crime record certificate (13€) and the bank certificate (10€), use a printed version of your bank balance instead. They never asked me for my insurance, my bank balance certificate, the crime record certificate or even a ticket back to Germany. It's good to have it all and they could ask if I'd leave the country and return. I honestly doubt it.