NZ trip - day 11

So today was our last day in NZ...:(...so wished i could stay longer...the last 10 days have been quite an adventure...i hated the idea of going back to work where i knew hell was waiting...Cam and Jeanne woke up before 7am to move the car...this little pig continued to sleep until about 750am...got ready and did some last minute packing and put our luggage into the car...then we went to Victoria Park Market...well, this one was a far cry from Melbourne's Victoria Market...but we still managed to buy more souvenirs...hehe...

Next we went to Queen street where Cam's fridge magnet hunt continued...saw a dress in Cotton On selling at NZD15...bought it...found the dolphin nephrite pendant and chain that i liked in another souvenir shop... the owner was a Chinese...bargained and bought it for NZD45...still a bit more expensive than in Queenstown but i guess it was alright...then we dropped Jeanne off at the Britomart bus stop and bid her farewell...she was so sad that we were leaving...and Cam and i were even sadder that we were leaving...

So Cam and i headed for the airport...i drove this time...and if there was anyone else in the car, one would have noticed that Cam was extremely on the edge all the way....she was unusually quiet, sitting upright and kept looking at the Neverlost GPS and the road signs...i guess we were both afraid we'd lose our way and miss the check-in time...thank God we didn't miss any turning...and managed to reach the airport at 1110am...phew!!!

We parked the car at the car rental parking...Cam went to return the key and i went to queue for check-in...we left the GPS in the car coz the last time we did the same...but this stupid car rental insisted that Cam return the GPS at the counter and told her she needed to jot down the mileage... so poor Cam had to run to the car and grab the GPS...and i was getting worried all the while coz she was taking quite long...eventually Cam turned up just in time for check-in...phew!!!

After checking in, we went for a drink at Juice Booster...to cool down after such a rush...hehe...then Cam continued shopping in the airport...since we had leftover money...hehe..at the departure hall, Cam bought a NZD20 t-shirt while waiting for our flight...which was delayed...as usual...our flight was supposed to depart at 1250pm but only took off at 140pm...spent the whole flight doing a movie marathon....finished up Ip Man 2 which i didn't finish during the inbound flight...then continued with Karate Kid...and Prince of Persia - Sands of Time...and then watched Letters to Juliet...which made me felt like going to Italy again...sigh...then watched The Last Airbender....but only managed to watch halfway coz it was time to land...

So, that was our NZ adventure...no more out of country travel for this year...not becoz i don't want to...only becoz i have no time...and money...sigh...that aside, NZ is really a place worth visiting...and there're still so many places i didn't get to visit...perhaps next time...urgh...i need another break already....

NZ trip - Day 10

So today was our last day in South Island...time for us to fly back to North Island...we woke up about 7am...got ready and packed...after checking out, we dragged our more filled up luggage to the bus stop...Cam wanted to get McDonald's for breakfast but there was a long queue and our airport bus was leaving....our trip to the airport was free coz we got a complimentary connectabus ticket from the Remarkables trip...so we checked-in at the Queenstown airport and had breakfast there...i had a venison pie...our flight was delayed about 15 mins...i supposed that was not too bad for Jetstar...boarded the flight and slept through the whole 2 hours flight...when i woke up we were landing already...

We arrived at Auckland airport about 1150am...got our luggage and waited for Jeanne to pick us up...she was late...by the time she came it was 1230pm...she managed to rent a car from Hertz for NZD81 per day (including GPS)...it was a white hatchback Toyota Corolla....without wasting any time, we headed for Mission Bay...however, we kept losing our way with the GPS....and get this, the brand of the GPS was 'Neverlost'....hahaha...Cam said it should have been named "Alwayslost"...

Along the way, we stumbled upon Cornwall Park at One Tree Hill...but the GPS kept taking us to some residential dead-end roads instead of the main entrance to the park....urgh!!! so we were fed up and looked for it on our own....and what do you know...we found it...without the GPS...so we drove up to the summit where there was this thin pole-like monument at the peak...it was bloody windy that we had problem putting the camera on the ledge for self-timed photos...the camera kept toppling over...we had a really beautiful bird's eye view of Auckland city...then we went down to the park where the sheep are....Cam was so happy to be among flocks of sheep...we took quite a lot of photos with the sheep...though they kept running away from us...hehe...

Next, we drove on to Mission Bay...thank God we didn't get lost this time...we bought fish and chips and had our lunch at the park bench near the beach while watching some cute Spanish guys play soccer...ahhh....that's good life...then we went house-browsing at Mission Bay...the houses were amazing....so i asked Jeanne to pick her dream house...and just as soon as i finished my question, she exclaimed "that one"....and all of us were screaming in excitement...coz we saw this really cool house....(would love to show a pic of the house, but i can't seem to upload it on my blog...damn slow lah digi)...

After that, we went to Takapuna beach..it was quieter and we didn't stay too long there...coz we went to visit Massey University where Jeanne was working and studying...saw her office and lab...met her colleague, Scott...then we went to Pak & Save...bought 6 bottles of Schwarzkopf shampoo and conditioner coz they were selling for NZD2.99 per 250ml bottle...amazing...also bought chocolates and ice-cream...we were so engrossed in our shopping that we were late to meet Elena and her friend, Bea...

We drove as fast as we could (but everyone in NZ drove pretty much like they were in Gurney Drive) to Sky City where they were waiting for us....we were half an hour late...we picked them up and went back to Jeanne's place to drop off our groceries...then we went for dinner at the Occidental which was quite a classy pub...Elena and Bea decided to go for Burgerfuel instead (Elena wanted to try their kumara fries)...so Jeanne, Cam and I shared a pot of Mussels in spinach and blue cheese, a small seafood platter and a loaf of garlic bread....we were stuffed till the brim...after dinner, we met the Spanish girls at McDonald's to exchange photos of our trip...we chatted and saw the photos....then we went back to Jeanne's place....did some repacking coz now i had even more stuffs to bring home...talked a bit...showed Jeanne our photos...ate our ice-cream...then slept...been a long day...

NZ trip - Day 9

Today we woke up about 640am...Elena was leaving Queenstown for Auckland...she wanted to walk around the lake before taking the bus to the airport...as we were walking towards Queenstown Garden, we heard the blaring of siren...there were a lot of ppl walking out from the Nomad's Backpacker (looked like a really classy backpacker)...within minutes 2 firetrucks were parked in front of the backpacker...didn't see any smoke though...probably some idiot decided to smoke under the fire alarm and caused a false alarm...saw some cute guys in their t-shirts and boxers walking barefooted....what a sight to greet us on a lovely morning...:P

Anyway, we walked around the garden a bit...took some photos...and it was time for Elena to catch the bus...so we sent her off at the bus stop and Cam and I went back to the Alpine Lodge...had bread and kiwi for breakfast and met a Taiwanese girl, Kay who was sharing the dorm with us...there was another person who checked-in the night before and we found out that the person was a guy...Cam and I were pretty shocked coz we were changing in our room....thank God the guy was still sound asleep...else it would have been an awkward situation if he woke up while we were changing...

We checked out and put our bags at Absoloot...we paid for our room and headed for the Snow Centre where we got a return ticket to the Remarkables at NZD5...took a 45 mins bus ride up there, in which i was asleep most of the way...when we arrived, i was almost blinded by the whiteness of the snow...i've never seen so much snow in my life...it was everywhere....we took a travellator up to the guest service building....watched people ski and snowboard...even kids about 4-5 years old learn how to ski...but the beginner's class cost about NZD129 or so...we decided to just build a snowman...while we were hard at work, a guy (probably French due to his accent) came and chat with us...he told us we could actually walk up the ski slope to have a look up there...

So after we've completed Frosty and taken enough photos of it (there was one of me kissing Frosty), we stupidly followed the guy's suggestion and tried walking up the ski slope...Cam was slipping on the snow every 5 steps thanks to her shoes...but it was quite an adventure...Cam said she felt like she was on an Everest expedition...when we finally reached, a couple told us we could snowtube for NZD19 an hour....but we had to go back down to the guest service building to buy the ticket...dang!!! decided to just lie on the snow for a while and made my snow angel coz the prospect of walking down a ski slope wasn't exactly the most thrilling...

We decided to ask the guy at the chairlift if we could take the lift down....thank goodness for New Zealand kindness...unfortunately, while on the chairlift, i accidentally dropped the left side of my glove....another dang!!! so we went to the guest service and bought our chairlift passes and tickets...had hotdog for lunch and took the chairlift up the slope again...but i had to walk down the ski slope to retrieve my fallen glove...gosh!! that was quite an adventure...i kept slipping and sliding down....eventually i got my glove but somehow walking back up this time was far more difficult...i guess the slope near the chairlift was steeper...once i slipped and slid quite far down...thought i wouldn't be able to stop but somehow i managed...so finally made it back up the slope...

So we started our snow-tubing...sat on our tubes and this guy hooked our tubes onto the rotator belt which pulled us up the slope....then we slid down in whatever style we wanted to...sitting, lying prone, spinning (while sitting and lying prone)....WHHEEEE!!!! it was totally awesome!!! and Cam had an even better time thanks to the cute guy at the rotator belt...and the fact that it actually snowed while we were snow-tubing...this was Cam's first experience of falling snow...after an hour of snow-tubing, it was time to go as it was snowing heavier....so we took the bus down...

We shopped for souvenirs coz we did not have much time left in Queenstown...then we checked-in at Absoloot...there was another girl in the room and she had tons and tons of luggage...i guess Cam and i weren't the only ones who weren't really backpacking...then we continued shopping for souvenirs till almost dinner time...dinner was at Speight's Ale House where we had Porter Sausage with mash and Shearer's Shank...yummy!!! the ambience was great...and so was the food...i guess our little expedition up at the Remarkables helped with our appetite as well...

After that, we went up the Skyline Gondola...it cost NZD23 for return ticket...actually it would have been good to spend more time up there as there were many activities that can be done up there...but we went up for the night view of Queenstown...only the restaurant was still opened...the other attractions such as the Luge, Bungy etc were closed...so we amused ourselved by taking photos at the fireplace outside the restaurant...and at Cam's request, we took the gondola down and up and down again...to make our money worth...hehe...we initially wanted to get a drink before we called it a night...but we were both tired enough after our snow hike today so we decided to skip the drink and headed back to the backpacker....after a good warm bath, Cam was asleep in no time...after i wrote my travel log (and managed to say hi to the other girl who was sharing our dorm), i fell asleep too...

NZ trip - Day 8

So we woke up about 6am...got ready and rushed to the clock tower at Camp Street to wait for the bus which was leaving at 7am...we were booked on our Milford Sound tour with Kiwi Discovery... our bus departed about 710am...it was a cloudy and rainy day....there were mist covering most places along the way...we passed by Lake Wakatipu, which was South Island's 2nd largest lake...then we stopped at Lake Te Anau (NZ's 2nd largest lake) for breakfast...had steak and cheese pie and a hot chocolate with marshmallow...it was so bloody cold...i was wearing 4 layers and my breakfast barely warmed me up...bought some Wild Ferns product (one of NZ's skin care brand) thinking it was cheap...of course we were mistaken again...

Our next stop was at the MIrror Lakes....the lakes were pretty small but the water was so still that one can see clear images of the mountains on the lake...amazing!!! then we passed by more lakes and stopped at Monkey Creek...which was just before Homer Tunnel...there was a remnant of last year's avalanche...the snow was quite thick and my shoes got wet walking on the snow....we finally reached Milford Sound close to 1pm...it was raining and foggy....we boarded our cruise, the Milford Monarch, at 1pm....

We started our cruise in rain and fog...it really had the Middle Earth feel...even the cruise crew told us that it's the best weather to experience Milford Sound...the cruise lasted about 1 hour 45 mins...we headed out towards the Tasman Sea..although it was raining and freaking cold, we still went to the upper deck for photos...saw a couple (who looked and sounded like Singaporean) doing the Titanic scene on the deck...Cam was pretty envious...hehe...as we were on the way back, the sky cleared a bit and the fog lifted...so we managed to see the Mitre Peak, Mt Kimberley and more stuffs...we saw some seals on the rocks....the ship went very near the Stirling Falls and water was splashing onto us...but everyone was happily taking photos...

Then we saw some dolphins....i went to the toilet for a while and totally missed the blue penguins...when our cruise ended, it felt like we just returned from another world...Milford Sound is indeed a place worth visiting...would be nice if we could have spent more time there exploring the other places...then we got up our bus and headed back to Te Anau (which means the Lion in Maori)...we wanted to buy some fridge magnets but some girl on the bus told us the stuffs in Queenstown are a lot cheaper...on the bus, they were showing a movie called 'The World's Fastest Indian'...the view on the way back was better as the fog has lifted...but i felt a bit nauseated in the bus...finally we reached Queenstown at about 650pm...

Elena went back to the hostel to get the Wi-fi password while Cam and i checked out the price of souvenirs...the girl on the bus was right...stuffs in Queenstown were cheaper...then we went for dinner at PJ's fish and chips...Pia (a Chilean girl whom Elena met on the bus) joined us...the fish was good...after that, Elena went to get her hokey-pokey ice-cream and Pia dropped by at her backpacker...which was called Absoloot...Cam and I asked if there was vacancy as we only booked 2 nights at Alpine Lodge...Absoloot was a new joint...and they had vacancy for the 6-bedded dorm at NZD26 per night...and since Cam thought the receptionist Ryan, was cute...we booked our last night there...we met up with Juana & Alberto at Fergburger...then we headed for the World Bar where we got our IDs checked by the bouncer...it was happy hour when we were there...so the cocktails in teapots were half-priced at NZD8.50...so i had a pot of Smoochable (which i liked a lot coz it tasted like ice-cream soda)...Cam had Ruby Louby which i thought tasted a bit like medicine...Pia and Elena shared a pot of Tropicana which tasted like cough syrup...took us quite a while to finish a whole pot...

Then we got back to our hostel...and yes, i was still sober...but i felt itchy...and my whole body was red...perhaps i was allergic to alcohol after all...anyway, i bathed and took loratidine and the itch kinda subsided...at least i managed to sleep soundly...

NZ trip - Day 7

We woke at 8am to a clear blue sky...no mist covering the mountains and the sun was shining brightly...so the 4 of us had a light breakfast and headed towards Kea Point track...got a bit lost but managed to get up to the Hermitage Hotel where the track started...so we followed the signboard and walked for about 1 hour to Kea Point...we played with fallen snow along the way...after walking for a while, i felt quite hot so i took off my bulky jacket and was still sweating although i only had my long-sleeve t-shirt on...

At Kea Point, we had a clear and beautiful view of Mt Cook...there was also a glacier lake, the lateral Mueller morraines and Mt Sefton...heard a few avalanches while we were there...the rumbling was pretty loud...saw a small one but didn't manage to get it on camera...after taking enough photos, we headed back...halfway through, Elena called us to look back...so we turned around and lo! a huge avalanche on Mt Sefton...managed to get it on pic...ok, so it wasn't that huge that it almost got us...but it was still a sight to behold...

We stopped by to buy some souvenirs at the gift shop at Hermitage Hotel (only to find out later in Queenstown that we've overpaid for the stuffs)...oh well, should have known better...so we went back to the YHA and packed...had chips and chocolates for lunch...that was all that was left of our groceries...we waited for our bus to Queenstown which departed at 230pm..so we said goodbye to Anna who was continuing her stay at Mt Cook for a week (but she will be in Malaysia in October so we'll get to meet again)...the bus stopped at Omaraha for toilet break...then it stopped another time at Jone's fruit stall which was by the roadside...they were selling huge packets of apples for NZD10 per packet...but we only bought a box of mixture of plums, peach and nectarine for NZD6.50...we also feasted on the variety of dried fruits, nuts and nougats that were put out for sampling...liked the apricot nougat so bought some as well..

We reached Queenstown at 630pm...Elena met another Spanish lady while on the bus so we agreed to meet up for dinner at Fergburger at 730pm(apparently this was a must-go fastfood when you're in Queenstown)...so we went hunting for backpacker...we ended up at Gorge St and found the Alpine Lodge which still had vacancy...we got a 6-bedded dorm to ourselves for the night...cost NZD26 each...we put our stuffs and went to look for Starbucks (Elena was thermos-hunting but they didn't have the kind she wanted)...after that, we went to Fergburger...it was packed with people...had to queue up about 10 minutes before they took our orders...and another 20 minutes before my Southern Swine was ready...it cost ND11.50 and the burger was definitely worth the wait...it was probably as huge as Burger King's Whopper...and it tasted real good...

After dinner, we walked to the Lakeside and spent some time at a souvenir shop but didn't buy anything...then we went to the -5 degrees ice bar...but we only took pics from the outside coz entry cost NZD31 with cover drink...Elena, Cam and i went to the Buffalo Club instead...where they had a buy 1 drink free 1 shot or buy 1 beer and free another promotion...i had a glass of white wine for NZD5 and both of them had beer for NZD6.50...not much of a drinker but i think the price is quite cheap...our free shots were sambucca, which was too sweet for Cam and Elena's liking...i found it too sweet as well but for me, it's better sweet than bitter...my white wine wasn't too bad...and the beer wasn't bitter too...then we went back to the backpacker..and yes, i could still walk in a straight line...though i did feel pretty warm after the drinks...so we bathed and slept...would have had a really good night's sleep if it weren't for some idiots who were talking and laughing rather loudly at the lounge outside our room...

NZ trip - Day 6

We had to wake up earlier today...about 0640H coz our bus was leaving at 0740H...so we got ready, packed and checked-out....walked about 2 blocks lugging our luggage to the Intercity bus stop...we saw a shop that was exactly where the bus stop was...it had ads selling party pills etc etc...intrigued, but the shop was closed so didn't get to check it out...our bus left on time and so the 3 of us started our journey together....

The bus stopped at Geraldine for breakfast...i had a sweet chilli sandwich which was delicious...i think when you're cold and hungry, everything tastes good...our next stop was Lake Tekapo...which was a glacier lake...so the water was really a lovely shade of turquoise...there was a church there called the Church of the Good Shepherd...it's the most quaint church...and from the altar, you get the loveliest view of the lake...it started raining while we were there...and we saw a rainbow after that while we continued our journey...

I slept for a while in the bus...and the next thing i knew, we were stopping at Lake Pukaki...i think it's the 2nd largest lake in South Island or something like that...it was really huge...and it was dammed at a certain area...we finally reached Mt Cook Village YHA at about 1300H...there were only 3 accomodations there...it was either the YHA (for cheapos like us), a more expensive budget motel or the super-expensive hotel further up called The Hermitage..but we managed to get a 8-bedded dorm all to ourselves...and we paid NZD27 per night (coz we had the YHA card)...we met another lodger who also just reached the YHA the same day (but she came from Queenstown)...her name was Anna and she was from HK...she actually planned to stay in Mt Cook for a week...i guess you can afford that if you have time...

We had cheese sandwich for lunch at the pantry...from our grocery stock which was running low... then we bundled up and headed for Red Tarn Trail...it was raining and really cold...but the 4 crazy girls decided to go for a hike anyway....we were huffing and panting up the trail when about 1/3rd of the way, Elena met a Spanish couple who were on their way down the trail...we were told that apparently from where we were and from the peak, the view is pretty similar...so no point suffering another 2/3rd of the way yea? so we decided to turn back after taking enough photos...gosh! i'm really getting old...really not as fit as i used to be anymore...

We went to the visitor centre to escape the cold...and also to check out their display and exhibition... we were entertaining and amusing ourselves till about 5pm...then we went to the only restaurant there which was called the Old Mountaineer's Restaurant or something like that...we didn't bother checking out the one in the Hermitage Hotel...we ordered Margharita Pizza, Merino Pie and Spagetthi Napoli...the bill came up to NZD18.70 per person...we shared among 3 of us coz Elena was still persistent in trying to finish up her grocery stock...

After dinner, we went back to the hostel and bathed...ahhh..it was good to have a warm shower... then we hung out at the TV room and watched "The Talented Mr Ripley" on a VCR (i thought VCR was extinct) ...starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow...Cam told us it was an interesting show and since none of us had watched it, we decided to try it out...so we snuggled up on the sofa, by the fireplace, eating chips and jellybeans...and chatted away...the movie started out interesting but it just got weirder and spookier...and i was really haunted by the ending...almost couldn't sleep that night...good thing i didn't have nightmare after that...

NZ Trip - Day 5

After a totally knocked-out night, we woke up about 8am, got ready and packed...then we checked out and walked to the train station which was just opposite the backpacker...we shopped for our breakfast and bought some groceries...then we took the shuttle bus to the Interislander Ferry terminal...that cost us NZD2 but i'm glad we didn't try to save that NZD2 and walked there...coz it was quite a drive and there were a lot of turnings...hehe...

So we checked in for our ferry ride...had our breakfast while waiting to board the ferry...we were quite amazed when we boarded the ferry (which was called Arahura) coz it was huge...equipped with a cinema, children's playroom, private lounge, cafe and convenient store...we departed at 1025H and our journey lasted aout 3 hours...i slept part of the way but as we were reaching Picton, Cam woke me up to see the beautiful scenery that surrounded us...so we went up the deck and took lots of pics of the lovely view...after that, we went to the cafe and bought some Rush Munro ice-cream...i had maple walnut while Cam ate hokey-pokey...soon after, it was time to disembark...

We checked-in our luggage through to Christchurch so we didn't have to lug our bags while walking to the train station in Picton...we had about 25 mins to get from the ferry terminal to the train station...our Tranzscenic train left at 1400H and we travelled about 5 1/2 hours before reaching Christchurch...we stopped in between...for views and all...there was a place we stopped which was called Kaikoura...it was famous for whale and dolphin watching...we went down for a while and almost missed our train...along the way we saw seals, sheep, cows on the field, snow-capped mountains and Lake Gressmer, which was New Zealand's main source of salt...the lake was huge and it was separated into squares...and there were also processing factories nearby where we saw heaps of salt...

We reached Christchurch at 1921H...by the time we got our luggage, the info counter was closed...and the last shuttle bus of the day has also left and the train master told us that it would take about 40 minutes to walk to the city centre...so this was the story of how Elena came to join us in our New Zealand trip...so while we were pondering on how to get to the city centre, a Spanish girl came and asked us if we wanted to share a cab...there was another poor helpless Japanese girl who was left behind as well...so the 4 of us shared a cab which cost us NZD20 and stopped at Cathedral Square...the Japanese girl then left us to meet up with her friends...so the 3 of us went to the visitor information centre where we sought help to find a place to stay for the night...unfortunately the Japanese girl there wasn't too helpful..so we tried our luck at some backpackers...BB's Backpacker was full..so we found a backpacker at Gloucester St called Stonehurst...Elena decided to join us to share a triple room with ensuite bathroom for NZD83 per night...which was a pretty good deal coz the room had a TV, coffee/tea drinking facility and it was cozy...about the nicest backpacker we've had by far...

Cam saw a sign on the way to our backpacker which read steak for NZD10 on Wednesday night...so these 2 starving ladies went to fill our stomachs with sumptious steak while Elena stayed back to eat her bread...Cam was doubly happy coz the waiter who was serving us was cute...so after a hearty dinner, we went back to the backpacker...Elena told us she booked her Queenstown to Auckland flight on Sunday (29/8/10)....coz earlier i told her that we'd be leaving Queenstown on Sunday thinking that Sunday was 30/8/10...Damn! due to my stupid mistake, we have caused Elena to book the wrong flight...coz initially she planned to leave Queenstown on Monday as well but i think when i told her that we were leaving on Sunday, she must have decided to travel with us...

So in the end, Cam and i decided to change our itinerary...so we wouldn't be staying an extra day in Christchurch...so we booked our bus to Mt Cook for the next day for NZD63 and then our bus from Mt Cook to Queenstown the day after for NZD78...we also booked our Milford Sound tour on 28/8/10 coz we were afraid there wouldn't be time to do so coz everything was pretty rushed...the tour cost NZD145...really thank God that the reception at our backpacker was this very nice lady who was willing to help us although it was quite late at night...her name was Catherine...

Since we weren't going to go around Christchurch, Cam wanted to go to Cathedral Square to take some photos...it was drizzling a bit...and the square was devoid of human beings except for us 3 girls...and it was bloody cold...we even took a picture of the tram stop since we weren't going to take the tram...so thanks to me, we didn't get to go for river punting, the tram and gondola ride...after we've had enough pics, we went back to the room, bathed and slept coz tomorrow was a full day ahead...

NZ trip - Day 4

After a most suffering night on the bus, we made it to Wellington at 7am...feeling like a zonked out zombie...the bus stopped us at the train station...so we brushed teeth and freshened up in the toilet...then we went for breakfast at the cafe...had an Italian beef pie and hot chocolate with marshmallow....ahhhh..a warm meal to a bloody cold day...it was probably 8-9 degrees Celsius and it's cold even in the train station...we waited for our tour pick-up...we were going for the LOTR 1/2 day tour which we booked with Rover Tour...our guide Randall came on time and Cam and i were the only tourists of the day...

So off we started our tour...Wellington reminded me of Sydney/ HK...there were lots of houses on the hill...and practically everywhere faces the sea....Randall drove us to Mt Victoria...at the lookout, it was drizzling a bit...and we saw a double rainbow...it felt like a good start to a good day...then we went to the forest reserve where the 1st few opening scenes of "Fellowship of the Ring" were filmed...one was called "Shortcut to Mushroom" where Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin were running through a maze field and fell off a slope...followed by the "Get out of the Road" scene where Frodo sensed the Nazgul was approaching....and there was also a scene in the extended version where Frodo was sitting on a tree nook smoking his pipe while Sam was cooking bacon...Cam and i took turns to act out the scene for photo shoot...hehe...

Then we went round the Oriental Bay where there were lovely houses perched on hills...saw another dream house which was perched on a corner of the hill almost by itself...it was a mocha coloured double storey bungalow...beautiful exterior...and location...and i imagine the view from the house would be just amazing...unfortunately i didn't get a photo of it...

Randall drove us to the other side of the city where the Hutt River runs...scenes on River Anduin and River Rohan were shot on Hutt River...then we went to Kaitoke Regional Park where Rivendell was set up...the temperate forest really have the Rivendell feel...Randall made us put on a cloak and fake elf ears and hold a fake Legolas sword...then we posed for pics...posing for the pics was really funny...Cam found it really lame...but i had fun...we also walked the Swing bridge...and had morning tea there where we fed the mallard ducks with blueberry muffins...

After that, our tour was over...but Randall was very kind..he dropped us back at Downtown Backpackers to check-in...he said he was staying in one of the rooms there too...he helped to clean out the kitchen to reduce his rent...after that, he took us to Wellywood (NZ's version of Hollywood)... we saw the production warehouses where the likes of Peter Jackson film and produce their movies...we also visited the Weta Cave....saw a lots of collectibles for LOTR, the Chronicles of Narnia, King Kong etc...thought of buying the 'Ring' or Arwen's pendant...but they were so expensive...

Randall then took us back to our backpacker...we got a twin bunk with shared bathroom for NZD60 per night...the room was pretty old but at least it was clean...we were pretty tired but we still continued exploring Wellington...we walked along Queen's Wharf towards Te Papa Museum...totally dragged ourselves through the floors for about 2 hours...the exhibitions and displays were good...but i think we were too worn out to appreciated them...so we decided to have dinner...Randall told us Viggo Mortensen and the other LOTR cast stayed in Duxton Hotel and Viggo liked having lunch at the Green Parrot Cafe...we wanted to have dinner there but the food was a bit expensive...so we walked further down the road and found Pizzeria Napoli where we had Pizza Garibaldi for NZD18 and calamari fritti for NZD5...it was quite a good deal...the pizza was great...

Randall also told us we should catch a movie at the Embassy Theatre at Courtney Place which has the largest screen and hall in NZ (fills about 800 ppl)...initially we wanted to watch 'Inception' at 845pm but we were exhausted...but it was really a waste coz it's a must-do thing in Wellington..and Wednesday night was movie night so the tickets were NZD10 only...but i think we would have ended up sleeping in the cinema if we went...so we went back to our hostel and bathed...ate our kiwis at the dining room...then went out to see the night harbour view...the moon was full that night... so asked Cam to take a pic of me looking at the moon...

Since we were wearing slippers only and it was damn cold, we decided to get back into the warmth but then Cam realized she lost her camera cover...so we had to go out and hunt for it again...guess she must have dropped it when she squatted to take my moon pic...thank God we found it...then we came back to the room...talked a bit and slept really soundly...

NZ trip - Day 3

We woke up at 735am to get ready...then we went to the isite at 8am to book a rented car...we managed to get a car from Budget Rental Car for the day...cost us NZD70.00 for the day...GPS another NZD12.00...when we went to collect the car, we were whooping with delight to find the car of the day was a grey Mazda 3X...we thought we'd be getting an old small car...hehe...Cam was the driver of the day...she was so excited to drive...

Our first stop was the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland which was about 45 mins from Rotorua... we walked around the reserve, which reeked of hydrogen sulphide...but otherwise, the place was pretty amazing...it was all misty with yellow smoke escaping from fumaroles...there were craters which were named Devil's Home, Thunder Crater, Rainbow Crater, Birdnest Crater etc...there was a Champagne Pool...a Bridal Veil Falls...Primrose Terrace...a Devil's Bath which was a small lake containing a funky green colour water...the whole place was really colourful...mixture of yellow, orange, brown, green... unfortunately we were rushing for time to catch the Lady Knox Geyser which was erupting at 1015am...

So we didn't manage to walk the whole reserve...about 1005am we rushed to our car only to find the place where we parked our car was locked...shit!!! it was our fault really coz the place was the staff parking...hehe...good thing we managed to find the guy to unlock the gate...so we made it in time for the Lady Knox Geyser eruption...it was really cool...apparently some guy found out that you can induce a geyser eruption by dropping a bar of soap into the geyser...so the guy demonstrated to us by dropping a pack of surfactant into the geyser....about 2 minutes later, the geyser started erupting...and swoosh!!! the eruption went as high as about 30 metres i think...after that, we went to some mud pools...of course we didn't get any mud bath...coz the place was boiling...blub, blub, blub...

Next stop was Lake Taupo...which was about an hour's drive away...we reached there about lunch time...there was nothing much there except for the lake...unless you were doing all the extreme sports like bungy jumping...we were rushing to Waitomo which was about 2 hours drive...so we ta pau a Subway Pork Riblet foot-long sandwich to eat on the way...i shared with Jeanne coz Cam ate the ham and cheese sandwich i made for our breakfast...so we were kinda doing the amazing race drive when halfway through Jeanne popped the question: Are we on the right track?...and suddenly everyone paused...and doubt crept into everyone's mind...and so Cam actually stopped by the roadside to check the GPS...of course we were on the right track...so phew!!!

We reached Waitomo with just 10 minutes to spare for our tour at the Waitomo Cave...we stopped at the Long Black Cafe to ask where to meet for the Waitomo Cave tour...took a toilet break there coz i had been holding my bladder for the past 2 hours...then we drove a bit further down the road and made it just in time for our 220pm tour...the tour took about 45 minutes...and our guide showed us the stalactites and stalacmites with odd designs...the highlight was when we went for a boat ride in the cave and saw thousands of glow worms on the cave ceiling...they were like stars in the sky.... really amazing!!!

Then we drove back to the Long Black Cafe to wait for our pick-up to Ruakuri Cave...our guide's name was Lucas, who was probably a Maori mixed Kiwi...he told us Ruakuri means 'two dogs'... Cam and Jeanne had the hots for him...kept calling him 'leng chai, leng chai, leng chai'...hehe...he had too much beard for my liking...the cave was cool (and freaking cold)...we had to walk down a spiral landing to get to the entrance of the cave...and the entrance to the cave is a futuristic, space-ship like hallway...we saw more glow worms...and more upclose too..and this time we could take photos of them...and we even saw the actual look of a glow worm...it wasn't too pretty...after about 2 hours walk in the cave, it was time to go...Lucas told us earlier that the acoustic at the spiral landing was great...so as we were walking up, at Jeanne's request, i sang "Wonderful Tonight"...really, the acoustic was great...it actually made me sound good...there was another elderly Caucasian couple with us on the tour...and the guy actually commented that "he felt like he was in heaven"...hahaha, i'm not going to read too much into it and will just take it as a compliment...

It was dinner time...so we stopped by at McDonald's before we started our drive back to Rotorua... i had a bacon and BBQ burger...they didn't have chilli sauce so we had honey mustard sauce instead...which was quite yummy...Jeanne drove the way back...at one T-junction, the GPS didn't show the way to turn and we kinda panicked a while...but we managed to reach Rotorua without getting lost despite the GPS bringing us through small roads...we went back to the YHA and bathed...Jeanne was staying another night at Rotorua before going back to Auckland...she stayed in a 4-bedded dorm...there were 2 Japanese girls and another black girl from London whose name was Naomi...

We found out that she had been travelling in Australia and NZ since November 2009...she even shared about how she got conned by a MoneyGram scam...she would be visiting Malaysia before going back to London...ahh...how nice...i wish i could be travelling that long...Cam and i drove the car back to the car rental place and dropped the keys...then we waited for our InterCity bus from Rotorua to Wellington which was scheduled to leave at 1125pm...the bus was actually late...so we went to a nearby backpacker to use the toilet before we boarded the bus...there was another guy waiting for the bus as well and he actually asked us if he missed the bus...like we would know... anyway, the bus ride was quite a horrible one as we hardly slept at all coz the seat couldn't fully recline and it was cold...but we made it to Wellington anyhow...

NZ trip - Day 2

Despite staying up late into the night with our girls talk, we managed to drag ourselves to wake up at 7am...we quickly got ready and lugged our luggage to the bus station...Cam, Jeanne and I were taking the 8am Nakedbus to Rotorua...needless to say, i slept most of the 4 hours-journey...totally missed whatever great view there was along the way...we went to the isite in Rotorua to book our tickets for the Mitai Village tour, YHA room and the LOTR tour in Wellington...we then left out luggage at the YHA (Jeanne was a bit pissed off at the reception guy coz he was quite rude) and started exploring the town...

We went to the Rotorua Museum which used to be a bath house...the building was quite Victorian...filled with cubicles of bath...apparently they used 2 types of water i.e. alkaline and free acid water which were claimed to have healing properties...the whole place reeked of hydrogen sulphide...whew!!! we saw a 20 minutes documentary about Rotorua and its volcanic eruption and the seats actually moved and shook when they showed the part on the volcanic eruption...that kinda kept Cam and i awake...then we watched another 30 minutes documentary about the 28 Maori Battalion...hehe, Cam and i totally fell asleep...we also went up to the roof which offered a great view of the town...tried to take lots of pictures but it was too windy to stay up there too long...

We went back to the YHA to check in at about 5pm..our triple room cost nzd93 per night...then waited for our pick-up to the Mitai Village for a night of Maori experience...that cost us NZD99 per person...by the time we got to the Mitai Village, we were quite hungry...but dinner was only served after the Maori performance...so we had to settle for our free drink to keep us from getting hypoglycaemic...our host was a very lively and interesting guy who told us that the Maori language has a lot of similiarities with the Malay language...how interesting...he showed us our Hangi dinner... a traditional way of roasting meat such as chicken, beef and lamb and potatoes and kumaras (sweet potatoes) over really really burning hot stones...gosh, that got me even hungrier...

Then we went to the river to watch the Maoris coming in their canoe...and watched the cultural performance...finally it was dinner time...and it was a buffet dinner...yipeee!!! they had chicken, beef, lamb, potatoes, kumara, salad and truffles and chocolate log for dessert...totally loaded on the lamb and kumaras...they were so yummy...after dinner, we had a bush-walk around the village...saw some glow worms...saw the source of the village water spring...actually drank a bit from it too...the host showed us a rainbow trout but i could hardly see its colours in the dark...after that, we were sent back to our YHA...had a nice warm shower in the common bathroom...then after talking a bit, all of us fell asleep...

NZ trip - day 1 (and the day before)

I was post call on Friday and had quite the sleepless call...apparently this always happens before i go on holidays...did some last minute packing after i got home...bathed and finished up my laundry...my flight to KL was supposed to depart at 1530H...Jasmine sent me to the airport...was flying MAS...met one of my specialist, his wife and baby at the boarding gate (little did i know he would be my boss when i get back from my holiday)...as usual, the flight was delayed, thankfully only for 1/2 hour coz i only had an allowance of 1 hour delayed if i were to make it in time to check-in for my Auckland flight...couldn't really sleep in my KK-KL flight...so ended up playing with my specialist's baby... she's so cute...and miraculously, she likes me :)...

Checked-in on time for my Auckland flight, considering that Cam actually came later than i did...had a late lunch on the flight earlier...so just walked around the international departure area till our flight was called to board...we were flying MH131 to Auckland which was scheduled to depart at 2120H...which eventually departed at 2130H...i supposed that wasn't too bad...watched Little Big Soldier (starring Jackie Chan and Wang LeeHom) and had chicken briyani for late dinner...then slept fitfully...one of the trip to the lavatory, my specs actually dropped into the toilet bowl...it was flushed previously but i still felt yucks!!! totally washed it with soap multiple times...they served breakfast about an hour before we landed...hardly slept at all...

Finally we landed in Auckland airport at 1130H (minus 4 hours for Malaysian time)...thank God i didn't develop DVT...we got our luggage...thank God they didn't get lost...then we took the airport shuttle to Britomart station downtown...backpackers rate for return trip was NZD21...Jeanne (Cam's friend) was waiting for us there...so we lugged our luggage back to her place (about 15 mins walk) at 53 Cook Street...her apartment was a 2-room...a bit small but i liked the interior...very clean and sterile...after we put our luggage, off we went for lunch (together with Jeanne's housemate Neo) coz Jeanne was hungry...we walked pass the place where they had bungy...not the real free fall with you attached to a rope..this one is a ball-cage which sits 3 persons and it gets catapulted up for God knows how high and it bounces a few times before it gets back to the ground...pretty cool but we were all too chicken to try...

We had Thai food for lunch...actually it was just Jeanne and Neo eating...Cam was sick of Thai food and i wasn't hungry yet...then we walked to the ferry pier and bought ice-cream...did i mention it was like maybe 15 degrees celsius or less? and we were happily slurping our ice-cream in the friggin' cold...i had a hokey-pokey honey crumb which was seriously yummy :)...we walked as we slurped...saw lots of nice sailboats...then we went to Victoria Park and checked out cute guys playing soccer...wanted to go to Victoria Park Market but it was already after 5pm...in winter, everything close at 5pm...so we walked to NewWorld hypermarket instead...thank God that closes later...bought some groceries for breakfast...kiwifruits were so damn cheap...NZD 1.69 per kg..so we bought a few for our travels...

Went back to the apartment to put our stuffs...then we went to the Sky City to check out the casino..of course we didn't bother to play...too much at stake...then we went for Korean dinner which cost about NZD10 per meal...dollar to dollar, this is actually very cheap...but of course if you convert it to RM then it's not that cheap lah...since we'd walked quite the whole day, we decided to go back and rest...but as expected when girls get together, especially after having not met for a long time, there would be a lot to chat and catch up...4 of us ended up sleeping in the living room and had girls talk till past midnight...suffice to say everyone was sharing their experiences... hehe...finally fatigue set in and we all fell asleep...a long day awaited us tomorrow...