North NZ : It’s wet, it’s cold, but Spring is here :)

16-22 Sept 2013

In summary, we have travelled 1,800km. Not enough time to cover the northernmost tip of cape Reinga and the less travelled road on east cape.

We decided to booked only the necessary.  The car and one night stay in airport hotel. The rest of the itinerary, to be decided on day to day basis :D  Planning for a trip requires a lot of effort and time and can be frustrating too especially to get everyone into the same 'plan'. 

It was a wise decision since we're busy with work prior to the trip. Surely it has added a bit of additional work and stress on finding the hotel on every night (since the availability is lower) but it definitely works.

Truth is that I was a bit hesitate for this trip. But looking back, I'm glad to be back here despite the cold and wet weather. They said that Oct will be the perfect time. The weather is more settle and the flowers blooms. But for me, there will be no perfect time for travel. I have learned that the opportunity and chances comes little. I have to grab and make it perfect. 

First time travelled in spring, I'm so happy to see the flowers. It's super pretty. Come rain, shine, snow and rainbow... thank you NZ for the priceless journey. 

ps - not sure if I have time to blog about North NZ, but will see. Now, get ready to work :) Good morning. 

Back in New Zealand through Brisbane

This trip was not in the plan. I was hoping that my visa to Uzbekistan will be approved few days before Syawal. Unfortunately, not. Perhaps no travel during Ramadan heh!   

So the so called plan B trip, is on. Was putting so much effort on finding my tix. I was like trying to every possible route to get the cheapest and at the same time covering 2 countries (if possible). Since the decision making was in Aug, the flight tix price was no longer cheap.

While searching,  I can't help to hope if there is any error on the airline's website so that I would be able to buy at super cheap price or if I have siblings working with airlines so that I get family price... hmmmm... berangan- angan mat jenin je la heh.

Finally,  purchased my tix which was quite ambitious. Haha. It was my longest journey so far: KUL - SIN - BNE - AKL - SIN - KUL. 

Geraldine, Christchurch and Home

Day 7 : 16 May 2012

Last night, before I slept, we agreed to wake up super early to see the dolphins. Entah kenapa, that morning felt so lemau and we decided not to do anything and just drive back to Christchurch. Nothing significant to write about the journey from Geraldine to Christchurch. Its only about 150km, 2 hours drive. We started early though and tried the road less traveled yang konon nya more scenic. 

We ended up arguing among each other. Hmmm.. that's why no photos :( hahaha. Ronda-ronda in the cities and visited few shopping complex but not really into our interest. Decided to stay in the motel and rest and eat.

Finally i got the opportunity to drive the car. Yes.. with one mission.....to the car depot,  to return the car. HaHaHa.. best la sangat. Driver dah pengsan.


Day 8: 17 May 2012

My flight depart late evening so I have half day free time. The rest, early morning flight back to Auckland and I decided to pay a visit to the penguins :)

Situated next to the airport, edutainment kind of place. All you need to know about Antarctic.

Visitors are able to experience how does it feels in the Antarctic. The Antarctic Storm, up to -18 degrees celsius. Ini baru betul sejuk. Telinga pun boleh tanggal. Showcase of the wild life, sea life and scientist base in Antarctic.

Muka pun keras

I would say... okay la.. to kill the time, but expensive. Not a must. My journey back home alone without any drama at the immigration except they took my Manukah honey :(

Extremely tired but happy to be home :)

Here, the overall map, point A back to point I

EnD

Mount Cook, here i come... again

Day 6 : 15 May 2012

I have to admit that I'm already exhausted. The looooong drive and the postcard scenery seems overwhelming. I have been bad. I had somehow secretly manipulated the journey so that we heading straight from Queenstown to Geraldine. 

But... somehow i get caught. HahaaHa. Someone do read the map and discovered that we can do one more pit stop at Mount Cook. HoHoHo. My bad. Since the driver drove the car fast, of course a few more hundreds km is possible :)

Hello Mount Cook.. remember me... How are you?

We visited Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, one of the world's greatest explorer. He conquered Mount Everest in 1953 and Mount Cook was the training ground. Situated next to the Hermitage Hotel, the first hotel built in this area.

Interesting Quote

Continue our journey to Geraldine. Bought some manukah honey on the way as my caugh getting worst. Its hundreds km of jorney. I lost count.

Arrived safely at Geraldine with a bit of drizzle. Cooked pasta with shrimp for dinner and i'm off to bed. zzzZzZz

Miracle Milford Sound

Day 5 :14 May 2012

Finally, this is it. A nature cruise of Milford Sound by Southern Discovery. We took an early cruise so that we can continue our journey in the afternoon and to avoid bumping into crowd that taking the day tour by coach. The 2 hours 15 minutes cost NZ 66 per person. The boat a bit small, less passenger so that we can come closer to the nature.

It was cold, really cold. Staying outside the deck taking photos, makes my face and hand numb. Hidung berair bagai. But this moment not always happen. So apalah sangat sejuk tu. Beside, free flow of hot coffee and tea provided. We spotted the seals and birds. They also give us pure glacial water straight from the waterfalls to drink.

It was amazing. Worth all the effort to realised my dream. I'll let the photos do the talking. I'm speechless. My words are cheap.

Good Morning View

Wake me Up

Saying goodbye to Magical Milford and heading back to Te Anau (120 km, 2h) and then Queenstown (180km, 2h30 mins). We stopped at Skyline Gondola (me..again) to view Queenstown from up above.

Time to rest and sleep. A fulfilling day.

Journey from Wanaka to Milford Sound

Day 4 : 13 May 2012

The original plan was to visit the Puzzling World, last minute we felt a bit old to play here. Perhaps the illusion game and maze didn't really interest us.

So we move on to the next destination, Milford Sound... the reason why I make a come back to South NZ again. It was a loooong drive in total more than 350 km and about six hours. I pray hard that the weather gonna be okay and the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound is open. We did few stops along the way to rest and take photos.  Enjoying the Autumn beauty.

We arrived at Te Anau and bought some more food and chips. This was where I got stranded due to the Polar Blast last year. Its like dejavu being here again. Macam tak percaya. I'm back!

On my previous trip, a Chinese business owner did suggested Doubtful Sound instead of Milford Sound. I did some research over the internet and decided for Milford, which less time consuming and less expensive :) No one lives in Doubtful Sound, you have to overnight on the cruise. But of course Doubtful sound is 3 times longer than Milford. Perhaps next time kan :)

The two hours journey was breath taking even though the rain starts falling. Its a bit windy tho, as such speeding is not allowed. We arrived at Milford Sound Lodge late evening. FYI - there are only two options for accommodation here in Milford Sound and they are selling fast.

It was basic but I love it very much. The shared bathroom and kitchen are super clean. The common area is big. People are warm and friendly. Me happy to stay here :) But if you're uncomfortable to share, you may opt to stay at Te Anau - more choices of acommodation.

Tomorrow, Nature Cruise for 2h15m at 9.45 am. Can't wait.. for now, sleeeeep.