NZ Trip ( Fox Glacier - Wanaka )

Delayed post (supposed to be posted on the 6th Dec) 

Gotta make full use of this 4NZD per hour internet. No time to waste. 

It rained this morning, woke up feeling sore on my legs. Yeah. Thanks for the 4hour glacier walk yesterday. Had breakfast and after that we make a move to our next stop, Wanaka.

So it is a gloomy day. I am really hoping to see the mountains in its full glory but it's usually under the clouds or it is raining. Huhu.

A 225km drive to Wanaka. That's around 3 hours drive. Gloomy weather makes everything gloomy too. Was singing Christmas songs along the way because there's not much entertainment. Ah, now I miss Christmas pula. Can't wait to be home pun ada the feeling now. Haha

So this is Wanaka. It's a town next to a lake too. A major skiing place in winter. Now it's summer so it's a little quite.

There's an attraction here called puzzling world. With a maze, puzzles and optical illusion to offer, this is quite an interesting place. 

The maze and it's challenges. I think the Rumah Terbalik at home should have this kind of maze too. The weirdness concept is already there. They should explore this idea and try to do it.

There's also a tilted house. I really do get confused in the house (room). Bikin pening o masuk sana. Astaga. The brain tricked kan.

A visit to the Puzzling World and a walk near the lake. A free and easy day.

Stuff I collected near the lake. Me loves!

Lack of wifi

Haiya. It is so hard to get free wifi. Now am currently using a paid wifi. MYR12 for 24 hours.

I will update about the journey from Wanaka onwards soon. So the itinerary is like this

7th Dec & 8th Dec - Queenstown

9th Dec - Invercargill

10th Dec - Milford Sound

11th Dec - Dunedin

12th Dec - Oamaru

13th Dec - Mt Cook

14th Dec - Lake Tekapo

15th - 16th Dec -  Christchurch

17th Dec - flying home

I actually miss home now. Huhu. But at the same time i am kinda scared about getting back to reality once the trip ends.

Well i guess it's all about the journey and not about the destination eh. 

Will update more about the trip once I get free wifi and more time to do it. Banyak sudah terlepas the days susah mo update. In the meantime follow #jvmonholiday on instagram.

NZ Trip (Westport - Hokitika - Fox Glacier)

Internet is scarce in the west coast. Boohoo!

So gonna make this a short update

This was in Westport. Bad day to wear sleeveless top. I got sunburn on my shoulders. Punya la. Cilaka betul.

Then drove to Hokitika. It's just a small little town with almost nothing. But it's home for the NZ Jade called Pounamu.

We stayed at Mountain Jade Backpackers place 

From Hokitika, we drove to Fox Glacier today. And went for a half day glacier walk. Penat oh. Tapi siok. Haha

And went to Lake Matheson nearby to see the great reflection effect. Good timing we reached there the water is quite calm.

And the mister wanted to check out the seal colony located at this Gilly-Gilly something name. I can't remember. Then we drove 15km on gravel road just to see this 

The beach seal colony place is closed due to damage by flood. And if it were to be opened it will be a 3.5hours return walk. Lama tu!

Tomoro we will be going to Wanaka

NZ Trip (Picton-Nelson-Westport)

Hello again. Anyone missed me ? I am definitely missing home now. Ahahahaha. Padahal baru satu minggu. Okay, from Wellington, I arrived in Picton, gateway to South Island on 1st Dec. 

After that, we drove to Nelson (our lodging is there), which was only 2 hours drive from the port. But the thing is we took for granted about the fuel tank. It was hilly almost all the way and obviously it consumed more fuel. Winding road most of it. We decide to fuel up halfway at a town called Havelock but we reached there 7.07pm and the gas station closes at 7pm. Argh! Jadi berserah saja la drive with a quarter of a tank for a distance of 100++ km.

At last reached Nelson and we checked in to our hostel. The next day is all about sight seeing around the city. It's a small city though. 

I love checking out the town/city shops, especially Cotton On store. For their on sale items, it's usually 1, 2 or 5 dollars each. Heaven!!

Next stop is a town called Westport, it was a 3hours journey. But since kami berenti berenti ambil gambar punya then it was longer la. Hoho. 

Upon reaching Westport, the vibe of the town reminded me of Tamparuli. Small town where everything closes early.  By 7pm people are already back home. Shops are closed as early as 5pm (well most towns are also like that).

We went to the local hyper market and bought wine along with our groceries and kena minta ID okay. Haha. Okay, I feel young. Ngehehehe. The stores are not allowed to sell liquor to individuals under 25. Rasa muda la ni kana minta ID. Hehe.

This is Tauranga Bay where we went to see the seal colony. At first it was kinda hard to spot them because they look like the rocks as well. The eyes need some time for adjustment to really differentiate them. Very cute animals.

Am currently enjoying the free wifi here at Trip Inn hostel. It's a very nice hostel with nice facilities that made you feel very much like home. I like it here

The view at the patio while we were having dinner. Okay, now to update the travel journal on paper. Tomorrow we will be traveling south some more to a town called Hokitika.

NZ Trip ( Rotorua - Taupo - Wellington - Picton )

(Delayed post. Supposed to be posted on 1st December)

Currently am in the ferry to Picton, the gateway to South Island. Leaving Wellington, which is the port where we left North Island. Free wifi on this ship. Been deprived of free wifi since two days ago.

After Rotorua, we went to Taupo. Tumpang the house of the mister'a friend.

Awesome view of the lake from the house. It was like a beach house except that it's actually overlooking a lake. A very big lake! The Great Lake Taupo was formerly the crater of a volcano. It is the biggest lake in NZ. There's also some hot spring we saw near the lake when we went for a walk after dinner. Yeah the sun sets at 9pm here.

The next day was a long long drive to Wellington. This leg was my turn to drive. 330 km from Taupo to Wellington in 4.5 hours. Krem pantat oh!

Scenic drive especially along the Desert Road.

Wellington is a very windy city. It's all about high velocity wind and clear blue sky! Ooh and the Museum of Te Papa is a must visit. It's free admission with different amazing exhibits including a house which you can go in and it simulates an earthquake.

And to end the Wellington leg, we went to Weta Cave. Home of the CGI and special effects for the LOTR, Avatar, and many more Hollywood box office films.

This is where they do the costumes, make up and special effects 

And it look freaking real!

And now we are enroute to South Island. It has been a week and I kinda miss home. To know that my pet, Kapas, also sudah pass away.. Lagi la saya rindu rumah. Huhu.

Anyway, looking forward for the South Island adventure!

NZ Trip ( Hamilton - Rotorua )

Went around Hamilton on 28th morning. It was raining the night before and the morning was wet too. Huhu. Sajuk bah kalau hujan. 

Braved the rain and toured the Hamilton Gardens. Free admission! And it's amazing to see so many types of plants and flowers and the way they maintain it is amazing. Different gardens with different themes

Like this one is inspired by the Indian gardens. I especially love the Rose Garden they have. Summer in NZ means it's the blooming time for roses. Sweet smell of roses greets me when I reach the area. Awesome!

Yang paling merah ni yang paling wangi. ^_^

We also visited Waikato Museum. It's also free admission. Hahaha. Sangat happy ok kalau jumpa yang free admission. 

The museum is worth a visit if you are the type of person who love to know more about the history of a place.

Then off we go to the Hobbitons. An hour drive along scenic view, rolling hills and grazing cattles and sheeps in the vast land. 

The little white dots on the green pastures are sheeps. They are always always eating. Makan saja mana nda gumuk. Lembu pun sama. 

The Hobbitons is like in the rural areas. Imagine when the director of the film LOTR went to scout for area of filming they used helicopter to go around because the roads going to these places last time was so small! Thanks to the film now they commercialized the place and it's accessible for tours.

The weather changes like my mother's mood. Satu kali panas terpaksa buka sweater, then skijap angin datang, sajuk mengigil, skijap lagi hujan terpaksa pakai payung. So unpredictable. 

This is the most famous hobbit hole. Recognize this one? Paling selalu kena nampak in the movie kan. Anyway the hobbit holes, not all of them can be accessible and don't expect to see the insides of the hobbit hole here. The scene inside was filmed in the studio. There's only one hobbit hole where you can go in. (Tapi teda apa apa di dalam tu).

At the end of the Hobbiton tour you will be at the Green Dragon Inn. Here they will serve your choice of complimentary drinks and you can actually order food as well.

The Hobbiton tour is 75NZD per pax.

Reached Rotorua on the same day but we only started touring around today (29 Nov). You will know you have reached Rotorua once you smell fart in the air. Yea, the sulphur smell is so prominent in the air here because it is the heart of the geothermal activity.

Here in this town also is the heart of the Maori culture. And me being the lover of anything cultural, it's like heaven to me

The beginning of a tour

Learned a lot about the Maori culture today. And do you know that there is no more pure blooded Maori around. All that's left now are the mixed descents.

Geysers amazed me. We only have hot springs back home and I never seen anything like this. So powerful. Awesome.

Boiling hot water just shooting up from te rocks.

There's a blue lake nearby the geysers. It's alkaline waters.

Met up with my friend, Rachel, who is currently working in NZ. So good to see her. She joined us touring the Redwoods.

Check out the size of the trees!

Basically Rotorua is a place full of geothermal activities. Love Rotorua! And the hot water at the motel we are staying is also from the hot spring.

The Studio Motel and this is our room. 

It's a very cute place and it's decorated to really feel like home.

Off to another town tomorrow after staying two nights here.

NZ Trip ( Auckland - Hamilton )

Yeah!!! Free wifi. Like finally. Been disengaged with the internet since I arrive here. If you have been wondering what I am up to this time, I am on a backpacking trip with the mister (cum honeymoon - yeah we are weird for having a backpacking honeymoon. Haha)

So the trip started in Auckland. A challenging feat to defy the body function across time zones. Meal times and sleeping times screwed up (but this wasn't as bad as my Europe trip, jetlag!!!)

Auckland airport has a good information counter for those traveling around this country but mind you the customs department here is very strict. SUPER strict. Biosecurity. All shoes and sports equipment pun dorang mo check tu. Apa lagi kalau ada bawa babi salai (the mister bought for his friend) terus kana tahan bah. 

We are driving around here. The mister has done a very good job in handling the logistics for the trip. I hate logistic stuff, I prefer creative stuff. Anyway, we stayed in Auckland for one night. 

It's summer here now so the weather is perfect. Just like in an air-con room of 23 degree celsius but when there's wind and rain it can be quite sejuk also.

The mission bay beach.

This was at the Auckland war memorial museum. We just chill outside because we are cheapskate. Hahaha. Mahal bah mo masuk it's 25NZD ( approx myr75 ). Bergambar di luar saja la. Hahaha

We just like places that are free and worth the money you pay. Maklum la backpacking, semua mau bajet2.

Like this place we drove up Mt Eden ( a former volcano). Well, almost all the high areas in Auckland was formerly a volcano. You can see the crater as well. It's worth the drive up because you can see the 360 view of the whole of Auckland

And the fruits here. Kiwi! Strawberries!

Strawberries here!! Check out the price berapa. Hari-hari sa mo makan ni. Nyahahahaha. 

So this afternoon, we drove from Auckland to Hamilton. Hamilton is the fourth largest city in New Zealand. Gotta wake up early tomorrow to tour around. We are staying at this backpacking place called Eagle's Nest Backpackers Lodge in Hamilton.

Hoping for to find a free wifi place again tomorrow so that I can update this blog. Hehe.

Follow me on Instagram as well. @joan_jade #jvmonholiday

Jet setter

Traveling is tiring (especially across time zones) but it is always fun to have a traveling partner.

On transit here in Melbourne airport after a 7 hours flight from KL. Enroute to Auckland. 

So napping on the airport seats it is. 

It's more fun in Boracay

Spent the whole day at the beach today. Had breakfast and went straight to the beach. We only return to the hotel room after sunset. 

Enjoying my final full day in Boracay today. Tapi terus mo demam ni satu hari kana angin kana air kana panas. Odoi. 

Super crystal clear water! Can't resist it. Biar la sunburn. 

In the afternoon I went to D Talipapa market to look for souvenirs. Apparently things are cheaper here as compared to another tourist shopping place called d'Mall. 

And I was in awe to see the concept of a wet market that sells fresh seafood to the tourist (bikin heran kan, bukan souvenir pun tu barang). Rupanya they have cooking service there. 

Yes, you buy the supplies and bring to any of the restaurant nearby to cook for you (for a fee la of course). Cool concept!

After rounds at the market, it's about sun and sea again. Nap time at the beach chair. Habis.. Jadi ikan masin.

Peduli nda kurus, keyakinan harus ada. Hahaha. Ok bye!