New Zealand (North Island): Hamilton - Matamata - Waitomo - Taupo - Te Awamutu - Rotorua - Auckland

You can find my South Island post here.

I only spent about 5 days in North Island but it seems like I've traveled to so many places as my schedule was quite packed. You can too if you wish to explore more just like me!

Hamilton

Hamilton is a city like Auckland but only less hustle bustle hence, a perfect place to live in if you ask me. We were so blessed to have our host family in Hamilton, not only is the location central hence, we do not have to shift our stuffs around so much while travelling but our host family treated us so well and warm. They even prepared us dinners every night we were there!

We did not spend much of our time here besides strolling around the park and city at night. 

Matamata

Attraction: 

Hobbiton and its hobbit holes. Personally, I felt that Hobbiton is overpriced at NZD 80 which comes with a drink at the end of the tour. Unless you are a big Hobbit fan, there really isn't much to crazy about here.

Food:

Green Dragon Inn is a famous hobbit hang out spot. The warm and classic interior is something that I truly enjoy. Unfortunately, you can only visit this place if you take the NZD 80 tour. 4 choices of free drinks to choose from: Black Stout, Apple Cider, Beer and my personal favourite is their Ginger Beer.  They are very famous for their Beef Onion Pie too which tastes good. On the other hand, I do not really fancy their Cold Pork Pie.

Waitomo

We traveled from Matamata to Waitomo which takes about an hour journey and we never regret it.

Attraction(s):

Waitomo Gloworm Caves. I wish I could show you the beauty inside the caves but unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside the cave. For NZD 50, you will experience a chilling walk around the limestone cafe and be transported out through a boat witnessing the beauty of gloworms. Fun fact: The whole cave business is being managed by the founder's family descendants. Great tradition isn't it? 

Waitomo Walkway. There are several walking tracks which you can hike after your tour at Waitomo Caves. We picked one that took us about 30 mins(one way) to hike up to Waitomo Look Out Point. It was a nice walk surrounded by cows (and dunks!) Still, the weather was great and the dunks doesn't affect the walk at all.

Taupo

As you already know, Taupo is famous for it's bungy which I did not went to as my mum was screaming her lungs out just by seeing others doing the jump.

Attraction:

Taupo Rapid Jets does not allow camera on board hence, no pictures of the ride. Basically, it's a speedboat which does stunts on this beautiful lake! For me, I wish it was a little more adventurous and exciting but overall, it is fine.

Taupo Water Damp was 5 minutes from where I was. The water release 'show' has became a tourist attraction as it fills up the nearby lake really quickly and hence, more adventurous water sports can be done. You will want to be there slightly earlier before the water releases to get a nice spot.

Taupo Water Damp (Release Hours):

Summer release hours: 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:00pm

Winter release hours: 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm

Te Awamutu

My brother had a friend at Te Awamutu who owned a farm and Pop 'n' Good popcorn factory. The owner was nice enough to show us around his farm but as we were rushing to Rotorua, we did not manage to visit the factory. However, the farm itself was amazing!

Up and close with Mr Friendly Cow. His farm does not operate for meat but for dairy. The business was so high tech that being a milk and cheese lover, I am glad to know that female cows here are so lucky! This is because they will slaughter male bulls at 4 days old for a meat known as veal.

Attraction:

This popcorn cannot be found at just any supermarket as they only supply it to New World and even that, it is limited. Hence, you may want to drop by the shop if you ever passes by Te Awamutu. Besides popcorn, they do sell a whole lot of other varieties. You can check them out: http://www.daviesfoods.co.nz/

Te Awamutu Shop Operation Hours:

Tuesday - Thursday,

10am - 12pm, 1pm - 5pm

Rotorua

Here's the place where sulfur apparently stinks but I didn't quite felt that way. We spend most of the time here meeting friends hence, there isn't much updates about this place. All I know that Zorb and Hells Gate is famous here which is something I will be back for!

Attraction:

Redwood Forest. This is a free hiking trail made known for its Redwood. A nice place to walk around on a sunny day!

Food:

Picnic Cafe. I did a search for a spot for brunch at Rotorua and this came up. They do serve some good food but still, Governor's Cafe back in Dunedin is the best! Nearby this cafe, there are several restaurants around so you might want to survey other places nearby before coming here as this is not something you MUST TRY.

Auckland

The capital city of New Zealand! Well, there aren't as many high rise over there due to earthquakes but there is one Auckland Sky Tower.

Attraction(s);

Auckland Sky Tower. We did not went up for the tour as my brother did it once but do not find it fancy. However, we did went up to Sky Tower for dinner at Fortuna Buffet Restaurant. One of the most well-worth food I ever ate in New Zealand. For about NZD 50+ pax, we had a very fulfilling buffet of many good food such as lamb shank, pizza, Japanese food, desserts, free flow of caffeinated drinks and many more! Also, as you can see, the tower is definitely more outstanding at night.



Viaduct Harbour is basically a place where the rich and famous dines and stay, where superior boats and cruises park at the harbour, where people like us(tourists overall) go and take pictures! Not forgetting, it is a spot for fishing! However, do bear in mind that fishing in New Zealand requires licensing.

And finally, you can just take a stroll around the city. It is the capital so there is something, somewhere for everyone! We manage to spot this purple tree somewhere there too!

Overall, New Zealand is one of the nicest country I've been. Not only that I do not have to worry(much much less worried) about my safety, the people were ever-friendly & less judgemental and weather was also pleasing although I have to admit that I do not like the extreme cold back in Dunedin. I felt so blessed to be able to travel there! I will definitely be back as there are so many other reasons for me to.

In the end, we only regret the opportunities we did not grab.

New Zealand (South Island): Dunedin - Queenstown - Milford Sound - Roxborough - Lake Tekapo

Note: Most of my accommodation in New Zealand is with some generous host family. Hence, I will not be talking much about accommodation unless the ones that I stayed in hotel.

I flew direct from KL - Auckland with MAS (It was miserable but we let that past. You can read my post on my miserable pre-flight Travel Struggles with MAS. From Auckland, we took Air New Zealand down to Dunedin and slowly, move our way up the map before flying to North Island. I will post about North Island soon!

General:

There are basically 3 major supermarkets in New Zealand - Countdown, New World and my personal if not everyone's favourite, Pak n Save. Pak n Save is the cheapest supermarket which in my opinion, is tremendously huge with many varieties including marinated ribs and chicken skewers that taste fab-u-li-cious!

Most hostels/lodge/resorts provide kitchen with utensils for you to cook. Buying groceries and cooking by yourself is always cheaper. Besides, it brings out the vacation mood in you!


Fresh mussels soaked in vinegar.


Avocado spread on lite crackers.


MUST TRY: Fresh Salmon. Marinate the salmon with salt and pepper (The common seasonings in New Zealand's kitchen), heat it up in medium heat over the microwave for about 5 minutes and it will taste amazing! You can also make fluffy scramble eggs using microwave too. Mix as many eggs as you want in a bowl, add in salt and pepper for taste, a little milk will increase the volume of eggs, medium heat over the microwave for about 2 mins for 2 eggs (I prefer my eggs to not be too dry hence, it will have some raw texture which blends with the cooked eggs upon stirring.)


MUST TRY: Puhoi Chocolate Milk (the alternative will be Lewis Road Creamery but Puhoi is still the best!)

Lastly, always search online very good deals! You can opt for Bookme or Grabone.

Dunedin

Dunedin is a student town. My brother resides his past 5 year of studies here hence, he is really familiar with the place. In New Zealand, it is easier to travel with rental cars. You can google for the cheapest car rental available during your travel period. For South Island, we rented from Rent-a-Dent and was satisfied with their service. You can opt for pick up from airport and can easily return the car at airport when you leave.

Attraction(s): 


Dunedin's Train Station. Apparently, this place has the highest number of tourist pictures being taken!


Signal Hill. Search for the right sunset time, prepare some really thick clothing (LIKE SERIOUSLY THICK), find a good driver and drive your way up to enjoy the view! I was also informed this place is famous among druggies but don't worry, it is safe and trust me, it's worth the crazy cold!




Tunnel Beach. We were lucky that we manage to spot Mr & Mrs Sea Lion up close! We were there during the summer and as you can see, we were in winter clothing.


World's Steepest Hill. It's not that long to hike up, just take it as an exercise to shed off the fats from the good food you had!!


St Clair. This place is nice to have an evening stroll. It's also a famous beach for surfers.

Dunedin's Food:


Poppa's Pizza opens beyond 5pm so hooray to those who are not used to shops closing SHARP at 5pm. They are known as the best pizza in Dunedin. Well, to me, all the pizzas there are much, much better compared to Domino's back at home. (Just like wantan mee in Malaysia is always the best!)


Governor's Cafe. One of the best brunch place I had in New Zealand. We manage to grab the Buy 1 Free 1 deal online so do your pre-shopping to save!

Queenstown

Accommodation: Reavers Lodge. We had a room to ourselves and an en-suite bathroom. This place has a complete kitchen and is perfect for family with young children. (Not suitable for family with elderly as it requires you to hike up the steep road a little before reaching the place but it has a beautiful view of the city!)

This is the most expensive town to live in apparently and you will know why once you get there. None of the pictures are being "retouched" so yes, it is natural beauty. Hooray Mother Nature!

Attraction(s):


The magnificent Queenstown. You will see this lake at the centre of town with some water sports activities going on during the summer.


En route to Queenstown.


A 1 hr walking trail. Do this walk because...


You will end up with this spectacular view.


Below Zero Ice Bar. We manage to book it online for a NZD 1 for entry + NZD 14 for the cocktails. Worth the shivering experience!


Luge. Yet another offer deal we got online. However, we heard that Rotorua has a better luge experience in terms of excitement but Queenstown is definitely winning on the view!


The ride up to luge down.


There is a Kiwi Bird Park right beside the luge place before you take gondola up if you are interested.

Queenstown's Food:


Ferg Burger, Bakery and Gelato - This is exclusively only available at Queenstown. Prepare to queue for the burgers but trust me, they worth the queue. Best burger I had in New Zealand! Personal favourite is definitely the roast pork belly burger! Yums, I missed it already. :(


Patagonia is also another exclusive cafe only in Queenstown. I personally prefer this gelato over Mrs Ferg's Gelato but my parents prefer Mrs Ferg's so I guess it's really personal preference. Although I didn't manage to try their churros, I heard that their churros is famous too.


Cookie Time's cookies can be easily find at supermarket but just like Famous Amos, the ones from the shop always tastes better!

Milford Sound

As we did not spend a night at Milford Sound, we traveled 10 hours to and from Queenstown just for the 2.5 hours cruise. Although it sounds crazy for a day trip, this is what many bus tours do and it was definitely worth it.


Beautiful Milford Sound. (I was lucky enough to see a few dolphins too!)


En route Milford Sound.


We took the Orange cruise which is one of the nicest cruise around but we got it online for a bargain! Also, it has complimentary fish n chips.


We were super close to the waterfall so prepare to get wet!


And yes, we are lucky with dolphins that day. We saw a group of dolphins in the first half of the cruise and on our way back, there was this playful dolphin vying for attention from our cruise as it was tailing us. Cute thing!

Roxborough

You will pass by Roxborough to and from Dunedin to Queenstown. It is a place with many fruit orchards. Different season, different fruit orchards are open. Do watch out for signs like PYO if you would like Pick Your Own fruits and fruits for the orchards are often cheaper but you will have to observe signs to see if they are selling.


Cherry Orchard. We were lucky to pass by a fruit orchard selling spray free cherries for only NZD 10 for 1 kg of cherries. The owner was really kind to show us around too!

Lake Tekapo

Accommodation: Lake Tekapo Motels & Holiday Park - Private cabin (Lake View). This is one of the best place I've stayed throughout my New Zealand trip. Our cabin faces the lake directly with ducks quacking around and lupins view! There is a bench right in front of your cabin for you to enjoy your BBQ dinner with the famous starry night too.

Attractions:


Lupins by Lake Tekapo. This beautiful tall lupins by the lake view can be found at the famous Church of Good Shepherd and Mackenzie Sheep Dog Statue.


Mt John Observatory. We went there during the day by ourselves and enjoyed a nice tea at Astro Cafe. However, during the night, it is compulsory for you to book an astronomical tour to go up there. As usual, the hill and beach are always colder and windier even during the summer so prepare some warm clothing for yourself.


Tekapo Springs. Down the road from where I was staying was the famous Lake Tekapo Hot Pool which is currently renovating for expansion so you can probably experience their water park and many other new facilities!

Food:


Rocky Road at Astro Cafe. I wanted to try their brownies but it was out. Try your luck perhaps?


KOHAN Japanese Restaurant. This restaurant is super famous hence, do reserve in advance. They have one of the best Japanese bento with reasonable price. Their homemade ice cream are real good too. You wouldn't want to miss this if you are at Lake Tekapo.

Overall, I love New Zealand's as a place and quality of living but I would die for food back home. I was adapting to the chilly supposedly hot summer too. It will be one of my significant life choice if I ever decide to move there permanently!

North Island update soon!

Cause nothing is perfect.

Travel Struggles: I felt bullied by the supposedly best homeland flight service. (to be fair, capitalists)

I do not know about you but I used to be so jealous when people fly around the world with MAS because at the end of the day, you will get the much anticipated "To Malaysians, welcome home" greeting. You've heard so much about MAS 5 stars service(even in economy class) and you establish this high expectation on MAS.

Well... That changed and here's my story.

We booked our flights from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland during MATTA fair since March 2015 and happily planned our trip to New Zealand where my brother will be graduating. Hotels, car, CONNECTING FLIGHT and etc. Notice my emphasis on connecting flight?

Well, fast forward to 2 weeks prior to my departure we were informed that MAS rescheduled their flight to almost like 12 hours difference(supposingly departing in the morning and now, it was rescheduled to night.) The first thing that crossed my mind when I got the news was WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MY CONNECTING FLIGHT. We immediately went to check the rates and with depreciating ringgit as well as the late booking, of course, the price hike up like nobody's business. Of course, my courier for my internal flight (Air New Zealand) isn't taking any responsibility out of it as well.

This is when I started to go on a quest of compensation where I had to go to KL Sentral to get my new tickets reissued. Seriously? I bought the tickets and I had to go through the hassle of claiming my own new tickets because MAS rescheduled. I'm sure we all know how bad the traffic is in KL and how pricey it can get for parking. I reluctantly complied as we need to fly for my brother's graduation and that's less than 2 weeks.

I was passed around (expectedly) like a ball to various department before finally talking to the customer service department. I got to say that MAS is really smart that they shifted their "complaints" department to KLIA which is somewhere no one will purposely go just to make a complain. From customer service department (which I never manage to talk to my case manager by the way) to MHinsure department (while their service is much better, they still did not give me the answer that I was yearning for), I came to this conclusion that I will not be getting my 450NZD compensation nor the loss of my car rental or hotel, let alone my time.

To be fair, I asked for the reason on why MAS rescheduled their flight and they told me it's not fault from their side because Auckland airport is temporarily closed on 29th Dec (The day I'm suppose to fly in the morning) but wait. When my brother in New Zealand called up Auckland airport, the authority at Auckland airport told us that there is no such thing. Weird. Two different stories. Well, I guess this happens often in Malaysia. Latest update, 25/11/2015, 9.29am: I was informed that Auckland is not closing their airport but rather they are closing the pathway MAS will be landing.

Despite all the hassles, I came to realize one fact: THERE'S A NOTICEABLE HUGE LOOP IN OUR CAPITALISTS SYSTEM which being an economist myself, I believe everyone even commoners realize that this system is somehow torturing the middle and lower class. I mean, why else would everyone be working so hard to climb the "corporate ladder"? Of course, everyone would rather be the bully than the bullied.

All in all, we burnt lots of money and time with no one of authority willing to talk to me from the customer service side besides sending me email on how their policy works and what not. My case manager even send me their "law book" to finalise that MAS is not responsible, legally.

"Clause 10.1- “We undertake to use our best efforts to carry you and your baggage with reasonable dispatch. In case of re-timing of schedule, we will notify you in advance of your journey. Although we undertake to use our best efforts to adhere to our timetables and published schedules, we do not guarantee that your flight will depart and arrive at the times set forth in our timetables and schedules. Furthermore, our timetables and published schedules shall form no part of your contract with us”

Of course, the law protects those of higher power. In economics POV, that's the capitalists. (Side note: My media friends did told me that overseas airline company is bounded by a rule if flight rescheduling beyond 3 hours, passengers are entitled for a compensation. At least, this way, it's win-win don't you think?)

Well, this is my story. I felt bullied by the law and in my particulare case, MAS. If cases of bully in school goes on national TV(not saying it shouldn't), how about the day-to-day case of bully that happens in the economy world-wide?

Poor below and middle-class citizens like me. I feel you.

* Disclaimer: This post is the writer's personal opinion and experience thus, shall not be used against her or held liable for any legislation matters.

Sekinchan, Selangor.

A long weekend perfect for a short day trip? Loves seafood and the sun?

Sekinchan is to go then! A small town, nothing much to visit besides its serenity of the small town filled with green paddy field (If you go at the right season) with LOTS and LOTS of seafood shops. Beware though, this place is getting touristy (Due to Hong Kong TVB drama series, Outbound Love starring my handsome prince, Ruco Chan and Aimee Chan) and hence, expect some price hike here and there.

1) Paddy Factory - You can buy local manufactured rice and some other goods here. I got the 2kg brown rice for RM 10 which I find reasonable and since it was in vacuumed pack, being the tourist me, I just bought one to try.

 2) Paddy Field (opposite Paddy Factory) - I was superbly lucky that day. The sky was so blue and the paddy field was really green hence, the photo. ;)

3) Mango "Farm" - Further down the road from the Paddy Factory, there is a Mango "Farm". Note the quotation marks because it is not really a farm but more like a stall selling mangoes at extravagant price. Although I must admit their mangoes are relatively larger than what we usually find in common Malaysia market, but it's just not something locals will buy at that price. Well, to be fair, you can find mango trees along the road, by the river opposite the supposedly mango farm.

 4) Temple - I forgot the temple's name but you can literally find a few temple in this town indicating the majority of the population. There are 2 temples that I spotted, one temple is the one near the seafood Restaurant Yi Mi while the other is the one below.

5) Pantai Redang, Sekinchan - As the name goes, you can find Redang in Sekinchan but don't put high expectation when you visit the beach (Don't say I didn't warn you..) Still, go there for some young vibe(They actually have music blaring over the speakers to hype up the environment!) and just enjoy yourself by the tree houses as well as the wishing tree. Which one you ask? I think it's pretty obvious!

6) This is a full loaded dai bao from their Re Re Lai Dim Sum Shop. Priced at RM 3.20 with a large portion of fillings, it is worth a try although I must say the taste is just average. However, if you are on your way back to KL and you are using the Klang route, please do stop by Shin Lok Coffee Shop to try their famous vege bao and yam puffs which I didn't manage to get this time around(I reached there about 4pm) as it was sold out. So yes, plan your time wisely!You can read more about them here: http://www.j2kfm.com/famous-jeram-pau-yam-puff-kedai-kopi-shin-lok-kuala-selangor/

Work is never ending. Life will. Life > Work. Life-work balance, please.