blurpenguin

After a wonderful 18 days in New Zealand... it had to come to an end...

So what memories of New Zealand will be forever etched in my memory?

First off... this was the place where we could see wild ducks at every city (maybe not in Rotorua, due to the geo-thermal area)... they ran free and heh... if it were Malaysia, some chinaman would be having a field day selling roast duck, and raking in the free catch!


Then of course the diverse flora and colorful landscapes all over New Zealand... even their normal wild flowers are beautiful... i can't imagine lalang to be beautiful.



Next will be their interesting landscapes... not very tree heavy... but unique... with breathtaking blue skies...


Of course u can't ever forget all those bodies of water u see all around New Zealand... from their unreal blue impressive lakes... to grand waterfall filled fiords...


Also all those lamb steaks, ice-cream, fresh salmon & large amounts of kiwi fruits & cherries.


Goodbye Aotearoa / New Zealand, Land of the Long White Cloud...

For our last night in New Zealand, we had the opportunity to go and see the traditional/cultural show of the native Maori... in the Mitai Village.

Our hosts had graciously booked for us our seats, and the van came at 5.45pm to pick us up at the lodge...We were then driven to the venue... where we were ushered straight to our dining tables, already prearranged seatings?... we were wondering... eh... food first?

Then the host for the evening appeared and invited us to see our dinner... keh... see the fruits of 3 hours of cooking prior to arrival... the photos are already in the previous post.

We were then ushered through a very short walk to a crystal clear stream, we were told later the water comes from a natural spring in the village itself... and as we passed it, we could see the water coming out from the ground... the stream was also filled with rainbow trout and eels!

The show started with the Maori warriors paddling upstream and shouting their war cries...




We then adjourned to their stage... which was tastefully done half of which was covered for the audience, a platform for some lighting and the backdrop which was a section of an actual Maori village.

the next portion was all in Maori, with some dances and singing... and a welcome invitation



the chief then appeared to greet us and quickly reverted to english to explain the meanings of the dance and song... and also followed by an introduction to the daily routine of the Maori people, from exercise to training to the types of dance, types of instruments... The chief was also a good entertainer and funny.


there were also several demonstrations of warfare, spear wielding and dance routines



of course it ended with a haka! :p



We then adjourned for dinner... yum...

before ending the night, we once again re-entered the forest walkway for an introduction to the flora and fauna in the dark! and also saw some Glow-worms...

Thus ends all our activities in New Zealand...

The next day after breakfast, we quickly drove to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland to catch the daily daily eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15am...

later we found out... it erupts daily at 10.15am due to some help my man... keh... if left to its own, the geyser would have erupted every 2-3 days... in an not so timely manner... they used normal powder detergent to drop in the geyser to loosen the surface tension of the geyser... and when the cold and hot water mixed underground... spurt... a geyser is formed for an hour plus....


we then took our time walking the shortest route around all the volcanic craters, sulphur pools and bubbling mud...


their famous attraction was also their champagne pool... which was boiling, with bubbles constantly rising to the surface... thus its name...


the pool also is beside a basin of dif metal excretions, giving it a very colorful effect...


heheh... do note all the steam rising out, do have a certain smell to them... sulphur smell... akin to rotten eggs... but u do get used to it after awhile...


we left heading back to Rotorua for lunch, then stopped by The Redwoods! It really was California Redwood trees... brought and planted by the early colonists... and man... they are mighty large... we walked around this public park cum reserve for about 40 minutes admiring the trees and then headed home to rest before our night Cultural Show!

Upon Check-in, and a short nap for the kiddos... we wanted to venture to one of the hot springs in Rotorua...

U cant visit Rotorua and not go to any of them! Problem was... we needed to shortlist and choose only one... due to our lack of time... thankfully the hosts pointed out to us Waikite Valley Thermal Pools.

About 25min out of Rotorua... this was one of the far ones... but they said it was better then the one smack in the city... and they also noted even the main big pool water was actually from the hot springs and filled daily... so off we went...

Woo hoo... upon reaching the spot... you could see all the steam rising out from the valley, when u park the car...


We not only tried the main splash pool, but also some of their sit and soak pools with nice valley views... both at 36-37C



We also ventured for 15 minutes to their hottest pool... to soak in... 39-40C, u really had to step in step by step and allow your body to adjust before continuing in...but ahhh... really relaxing...

too bad their cafe kitchen closes at 7.00pm and we couldnt eat there anymore since we wanted to soak longer. U can stay till 9.00pm, but they will start draining the first pool by 8.30pm... we left before they started draining - all of our stomachs were growling by then, plus we didnt know where to eat!

While in Rotorua, we stayed in this English cottage up on the hills slightly off the town area... it's a mini farmstay... with a couple of animals and 2 very friendly dogs... which the kids enjoyed playing with.

We didn't really spend much time exploring the place, since we only had so little time in Rotorua...

The hosts were also very helpful in recommending the best places to go... we had to narrow down certain places... like the best hot pools or which Maori village to go to... The hosts also did eventually book us for a Maori dinner plus cultural show... so being in the business for 10 years, have given them ample advise for travellers...

The place is also very well kept with flower filled gardens and an excellent view of the valley.



One of the highlights was also the morning breakfasts... heh... we don't really eat much breakfast but they do cook up a lot... lot of fruits, yogurt, toast and eggs... and the best - FRESH Apple Muffins daily for us to eat then and pack the rest to eat later... this was one of the best muffins I've eaten... lovely...

p/s: if you have spare NZ$1.3Mil, West Minister Lodge is up for sale... cuz they too want to retire and travel!

Whilst Julie's Parents and Bro's Family changed cars and drove back to Christchurch to fly back to Malaysia, we were on our way to Rotorua...

We were taking another 2 days to check out Rotorua, the only North island place we were visiting... not counting Auckland lah... cuz we were going to just drive straight from Rotorua to Auckland Airport.

Rotorua... is the land of sulphur pools... mud pools and Maori culture...

with limited time at hand we had our days all mapped out...

But first, lets see what we ate there!

McDonalds!... unique burger called "The Boss!" - actually its a mesh of 2 quarter pounders with added tomatoes. We had initially just wanted to try Burger King, which had more unique stuff then Mc'Ds but we ended up here for lunch after helplessly wandering around a shopping venue looking for food... not cheap at NZ$9 (value meal)


After a relaxing dip in some thermal pools at Waikite Valley Thermal pools, we headed back to Rotorua for dinner. We were very afraid since it was late most places would be closed but thankfully after roaming around we came across a whole stretch of restaurants... We went to a pizza place first but it was closing... then wandering to another restaurant, they seemed so busy and would care less of us waiting to be seated, so ahh... we walked next door and stumbled upon the restaurant, "Solace Cafe & Restaurant" which offered us a steak special at NZ$19, which each of us took... it was lovely...


Seafood chowder for Hannah... (it was good with lots of fish and scallops)


& Tiramisu dessert to cap off the evening...


The next day after our trip to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, we went to Fat Dog Cafe for some of their Nz$9 lunch specials... it was served with rice!

I had the Pork Ribs Special... awesome amount of ribs...


and Julie had the Chicken with Apricot sauce... the rice served was mash like...


Our last dinner in New Zealand was a Hangi dinner - traditional Maori dinner, after an excellent cultural show! It was all cooked via hot stones and steam in the ground... more modern now... but still a traditional method.


All the Kūmara (Maori, for sweet potatoes) you could eat; they were really sweet and nice!


Lamb central... it was a buffet... serving this much lamb is sinful...


Chicken galore... plus potatoes which was served with a thick creamy sauce...


suffice to say... it was an extremely extreme dinner... :p

Our last outing in Queenstown was to the Old Steamer at the Wharf in Queenstown. This is a genuine vintage steam ship... still running since it was constructed in 1912.

It would take us on a cruise around Lake Wakatipu... actually it goes to the other side of the lake to a Country Farm, where you could opt for a BBQ lunch or a Farm Tour... but since we have done this before we didnt want to spend extra $


The ship is the genuine article... still running on coal... which is used in the boilers to power the steam engines.. very like a steam train engine... the boat itself is quite large with 3 decks... and very nicely refurbished to have ample areas with a full cafe serving warm drinks and snacks...

There was even a grand piano in with a pianist for singing along sessions, during the cruise...

Whilst chugging along, you can view the engine from a cut out portion from the top deck or u can even venture to the engine to see the steam engines at work...


There is also a room, where the history of the boat is explained... of course the outside deck is where u can experience the cold air and strong winds blasting on you!


overall, the cruise was nothing spectacular... only the ship was... TSS Earnslaw is a real historical ship... really old... and i have never seen a steam ship before... so it's something new...