C'est LA viE

finally is the day! Yes, i had been looking forward for this tranz alpine train trip for a long time

and of cause i also wanna go to the west coast glacier desperately in these recent years

woke up very early this morning because i had to arrive the train station before 7.45am

but glad that everything gone smoothly as i am inpatient and easily got panic....

Back to the train, it is a long train, about 14-16 carriages, and my seat is located at the second last carriage, which is just before the luggage storage carriage

the seat is comfortable and lucky me got a window seat!

there's a small screen on top which showing the tranz alpine route, crossing from the east Chch to the west Greymouth.

the view in the begining was still alright, but after 30mins later, the train started entering the mountain area at where the signal started become poor

i went to bought a light sandwich and drink which were sold on board (yes they have everything except for entertainment and comfort kits)

While i back to my seat, the train ald travelled within moutain area

and we got a 5mins stop at Springfield, Mr. Simpson and his family were nt waiting for me, but a beautiful world is:

awesome!! very spectacular scenary!

Then, for the remain 3 hrs, i just enjoyed the view and my comfy seat on the train~

well, it was hard to take a good photo on the train, unless u go to the open-air viewing carriages to take photos

However the open-air viewing carriage is located at the middle of the train, which is quite far to where i was sitting

thus, is winter time, it was cold at that carriage plus the train was moving

therefore, i just stayed at my seat quietly enjoyed the view....

Then we arrived at Arthur Pass....where is famous for hiking and look out viewing

you can tell it was really cold at this area, snows covered everywhere....

i actually fall asleep after sitting for nearly 2 hrs...but when i opened my eyes, the train was very close to west coast

the white world just dissapear, seems like i travelled from a white world to a green world~

Sunshine made me so warm, just like what the information provided on the train described, West coast indeed is a sunny wetland

the whole tranz alpine train trip took about 4hrs, i arrived safely at Greymouth around quarter to 1pm.

Then i hopped on intercity bus at 1.30pm and Franz Josef here i come!

The scenary on the way is amazing....

and i got half an hour stop at Hokitika for short lunch

Then continued my bus trip and arrived my destination around 5pm...

I continued treat myself with a good meal at The Landing bar hehehe =P

I had a light main - smoked Akaroa salmon salad with rye bread along with a local cocktail

though is weird to have dinner by myself at this fine dining restaurant, but i enjoyed my dinner a lot =)

actually i do think that i should have skipped staying one night at Franz josef and continued my bus trip directly to Fox Glacier where is just another extra 30mins journey as I am not really going to explore Franz Josef, I am leaving to Fox Glacier tomorrow early morning too.

oh well, a good lesson to learn then.

Not sleeping very well last night, too many ppl in the room (Yes, all 10 beds were occupied later after I back) and they were having early schedule.

So many ppl awake and left in the early morning, but i still sleep until around 9am. =P

I gone to the Re:start mall, which is currently the highlight of the recovering city.

I really love colorful thing and artistic design, that's why i really like how they rebuild the city.

Container! Sound environmental friendly and down to earth.

there's also a small garden, decorated in green, giving the public more positive message...

this special wall was kinda contributed by a Taiwanese backpacker who travelled to NZ. He did this project called 'smile for Christchurch' by capturing photos showing all the ppl who are giving Christchurch a smile, a positive energy!

Indeed to recover, is start from a smile!

I was too early, most of the shops still closed, and i went to the Hummingbird cafe for my breakie.

Though they took a very long time to prepare my omelette, i am forgiving them because i really feel sorry for the ppl at chch.

Then i started to visit the shops, there's mainly souvenir and gift shops.

But i like most of the shops because they sold good quality gift and daily living goods. I kept on thinking how if I continued staying NZ and i will buy this and that....

oh well, be realistic viv! And there is no regret and turning back, keep life optimistic.

Still I bought this:

Something for me to remember NZ.

Though the icon is small,but there are icon represent NZ, such as kea, fantail bird, koru (NZ fern) etc.

I was asking the seller if this sort of chain is getting popular around the world because i saw heaps in Dunedin, but seems like it just happened in NZ =S

Oh well, i still like it =)

Then, I gone to the gap filler - where Mr. Osaka food truck is located atm.

Mr.Osaka is my favourite Japanese restaurant in Chch, it used to be located in a shop in city centre, but the shop was damaged in the earthquake.

Since then, no one knows where Mr. Osaka gone and if the restaurant will be reopened...

and I found it was reopened via a small food truck at Gap filler yesterday on my way to YMCA! Awesome.

Just like many other restaurants in chch which got damaged from the quake, they continued their business using a small and cheaper food truck rather than renting new shops in other 'safer' area.

I bought a cup of takoyaki balls, though the taste not like very good, but is still yummy=)

Gap Filler is also another spot at the city gathered these similar food stalls/trucks.

They used wood to stack up the place, turning it to a hawker stall area (just there are not many stalls), very recycling principal.

carried on my way to find the greatest macaron in Chch and saw this special outdoor cafe

'the things which have seen now can see no more' - so true and just accurately applied for this quake city. So appreciate and enjoy every single moment. =)

i walked to the Colombo Mall which located in quite a far distance as I was told the macaron shop which i wanna go since long time ago - J'aime les Macarons is located in the mall.

My first ever macarons were from their shop, but i tried them at a cafe at Ponsonby, Auckland which they sold J'aime les macarons but not the official shop.

Well, their business was not that big yet back to that time, and they dont really own a shop at else where.

But see how they emerged now!

The macarons are so attractive, and they got many varieties and unique combination of flavor in one small macaron

too bad i was full from breakfast and lunch, i couldnt eat much.

But i still ordered a big one! It's just super yummy!!

ALso takeaway another 3: pistachios, rose and a combination of apple, berry and rhubbarb....i was so full after that.

Besides this, i also noticed that Samurai Bowl, another good japanese restaurant at chch had been reopened and relocated too!!

I had dinner at here with Josephine, who i also had not seeing each other for almost 3yrs.

Samurai bowl stil serve good and cheap food, i ordered a spicy miso ramen along with a plum wine.

it was a good night to catch up with Jo at Samurai bowl, and this also marked my last night at Chch, alright cant wait for one of the greatest train trip in the world tomorrow! =)

Is moving time again, had to say goodbye with Ondy today and continued with my solo trip to Christchurch.

It is always sad and hard to separate from friend who you knew is probably never gonna see them again later. Well, perhaps not never, but the chance to meet again is very small.

Though i am not very close with Ondy, but i do appreciate with her care within these 3 days.

Trip to Chch was not very tiring, especially i got to stop at Timaru for breakfast.

I ordered the used to be famous hot chocolate at the intercity bus stop cafe at Timaru, why i said used to be?

Well, it was bigger and taste better 3 yrs ago =S

Arrived at Chch around 2pm, and the intercity bus-stop at chch had been relocated to Beverly Avenue now which was not close to town at all.

I spent quite some time walking with my 2 bags to my backpacker -YMCA. On my way, I saw how empty and desolated the city is....is still a big shock because it was not the chch i familiar with anymore.

Most of the traffic are still unorganized, road are still under-repaired and many buildings are under-construction.

Luckily the weather was good on my way to YMCA, and guess i am still considered an early bird at this time, i was the first one to arrive at my 10-dorm beds room. Actually i was quite unlucky to get placed in a 10-bed room, but at least i got my favourite spot, the lower deck of bed. I super hate sleeping on the top, especially if the bed is very tall and hard to climb.

Then, i gone to the cathedral square to look around.

Good that it is finally opened for public regardless how badly it was damaged. It's still unbelievable when i saw it with my eyes.

It used to be so spectacular but in just 5 minutes, Chch had lost its iconic landmark.....

I am holding a deep feeling about this because i really love Chch, I recalled how I falling in love with this city when i walked by the river and impressed with the beautiful garden city 4 yrs ago.

However, I think the future is bright, I can see how chch council and ppl are trying to rebuild the city with their best effort.

Everything is so colorful and artistic. I can feel the hope and bless given to the city, and continued falling in love with this city again and looking forward on Chch recovery.

I am impressed with how they used up the space with their cool artistic design to recover the city, there are some cool spots that's just couldnt be missed out.

Just like this giant chair and table at the middle of the city! Represent green, represent the missing but returning garden city.

I also finally met up with Jah after 3 yrs! She invited me to her house for a simple dinner.

Felt a bit pity that she quitted her study but good to know she is working well now and got engaged!

And her fiance is just 21 years old and both of them only started relationship a year ago~

Well, but seeing how they coped up with each other while living in Chch, working hard for their big wedding next year, I sincerely wish they happily even after <3<3<3

It is lovely to see how they teased each other and her fiance, Josh, cooked me a nice dinner.

Then we also skyped with Kanami who is in Japan! I dint skype her at all though i have her skype because i think is abit awkward. But after this time, i think ppl just need to try and make a forward step.  We did have a good time chatting with each other =)

Good to know everyone is doing great and I am happy with this.

I just have to keep positive with my future as well, just like Chch =)

Is all about outdoor today! We gone to the Elephant rocks at Duntroon today which is my main targeted destination at Oamaru this trip, I personally requested Ondy to bring me there after seeing the photo on Oamaru tourism website.

Basically it is located at Waitaki valley district, and only accessible via cars. Luckily I have Ondy with me, though we actually lost for nearly an hour to arrive there.

We met a helpful farmer to lead us there, though Ondy was saying there is another easier way because we were driving along a gravel road across the farms and on top of the moutain, but look what we saw on this way which the farmer indicated!

I felt myself was in heaven =)

Around 20mins later, we finally reached!

I was super-excited and ran to the rocks like a child who just first learnt to run.

 The view is magnificent, superb! All rocks are huge with different shapes.

Some looks like elephant,

crocodile,

whale,

and even human face!

I was too excited while i fall down again when I roughly climbing on the hill with slippery limestone enriched =S Anyways, i am ok.

It is just unbelievable how these stones turned into this formation, and they are not lining side by side, each of them is standing by their own. Just like what Ondy described: Stubborn rock.

We packed and had a simple lunch on top of the 'whale'

Perhaps the scenary was too amazing and sarced, I actually had a lot of thought after lunch.

Ondy kept saying i love to think, i wonder if she means a good or bad way? Oh well, at least i am not stucked with my mind...

these rocks are too fantastic to view, so hard to leave them. Anyways we departed to the next stop, but before that not to mention there probably a movie set beside the elephant rocks!

Interesting! I so wanna explore it, but it was prohibited =( However, good to find out!, Probably is movie set for Horbitton or LOTR!

Then we visited Ondy's fren who owned 4 horses!

Her horses are really cute, although the only male - Shaf was fierce initially and kept on 'attacked' me...LOl

He kept on pushed me with his HUGE head, sorry if i only just gave u a small piece of carrot but it was yr owner's idea.....Blame her! =P

While Shaf is a bit capricious, the other 3 lady horses are well behaved and friendly =)

One of them (i think named Cookies) licked my hand too, so cute and warm.

They are actually quite big  while I standing beside them.

After spending some time with horses and Ondy's fren, Ondy dropped me at the Oamaru garden for a short while.

The garden is quite huge and also very chilly in winter. I personally like the playground, I think Oamaru did a good job on entertaining children, it was the humty dumpty!

Let's stay young! =)

After some rest yesterday, I woke up early this morning to explore this beautiful small town - Oamaru.

Thanks to ondy, i got to see the magnificent view on top of the hill, seeing Oamaru sitting beside the beautiful harbour.

 I dint stay long at the lookout point as it was too windy and cold, but good to see the view.

Then Ondy brought me to the penquins crossing area. Apparently, penquins will cross the road in the evening after their long day hunting for fish in the sea.

The road is just right beside the harbour, and penquins have their 'house' at the other hilly side after crossing the road

There is a penquin visiting centre at the end of the road, and visitors got to see the penquins crossing with administration fee

but actually locals choose to see the wild penquins crossing right outside the visitor centre too, and this is what we going to do later tonight.

Before the sunset, as the visitor centre is opened for free (only in day time), we just explored around

I am quite satisfied with the 'fake' penquins =)

and also got to see wild seal from a very far distance (u dont want get too near as they real aggressive and will attack human)!

Later, Ondy left me alone at the town while she back home busy with her stuff, and I went to the newly built playground

Oamaru is such an artistic place, where there are so many surprise to be seen.

The playground is very unique, seems like it was built based on the old train station, many reusable items around

for example, the bench at the ground was designed with the train compartments.

I specifically like the old tree around the playground...

The playground actually quite desolate, perhaps because there was not many ppl around, and it was very spacious...

but i really love how they design the swing or other facilities, making the playing area more unique and modern

The playground is located at the Friendly bay... good to come here for a visit.

Then i walked around the famous heritage Victorian precinct area, it is actually a narrow lane with many local artist shops

apparently there are many popular artist grow and based their art workshop at Oamaru, interesting~

I was real lucky because I heard foot steps coming from the top and realized there are also some shops on the second floor

or else I will regret i missed this:

It is called the grainstore gallery, and according to Ondy, the lady (who also is the artist) who owned this gallery is a very famous artist

her artwork which also exhibited in this gallery is very popular in Europe!

I can tell, as her artwork really very beautiful, really masterpiece!

 I also love how she designed her gallery, i felt like i just back to the old time, difference was just i am not european =P

Then i continued explored the precinct area and met this cute girl, she was shouting: 'please ask for a photo!'

I was curious because i actually couldnt hear what she was saying at first and then only realized she wants a photo

why nt? I asked her dad politely for a photo, and her dad was like: u are not doing bad thing are u?

Hell no, do i look like a bad ppl?

I actually shopped a few stuff at this old area, bought a lime stone art statue, then went in to beads shop and own my first designed bracelet

Then, yea u are right, is lunch time!

I went to the Star and Garter restaurant where i sit facing the famous steampunk HQ building, (too bad it was closed today) and ordered a blue cod and chips

After lunch i just continued walking around the small town

and yes, Oamaru just won the title of the Sharpest town in NZ yesterday, and i am honoured to visit here as a tourist at this sharpest place

I did think they deserved the title because Oamaru is really a cool place to visit.

Then I also went to the famous whitestone cheese factory at Oamaru

too bad photo was prohibited at the factory, but it is actually a very small factory, though the business scale is small, they produced very good cheese

I actually got to taste 3 quite big pieces of cheese of the day, and impressively their blue cheese - windsor blue is so yummy!

I am not a blue cheese fan, and actually i hate blue cheese because of the smell, i only eat blue cheese on pizza, but this windsor blue cheese is really good that the smell is not too strong and the taste really flavorful! I was hesistate wherther i should try out their cheese platter or cheese cake as i real full but it was such a pity as i already here.

So ended up, i bought this cheese platter for NZD5! It is actually good price because the cheese was sliced in big piece and the lady was really kind to me. She allowed me to choose my favourite cheese to be placed on the board. I chose double cream as i havent tried this kind of cheese before

Haha i couldnt think of other cheese variety, but in general the lady chose a good combination of cheese for me.

I love the nutty cheese, the 4th one from the right, which is cremy harvati. There is also other unique cheese like goat cheese or combination of goat and dairy cheese.

Overall i ranked the windsor blue cheese for the best i had today. I will definitely miss cheese a lot after leaving NZ.

As mentioned above, Ondy brought me to see the wild penquin crossing at night

and here it is~

actually we were late as most penquins finished crssing and gone earlier then we expected due to winter

well, we were lucky at least we spotted a few...we almost knocked down one small blue penquin upon our arrival, thank god Ondy brake on time

then i spotted the blue penquin with my perfect dark vision =P under dim light (they hate light), and got to capture them real close

It is so tiny and cute, and i had to be real quiet and motionless to approach it. Thus my camera function real bad under dark condition, i only able capture one clear photo

but good enough, and u can see the blue penquin is hiding its head (really remind me of ostrich)

After seeing those tiny cute little ones, we purposely stopped at the Opera house at town to see the colorful LED light

they changed color like every 3 seconds, very beautiful but Ondy was complaining they need to pay so much for it. (from taxes of cause!)

Haha good thing take effort and money =)

 time flies, today is the last day at Dunedin before I started my solo-South Island trip.

Though i am coming back Dunedin to collect my luggage after my trip, but today marked the last day I spent with Sze at Dunedin. TT

We gone to Guang Zhou restaurant for yumcha this morning, where Mrs Ng and Alycia joined us.

Dunedin is so small, I bumped into Sarah and Cecilia in the same day!

Later on, we just killed time wondering around Meridian mall, Wall Street and Arthur Barnett.

Wall Street looks so artistic now, even the rest room is so modern! The latest accessories were displayed in the toilet!

The very expensive gelato stall had gone, with more shops opened around, and some cute child seats are placed in the main area

We are young!

I specially like how they decorated the ceilling, they got this beautiful umbrella hanged on top, and used transparent glass as celling.

Yes, the blue sky on top is real, not picture ==

I was so gluttonous on way back to Sze studio,  I bought a rob rob dairy ice cream. It is still like old days, the ice cream is so huge, though i bought the smallest cone, which is actually for kids! Guess how much it cost? It was just NZD1.80!

Robroy dairy shop actually got extended, they bought the shop beside them and turned it into a modern compartment just for selling ice-cream and slushy area

i guess their generousity made more income =)

Then later tonight, i was thrown for a surprise farewll dinner at Saigon!

Sze did this beyond my expectation, i was expecting just me, Sze, Cecilia and Shaun

Was really lost when I saw the long reserved table!

Met ppl who I have long time no see - Shaun, Kavitha, Cecilia and Sharon. Val and Puiyee also joined the dinner! =)

It was a good night, good catch up with everyone.

Thanks to Val, She baked a good cupcake, though i am not really a cupcake fan

But her green tea cupcake was nice, not too heavy.

I also like how she decorated the cupcakes, very cute =)

Thanks to Sze, you really impressed me, and sorry I am not very good at reaction

if you thought i was angry with your long preparation, I am very sorry bcz I do have a smelly face =(

But i am sincerely happy with your effort my dear, and grateful have a fren like you =)

It actually funny she thought i was unhappy bcz i wasnt the central attraction, do i really look like those sort of ppl?

So we gone to the farmers market which fall on every Sat, i actually dont use to go farmers market during my uni days bcz i prefer sleeping than walking for a long distance on an early weekend =P

However, i was so tempting to go to the market today after 3 yrs~

the first thing to try definitely is the famous French crepes!

I actually forgot what i have ordered for the crepe, but it was good! Besides, i also had one lamb kebab, yum =)

Then, we were walking around the Octagon area, and explored a lot creative gifts shop, was so tempting to buy so many cute and creative goods, but they were super expensive!! Sigh....

We gone to the art gallery before we went for our movie later at noon.

Out of surprise, there was a special fun-play area designed for kids, but actually attracted us, and we spent nearly 30mins 'building' our special architecture

I guess i was still very blurred in the morning, whereas Sze already started making her special pyramid...

By then, a kind lady approached us and talked to us around 15mins, then horbitton just crossed my mind, and i decided to 'build' my colorful horbitton house~

 Tada! Well, is a very colorful candy house combined with horbitton then. Lol

Learning from sze, i also left my signature at the back of my creation

Then, we just placed our new architecture along with other ppl production on the designed area~

Some kids are really very talented....see what they had made~

Alright, lunch time! 

We gone to the newly opened Japanese sushi place - Hikari, which means 'light' in japanese

I am happy that Dunedin finally had something like sushi house in Palmy, this place is exactly the same, they had varieties of sushi, and hopefully they keep their standard, bcz their varieties are very attractive, and their sashimi are HUGE, u cant even see the rice underneath!

Perhaps i used to have these sort of sushi place a lot back in Palmy, so i do think Hikari price are reasonable thus they do good taste and portion size.

After our movie - Lone ranger (here goes Jonny Depp again!), we went to Gaslight for dinner

We were actually still full from the huge sushi from the afternoon, so we decided to share the entree and main together

Entree was a special menu: stuffed rissotto filled with feta cheese, very yummy, but very filling =)

Then we shared a beef-strip fettucini with tomato and basil sauce for main. The main though look heavy, but the sauce was actually quite light, and the beef strip is very tender. Yum~

 Gaslight cafe do have a very relaxing atmosphere, ideal for couple =D Gutted this Italian restaurant only started their business after i left Dunedin, why all good things come after i gone =S

As what i always insist, girls always have a second stomach reserve for dessert, i ordered a chocolate croissant pudding with vanilla bean ice-cream, along with a well recommended French dessert wine.

The combination was just absolutely perfect-matched!

Sze also ordered a creme brulee for herself.

It was a very pleasant nite to share with my bestie, we talked so much these nights and I had no idea what time i actually slept...

That's the best time with your fren who you can trust and good to having these crazy memories =)

 Looking at you, you are still so charming, so unique, so familiar, yes, u never change

when i closed my eyes, i could feel the peacefulness, birds are singing around, the world seems to stop at this moment

I couldnt believe it was 3 years ago, when i was still a bloody student, by passed you every day....time gone really fast

I was walking around uni today while Sze was having her meeting. Most of the corners still remain the same, my secret garden still seems left out, was it because the uni still not started?

food science building also no change, my memories just boosted up my brain when i entered the building

everything was just seems like happened yesterday, then it had been 3 years!

I also had met Phil, Sara and Fiona...and got hugged by Sharon out of surprise...

I am glad everyone still remain good, and also happy that Food Sci department is developing well and seems like getting bigger and bigger.

Haha, I remembered we still hearing rumours that the department will be closed during my last year at uni.

Sze brought me to the brand new Unipol (our uni gym and sport centre) which is relocated beside the new Forsyth Barr museum (was newly built in 2011 for the Rugby world cup)

Students today were soooooooo lucky! the new unipol just amazing, omg, if i am a student now, for sure i will come here everyday

i remember back years, the old unipol was always very smelly and yucky, but now look at this:

so modern, good interior design, where ppl love to hang out here, and i bet the equipments inside must be new and awesome!

Well, perhaps after i started join gym at Massey after working, i regret i dint go to gym when i was in uni...TT

The new stadium is quite big, again, lucky Dunedin students now!

spotted this very cute Nissan logo on our way to Formosa for bubble tea after a long walk.

 We gone out to a japanese restaurant for dinner, along with Pui Yee, Val and her bf.

then also chilled out at Pequeno lounge bar following by dessert at Nova cafe.

haha, it was a long nite. The coromandel colada at Pequeno was good, so as the tiramisu at Nova

We had lots of laugh and good conversation though i felt abit lost from their common topic around food sci dept in the begining

but ended up i am happy that i could i join their topic and there were so many fun talk...

Note: i also had korean hse lunch today, food was still good (though Auckland one is better =P) and cheap. However, i can notice the increase popularity of kpop, because the owner placed a very big plasma tv playing kpop music video in the restaurant ==

 so packed up my luggage, and i am on my way to Dunedin today after leaving there for nearly 3 yrs

was so panic this morning, concerned about my luggage weight so much

well, my concern did fall in place, i got 24.5kg for my first big check-in luggage, but less than 7kg for my second but very packed and small check-in bag

i must said Air NZ policy is very weird, or perhaps they have their own reason

if apply common sense, though my first luggage had exceed their allowance which is 23kg (by just a kilo!), and myself bought a prepaid second luggage before (similar allowance, 23kg) and was far from the allowance weight, it should be ok to have my first luggage exceeding the allowance right?

i mean if u total up, it is still less than 46kg (23kg x 2) hello!?

but the counter lady strictly replied: this is our policy, u need to take out one kilo from yr luggage.

I was actually very helpless when i heard that, and just thought it was nonsense!

with grudge, i opened my luggage and see what i could do, omg, i really dunno what should i do, i took off my thermal flask, my water bottle, but hold on, they dont even weigh a kilo! then the counter lady was so kind, she was like: u can take this out...bla bla bla and removed my stuffs from my luggage which really very 'helpful' as she suggested i can put them under hand carry

excuse me, cant u see i am ald holding a laptob bag and a hand carry which is so compact with me?

and she also good enough to suggest me using my handbag in my luggage to carry some items out, come on, i ald had 2 hand carry, if i carry an extra handbag, dont i against yr policy too?

probably she only realized the problem later, she let me go, by hinting she was nice. Oh i also forgot, she even complained why everyone going dunedin today, all the planes were full

oh well, how should i know....anyways, i managed to carry all my stuffs except the thermal flask and water bottle...=(

u must wonder why should i carried both of them, because i am on my South island trip from today onwards for 20 days...and is WINTER!

alright, back to today trip, i actually transited via Christchurch to my destination - Dunedin, where I used to spend 3 yrs for my degree

the aeroplane to dunedin was very small but comfy, the seat is actually very big, and the air stewardness were very frenly

I guess for a long time, i will miss air NZ service...

The flight was smooth, and was so relieved when i saw my luggage sitting on the conveying belt 'safely'

actually my big crocodile branded luggage had been following me nearly 5 yrs, and it was very steady because it still stand a good quality though u can find some ruined marks on it. Then i also arrived Mrs Ng hse smoothly...i really thankful for Mrs Ng for able to let me lifting my main stuffs at her hse during my trip, because it would be very problematic if i need to carry my luggage all around.

i quickly packed up my trip backpack and gone to meet Jen. We had a pancake brunch at Capers...

 I ordered the pancake of the month: lemon meringue pancake. I used to like Capers' pancake before I gone to Sydney last yr, but after eaten the soft and smooth pancake at the rocks, i must said no any pancake could beat it.

The Capers' pancake was too thick for me, and the lemon meringue are so sweet ....><, oh well, i guess i shouldnt complain as i chose the wrong food.

Then i walked around the town with Jen, and also realized it was course approval today for Otago Uni, that's explained why all the planes to Dunedin were full

I could easily recognized the changes to several shops, like they changed their names, or changed the painting color...and some renovations...and some new shops..

My mood was not that excited as I thought, perhaps it was just unbelievable that i am back!

i still familiar with the street and the directions. We ended up walked in to the newly opened Otago settlers museum before Sze back to Dunedin tonight

The museum is very modern and well organized. Though it is small, but it has a lot of exhibition, i reckon is a good place to kill time

even got chance to try how the old days Victorian lady outfit, haha, i was just lazy to put on the remain top layer, cz it was too dirty and heavy

At first i thought it was a pasta maker, but it is an old time washing machine!

yup, they even exhibited the old days tram and buses inside the museum!  

the advance of technology~ 

I also kindly filled up the wish for Dunedin's future, i do think it will be brighter =)

We went for flying squid to buy some takeaways for dinner after the museum visit, but before that, clumsy me actually fall down while crossing the road! =S

i really stupid for not tied up my shoe laces firmly and because of this, it ruined my plan for the glacier walk later.

but things happened, i couldnt go backwards, i have to just move forward and go for my takeaways

well, the fish n chips shop kept their standard, but raised the price. However, it was still reasonable price and good food =)

Sze finally back around 8.30pm, and i was so surprised she DIY a teddy bear for me!!

I was wondering she said she had a 500g gift for me before i come, i am completely out of mind she will hand made a bear for me!

and it is not just a normal bear, it is a specially hand-made bear, with movable head and limbs, which a special fren used her precious time to make for me!

I am really touched and grateful with Sze, i am very happy that she treasured our friendship so much =) <3 <3 <3

I guess it is a big success in life if u found a good fren who also think you are a good fren to him/her. I am very happy i found one =) Not only making this statement because she made me a bear, it from all the time we had knew each other, and all the things that we gone trough together.

Glad that I return Dunedin and Sze is here! =)

Well perhaps for this stage it was the last trip, but i might be visiting Auckland in later years if i re-visit NZ

start with a brilliant weather this morning, able to observe the north island in a clear view in the air

I wonder when will be the next time, or where will i see this after i left NZ?

it still a bit unimaginable to leave NZ after spending 5 and a half yr here, couldnt even predict what's life holding later on

Wann zhen actually welcomed me with her dog, Jitco at the airport.

Then we headed to Parnell French Market, super-crowded!

Ppl were everywhere, at stalls, at the dining areas, they were eating, chilling...we actually bought some French bakeries, and savoury breakfast too

This kind of eating, market culture is also my favourite and the unforgettable life event i would miss heaps after gone home

not saying Malaysia dont have this sort of market, but it will be different, more Malaysian of cause.

I just thought i might miss the local French pastries a lot, i decided to leave out my weight concern and ate the whole French cream puff!

u wouldnt know what's this, they looks like french bakeries, but in fact, they are dog's food!

Wann Zhen actually bought a 'giant teeth cleaner' for Jitco, and Jitco really loves it!

Oh dont get me wrong, none of the puddles are wann zhen's, Jitco dint come with us to the market.

but let me show u how's Jitco looks like, this:

Basically, my Auckland trip is always an eating trip, so i ate a lot as well this last time, after the market, we went to this famous 四川担担面shop to have lunch with zhuoshi

actually that's the point for me to visit Akl too, to visit wann zhen and zhuoshi for the last time before i gone home

upon looking just the appearance, u can imagine the spiciness!

yes, they are very spicy, but i was proud with my spicy taste bud, i really overcome them very well!haha =P

food was real yummy~

After this, we gone to Js for bubble tea and have continued our endless conversation...however, i had to say goodbye to zhuoshi before we gone to dinner...

Dinner was on my demand, at SaRangBang korean restaurant

Wann zhen told me about this authentical korean restaurant last time, and similar as Japanese izakaya, this is a korean version i think

what so special about tonight's dinner was i tried the very special Maksa (korean rice wine, Makgeolli, mixed with sprite, the soft drink)

very yum! it was my first time tried out rice wine, well i couldnt tell what's rice wine really taste like as i dint get to try it before wann zhen pour in the sprite

but this really tasty, different from cocktails, not that sweet, still can taste the alcohol, though makgeolli only contains about 6 to 7% of alcohol

i actually was the one who finished the entire bowl ( i mean the black medal bowl tho =S)...because wann zhen cant really drink alcohol

but i am very proud with my alcohol tolerance level, lol

well had been trained to drink beer, wine throughout my uni life since i had a alcoholic ex...thanks to him, i discovered my ability with drinking =S

Anyways, drinking alcohol is not a healthy lifestyle, should aware of the level, and also dont drive after drinking (Just some of the advise)

This was what we had for dinner:

a full bulgogi (i also not sure what we had ordered), well their meal portion size is standard, so actually i do think is better to have dinner here with approximately 3-4ppl

of cz we dint finish our dish, we ended up take away...

But i had a very great time here with wann zhen, what's special about SaRangBang was the atmosphere here is very comfy

we were sitting at a korean traditional meal table, the table was very low, we actually were sitting on the floor....

though my legs were hurt after a long chat with wann zhen, but we had a very close and deep conversation

the chat began with how me met each other, how we thought each other as a fren, how we spent our uni life, those memories, to how we felt each other as a fren recently

wann zhen is really a good fren who i missed alot, i am so grateful i met her in NZ!

and thanks to wann shiuan too, she made us some cake pops!

ok is the last day for my winter trip today, today also is Queen's birthday (public holiday), and today also marked the begining of last working month to me

my mood was very complicated today, felt sad about leaving soon, but felt happy for the begining of new chapter of life as well

i guess the transition period will be up and down to me, emotionally and physically (cz i will be busy settled all stuffs prior leaving)

alright, i have gone a bit too far...

the trip continued and ended with mud pool + sulphur pool at Hells gate this morning

seriously, i did think the cost is too pricy, NZD75 for maximum 20mins at mud pool and unlimited time at sulphur pool

i do understand the mud pool is nt suitable to stay too long as it is too acidic...but from the experience on the first night of trip, i could tell we wouldnt stay in the sulphur pool more than an hour.

well actually we had driven 20mins away from city centre to here, plus wann zhen had already booked for the massage treatment

so we just had the only option, enjoy!

the mud pool experience was quite fun, not that sticky as i imagined, and the mud was actually settled down at the bottom or the wall edge of the pool

so we had to 'dig' them and applied on our faces....

Anges did pretty well~

then we were told off to leave the mud pool, and switched to the sulphur pool, before that, we had a cold shower, omg super freezing!

following that, we just gone into the sulphur pool...

however, just as what i thought, we only stay perhaps 30mins, and gone for shower etc...

the facilities at hells gate were insufficient as compared with polynesian spa, no towels are provided (unless u rent them with NZD3 per towel), then no hair dryer too

i just felt it was abit unnessary to pay that high for the experience at hells gate tho, because there are plenty of options for mud pools or sulphur pool in rotorua.

But of cause hells gate is the famous one here.

Too bad i have to leave for palmy at 1pm, so we couldnt do much today after the spa, and had to lunch simply

as a result, we had a pricy and bad taste lunch at a korean restaurant which is close to my bus stop.

anyways, was good that i hopped on the bus on time, and also this finished my trip in Rotorua! =D

WIll miss u rotorua =D

I guess we really have a luxurious trip for this winter, i dint really have a good sleep last night, hence my back was so heaty

i wonder if my body stored the heat from the spa i had last night, and 'released' the heat in the middle of night

oh well, i still have a not-bad sleep tho

Agnes cooked us nice breakfast this morning!

so trip continued today with a short road trip to Wai-O-tapu thermal wonderland located between Rotorua and Taupo

we were on-time and got to see one of the few active geyser in the world - lady knox geyser

there were so many people witnessed the eruption moment, actually it didnt erupt naturally, the tour guide actually threw soap into the geyser and trigger the eruption.

well, but still spectacular!

then, we continued our exploration around the wonderland....actually it was very warm at wai-o-tapu as we were surrounded with more than dozens of thermal pool~

It is amazing how the area was explored and designed into a thermal wonderland, the walking paths were arranged in good condition, though signs like danger, or 100 degree celcius were shown everywhere...

But it is definitely safe! The whole walkway took us around 2 hrs + as we were quite relaxed. There are no tour guide, basically there's only one direction, and every spot attraction spots were located one followed by another, we just need to follow the guided map, and all attraction was described well in the guide.

There are 25 attractions in total, everyone is different and unique~

this spot called 'Artist's Palette' - overflowing water from the Champagne pool draws with its minerals that have originated from below the surface. As the waters cool and the minerals are exposed to atmosphere they show themselves in variety of locations and colours depending upon water levels and wind direction.

It is very pretty~

this spot is the highlight of wai-o-tapu, we were so excited, even attempted to 'commit suicide' lol, no no, just kidding!

power of nature is unpredictable and real amusing, see how the rock was eroded, and the layered rock just looked like pan cake rocks at westcoast south island although i never been there....

this is the lake Ngakoro, very beautiful~ we actually walked about half an hour only arrived this spot =) but worthy!

and well done for naming different attractions, wai-o-tapu is really well-organized for tourist...

Devil's home, flying pan flat (we wondered for a long time why it was named as flying pan flat, looks like flying pan? then why there's a 'flat' at the end?), oyster pool (this is reasonable, cause its just look like oyster)....

this is the last attraction, and it was named 'devil's bath', actually is a sulphur and ferrous salt pool...very cool colour, i think ppl definitely got poisoned if accidentally fall off!

Wai-o-tapu is huge! We ended up spent too much time there, and have to miss out red-wood forest tracks. TT

thus had a sucks meal for lunch at a local chinese cafe, anyways, i chose to forget it.

Moreover, i got a nice kapiti ice-cream: blueberry muffin and plum flavors in combination =D

YUMMY!

Gone to skyline gondola for the next stop, again, I think Rotorua is definitely the best tourist spot during winter~

we lined up for almost 10mins for the queue for gondola, finally....

as soon as we arrived, we fit ourselves with the smart helmet and the queue....

and it was never the same, i was fully in charge with my luge this time!

I remember i crashed and scared when i had my first luge at queenstown in 2008, and now...woohoo!

Rotorua luge route is longer, more advanturous, and more options!

There are actually 2 begining points for luge, with 2 chairlifts routes back to the top of the starting point!

i played 5 times, first one with scenic route, the second and third with intermediate route, the 4th with advanced route and final with the scenic route again

i was hesistated to buy the 5-luges and gondola package initially, as i thought i wouldnt be good at luge since the last failure at queenstown

then, all ppl were so desperate for buying the 5-luges package, so i was just driven anyways

however, turned up i handles it so well, i even speed up at the second times...

i was able to control it, and even attempted to cut off other luges, lol...but i was still scared as the luge track at Rotorua actually trilling as compared with Queenstown

there are a few sudden turn, and down hill part, which made me screamed!

thus, i was a faithful driver, i paid attention to all the 'SLOW DOWN' sign...lol

and u may laugh, i actually think i gained the gut to drive a car now! I am confident lol!! No kidding~

time flies, especially in winter, day just cant wait to finish, stars started lighting up the dark sky around 5.30pm...

we were luge-ing in the dark at our last-luge, and it getting a bit dangerous too.

I could tell straight away wann zhen was a bit freak out as she luged super-fast in the first 4 luges, but i was following her very closely at the last luge

my sight also getting weaker as the light beside the track were quite dimmed, and somehow i could even spot the 'SLOW DOWN' sign.

anyways, safe is a must, glad that we picked scenic track as the ending, i couldnt imagine myself in advanced track in the dark =S

Before dinner, we spent sometimes at the lookout, nice view!

I felt a bit dissapointed to miss out the gondola buffet, especially it was famous and won a few awards!

but we had a good indian dinner at the top-rated cuisine in Rotorua - Indian Star

I did crave indian food for while, so my stomach was very satisfied tonight and super-full!

The chicken tikka is juicy and tender, awesome meal!

My mango lassi unfortunately was too thick and yogurish...but it matched well with the curry~

We ordered 4 different curries: vegetarian saag paneer, rogan josh lamb curry, chicken tikka massala and fish malabari.

and also 4 different naan-bread, but i really forgot what we had ordered

to be honest, i dont think the food was very delicious, i sincerely preferred the curries i tried at Little India at Dunedin while in Uni

i guess perhaps that's the sweet memory-effects, anyways, i am glad with tonight's dinner.

a bit sad tonight, as it was the last night =( good nite world~

yes another trip again, haha i think i shouldn't get so excited because more trips coming ahead~

well, this marked the last 'group' trip for me, as the coming trips will be all by myself except for the Melbourne one

anyway, first time Rotorua I am coming!

haha actually i been to Rotorua 5 months ago, with my family

however, that was just a by-passed stop for me that time

this time i am spending 3 days 2 nights here, hopefully Rotorua will warm me up this winter =D

woke up very early this morning, but everything was flowing smoothly

first time did a changing for bus at Bulls, and found a seat in a packed bus

saw a rainbow after my bus ride =D

then have a nice lunch at Flat hills cafe

I ate the lamb burger recommended by my bus driver, actually he is the kindest bus driver i met ever

well, basically all bus drivers i met in NZ were very nice, they were friendly and helpful

oops, skip the lunch info, the lamb burger was cheap with reasonable price, and it was very yum!

i dint take the photo because the little nice cafe was too crowded, and besides the burger, other food on shelf looked real nice

but i did snapshot some photos around the cafe

guess what, after lunch my bus passed by the Tongariro national park and I spotted this:

cool! The early snow this winter did a powerful transition for Whakapapa mountain~

Remember I said I met the kindest bus driver ever? He was kind enough to ask if we want to stop for photos!!

Of cause yes!! Most ppl were awaken from deep sleep that time, none of us want to miss out this chance!

power of nature is just magnificent! I can imagine ski field is getting crowded soon....

in constrast, snow seems not really fall on mount Ruapehu

around 3pm, I arrived Rotorua and joined my trip mates - wann zhen, wann shiuan, nan, kien and agnes.

We were going to luge initially, however ends up we gone to Kuirau park to see those free thermal pools

and we also tried on the free public foot baths...

then we gone to polynesian spa!

first time spa was very unique and fresh! I did think it was too expensive, but for the sake of experience, and warmness i survive from this cold winter, i chose to close my eyes from the price~

anyways, good experience.

We got to enjoy 4 different sulphur pools with 4 different temperatures: 36 degree, 38 degree, 40 degree and 42 degree celcius.

the pool closest to the lake view is the highest temperature-pool, but i only spent perhaps less than 5mins in the pool

it was too hot! haha

But i did enjoy the other 3 pools, tho felt very heaty in the end, but it was very relax and comfy~

the begining was pain in the ass, cz we were struggling with the cold as we were dressed in 'sexy' swim-suit, then another pain when slowly got into the hot pool...

then started feel my body could tolerate the extreme hot temperature....and relaxed =)

Polynesia has a very good facilities, we could just use as much towels as we want, this was handy because all towels are same in color, and we mostly just 'chucked' them around the pool but all ppl did the same, so u had to be specific where u located yr towel...haha

i think it was too smoky and also due to the night vision was hard to capture, so all photos are blur =S

anyways, we were thinking we could spend the following 2 hours there, we under-estimated our physical capability

our body just couldnt bear with the high temperature, eventually we were complaining the time ran too slow =P

wann zhen even felt dizzy! We decided to leave the pool around 6pm (initially was planning to stay til 6.30pm), we done good job somehow =)

and actually due to winter, sky gone dark around 5.30pm, we actually able to do a star-glazing while relaxing in the pool~ Life is awesome!

Then we have lovely dinner at this small, but nice Sounthern American cuisine~ Sabroso

Corn chips entree with different sauces, the chef also introduced their home-made chili sauces

The extreme hot shooter really 'shot' my taste buds!

we also shared a jar of the in-house famous mango passion fruit margarita! Very yum and delightful~

I ordered a Calypso chicken for main - Spiced grilled chicken breast topped with our own Caribbean Soul Sauce & rum soaked pineapple, served over
a pumpkin fritter with side salad.

the pumpkin fritter was very good, but i think the chicken breast fillet was too small...

haha i am good eater =)

everyone looked happy with their meal~

Overall was okay, i think wann zhen's special of the day: squid tacos was nicer =)

Perhaps the main did not satisfy me, i was the only one who ordered dessert: mexican chocolate cup - A rich and dense cold chocolate dessert spiced with cinnamon and cayenne chili, topped with whipped cream.

It was not spicy at the first bite, and i thought i will left the full cream aside, but it got spicier then and i finished all the cream ==

Well good dessert tho, i was satisfied!

Autumn in Rotorua is beautiful!

That's my first nite at rotorua, will have a good sleep tonight~

the trip continued today with a facial treatment appointment with wann zhen this morning at city centre

as I expected, is perhaps from those China or Taiwan facial treatment centre

well, the treatment was ok, at least for the first time I experienced body massage, facial mask and eyebrow shaping...

this was the second time of outdoor serviced facial treatment for me, the first one i had was early this yr in Malaysia

never thought i would be reaching the stage for a 'facial counselling'

However, Malaysian treatment was cheap as compared to here...i wouldnt say the treatment here was better

actually i dint feel much difference....i guess Ping, my colleague was right

she said once i started to do those facial treatment, my skin will start to demand for more

indeed, i think i am stopping it for a while, or perhaps should focus the skin care on basic lifestyle and diet rather than those ongoing expensive treatment

i dont think i looked different with my firstly shaped eyebrow....hmmm, but i didnt really do a before-and-after comparison =P

and i also confirm a fact: i really ticklish and cant do any body massage, thank you very much

even the lady who given me body massage asked how if my boyfren can do with me if we have 'intimate interaction'?Hmmm, i prety sure ticklish wouldnt be affected by that....=D

after the treatment, we gone to IL Mee at Upper Queen St for lunch

My long-awaited korean pork ribs soup and side dishes!!

Really like Auckland about this, u can just get everything....

Wann zhen also brought me to this korean grocerries shop and i bought this, is a plum wine, but actually i think it dint contain alcohol...it was alright, i prefer the plum wine better =) haha i am alcoholic LOL

and this, a korean pumpkin bread...quice nice

haha.....well actually that's really ended my short weekend trip at Akl....

still missed it! and my other colleague, Lyn, complaint i  travelled too much! =P

Sorry Lyn, but i really love travel <3

What's the feeling up on the clouds? This was what i felt today, not just physically experienced it, the feeling for the entire dining experience today just amazing as above the clouds....

yes, i gone to Auckland again!! haha, well, grab a seat just convenient (FYI, grab a seat is Air NZ promotion name)

the weather is going along with me too, wann zhen was telling me it had been raining all week before i come, but today's weather just perfect!

Felt sorry for wann zhen that she had to wake up earlier in order to pick me up from the airport, i was all good with waiting her for nearly half an hour

She brought me to Howick market for breakfast, we went into a tiny but cozy cafe named Paris Cafe. =)

just noticed they scored an 'A' for the cleanliness and food safety practice, thumbs up!

various fancy decor just flooded the wall, beautiful canvas just hanging all around...

wann zhen was calling her sis and sis-in law along with their dog, jitco for joining us, however, the cafe was too packed to fit in Jitco, so end up we just having our own breakies.

hot chocolate was just normal and up to standard, then i ordered an omelette for breakfast again as I just felt like - EGG...hehe

well, it was exactly the same as the one i had at cafe express on Halie's birthday, sigh, i still found the greatest omelette i had was the one at Sydney

Wann zhen just totally agreed with me!

We decided to walk Jitco at the park close to wann zhen's hse at Botany later...

Jitco actually hurted himself last week at the same park, he lose most of his bottom teeth, wann shiuan was wondering will he still suffered from his side effects

i guess we were over-thinking...

look at him, he ran so fast and energetic!

they kept on saying Jitco really likes me, as he just come closer to me all time, but i was thinking perhaps he knew that it was cooler to stay under my shadow =)

Too bad, my schedule at Akl this time was fully packed, wann and I had to leave Jitco with shiuan and nan as we have Otago human nutrition reunion!

We had very awesome japanese lunch at Nishiki, finally for me!

Yea, i had been told that how good was this japanese restaurant, but just always missed the chance to dine in here because of various reason.

We had wasabi dice as our entree, fish roe with wasabi mayonnaise

this was really good, tho i still weakly handled the wasabi...lol the fish roe just fresh and chewy =)

we basically shared all the meal:

wann zhen ordered this dragon roll - which is eel tempura rolls, and only available during dinner time. However, we were very lucky, the chef just agreed to cook this specially for us =P

the japanese waitress who can speak mandarin fluently just whispered to us: "there are not many customers now, so we decided to make it for u.."

The dragon roll just good, omg, i am running out of words to describe how yummy were all the meal i had.

Louise's mini salmon-don and soba set. The salmon sashimi just totally different with the raw salmon sashimi i cut myself. Yea, i admitted that i am skilless on cutting the sashimi with the exact accurate texture and cut...so salmon sashimi still a boom everywhere.

I ordered the limited unagi-don bento! Actually was slightly dissapointed when i uncovered the box, the unagi fillet was really small....TT

i just dreaming of those long unagi that cover the rice underneath in those photos of Japanese blogs i had read.

The unagi was just like others i had in other japanese restaurant, not really standing out, but still grateful to have.

zhuoshi who come later because of losing navigation on road ordered the miso dengaku - deep fried tofu with spring onion and special miso paste

it just felt like the dry version of agedashi tofu....crispy outer layer enclosed the soft and hot bean curd, very refreshing!

Well i dint miss the dessert too, lol

I ordered the parfait to be shared - crushed ice with green tea syrup, along with red bean paste, green tea ice cream and japanese mochi

very nice!

and then zhuoshi added in another dessert plate too

it was named - snow white! Is ice-cream wrapped with japanese mochi skin....omg, this just very yummy!! no wonder the japanese waitress said this was one of the best selling beside the parfait i ordered.

Life is good!

Time passed super fast, we had endless conversation tho we continued at Momotea after Nishiki closed around 2.30pm..

my stomach just nearly blown out after another bubble tea, but couldnt help to refuse the fancy dinner waiting ahead of us at 6pm.

That's exactly what i was saying how packed was my auckland schedule this time, packed with FOOD!

Shiuan bought a worthy voucher on grabone website to dine in at one of the good cuisine at city tonight, so we had to stop our ongoing conversation, i really will miss them!!

zhuoshi was so lovely, she gifted me this well known kiwi cook book in order to elongate my attachment with kiwiland

i definitely will cherish it, and cook some kiwi meal when i missed my second home.

it was not long enough to say is dinner time again 3 hrs after lunch, but no matter how full wann zhen and i were, dinner was ready

We had our fancy meal at Atico - Auckland finest Caribbean and South American cuisine!

From the interior, i could tell straight away the meal tonight will be fantastic!

It just reminds me about Xanthi, the greek cuisine i had in Sydney...Unique and Special meals were waiting for me...

Thought i had to figure what to ordered, i was in shock when shiuan told me the 8-courses meal were already set up with the voucher...

i like WHAT!! 8....EIGHT, the number 8, 8 courses meal!!!

I knew it was not buffet, but still, 8-courses! I was comforting my quarterly full stomach, hang in there my dear....

seems like i had to work out a lot after returning palmy from auckland....omg, i really hate gym! I sincerely dislike working hard for diet tho I still cant refuse to eat nicely...

well, no pain no gain...i will work out even more next week at gym TT

Food could be just described in one word: LUXURY!

I am not very familiar with south american cuisine, do know about taco, buritos, gumbo, but most of them are mexican

so with the 8-courses menu sitting on the table, we were comfy enough to expect meal coming one after next...

wann zhen and I were patiently waiting...=P

I decided to get a unique cocktail along with my meal, why not?

I forgot the name, but do remember it was using a Brazil alcohol to prepare..it was good compared with shiuan's spicy bloody mary...

So, here come our 8-courses dish:

Starting with Puerto Rico's skilled combread

it is a fennel seed and guava flour corn bread, served with Rocoto butter and avocado crema. The corn bread is different with the corn bread i eaten before, which was made by an american guy - Dave, who i met in Dunedin.

The Puerto Rico combread is more dense and corn-ish....is just resembled the latin american distinguish grain-ish meal character

i must confessed the butter and cream are heavy for dieter, but it is unique too, just different with the normal butter. Rocoto is a chili species which is found primarily in Central and South America, i dint really taste the spiciness, however, it was good combination with the bread.

Then, we were presented with the second dish:

Cuba's pulled pork: pork slices serve with tomato rice, black beans and mojo verde. Mojo verde is a popular citrus based sauce which commonly used in Caribbean and Southern American cooking.

Luckily this is a shared dish, nt all the meal on the 8-courses list were dined in per individual, 5 of the dishes were actually shared between 2 persons. Still, it was still a delux as most dish were rich in flavor and highly palatable.

This pulled pork was my favourite in today 8-courses dish. The pork is so tender and fine, taste super good with the tomato rice. Perfect match with each other on the plate.

The waitress was very considerate, tho the dishes just come as soon as we finished the previous, she was kindly asking if we need to rest for a while before they present the following dish...

well, thank god i had some rest before the 3rd dish: CooCoo chips, Jamaican cornmeal chips with chipotle aioli

so is a corn-based dish again, so i kinda figure the main character of Latin America... This chips are very good, and kinda irresistible once u had a bite

very crispy outside, and firm filling corn-texture inside.

My stomach was hinting me: miss, u reached yr quarter today....

well, the meal dint stop because of that....

Luckily the 4th dish was a sashimi....

Fire ice ceviche: it was a Barbados (where?? ==) dish, raw market fish fillet served with lime, avocado, mango, jalapeno (medium sized chili pepper) and gazpacho sorbet

Check wikipedia explanation here for gazpacho sorbet, i think it is a popular cold dish in Barbados (again, where??)

This raw fish just amazing, never have this flavour before. The raw fish preserved even better with the cold sorbet, the sour and sweet taste reminds me of thai salad, but raw food does not appear in thai salad....

p/s: i accidentally bitten the spicy seeds of the jalapeno, nearly blew me away....

5th dish: Berenjena Dominicana

A Dominican Republic creole crumble eggplant, eggplant was crumbed well done without losing eggplant texture...thus, not greasy at all.

However, we were very full by this meal, we decided to take them home.

Still, the sixth dish could wait to be consumed....it actually presented along with the creole crumble eggplant

It is Belice's crab and prawn tostadas: crab fraiche + poached prawns mixture 'riding on' corn tostadas (a latin american toast, deep fried crispy tortillas) with pickled cucumber underneath

The taste is unique, again, i am helpless to describe them beside using the word - unique, well i never have these taste before...

then, wars between delicious food and full stomach continued with the 7th dish.

Tho I asked for another 5mins to wait for our stomach calming down, the dish actually only come like 15mins after we done with the 6th dish

We kinda expect the 7th dish could be 'HUGE', nah, it wasnt.

But this Mexican's Pollo Achiote really filling too, it is a chargrilled chicken breast served with achiote (a caribbean spice ingredient), pickled red onion, chicharrones and chipotle aioli

I ranked this dish as my second favourite tonight.

Finally, we done....the 8th dish was a dessert, as i always said, females have a second stomach specially for dessert.

Tada!

Bahamas's avocado lime sorbet and Caribbean caramelised coconut bars

This could be considered the best dessert i had so far in recent. This dessert plate is just posh and delightful! The avocado texture made the sorbet different from the character which sorbet used to be. It was very firm, and melted in the mouth slowly....The chef was talented to use the strong sour lime to match with avocado for not losing the sourness which sorbet have. The coconut bar is also a good match with the sorbet, but i did feel it was too sweet..Well, kiwi will love it.

What a luxurious dinner, what a great memories, what a unique savour, what a lucky me!

Thanks shiuan, nan and wann zhen for the invitation, it was a good nite!

Not to mentioned i spotted the red sky tower once we steped out Atico.

Good rest my stomach!

 Ohwooh, finally gone to the Te Apiti windmill farm at Palmerston North suburb with yen today,

she is a good driver.....tho she lost direction on our way =P

It was around an hour away from the city centre, yen kept on saying weather really honoured me as she experienced bad weather everytime she gone to windmill farm

well, i guess i was lucky, the weather today was just brilliant.

Surpisingly, it was not that cold even tho it is already May now...

here comes my Asian self-potrait =D

the windmill farm is impressive, good location and good view

I could feel the magnificient landscape of manawatu (Palmy state) while standing on the top (the windmill farm is located at top of the hill).

I just revealed that Te Apiti windmill farm was the first windmill farm to supply electricy to the national grid in NZ!

There arent many of them on the farm i went, but apparently they covered the whole mountain.....where there is another farm for them too, but just we dunno hw to access there.

Dont look down on them, they are actually massive!

We spent quite a sufficient time on the top, and thanks to yen, i enjoyed being her model of her lens...

A successful JUMP, but too bad photo was blurry...

and i did realize i can jump even higher since i lost weight =)

finally got a lady to take a picture of us ^^

apparently there are many cows around, not dairy cows, but beef cattle, they seems like those i saw at South island which famous for their angus meat

yen was kidding that of cz they raised to be high quality beef, as they are living in such good place...=)

So have a quite good weekend at the windmill....so how about yrs?

Yep, I had a warm nite over Paya's place, and we hanged out at Fidels again for brunch!

Well, is first time for Paya, she picked Fidels as she thought the price was cheaper according their website

But actually they were not, i guess the owner forgot to update the cost...

Have a 'chili chocolate' drink for the start. It is a unique hot chocolate compared to those usual one =)

I wont say the meal was great, as normal breakfast, is just usual but I like their generous portobello mushroom quantities~

This is a vegan breakfast tho, well, I think I had too much fatty food yesterday, is better to vegan for sometimes =P

Thumbs up for their homemade hash brown too =D

So here some photos around Fidels, actually this place is really artistic and cool to chill out

I could see its popularity as the narrow cafe just boosted up with different ppl after 11am..

We were lucky that we came earlier and got a good spot!

I was supposed to have a lunch with Chyi Mei at 12pm, but end up I missed her as she was 'trapped' at Kapiti with her hsemate.

Oh well, a bit shame of that but I do think I would probably have very little dessert if the lunch was on as I was super-full!

Thanks Paya did not 'dump' me after realized I had no plan since Chyi couldnt make it.

We gone to the Korean shop and get an ice-cream hehe =D

Then we have a little break at the water-front, didnt buy any food as I was still full and just couldnt border to line up for the food with my backpack (which is my clothes, towel for staying overnight)

Still I had some food to prevent getting hungry later on the bus, so I finally visited the French crepe stall!

The last time I had French crepe (exclude the crepe that made by my ex-French colleagues) was in Dunedin....

I totally forgot the name of the crepe i ordered, but it contains pears, nutella and almonds within, it was quite ordinary French style...

The crepe is soft and chewy, and all the ingredients just matched very well!

And the delicious crepe just marked the end of my trip in Welly for this time

wow, finally a weekend with fun and packed schedule, lol

I had been relaxing for a few weekends since I back from Malaysia, but I think is time to activate my travel mode again =P

So I have gone to Wellington today after grabbed some sushi from the sushi shop at town, not the one that dissapointed me tho. =)

I was supposed to arrive around 1.20pm, but for the ever first time, bus was broken down at Parapaumu - where still one hour due to destination.

Although is was not a pleasant experience, but still grateful that we was just about 1 hr behind of travel and luckily all of us were safe.

I guess that's not a surprise with Naked bus...but well it couldnt set as an excuse regardless of its slighly lower price.

Too bad I just had to be nailed down with it as I am not millionaire =(

Anyways, I still managed to have my longtime dreaming high tea experience!

Hugely Thanks to Paya for spending her precious time with me at Martha's pantry, as she is really busy at this stage for her Phd thesis

Martha's Pantry have a good and cute environment, it is very relaxing to hang around at this nice place.

Back to the high tea,

Tho it was not what I expected, it was still very good experience...

I think the high tea at Martha's pantry is an English style, felt like myself turned into one of those polite lady with British accent found in one of those romantic novel

Regret that I only found those high society's fancy hats when we left the cafe.

We started with their in house famous tea, Paya was saying our teapots are not as beautiful as those sitting at the next table.LOL

But the tea turned out quite good, well I am not a good person to comment as I am not a tea person. However, to be honest, I would prefer the tea with more fragrance which I once having at Stephan...

We dint wait for too long, here's come our high tea.

We were told to eat them from bottom to top, from savoury to sweet. There were sandwitch and tiny pizzas at the bottom, quiche and scones at the middle, and sweets such as macarons, truffles, cupcakes and cream puffs sitting at the top deck.

I actually think those little tiny food was just alright, the whole concept was just about the fancy of how the tiny cute food are presented with luxury-like and fancy teapots and vintage cutlery.

I think I am sort of completed a 'mission', haha, perhaps will consider if I still going for another high tea. Well, high tea is not cheap, thus not really satisfying to me. I rather have a great dessert in those normal cafe. However, this was a good experience for dining in a lazy relaxing afternoon at a dreamy environment..

Later on, I gone to meet Janis for dinner at Fidels, one of the best cafe in the capital.

We had missed each other for closely a year, somehow we just lost the contact and finally this time we caught each other.

I was very happy that she found herself a likeable job, and still living happily and healthily. I am praying for her happiness as she is one of a fren who i really like and appreciate in my life. Too bad we had such a long and deep conversation that we forgot to snatch a photo together =S

Pizza at Fidels was alright for me, but thumbs up for the cheap cost and generous portion size!

We only paid NZD38 for a large pizza, 2 Asahi beer and a tempura with chips entree!

The night was quite long, as we had so many things to talk, Janis brought me to this cool lounge at Tory street.

We spent almost an hour at this Hawthorn Lounge, with great unique cocktail, comfy environment and frenly bartenders

I ordered a cocktail named 'Tory Street' which represent the lounge's famous in house cocktail. Taste was very unique which I was not able to recall I had this similar taste from other cocktails. Well, fair enough as they designed their own cocktails, and they updated their cocktails list according to season.

I failed to find any common cocktails like margarita, or japanese slinder on their menu.

Thanks to Janis, I sat by the bar for the first time, it reminds me of the Japanese drama 'Bartender' cz the feel was exactly the same!

The bartenders were very frenly, they kinda greet and talked to every customer once they enter the lounge

they were making all sort of different cocktails as ordered by the customers right in front of us, and we were so curious about what cocktails they were, the bartender dint get annoyed but patiently explained to us the details of the cocktail and how they were so unique =)

This was just one of the time I captured some photos, well who will miss this!

A fire going while making a cocktail, another bartender was like teasing him saying he was showing off =P I guess he was...

The night was so great!

Not forget that Janis also ordered a very special cocktail named goldren rum if i am not mistaken.

It contain a raw egg in it!!! Other than that, there were gin, orange chocolate chips ice-cream, orange zest etc...I sipped and honestly, I couldnt tell there was a raw egg inside!

Too bad the night was too short to hang out, i really miss Janis....Until we meet then, take care my fren!

Well, is time to say goodbye again, while wann zhen and others continued their journey back to New Plymouth from Wellington today, I am going back Palmy instead.

Is just no point for me to follow them to New Plymouth and come down to Palmy again next day.

And again, I wasted another bus ticket from Welly to Palmy as they offered me a ride to Palmy.

Anyways, I still had fun in Wellington today with them, gone for yumcha and also weta cave for my second time.

Then we also stop for the beautiful Kapiti coast for a short while....

They enjoyed dinner with me at Chada Thai back in Palmy just now, anyways, the dinner also marked the end of my trip.

See u guys again~

It was a long day today, it was very struggling to wake up early during holidays, but looking upon our exciting schedule, i guess is worthy to just sacrified some sleep =P

Well the morning began with a big brunch at Gusto, see what we having!!

I must said the scallops shiuan ordered was so huge and juicy! I never seen such a huge scallop in my whole life, and they were so fresh.

And myself had a seafood spagetti, the spagetti itself was very usual, but the sauce and seafood was very fresh and authentic!

We had fulfilled our desire for both satisfaction and tummy, we went for a walk along the New Plymouth coastal walk.

Oh, not to mention we purposely discovered the Big Wave Territory!

This icon just resembled all the famous view point at Taranaki, just stood right beside the country's famous coastline for surffing.

It was so big and colorful~

Then we approached the Te rewa rewa bridge - the famous whale bone bridge at the coastal walk.

We actually walked about 30mins to arrive the bridge, which is far away from the 15min easy walk as told by the I-site lady.

Anyways, is a well-conducted architecture! Too bad weather was not great, or else we would be able to spot the mount Taranaki too!

We spent quite sometimes along the coastal walk, and also discovered many camping sites.

I guess New Plymouth residents might have 2 places of stay, one is their proper comfy hse and another one is just a well-maintained camp beside the coast!

We left New Plymouth and started our road trip around 4pm, before that we also gone to the Truck show event hold specially for the day.

Road trip was very smooth and fun, tired tho. Thanks for the driver- Nan, we arrived Wellington safely around 8pm, and have dinner at a vietnamese cuisine around 9pm!

haha, i guess that's the problem for road trip, irregular timing for meal =)

oops, what wrong with me today, i forgot we actually dropped by Foxton before our arrival at Wellington

Never knew Foxton has a windmill, a traditional Holland windmill!! It just at the Art centre, i even imitated MonaLisa~

I also found an old-fashioned but malfunctional tram, old style but good feel...