Throwback : Auckland Getaway

Hey travelers. 

With this entry, I am just sharing some memories with you readers about me and Farah's trip to Auckland back then in December 2016. Mana tau these entries would help and guide aspiring travellers who wish to go to Auckland anytime soon,

Anyway, here we go! Enjoy...

P/S Sorry sebab gambar berterabur all over the place because aku belum reti format gambar dalam posts lagi. Sorry..

01 December 2016 - 0840HRS

Seven hectic months of planning, finally we were strapped onboard MH133 bound for Auckland. Farah reckoned we got on seat 19A and 19C. Not bad considering we were travelling for 10 hours in Economy Class. 

02 December 2016 - 0130HRS

First phonecall ever made, 20 minutes worth of waiting, finally we arrived and checked into Airport Gateway Hotel for the night. Cozyyyy I can promise you that! Well first night abroad always aint easy...

02 December 2016 - 0930HRS

Wakeyy wakeyy, its Adventure Time! Checked out from the hotel. The hotel admins were even kind enough to drop us at Maui Rentals.. Thanks guys! Upon arrival, we thought it was going to be a breeze, but alass, my licence was 1 month plus expired.. Darn it... But I guess, the Heavens were helping us as MyEG exists(thank you sayang❤ for Googling efficiently)... So arrangements were swift thereafter(thanks Bronda and Ken). And we're off! Setting course for Rotorua.

Driving aint that bad. We managed to catch a few stops along the way. 3 hours of driving ain't a joke lads.

02 December 2016 - 1600HRS

That sulphuric stench was the indicator that we are already in Rotorua. Aching legs didn't twitch for long once we were strolling along The Lakeside. Time to put the phone camera to the test. Not bad at all!

Well as soon as sunset was catching up on us(daytime here is from 0525 till 2030), we decided to retreat into one of the many motorhome park. I chose to succumb at the TOP 10 Camper Park in Rotorua. 26$ per person ain't that bad considering the facilities provided. Well, after some camping cooking time, its time to hit the hay.

03 DECEMBER 2016 - 0830HRS

Alarm went off. Cold air longering within the cabin. Its time to wake up. I could already visualise our "snowy" trip in a bit. Got our bumbums into the shower and we were ready in 1 hour. Farah was more concerned about our "waste water management". Rotorua to Lake Taupo took us approximately 1.5 hours. Lunch was again, McDonalds in Lake Taupo.

But...before even reaching Lake Taupo, we found Huka Falls. Not as exclusive as The Chasm back in South Island, but it was all worth the trekking journey. Time to burn some calories.

After feasting our eyes, its time to catch up. By then we were still relatively early. Somehow our trusty TomTom took us thru the scenic route. Being my typical self, I couldn't help but to stop frequently along the way for these eye-candies.

And now comes the adventurous part. Little that we knew that a slip of junction choice would take us thru a different route. So we travelled Serengeti-style. Gosh the roads REALLY proved that the campervan could really take a hit! Turning back thru the same route, we corrected our course, finally reaching Bruce Road, the Road to Earthly Heavens. IT WAS STILL SNOWING AT  THE TOP!

But yeah the journey resulted in us reaching there at about 1600HRS. That means the chairlift was closed. Battling single-digit temperatures, we planned for our next approach on that plans tommorow morning. Fingers crossed for tommorrow. And this time, Sayang cooks IndoMee again for dinner,but with extra eggs and fries, mamak-style. Oh well, time to retreat early for our majestic adventure tommorrow.

04 DECEMBER 2016 - 0800HRS

Waking up never felt so good! But this time it was sayang's turn to shower first. The weather seemed so gloomy outside. It was raining earlier that morning, but that won't break our spirit! At 0930HRS, it was finally time to make a move. 20 minutes up Bruce Road, there it was, Mt Ruapehu, standing in all its glory, basked in morning sun, covered with snow. 35NZD per person was a fair deal considering the twin chairlift ride all the way to the top. Beforehand, we were told by the Information Center that instead of skiing, we could actually enjoy a cup of coffee and meal at the highest cafe in New Zealand. Hopes were high and we weren't dissapointed at all. But excitement took over, sayang couldn't help herself but took take it to the snow-covered hills before having our meal.

But I wasn't ticked at all! At least i made her happy❤. Then it was meal time! Pumpkin Salmon Quiche and Sourcream Cheese Wedges in Sweet Chilli sauce was our meal of choice. But mind you, it was overwhelming and delightful despite its small pricetag! Well the experience that came post-meal was just so memorable.

Other photos could be found in my memory card, but these photos are suffcient to describe how majestic it was on Mount Ruapehu.

2 hours felt so swift, because the next thing we knew, we were already on the chairlift, descending towards base station again. With that, we bidded Mount Ruapehu goodbye and prayed that we shall meet again.

As we thought it was all over, I elected that we went on 1 last adventure by visiting the Glowworm Caves of Waitomo. That would also be the last campsite to spend our last day in the campervan. 2 hours of driving took us to the doors of Waitomo Caves. 50NZD per person was the price to pay for the efforts in conserving the great Caves which was home to the famous Glowworm caves. Mr. Wii was assigned as our personal tourguide which lasted approximately 45 minutes. Despite its beautiful structures, photographs were forbidden to be taken. Apparently a Korean learned it the hard way, ending up being escorted out of the Caves my Mr.Wii. Once the tour ended, we chose to purchase the photobook taken before entering the Caves.

As sunset was fast approaching, we decided to settle down at TOP 10 Park Waitomo. Amazingly, the premises of this campsite represents similarly to the campsite i resided during my South Island trip back in 2014. It was so complete! After checking in, we took a 15 minute drive to Te Kuiti to grab some groceries. Its going to be a feast to celebrate our last camp night. Steak and jacket cheese potato was elected as our menu. After tiresome cooking action, our meal was done! Thanks sayang for making your wonderful jacket potato, I Love You ❤. But alas, sayang wasn't happy at all with her potato. She decided to turn it into a pegedel. Well as long as you're happy sayang. Well after a hectic hour of dishwashing, we set up our bed, its time to bid goodnight. Its going to be a long drive to Auckland tommorrow.

05 DECEMBER 2016 - 0900HRS

Today's going to pass pretty lazily as we realised we were already on our way back to Auckland. This marks the end of our adventures. And finally, sayang gets her chance to "manage" the campervan's waste. Hahahah.. 4 hours of driving got me real good. Upon reaching, we reluctantly returned our campervan (goodbye KAJ563) and flagged a cab to JetPark hotel. Thanks Bronda for still remembering me hahaha... Upon arrival at the hotel, we decided to take a stroll down Auckland city for souvenirs and fish and chips.. Thankfully,we managed to flag the same driver again to drive us out to Auckland. Cooling weather makes it so perfect to walk up and down Auckland city. Sayang finally got her ice-cream, which sets her off over the moon as it reminded her about her previous Auckland nightstop. Upon flagging down the cab again, we were already done grabbing souvenirs for the ones back home. Back to the hotel, its time to pack up and hit the hay. Shuttle's leaving at 1000HRS to the airport tommorrow.

06 DECEMBER 2016 - 0900HRS

Well the time has come. Its time to bid New Zealand goodbye. Shuttle had already been arranged and all it was left is to board it to the airport. Upon reaching at the airport, we realised that we were too early. We actually arrived at 1030HRS, but our departure is only due at 1430HRS. So it was shopping time. And then it came,boarding time from gate 2. Seats chosen were 22H and 22K. Well goodbye Auckland. Till we meet again.