ROTORUA DAY 2 : AGRODOME

Travelling in New Zealand won't be complete without visiting Agrodome. It offers an educational sheep show, organic farm tours & a range of thrilling adventure activities. We only did the sheep show, I was actually really want to try The Zorb. Too bad we didn't have much time. The Zorb involves getting inside a huge double walled beach ball, either harnessed (dry zorb) or with a bucket of water (wet zorb) and being rolled down a hill. Anyway, here are the pictures from the show!

ROTORUA DAY 1 : MITAI VILLAGE

After spending time in Wai-O-Tapu, we got back to Sudima Hotel for a rest. Then in the afternoon, we're picked up from our hotel and driven to Mitai Maori Village. We had a great time , everything was well organized and very entertaining. The food was beyond expectations and very delicious, especially the desserts. At the end of the day we were guided through the bush settings to see glow worms & useful plants. The host, bus driver & guide were friendly and very informative.

ROTORUA DAY 1 : WAI O TAPU

Rotorua is the geo-thermal wonder of North Island with a lot of boiling mud pools & natural geysers. On Sunday morning we visited Wai O Tapu geothermal Wonderland. First stop we saw the mud pool and Lady Knox Geyser which erupts daily at 10.15 am because they drop a small amount of chemicals into the blow hole which breaks the liquid surface down below and allows the liquid and gas to escape under high pressure. We did all the walks which are clearly marked out with numbered stop points at each attraction. If you have limited time, you can do just one or two walks depending on how much time you have. 

Mud Pool

PICTON & WELLINGTON

View from the ferry

New Zealand is divided into North Island and South Island. In order to cross Cook Strait, you'll have to take a plane or ferry. If you have a rental car then your options are take it across with you or drop off your vehicle on one side of Cook Strait and pick up another rental car on the other side. We went aboard the Interislander Ferry that cruises between Picton (South Island) and Wellington (North Island). The scenic voyage took 3 hours.

When we arrived in Picton, there's a stall selling green lip mussels (which is my favorite) and white baits. So we stopped by and sampled those NZ delicacies. The green mussels were plump, juicy, tender. Ahh they're just PERFECT. Whitebait is a small freshwater fish. The whitebait paddies were served on a toasted bread, seasoned with salt & pepper. They're deliciouss

Green Lip Mussels

Whitebait Paddies

Scenic Lookout

Once we arrived in Wellington, we went straight to Te Papa Museum. We weren't spending much time there because it's closed at 6pm, it was a well worth visit though. The overall displays & exhibitions are so modern , innovative and interactive. I don't like to spend any time in a museum except this one. We also enjoyed one of the long term exhibitions called "Golden Days".It's an object theater which is set in a junk shop. Objects in the room come to life in sync with events on the screen. 

'Golden Days' cluttered junkshop

We spent the rest of the day by shopping in Cuba Street area, which is the best shopping spot in town. Then we had Indian food for dinner and stayed at Boulcott Suites, Wellington.

A combination of two pieces each of Samosa, Vege Pakora, Seekh Kebab and Murgh Tikka served with mint and tamarind sauce on a sizzling platter.

Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Beef Rogan Josh & Fish Masala served with Basmati Rice

Te Papa Museum

55 Cable Street
Wellington 6011, New Zealand

+64 4 381 7000

Tulsi Indian Restaurant

135 Cuba Street

Wellington Central , New Zealand

+64 4 802 4144  

Boulcott Suites   
5 O'Reily Ave 
Wellington, New Zealand

NELSON

We arrived in Nelson in a late afternoon, the city was very quiet. All stores, cafes & restaurants were closed. The only place still open was Burger King. So we stopped by and grabbed some burgers. The view outside the store was magnificent. A cloud formation glows orange in the setting sun, as seen from the parking lot.

Then we headed straight to Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco to spend the night. We stayed at a 2 level cottage there, the place was so lovely with its village style setting.

View from my room window

PUNAKAIKI

Punakaiki lies between Greymouth and Westport on one of the most spectacular coastal highways in NZ. It is best known for its Pancake Rocks & Blowholes. Here are the shots!

West Coast

FOX GLACIER ,LAKE MATHESON & FRANZ JOSEF

Fox Glacier Terminal Face

Later that day we touched down in Fox Glacier. We didn't spend much time there, so we just took a short walk along the river valley floor to the Fox Glacier Terminal Face.

Red Coloured Rocks

Greenish Rock

Multi Coloured Mineral Terraces at the base of the glacier

LAKE WANAKA

Tuesday morning we headed out to Lake Wanaka. It was pretty cold and windy when we got there, so I just took a couple shots of the lake then I kept myself warm in the car with my sister while my dad took some pictures. While i was waiting in the car, i saw a man throwing a stick into the lake, his dog went down the cold water lake , picked up the stick and brought it back and forth. All of a sudden i was missing my boy, Abel. I wished he could've been with me & done the exact same thing.

Lake Wanaka

Brrrr....it's freezing!

QUEENSTOWN

Once we reach our lakefront apartment, i went straight to the kitchen to cook instant noodles. When it comes to a long trip, i always get motion sickness. I threw up almost everytime we hit the road during the trip. For so many reasons, it ruins the trip of course but i think i can get used to it.

Queenstown is the paradise for adrenalin junkies. You can find a wide range of adventure activities like bungee jumping, canoeing, jet boating, rafting, horse riding, skydiving, heliskiing, paragliding, yadda yadda yadda etc. We had so much fun on the shotover jetboat , it was a thrilling ride , the guide was funny and the views were incredible! The jet rides down the canyons and extremely close to the walls of the canyons.

After returning from the jetboat ride, we decided to spend the evening strolling around town. We enjoyed a spot of retail therapy in Queenstown Mall. It's an open air shopping center on a tree lined pedestrian street. There are many alfresco cafes and clothes shops along the mall. It's also a great spot for souvenirs.