It has been a month since I went back from a six-days vacation in New Zealand. Finally, I have time to share my splendid experience in the 'Land of the Long White Cloud' because now is my semester break! So, my family and I went to the North Island of New Zealand. North Island and South Island are different but both have a lot to offer. Both are full of picturesque sceneries. That's what my tour guide said. Though the North Island is not as much of a "feast for the eyes", it offers unique opportunities to experience a different side of New Zealand, including Maori culture, geothermal activities and cosmopolitan cities. And it's true that people in New Zealand are greatly outnumbered by sheep, the ratio is about six sheep per person. It was Spring at that time. We stayed for 6 days from 29th October until 3rd November and the weather was very cold!
Day 1
We transit at Gold Coast Airport for one hour before landing at Auckland Airport. We followed Xplorevic tour and I would recommend this service to anyone who interested to go to New Zealand. To find halal food was easy for us since we were accompanied by a Muslim tour guide, Mr. Hamzah. Upon reaching Auckland, Mr. Hamzah brought us to Mamak Malaysian Street Food Restaurant for dinner after performing Maghrib prayer at Masjid At-Taqwa. After that, we went straight to Hamilton that took about 1.5 hours and stayed one night in Ibis Hotel.
Day 2
We traveled from Hamilton to Waitomo to visit Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Marokopa Falls, and Mangapohue Natural Bridge. We had our BBQ lunch at Roselands Restaurant after visiting Waitomo Caves. Next, we traveled from Waitomo to Rotorua and checked in RotoVegas Motel in Rotorua. We stayed there for three nights (syok sangat stay situ. Ada jakuzi lagi dalam rumah). Mr Hamzah took us to Countdown supermarket nearby our hotel to find food for dinner. My mom brought instant food Brahim along from Malaysia and bought some sorts of food at Countdown supermarket.
Day 3
I went out with my sister, Aliya and my aunt, Cik Nande for a morning walk after Subuh prayer (Subuh at 4.40 am). It was freaking cold but tak kira nak jalan jugak! After that, Mr Hamzah brought us to Waiotapu geothermal area and we got to see The Lady Knox Geyser where the geyser is induced to erupt daily at 10.15 am by dropping a surfactant into the opening of the vent. We had our lunch at Nando's Rotorua. After lunch, we went to Skyline Rotorua and had a breathtaking view of Rotorua New Zealand. The Gondola was just a typical ride up to the top of the Skyline but the luge ride makes this place exciting. At night, we visited the Tamaki Maori Village and got to learn something about the Maori culture and to also enjoy some entertainment and a great meal. Our bus driver fetched us from our motel and got us started with some fun and commentary on what to expect. We learned new words such Kia Ora (greetings) and wahine (woman). The first part of the evening was some education in various skills and the Maori culture. We were then entertained by the tribe performance and then finally the hangi (a method of cooking by Maori culture). A great selection of chickens, meats, and vegetables cooked in the traditional manner where the food is cooked underground. It was an unforgettable experience in the Tamaki Maori Village!
Day 4
We traveled from Rotorua to Taupo. The road to Taupo was eye-catching as we passed by the lush fields of Jersey cows. The sheep also seemed numerous on the hillside of the road. We had our Maori Rock Carvings Cruise at Lake Taupo with the classy yacht for 2.5 hours (feeling elitis habis naik tu). We headed up to Mount Ruapehu dengan harapan nak rasa snow. Mount Ruapehu is the only place where you could possibly see the snow at the North Island of New Zealand during Spring. We supposed to visit the Huka Falls at Taupo on that day but unfortunately, we didn't have enough time for that. :'( On our way back to Rotorua, again we went to Countdown supermarket to buy food for dinner.
Day 5
We checked out from RotoVegasMotel and went to the Rotorua's Government Gardens Museum. Finally, I got to see Tulips! Also, we had so much fun at the Hobbiton Movie set in Matamata where The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were filmed. The journey in the home of the Hobbiton movie set took about two hours around the past Hobbit Holes, the Mill and into the world-famous Green Dragon Inn, where we were served with brewed beverages to conclude our Middle-earth adventure. After that, we traveled back to Auckland and spent one last night in Ibis hotel. On our journey back to Auckland, we dropped by at Park n Save supermarket to buy Whittakers chocolates! It's undoubtedly true that Park n Save is way cheaper than Countdown..We also had our dinner at Uncle Man's Malaysian Restaurant in Auckland.
Day 6
We went to Muriwai black sand beach in the morning. It was so nice and perfect for a morning walk. Later, Mr. Hamzah took us back to Auckland city for shopping! Before going back to the airport, we had our lunch at Auckland Fish Market.
