NZ Trip Last Days - Active Earth hiking and Auckland

I love the state library coz of the free wireless~ ha

30 min left to the library close, gotta be quick.

The day before I left for the Active Earth trip, I met River and Wing in the YHA hostel, who are from HK as well. They are here for Working Holiday~ And after dinner we went to play firework. Coz it's the firework festival in Auckland~



The 5 days Active Earth Hiking trip was one of my best time in NZ. Guided by Pip and Ash, team with Carolino, Sue, Wells, Karen, Judith, Cyril and Sabrina finished an amazing trip. We are just like a family. I miss everyone....

As I said before the weather wasn't that good. But it's even worst than I could imagine.
Day One~ We started at Auckland and drive to Rotorua, we decided to go rafting but due to an accident happened on the river we changed our schedule to a 1 hour hike. After that we went to a Māori* concert, it's so interesting to understand another culture.


*Māori is the people of New Zealand, similar to the aboriginal in Australia.

Day Two~ Weather getting worst. We went to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland and saw a lot of thermal activities. The smell of a many thermal activity is just like "Rotten Egg", it's actually a chemical called "Hydrogen Sulphide". After that we gear up and start our first day hike. Heavy rain and strong wind, rain cover is useless because the wind can blow it away... I've a so called water-proof hiking shoes but I still get really wet... and the feeling was just BAD....Luckily I bought a wool sock just before the hiking, or else I may lost a few toes. We stayed in a hut with gas supplied. So we got warm food and air. At around 8 pm, it start to snow! my god it's my first time to see real snow!! But it's really cold!! The heater cannot turned on overnight, so that night I couldn't sleep due to the freezing weather.

Day Three~ Weather getting much worst. We just simply hike to another hut for 3 hours. We don't have any outdoor activity because the wind was so strong and so cold. Luckily our professional guide brought us some game idea, and we spent the day pretty quick~

Day Four~ Weather turning good, but still bad. We started our Tongariro Crossing which is the main "Objective" of this trip. Snow fall down to 600m (Ash said 1200m is already abnormal). Some part of the path got half meter deep of snow. VERY COLD! And when we walk up to the mountain, the wind are just so strong that sometimes you can stand still. Luckily, we made it. Well... Just don't know how to express the experience via language. May be my English is not good enough... XD
After the hiking, we had a HOT Shower which we all wanted for 3 days. And the Wells and Karen made a very very delicious dinner for us~ Have some beer and games~ And time to sleep.

Day Five~ Weather was perfectly well... -.-" We have a short walk around the village we live in, then we drive to the national park train station. Sue and me were returning to Auckland, and it's the time we farewell each other... A great hug, and a good bye....
Then a 5 hours long drive back to Auckland.

That's all for the Active Earth trip, but it'll stay in my mind for ever.


Sunday, 1 day trip in Auckland, don't really like "city" now.... so just walk around, took a few photos, go up to the sky tower, then back to hostel prepare for the flight to Brisbane.


And that's the END of the NZ trip.

I really love New Zealand, especially the south island. The people are so nice, the scenery are so spectacular, the water tasted so good~ But still, I got to go.

I hope you enjoyed the trip with me, I hope you understand what I have written, I hope you can feel my happyness, I hope the information with a bit helpful, I hope.... you'll love New Zealnd too..... coz I love it :p



Well.... After flight NZ135, I'm now in Brisbane, had a walk here this afternoon, not much feeling. Waiting for the tour depart tomorrow to The Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island and Sunshine Coast. Then will go to the Surfers Paradises..... c if there are any chance to update you all again.


16 days left in Australia, and I'll back to Hong Kong.
See you all there.



Sorry all, no time to post photos here, please check http://picasaweb.google.com.hk/mail.to.alm




oioi : I just addicted to aviation.

c : I don't wanna see you in "Green Hill" doh.... and the hiking experience was just so great...

mudfew : Work hard on your exam ba....XD c u very soon~

Raymond: Sure I will miss them.... I'll remind myself through photos.

perry: will be back at 26 Nov ~

Flight Report : NZ135 - Auckland to Brisbane

General Flight Information
Flight number/Date/Time: ___NZ135_____/____10 Nov 2008____/____09:15____
Aircraft type: ______Boeing 777-200ER________

Departure Information
Airport: _____Auckland ______________
Parking bay: ______10_______
Runway: ____05R______

Cruise Information
Cruising altitude: ______FL400________


Arrival information
Airport: _______Brisbane International___________
Runway: ____19______
Parking bay: ___79________


That's all I know..... XD

Photos : http://picasaweb.google.com.hk/mail.to.alm/NZ135AucklandToBrisbane#

Back from a snow mountain hiking trip

Unexpected cold, it's lucky that I didn't freeze to death.

So busy yesterday for souvenir, and got to fly to Brisbane this morning.

Don't sure if I will I get on to internet over there coz I need to pay for it, I may wait till I return to Sydney before I update again.

Current schedule will be :
Nov
10 Auckland to Brisbane
11-16 Local tour to The great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island and Sunshine Coast
17-18 Surfers Paradise
19 Back to Sydney

Will try to get internet anyway. But schedules are really tight so may spend more time on traveling.

Got to catch to bus to airport...

Feel sad about leaving New Zealand.... :(

BYE NZ!

And can't wait to see you all too...
Take care! and I'll be back soon~!! XD

Coming few days..

will be on a tour which may do some camping outdoor at night, so will not be able to update till may be Sunday. I'll be OK~ No worries everyone~ XD

Have a good day all! See you all later!

NZ Trip Day 18 & 19 - Wellington and flight to Auckland

The weather in NZ just the same as AU, it could change so fast.
Day 17 feels like a storm, but day 18 was the best weather I ever had in NZ, strange huh~?

Woke up at 9 at start my one day city tour, first went to the cable car station by bus, which cost just NZ$1 because it's in the city sector. But when I arrived the cable car was CLOSED! what the hell... Well...safety test from 31 Oct to 3 Nov... sigh.... So I decided to walk around the city. Well...The complexity of the street is comparative with the street in Central of Hong Kong... but of coz there's no problem for me... XD

The Old Parliament House of Wellington had a nickname, " Beehive", due to it's shape and appearance. Visited the church, the train station... well.... those kind of stuff... XD

After that I walked down to the waterfront park. It was so nice, so relax, people were playing different kind of sport on the grass~ oh my god~ I gonna miss these after I returned to HK...

For dinner, I used a lot of oil to cook some beef and Onion~ Is it more oil = taste good? I'm not sure before but now I started to believe it. XD

6 people in the room, one of them was snoring so LOUDLY! and everyone can't sleep... -.-" Annoying... but that's a dorm room...

From Wellington

Day 19, got up at 9am to catch the bus, route 91, to the Wellington airport.
I was on flight NZ426, from Wellington to Auckland. The Air New Zealand have a baggage tag machine which you could print the baggage label for yourself... And the Domestic flight are just so easy, simple security check in front of the gate, then jump in to the plane.... that's it....

The flight was done by a Boeing 737-300, depart from gate 17, push back and taxi to RWY 34, take off without any problem, chips and coffee and tea were served when the plane stabled, and candy. The plane started to descend very soon after reaching cruise level, I didn't have time to finish my Sudoku! Feels like use POKOM arrival, runway in sight, make a right turn to align runway 05R, keep descend, touch down, air break, reverse throttle, taxi to gate 32, left the gate area, take the backpack, that's it~

Jump on a bus from airport to the city which took around 20min~ then arrived YHA~ Easy~

From NZ426, Wellington to Auckland

Well, got to find something to eat doh~ Can't wait for the hiking in the coming 5 days, but the bad news is, it's going to rain, heavy rain! well...See one step, walk one step... XD




c : You got to try to relax also~ Don't wanna see you in 青山~

oioi : I've arrived, where are you~? XD

Raymond the rich : Is there any blue sky in Hong Kong? XD

may goo je : 6 days left :(

NZ Trip Day 16 & 17 - Christchurch to Wellington

A early start in Christchurch in order to catch a train to Picton. This train ride was similar to the one on Day 4, but now as stunning as it. While I departed from Christchurch YHA, I met a Germany girl Susanna, she's traveling alone New Zealand. Unfortunately she's not going to Picton but Kaikiura :\ anyway it's always good to have someone to talk along your journey~

Most travelers will go directly to the ferry and don't stop at Picton, but I decided to stay there for an hour to have a look to the town. But it's actually a "One street town", small and nothing much to see. Had a lunch in Subway then head to the ferry terminal.

The Interislander is a ferry service between Picton and Wellington, or say, the North and South island which transport passengers, cars and also cargo. Everyone said the view during the cruise was really great and yes that's true! Same as other place in NZ, the view is just spectacular.

On the ferry, I met a Mexico couple which I first met them at Dunedin, and also my room mate in the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise. All of us got our own schedule but we met on a ferry. What a small world!

A bit sad when I look back the south island, I had fallen in love to it and I just don't wanna leave. But I can't. Bye South Island!! I'll miss you!!! ~o~""

From TranzCoastal and Interislander

Arrived Wellington, well, back to a city, feel not really good doh.... Modern, tall building, crowd, traffic, I just can't really get use to it... ( What's gonna happen when I returned to HK?! )
Jump on the shuttle which brought me to the train station, then take bus no. 2 to Wellington YHA. It's already 7 o'clock. Settled down and went to super market to buy some stuff to cook~ OH I miss supermarket!!! Bought a lot of stuff including things that I can't finish in 2 days such as oil...bread.... And used a lot of oil to cooked some pork with onion~ The taste for the pork..err... ok la... But the rice mixed with the oil tasted so so so good! May be becoz of the onion..~ ha~ Haven't eat such kind of Hong Kong's food for so long~ 正!

After I finished my dinner and started to clean up my dished, a guy suddenly come and ask if I'm Chinese or Korean. And I said I am from Hong Kong. oh... the guy was a Korean and he was arguing with another Chinese about where am I from... LoL.... well they then invited my for a beer. Two Korean, Joo and Mer-Lin, and a Chinese from Shadong, Yang, are studying in the same English school, and they're having a beer coz it's Friday night~!
Well they are all funny people~ We had a nice time till 11pm and they got to go home~ What a wonderful time~!

Take a shower and went to bed at 12am.
The fire alarm started at 1 am... -.-
I wanna stay in bed but one of the alarm located inside my room that force all of us to leave :\
And it's a false alarm :\ :\ :\


Woke up at 11am, had a great breakfast then it's time to go out!! But the weather was so bad today, similar to a Typhoon signal number 9 in HK, but there was actually no typhoon -.-"
Planned to go to the gondola with cable car, but the view won't be good so I decided to go to Te PaPa, Museum of New Zealand. Te PaPa was the second best Museum I have visited, the best one is still Melbourne Museum, and it really worth a visit. Didn't take many photos coz museums are more or less the same. XD

From Te Papa Wellington

When I was on the way back to YHA, the gust wind blown my glasses away on to the road! I told my friend, "雖然我很輕，但我下盤還算紮實" XD But the wind was just so strong! that I can't even stand well! Luckily there was no car. After I managed to stand and walk I went to pick up my glasses which was 20m away. -.-" (Imagine how bad is the weather!)

Quickly walk back to YHA, good, another lazy day. XD



The weather should be fine tomorrow, at least I can't hear the wind shacking the window now.

Tomorrow, the last day in Wellington, and will up to Auckland on Monday~

Bye everyone, have a good day!



OiOi : Yes... come next time when you visit Australia~

c : Need some lazy day after so many stuff, coz I'm lazy~ :p

Raymond : Can't wait to go to the volcano, but at Te Papa I understand how powerful is a volcano eruption.... err...