NZ: Tramping at Redwood Park, Rotorua

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It was an afternoon after visiting Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland (more in the next post) that A.S and fellow traveller friend went to Redwood Park to kill the other half of the day. The park was located closer to downtown Rotorua. Recalling now, this tramp dictated the beginning of a series of tramps/ hikes she had for the next 3 months of her time in NZ from just parks, to hills and mountains in National Parks. It was tiring and yet, fulfilling at the very same time.

So tall and yet so straight but not as dense as compared to rainforests in Malaysia.

A.S the dwarf?

If only she could get more shade and away from the sun.

A panoramic view would be better but can you see the steam in front, and the lake far beyond?  The steam came from the Geothermal Valley and the lake, Lake Rotorua.

Tramping mate was deep in thoughts.

Mate was good with explaining the many different vegetation in the park, i.e comparing the number of  pine needles in a leave unit among pine trees he'd seen in Europe, Scandinavia, South America and now NZ.
Then, suddenly, pointing to the plant above, he tested A.S with his limited English vocab, "What is this, you know?"
With no time at all, she replied, "Flower!!!"
They both burst out laughing.

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Wed/ Mar 21, 2012

-A.S has been back in KL, Malaysia for nearly a month now. She admits she has a lot to catch up on her blog updates. Burdened with lots of thoughts, plans and to-dos, she'll still try her very best to keep this blog alive. Thank you so much for keeping up with her delays.

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. It keeps her contented knowing she's not writing for herself. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

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4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.

Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

Ellerslie Car Fair in Auckland

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Say you just landed in NZ, and you know that you'll be there for not just 1 or 2 weeks, but for at least 6 months. You're considering getting a used vehicle to bring you places and a place to lay your head at night. You don't want to spend sleeping in hotels/ hostels but instead, want to wake up to spectacular sights, overlooking crystal clear water and squeaking gulls flying on top of you. You enjoy listening to the waves, feeling the morning breeze against your face as you've got yourself layered up, holding tightly to the mug and feeling the steam on your face as you inhale the coffee aroma. ~~ Hmmm ~~

You might start off by yourself but don't worry, soon enough, another fellow traveller would be happy to join you on your NZ road trip adventure. What's better than sharing the cost and fun at the same time?

So, if you happened to be in Auckland, one of the place to check out for used car deals would be the Ellerslie Sunday Car Fair. It starts from 9am till 12noon every Sunday at an open air car park, Sellers line their cars according to price range and buyers get the opportunity to test drive on roads outside the car park. It is advisable that buyers send their cars for mechanical inspection which is available on the spot for a fee by a 3rd party. Buyers can expect to drive home the cars on that day itself should everything goes on smoothly. It is totally to the agreement of the seller and buyer on the price, method of payment, documents on the change of ownership, insurance, WOF (Warranty of Fitness), etc. 

A local friend brought A.S and 2 other mates here and it wasn't a really nice day to view cars. However, it was an eye-opening experience as to how a car changed hands so easily in a car fair. 

This page is most suitable to find out more about this fair. 

So many cars, so many buyers, and who cares bout the weather.

Let's see how much this campervan costs.

Custom-made for exploring and sleeping around

Setting off test driving a station wagon with mates.

Typical info about a vehicle. Good deal? Let's test drive to find out! Hop in!

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Mon/ Mar 19, 2012

-A.S has been back in KL, Malaysia for nearly a month now. She admits she has a lot to catch up on her blog updates. Burdened with lots of thoughts, plans and to-dos, she'll still try her very best to keep this blog alive. Thank you so much for keeping up with her delays.

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. It keeps her contented knowing she's not writing for herself. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right-most column of this page, you may either choose to:-

1. Receive blog updates by mail

2. Read her up-to-date posts at your MyYahoo, Google, etc. homepage by subscribing thru the links.

3. Read her up-to-date posts on your Facebook wall by 'Like'-ing the fan page A.S created specially for this blog (Scroll down page to search right-most column)

4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.

Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

Top 7 Things To Do at Raglan Beach, NZ

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Thinking of visiting Raglan Beach for a lazy day out?

Here are some pictures of the place to give you an idea of this beach located on the West Coast of North Island in NZ.

What can you do there?

1. Skating & stunts - If you enjoy skate boarding, biking, scooter skating, you're in for luck as there's a skate park catering to both young and old. 

2. Camping - There's a holiday park where you can park your motorhomes/ caravans/ cars to stay for the night. Of course, if you have a tent and prefer sleeping out, feel free to make use of it as well.

3. Water activities - Load your boat with food and a music player and then set off into the water to spend your day in the water. Else, you can also choose to do kayaking, stand paddling, surfing, fishing and swimming.

4. Snoozing - Stay close to nature by just sleeping directly on the ground like the couple in the picture.

5. Sports - There's a field for use where you can either play rugby. soccer, frisbee or any other sports.

6. People watch - Join A.S to just chill out absorbing the atmosphere.

7. Sun bathing - Join the rest grabbing the opportunity to get healthier glowing skin.

Of course, if you can think of any, feel free to add to the list by dropping your comments below!!!

*Click picture to magnify for clearer view*

*A.S's current location*
Day/ Date: Sat/ Mar 17, 2012
-A.S has been back in KL, Malaysia for nearly a month now. She admits she has a lot to catch up on her blog updates. Burdened with lots of thoughts, plans and to-dos, she'll still try her very best to keep this blog alive. Thank you so much for keeping up with her delays.




A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. It keeps her contented knowing she's not writing for herself. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.




Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!


It's EASY. At the right-most column of this page, you may either choose to:-
1. Receive blog updates by mail
2. Read her up-to-date posts at your MyYahoo, Google, etc. homepage by subscribing thru the links.
3. Read her up-to-date posts on your Facebook wall by 'Like'-ing the fan page A.S created specially for this blog (Scroll down page to search right-most column)
4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.


Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

The Agrodome at Rotorua, NZ

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For someone who had not seen many sheep in her life, this was an eye opener especially entry was courtesy of an ex-manager there. Look at the variety of breeds, from white heads to brown and then black heads. Look at the colour of the wool as well. This might prompt you into singing:-

" Baa Baa black sheep,

Have you any wool?

Yes Sir, Yes Sir, 3 bags full,

One for the master, one for the ...???  la la la

One for the ....???  la la la  " 

(Kindly help A.S out on filling in the blanks.)

The show was entertaining with the speaker getting the audience involved in collecting wools he sheared, as well as feeding lambs with milk bottles. Dogs and ducks were also called in to steal the show.

Did you know that in farms, dogs are reared to move herds?

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Sat/ Mar 17, 2012

-A.S has been back in KL, Malaysia for nearly a month now. She admits she has a lot to catch up on her blog updates. Burdened with lots of thoughts, plans and to-dos, she'll still try her very best to keep this blog alive. Thank you so much for keeping up with her delays.

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. It keeps her contented knowing she's not writing for herself. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right column of this page, you may either choose to:-

1. Receive blog updates by mail

2. Read my up-to-date posts at your MyYahoo, Google, etc. by subscribing at the links.

3. Read my up-to-date posts on your Facebook wall by 'Like'-ing my page.
4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to my blog with the HTML code provided.

Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

Mystical Rotorua

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The impressions of Rotorua City Centre to A.S, all compiled into a video below. Enjoy!

The experience you're missing from this video would be the smell as you enter this mystical city and the feel of steam blown to your face. The weather had not been good when A.S was there in early Dec '11. So, it's good that you enjoy this as you stay warm and dry indoor.

The 'Haka' is a Maori traditional performance which if you were a big fan of the recent Rugby World Cup '11 (RWC), you may have noticed that the All Blacks performed this everytime before the game started. In a way, they tried to intimidate their opponents as how Maoris used to intimidate their enemies with this performance back then.

Rotorua is a city which has very strong Maori presence. The Green Lake which is one of the 16 around in Rotorua is considered a sacred lake to them and thus, any form of water activity is prohibited there. Situated at an active volcanic region, the underground steam is used to keep houses warm, to prepare 'Hangi' as well as providing the luxury of having natural hot pools at homes.

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Wed, Jan 18, 2012

- At the west coast of South Island, NZ at Greymouth. Will be heading south later to Hokitika which is only 30 mins drive from here. Was invited to join the locals for Toastmasters meeting here last evening and later at Hokitika which she gladly accepted. She had been part of the meetings in Hamilton, North Island. Tomorrow, the journey continues to Fox Glacier.

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. It keeps her contented knowing she's not writing for herself. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right column of this page, you may either choose to:-

1. Receive blog updates by mail

2. Read my up-to-date posts at your MyYahoo, Google, etc. by subscribing at the links.

3. Read my up-to-date posts on your Facebook wall by 'Like'-ing my page.

Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)