I have finally decided to stop procrastinating and start on my New Zealand blog post which I reckon gonna take me quite awhile since the entire trip was 2 weeks+ long, covering both North and South Island. I was supposed to go with a friend but go pangseh-ed so I went alone eventually with no driving. So if you are interested to find out how I did it cos the first reaction to me not driving in NZ was – how are you going to travel around! Then you can read on to find out

Mickey & Minnie sending me off

Chilling at the lounge, working on my blog posts while waiting for my flight. I had to say it was pretty productive

Then it was time to board and the crew came around with drinks. I tried the Bellini since I had never tried it before. I think I shall stick to OJ next time. lol

I have to say this SIN-AKL crew was fantastic. It had been awhile I was impressed by SQ crew and they really showed on this flight what it was like to fly Singapore Airlines. I thought it was one of the better services I had encountered for awhile, especially so on J class

And also the last of this, before they load the new flight safety videos. I preferred this version. The new one felt a little.. too long and slow

And not before long, supper service commenced. The crew came round to give some bread, and tried giving more bread on the second round but the bread basket stayed pretty full. lol

So it was just fruits

before I moved on to the Smoked Salmon Salad which I only had the salmon and egg

I was really happy they had Bunnahabhain on the flight. And that meant more drinks then

To go along with my BTC Braised Duck Rice, which was so yummy. The yam rice was really fragrant and surprisingly, the duck meat was quite tender. I wished they had also given dried sambal chilli instead

Rounding off with Viennetta Vanilla Ice cream. After which I watched some shows and tried to catch some shut-eye when they dimmed the aircraft not long after. But the mind refused to rest so I woke up immediately when they it was time for meal service again

Also got an amenity kit on the flight

And it’s seafood beehoon, chilli padi and coffee for breakfast. The beehoon was really moist and flavourful and I liked they gave an enormous amount of ingredients

The announcement came we were soon approaching Auckland and I caught side of the beautiful coastline

Hello Auckland!

My flight was supposed to land at 1.20pm. At 12.55pm, the plane was already at the gates. And it was a very smooth process for me since I did my pre-arrival forms online. Passport control had no queue, took me 1 minute and since I had no food items to declare, I reached the baggage carousel in no time. If Singapore is one place humans arrived at the carousel faster than the bags, I think I found a second place here. So I collected my bags, contacted my driver and headed out to find him

Time-check: 1.20pm and driver was still on the way. lol

He was so shocked that I was so fast out of the plane cos in his words – he had never picked up a passenger that arrived faster than him. His usual waiting time is about 40 mins minimally so I broke his record. Well to be frank, I had never been so fast clearing passport control in another country either. The drive from airport to hotel took about an hour and especially a little more jammed in the city with the renovation works going on

Adina Citylife just for one night cos I wanted somewhere central and near the Sky City Bus terminal

I had to say it’s a very basic hotel so no complains since I was only there for only one night

I dropped off my things and headed out to explore and first stop.. supermarket. I had actually wanted to buy some snacks / breakfast for coffee the next day cos it’s gonna be a very early morning. But to my surprise, I bought nothing. All I could find was chocolates, cookies and everything unhealthy. lol

I made my way to Auckland Sky Tower then

I wasn’t looking to do any activities here. I merely wanted a photo and it’s time to move on

Headed over to the wharf cos the plan was to see if there was any locations suitable to do my dance cover

But it was so crowded and so hot and there was nowhere to get a shot of the sky tower, I gave up

I kid you not. It was bloody summer here

So I decided to head straight for dinner. I made an early booking so that I can explore cocktail bars thereafter. And Onslow seemed to be recommended quite highly online

It was 5.30pm but the dinner crowd had already arrived for most of the tables so I was pretty surprised. The experience didn’t start out well cos there was a disparity in service. The server that was taking care of the table next to me served her table with so much passion while mine seemed like he was so ready to go home for the day so half of me also wanted to leave

Since NZ is famous for whites, I really wanted to give them a try

Te Kouma Oysters $48 (half dozen)

Chardonnay Mignonette, Lemon

Tasted better, these were not impressive. And I thought I could taste what NZ oysters have to offer. This was rather disappointing to be honest

Chatham Islands Crayfish Eclair $22

This was not bad. I liked the texture in all and you could taste a little kick in the crayfish

Cambridge Duck Breast $56

Citrus Glaze, Witloof Tarte Tatin, Hazelnut Cream

The duck was good. You could taste the smokiness in the skin and it was so crisp with the right amount of oiliness, just all in one bite. I thought the tarte was delicious too. Probably the most impressive dish out of everything so far

I was glad I only ordered what I ordered cos I looked at the table next to me, saw the size of the sides and just knew I couldn’t finish the food at one glance. I had wanted to stop here and leave, then came a change of service staff whom gave a better service this time (I did not feedback, just in case you were wondering)

Cherry Shuffle $24

White Chocolate, Coconut Icecream

So I decided to give desserts a try. The soufflé was done well and I thought the cherry flavour was quite unique. Though I won’t recommend the coconut ice cream. The Astrolabe Late Harvest Chenin Blanc pairing was really nice with the soufflé and I thought it was a good balance overall

Overall I wasn’t blown away. Like I thought it was slightly above average and I had expected better. So I guessed once is enough

I took a walk around the area cos I was so stuffed and I managed to find a park nearby. And by stroke of luck, I managed to do the first segment of my dance cover. So yay

Made my way to Caretaker bar which was one of the highly rated bars in Auckland

There was no menu. Drinks were made based on your flavour preferences. And they were really good. The bartender was fun, engaging and made really good cocktails. I was glad the positive cocktail experience made up for the not-so-great dinner experience

I took a walk back to hotel cos I had too much food and drinks for the night. I was really amused to see this car dressed up so festively too. I guessed the car and the owner were also ready for the holidays

It was an early morning for me the next day cos I had to check out, dragged my luggages to the bus terminal and made my way to Rotorua via a day tour

I booked a day tour from Auckland to Rotorua via Greatsights that included Waitomo and Hobbiton experience so I get to see the sights along the way + a transfer to Rotorua with my luggages transported

The tour was full and packed with people. I was surprised there were so many non-drivers like me. We first made our to Waitomo Glow Worm caves that was about 2.5 hours drive away

The whole guided tour took about 45 mins. We were not allowed to take any photos of the underground caves as they were deemed spiritual and Maoris really believed in these traditions. So we were brought underground, saw the limestone structures before being led to a boat to see the glow worm grotto

I was so not impressed. Like I had expected the entire cave to be lit by the glow worms. Yet it was just patchy here and there so it wasn’t as exactly magical as it should be. So anyway I was glad the tour ended quickly. When we boarded the bus, my neighbour asked me how was the experience and I said it was truly underwhelming. The bus driver’s voice suddenly came on the speakers and remarked – isn’t it (the experience) great? And we laughed silently. Clearly someone enjoyed more than me. It was really one that you been there, seen that, never again

Lunch was included. So we were given a lunch box while on the drive to Hobbiton. I had to say the sandwich was actually quite tasty. It was not too shabby for lunch on-the-go

It was another 1.5 hours drive to the Hobbiton check-in place before our tour officially commenced

So we had time to explore the gift shop, chill at the cafe or eat some icecream. I had a shock when my mocha came. Isn’t it a little too.. black?

Took a commemorative shot of the signboard before we boarded the bus that will take us to the filming site

We also passed by Alexander family farm where we saw a never-ending amount of sheep on site. Like wow, it’s like every turn you make, there’s a pile of white lump looking at you

We started the tour proper under a very hot summer sun

where we got to see the sets come alive

Home of the hobbits 🙂

The tour also brought us to the top to get a bird’s eye view and we were asked to find the fake tree. I guess real hobbit fans can really tell the difference. They all legit looked the same to me

I was so glad we got to visit one of the homes under the comfort of the aircon

So we lingered in there quite abit. I was every bit reluctant to leave. On the other note, I was glad we were almost nearing to end of the tour

Last stop at The Green Dragon Inn that was part of the tour where we were given a choice of complimentary brew

So I picked Apple Cider while wandering around the compound, trying to see if there was any location to do my dance cover and I found none. So after we were done with our drinks, we boarded the bus that was heading to Rotorua

I chose Millennium Rotorua cos it was one of the drop-off point for Greatsights and it was quite centralised to where I wanna go in Rotorua. It took me awhile to get to my room cos my keys weren’t working. So I had to drag my luggages back down, changed the key and made my way up again

The room was really spacious for 1 pax though the aircon was really weak and that meant I had difficulty falling asleep at night. I managed to do a quick shower, did some washing before heading out to explore

And first, dropping by the sulphur point that was just behind the hotel which I found a spot to do the second segment of my dance cover

It’s a really quiet city and there aren’t many people on the streets. But there was also nothing much to do in the area either. So, it’s straight to dinner then

Dinner was at this Korean restaurant nearby the hotel called Roavillage Korean Restaurant. They had an abundant amount of signatures pasted on the wall. From who? I have no idea. lol. I didn’t bother checking them out. But the restaurant was opened by Koreans so I guessed there there should be some comfort there

All I was looking forward to was the sundubu jjigae that I had ordered. It was actually not bad. They didn’t have alot of banchan available, just basic kimchi, fishcakes, gim but personally that was enough. And so I made my way back to the hotel after that to rest for the day given it was already almost 9pm but the sky still stayed bright and clear

Head to Scope Cafe for brunch the next day and it was rather empty at that early hours, though crowd started streaming in soon enough

They had an array of sandwiches and hot food available

Food was quite decent. I took some time to upload socials before deciding to call uber to take me to the next destination. I was actually worried it would be difficult to call for a uber given the lesser human traffic in Rotorua but thankfully uber was actually quite easy to call for one

So off we go to Rotorua Canopy tours with plenty of time to spare. I had booked the Ultimate canopy tour which would take about 3.5 hours

So after we were done with briefing, geared up, we boarded the bus to the forest where we started our trek. The staffs also made us do an introductory on the bus to break ice which was good time spent since we soon reached the starting point

We also had opportunity to learn what they did to protect and nurture the environment such that there is a lusher and greener forest now

It was really quite a nice trek and we got to try all the different climbs and ziplines

and tandem walk

Though I have to admit there’s really nothing wow about the view. It’s really green, and very green. lol. But I guess that’s what nature is all about and you get to breathe in some fresh air!

They ended with a free-fall at the end of the obstacle and I must say that was damn scary (for me), cos it was really jumping off the platform. After which they brought us back to the office where we were done for the day. I was a little bumped cos they asked one of the attendees if they needed a ride anywhere but they didn’t ask me even though I was hovering around. Boo. So I called an uber back to town area

Lunch was at Pig & Whistle cos the canopy staffs said this place has one of the best food in town

It’s a pub, complete with pub food and there was quite a crowd for lunch. I wanted something light so I ordered a seafood chowder and fries

Seafood Chowder, served with freshly baked bread $19.90

Pigtail Fries (side) $8.90

Which the portion gave me a surprise. I clearly never finished them but deep down, still wanted a dessert

Banoffee Sundae $15.90

which instantly spelled regret, in terms of taste and portion. lol

But I had a good time chilling, looking at the videos I took during the canopy experience and proceeded to look at my socials before deciding that I shall go back and rest till dinner

Dinner came in the form of Maori experience at Te Pa Tu

which you first had to meet at the meeting point, just right next Millennium hotel. When I first saw this building, I was confused to how they going to house the show here. Then I realised oh, there’s a bus to take us somewhere else. Then there was some confusion with the bus to which bus I had to go on but eventually decided there was still space for me to go with bus #1. The bus had to make a few stops before finally making its way into the forest. The bus driver also told us all about their traditions which I thought was pretty interesting

A village chief was chosen to represent us at the welcome ceremony later. They even did a rehearsal first to make sure all goes well later. I thought the driver was quite funny when he said to him – don’t kiss me

It was a very solemn yet interesting welcome ceremony. And you were not allowed to mimic or laugh at their expressions when the ceremony was going on, else you will be respectively asked to leave

I was glad to have seen this in real life

After the ceremony was over, we were broken up in smaller groups where we were introduced to their culture in the form of workshops

Each workshop also had a canapé to go along

Like paua wonton

Herbal Iced Tea

Venison, Blueberry Chutney Crisp

We learned about their history, traditions, played games, unleashed our anger

and even how to dance with this ball which was so damn difficult. Not only do you need to catch the beat but also had to hit / catch the ball precisely

After the workshops were over, we were asked to move to the theatre where the Maoris would do a song and dance performance for us

They really could sing and dance very well. And in the bus driver’s words – these are stuffs they do in their daily life. Every Maori boy learns to play the guitar since young so it’s not like they did it specially to perform. And hence, that’s why they were so good at it. And for those who couldn’t play the guitar? They would go and wash the dishes. lol

And we moved to the restaurant for dinner proper

Fresh bakes, Tuna Sashimi with Avocado Mousse

Chardonnay – I had the wine pairing so this was one of the first

Whitebait Fritters w Lemon Emulsion Sauce

Heirloom. Baby Carrots & Labne

Duck Marinated in 12 hours and confit

Orange, Walnut & Watercress salad

Pinot Noir – Second one

Purple Sweet Potato, Taro & Coconut Gratin

Twice-cooked Wagyu Shortribs, Braised for 3 hours

Hangi Lamb Rump, Smoked Paprika, Horowitz, Garlic, Sea Salt, Pikopiko & Basil Pesto

And it was alot. of. food. omg. We were so stuffed halfway that when they came out with more mains, it was just disbelief on our faces. I thought the food was actually surprisingly decent. I loved the duck especially

Sweet Potato Infused Creme Brûlée, Almond Pralines, Fruit Platter

Plum Port – for the third wine pairing

White Chocolate & Macadamia Cookie + Herbal Tea

We finally reached the end of the meal, topping off with cookie and tea which anymore food I would need to roll back to hotel. I must add, the herbal tea tasted abit too unique for my liking

And you thought that’s the end of the experience? Nope, the best has yet to come

They did their very own live band version, singing and serenading us. Then proceeded to sing a song representing the country the guests are from. It was so fun and entertaining and you could tell everyone was enjoying every bit of it

It was definitely a fun, unique experience which you have to try in Rotorua. And this was one of my most memorable experiences thus far on this trip (I know my trip has just started but you know it was really fun)

And that wraps up the North before my early flight to Blenheim the next day!