Lovely New Zealand

I was back from New Zealand last Tuesday. It was a fantastic trip with scenic route drive and city tours. We had many first time. This is my first time there. The route trip was a once in a life time to me. I have never travel with friends on our own vehicle. We drove more than 980km, from Wellington all the way to Auckland. It was an adventure. Well, the distance is similar if we drive from Singapore to Penang. But the experience we get in New Zealand is different.

It is winter in Southern Hemisphere. As we moved towards inland, the temperature fell. I remembered the thermometer was in single digit. There was once when it even fell to negative. There were many sheeps, lambs and cows along the countryside. When it was not raining, the sky is very blue. I dun see that in SG, neither do i experience the winter cold in SG. The winter there was not bitter. I love the winter in New Zealand.

Then there were starry nights, hiding under the blanket in winter cold, emerging in hot spa water, enjoying views of lake Rotorua while doing spa. This is really something I never try before in my life. It was enriching. I really love the rural side of New Zealand. It was not as bad as i thought. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand, about the size of Singapore. I love that little town. Very peaceful and adequate commercial activities.

In capital Wellington, it was more vibrant but still quiet. Shops closed on weekends and even during weekdays, most commercial activities end at 5pm. Streets are quiet at night. It is a very different capital that we see in most countries. I like the pace, maybe due to the weather. I remembered when we reached Wellington, we were really tired from the long flight from home. I slept early at 930pm till the next morning.

In largest city Auckland, it was more like many cities around the world. However, the pace is much faster than Wellington. There are many Asians, Middle Easterners there. It was more of a cosmopolitan mix. I guess that got to do with the universities there. There were 2 universities, mainly University of Auckland and Auckland University of Technology. That attracted many international students there. There was also a Sky Casino. Hahaha.. We do not need to pay the $100 levy to be in there.

It was really an enjoyable 10 day trip. I will try to give an update of some of the key acitivities we did along the way. I am already missing New Zealand now....