Continuing to Mt M. & Rotorua

MOUNT MANGANUI

Soon after three weeks of consecutive interactions with all forms of Kiwis, we decided that we wouldn't contain our excitement anymore but to begin part two of our trip-to travel. Besides, most of our friends had or planned to move on already so we thought might as well lift the light spirit higher and have fun all together! Our route were slightly more complex than general backpackers in NZ because we were accommodating to a couple other friend's travel dates so that we could travel together. Time is of an essence... So I wouldn't advice anybody to follow the sequence of my travel and please pardon the messy sequence.

Firstly, we headed to Mt Manganui and then was the start of our buffet craze but i'll come back to that again. We met a pair of loving Malaysians outside a restaurant and started a conversation until the end of dinner. We felt welcome on our first day and thought that the night couldn't get any better with their company. The pair shared with us lots of personal life stories that were engaging and even offered to bring us around in their car the next day. For the next few days S & P brought us on a mini tour around tauranga, invited us to their house and brought us to visit their newly bought section at welcome bay. Even until today, i'm still marveled at the kind of relationship we've forged, they treated us like their grandchildren and they called/texted every there and then until our last day in NZ. They even pre-invited our families over to their place to stay the next time we visit. The pair of old folks were so precious, they certainly were a great part of my great wonders in NZ.

Not forgetting our hike up the perfect scenery Mt Managanui, we stayed up there the whole afternoon to enjoy our mini picnic, spend some therapeutic time writing postcards to our loved ones and relax at the tip top of the mount with our story books until winter got colder in the evening. It was a perfect Sunday being in awe of His wonders.

1.Sunrise 2.Sea shells picking at the beach 3.Aging couples watching the scenery 4.Almost the peak of Mt M. 5.Golden Kiwis for picnic 6.Brunch at Cafe Eighty Eight

ROTORUA

Next, the bus brought us to the place that smells like fart. It has intimidating geothermal activities, relaxing hot spring to soak in, 16 lakes and a city rich in the Maori culture. O and it seems like a pretty good place for buffets too! In ten days we had 4 buffets-Indian, Mongolian, Chinese and Hangi. We were staffed to almost death but i'm proud to say that we have such adaptable tastebuds and invincible elastic stomachs. I rank that week best, including the activities we did like the 7m(highest commercialize)White Water Rafting, Maori Tour, Hells Gate(Mud spa), Waikite Valley Thermal Pools, hiked The Redwoods, hitch hiked around and visited the Musuem at the Government's Garden. Besides, we even experienced working for accommodation which was pretty good considering that Rotorua has the best YHA. Soon enough, we fell in love with that city despite of the occasional pungent.

But we knew that there were more waiting for us to venture to, so we left Rotorua with all good and fun experiences locked in our memories, as we travelled down to Napier the Art Deco City then to Wellington the Capital-which i will continue in the next post.

Blogging about NZ is always so amazing, memories are so vivid, it's as though i've been teleported back to the country full of lovely people and sceneries all over again... As for now, it's bed time because school has officially began. Have a great day, we're half way through the working week! Cheers!

1.Lake Rotorua 2.Government's Garden 3.Maori Village Tour 4.Hangi Meal 5.Latin American food at Sabroso Restaurant

Photos by HuiZhen & Myself

CHEESE(;

First Month of The Adventure.

Firstly, may i apologize for the possibly longest hiatus ever. Back packing in New Zealand has officially ended and I have had the craziest time of my life meeting all sorts of people from all over the globe, understanding cultures (especially Maori) from tours, interactions with the locals and working with them in the same orchid and factory. Never thought that I would ever do more grocery shopping than any, and even finding fun skating away on trolleys looking out for the best deals or promotions on the shelves.

The trip started off with a week in Auckland looking for jobs, sending emails for job availability, trying to grasp a bit of the lifestyles of the kiwis and extremely curious about the maori culture. Other than that, we were just being typical tourists doing impulsive shopping, snapping pictures of every other leaves that are not green and feeling fortunate about the perfect (pre-winter) temperature in Auckland.

Due to the lack of input on this space and overwhelming output NZ has drowned me with, i find it a little confusing as to how i should even continue blogging. So, i'm thinking maybe i will just post as my emotions and memories in NZ flow. I hope to share with you the magnificent sceneries and extraordinary experiences i've had throughout the pass 2.5 months.

AUCKLAND

That was a day at Mount Eden, then to Alleluya cafe for the brunch menu in the evening and our journey around was as though we were on a walkathon-the horribly sad fate of my feet. The view there was alright, it felt similar to being up on Mount Faber in Singapore, but knowing that we're on a volcano and technically the highest non-manmade point in Auckland made the walk all worth it. That was the born of our fruit on a mountain top "tradition" which lasted for as long as we had fruits stocked up in our bags. 

OPOTIKI

It was our second destination, one small town where you could walk through in an estimated ten minutes (and i mean at an average walking speed). We stayed there for as long as we could earn some money and gained insane experiences and strength during the kiwi season-picking at orchids, packing and grading in factories. In a week at the orchid with my hands up picking 2-3 kiwis in each hands and a bag weighing 30kg in front (like a mama kangaroo) for 6 hours on average each day, my body grew tough and big. That one, i promise, is an once in a life time experience. Never in my life am i ever going to try working in an orchid again. 

The locals would puff away early in the morning, following with a smoke of weed to give them a boost of energy before the tough work begins and to keep them warm in winter. In a full car with windows that were slightly wind down, the mind instantly switched to the thought of my poor lungs. How it would slowly fade into a dark colour as a second hand smoker… 

The cycle repeated itself until we received a call from the factory after a week. Anything out of the orchid and out of the car made us really excited and thankful. Being able to work at the factory was like a miracle for us since they told us that the possibility of getting a place during the peak season was almost zero. Other factory workers would look at me and wonder about my joy and excitement since all we really do is pack kiwis into boxes for 10 hours everyday. But all understood as soon as i told them what i was trying to do previously.

At the factory, we met a big group of chinese mostly from china and malaysia-fellow backpackers on working holiday visa. They were a great bunch of people that made us feel welcome and in less than two weeks, friendship has been built. Despite a few random and weird (people related) incidents during our stay in Opotiki, I could never be anymore thankful for the people who have helped us and made life less difficult in an environment that we city girls were so foreign to.

During days when there was rain or no work, the library was our crib. Where we claimed our sanity. As well as the coexist hub. Other off days, we went to the bay of plenty to blow sea breeze, warf to watch sunset and borrow G's car to Whakatane with our first friends, P&M. Thankful for their company if not we may blame life for being too cruel.

Despite of the tough times we've had in Opotiki, it has still accommodated us and we certainly missed the community there. The locals were friendly and kind towards us even though we've self invited ourselves into their territory, used their public library free wifi and took up positions in their factory. 

The future will come as I return to recollect my memories and possibly create more. Seeya!

Basically, these are the brief events that happened in Auckland and Opotiki during our first month in New Zealand. There were certainly more details along the way but some are for me to forget and the rest to lock it in my heart. As for the rest of the journey, i'll continue in the next posts! Cheers! (It's the kiwi's favorite word)

CHEESE(; 

(not forgetting my own favorite word)

Urban

This is another day in Opotiki while i reminisce my days in the urban district.

Along the street of Karangahape is where this vintage store lies. Most people know how bright i light up when i come across a vintage store, especially in a foreign place. These stores gives me a sense of familiarity and i just love the smell of the aging clothing, shoes and bags. It's a little strange but it's so comforting.

Vintage, craft and tea isn't exactly like those sort of stores that collects everything vintage, or thrifted, but the owner picks out just a few of a different kind of vintage clothing that she likes. It's mostly like her collection of clothing that she wants to share with people who has the same liking as her. I'm sure she gets customers that recognizes her store for her range of interesting and precious vintage collections. It feels as though she's living a girl's dream to set up a store that has her favorite clothing, pretty-artsy notebooks and a cup of tea for people who knows how to live life. 

The day continues on as a tourist, everything a little bit more fascinating than the ones at home, we stop for a picture. 

When we finally made our way through the park, supposedly the shorter way to the central district, we found our oyster bar. Depot eatery serves fresh-salty-ocean oyster ever. I mean, it's not like i'm even a food critic but i'm confident of making a distinction of the "ah, this is fresh and okay" ones from the "oh man, this is FRESH AND REAL". It was awakening and the best starter for the rest of the meal. The fish for the main course tasted like an indian cuisine which i absolutely enjoyed but i didn't expect such flavors in an oyster bar in new zealand. Everything at depot was fresh and exciting. 

The day ended well with all the amazing finds and it rounded off even better after getting a taste of the nightlife at the social bar along Ponsonby. The local beer was enough to keep us warm while we journey back to Freeman's, down the slopes only. That's a picture that we took with a warm and friendly kiwi that we chatted a bit with on the streets. 

CHEESE(;

Auckland City-Day1

 Now that i have settled down a bit in new zealand, i can finally try to coexist. It has been a week in Auckland city and the weather is almost perfect over here. Although the day ends earlier since it's almost into the winter season but there was still enough sun to help us find our way back to our hostel. The backpackers hostel that we lived in during our stay in Auckland was really good. Freemans Lodge is a pretty homely place where people are mostly friendly and outgoing. The free wifi allowed us to send tons of emails out for job applications and we could search our ways around to visit around the city. Additionally, the kitchens and toilets are considered clean and good for living in hostels. Infact, it was so good that me and my cousin were afraid that we wouldn't be able to accept the others as we continue our journey down south. I don't want to miss you, Freemans. 

The focus of this picture is definitely not about me getting excited over a tree trunk but the camouflage patterns on the trunk. It was one of the most amusing things i saw after the beautiful leaves seen along Wellington St, outside Freeman's. Isn't the trunk something interesting? 

O yea, one other thing about the city is that there are so many slopes that you have to conquer. I actually think Freeman's was build on a valley which means in every direction we head to, we always have to climb uphill. So when we get to the CBD area we'd look for treats like this deep fried cheese churros (that is still making my mouth water just looking and thinking about the time we shared). I am sure to get a few more tries when i return to auckland city in July. Wait for me, Churros.

We continued our journey around the CBD area along queens street and we were looking for a place to settle our dinner, hoping to walk into one with a slight crowd. But the thing is that there isn't many people around and the city isn't that happening during the weekdays so we decided to let our senses make the call. Nearing the end of the street, we found a mexican restaurant with hipster graphic designs on the brick wall and really fresh food behind the counter. Hoho. Look at the cheese towering like the volcanos around. California Burrito was it.

Then, it was a happy first day already.

 I was scooting around on the trolley in New World (the common supermarket in NZ) to get breakfasts and dinners for the week in Auckland. And Z was so happy when we reach the cheese section. Look at how satisfied she is with her brilliant idea to use margarin to cook instead of getting oil, since it was more convenient and pocket friendly. But the 10 litres well that i impulsively decided on getting before checking if there was a water dispenser in the hostel had Z furious to the maximum. She was so unwilling to drag the grocery bags back up and down the slopes back to our hostel because of my (water) buffalo bad decision. I'm sorry ya.

Although it was a tiring and enduring walk back to the hostel in the cold night without our coats, it was still quite entertaining listening to Z whine away like a big baby. Overall, it was quite a good and productive day 1 because we think that we may have finished the main street in the city.

*Photos by HuiZhen & I

CHEESE(;

Stripeology

For the past few weeks before school ended, this was what i was working on. My specialism project, which was to create a garment through upcycling methods. With the concept of "Space on Earth"- stiffness of the garment and the pin tucks detailed high neck that feels like an astronaut suit, being on earth which consists mostly of water, leading to the aqartic influence… 

Er, i hope you can grasp the brief idea.

Moving on, the few pre-loved clothing that were converted into this(two piece) garment are the diving suit, cashmere sweater, aquatic printed boxer, ties and a peplum top. They are actually materials that don't really suit the all-time summer season in Singapore but i guess it's still workable since most places have AC. However, it still wasn't exactly cool to do the photo shoot outdoor when the sun rays were penetrating through the garment, and almost through me. Thank goodness it wasn't another model that had to do the shoot for me if not i would feel so terrible about my own work. (I almost melted in the garment.)

Anyway, the project wouldn't turn out as pleasing as i wished if i didn't have the help from Zhi Wei(photographer) and Sandy Ee(makeup artist). They made this project turn out more professional than it should have been if i had to do it all by myself. Thank God for amazing talents who were very kind to help.

I hope you like it!

CHEESE(;

May, i've missed you

Hebe's here, May is here.

The air is fresh and the the birds are free.

School's out, let's scream and shout, it's time for a party theme!

Ok

I thought i was going to be excited to party but my senses are telling me to chill bananas instead.

Maybe a trip to an art cafe to paint with a friend or do (bad) portraits for people at 10cents in 1 minute.

 Just a few things i want to do before i work and travel at NZ.

Unfortunately, i haven gotten enough of canvases and painting from school.

Anw

The houndstooth blazer is starting to make me feel comfortable after keeping it warm in my cupboard for a year since my last trip to LA. It's quite __ because there are still a couple more clothing bought since last year that i haven worn. I don't know why i never pulled them out of the wardrobe too.

Here

Are some accessories that are sentimental to me, mostly pass down from different old people with different stories of their jewelries. The gold patent bracelet has the ten commandments and every word is well inscribed. It probably is the most meaningful jewelry i own thus far. I mean, really, it's the ten commandments right. What can beat it.

Trousers-Uniqlo, Blazer-Forever21, Boots-Aus, Bag-Coach, Vintage accessories

TGIF!

Although tgif doesn't really gets me excited because for three months it's just going to be HOLIDAY. But i wish you all a happy last day at work and remember to do all things in love!

CHEESE(;