1) Fuel price and fuel discounts
Fuel price in Brisbane fluctuates on a daily basis. What’s important is that generally fuel price tends to be cheaper on Wednesdays than any other day of the week. In addition, by purchasing AUD30 or more in a single receipt you will get a ‘Fuel discount docket’ that can be used through out the week including on Wednesday. With the docket, you are entitled to receive a discount of 4 cents per liter on fuel which is better than no discount at all.
Buying at Woolworth – Discounted docket is for Caltex petrol Station
Buying at Coles – Discounted docket is for shell petrol station
2) Receipts
At the back of your receipt you might get food discounts, bowling discounts, theme park discounts etc. So when you purchase something get your receipt, flip it and have a look if the discount is anything that you need. Sometimes the bus ticket has discounts for white water world and dream world
3) Mega sale
June is a great time to visit Brisbane if you like shopping... every store is on sale everywhere you go especially towards the end of June... you wont regret : ).
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sometimes
sometimes you just need to think of yourself because when you keep thinking of doing things for someone else you tend to suffer
sometimes you get stressed out when things are not going your way
sometimes you need to spend quality time with the person close to you
sometimes you need to find someone else that understands you better
sometimes you feel like telling the whole world your problems so that they can help
sometimes you are just not ready to deal with changes in your life, you are not ready to be a different person
sometimes you think you are doing everything right and everyone else is doing it wrong
sometimes you cant think for yourself and you cant make wise decisions
sometimes you think you have made the worst decision ever in your life and you wonder if that mistake can actually end up being a great experience in the future
sometimes you just need to get away and calm yourself
sometimes everything just doesn't seem right and writing this releases half the burden. ahhhhhhh that feels much better : ).
sometimes you get stressed out when things are not going your way
sometimes you need to spend quality time with the person close to you
sometimes you need to find someone else that understands you better
sometimes you feel like telling the whole world your problems so that they can help
sometimes you are just not ready to deal with changes in your life, you are not ready to be a different person
sometimes you think you are doing everything right and everyone else is doing it wrong
sometimes you cant think for yourself and you cant make wise decisions
sometimes you think you have made the worst decision ever in your life and you wonder if that mistake can actually end up being a great experience in the future
sometimes you just need to get away and calm yourself
sometimes everything just doesn't seem right and writing this releases half the burden. ahhhhhhh that feels much better : ).
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Perak - Malaysia
KUL – GUA TEMPURUNG – TELUK BATIK - KUL
I went to Perak recently with friends and my husband where we stayed for 2 days. Truthfully the first day was great but the second day was what I would call a mini disaster.
First day :- Gua Tempurung
The idea to visit perak was a last minute decision made by all of us with the idea of doing a small adventure trip. Anyway, our quest to conquer Gua Tempurung started with a mini search on what Gua Tempurung has to offer… thus I visited this website http://www.guatempurung.com/ which provided a thorough explanation on what to do, what to bring and a contact number to make reservations.
After browsing the website we uniformly agreed to take tour number 4 (The grand tour) which took us at 3 1/2 – 4 hours of adventure in the cave. For adventure crazy people I would suggest you go for this tour because it encompasses everything, the first stage is climb some steps where the guide will show you some rock formations, second as I vaguely can remember is a trail which has water up to your knee, thirdly you need to duck, then you need to crawl, you will also need to slide and finally enter a small hole which will soak you up to your chest.
We went there on a weekend and the crowd is somewhat appealing thus at some stops we had to wait a little longer for another group to clear till we can move over. Nevertheless I think the whole experience was splendid.
Anyway, back to the start, we woke up at 6am, got our bags packed the night before including our tents and sleeping back for the night, did a final check and started our 2 hours journey to destination. Had a morning stop and had Nasi lemak at R&R Tapah. The idea was to let our tummy digest the food for fear that any of us might need to go to the toilet before entering the cave … there is no toilet in the cave
You have to arrive latest by 9.30am at Gua Tempurung for registration purposes and a brief introduction. Use a plastic bag to wrap your valuables (car keys, camera) and it would be best to bring a water bottle to quench your thirst and PLEASE don’t leave your empty bottles in the cave like what some irresponsible and immature people did.
Anyway, what made the caving exciting was to take it easy, you don’t have to rush in and be the first person inline trying to reach every stop first because at every stop the guide will wait for the last person. So, we were among the last person in the group and because of that we had the chance to take as many pictures as we want along the way….
After our 4 hours of darkness we finally found civilization and came out wet up to our chests. Of course our first destination had to be the cafeteria. Had our shower right after, paid RM1.00 per entry to shower or RM0.40 cents to use the toilet. We brought our own soap and but soap can also be purchased at the toilet for RM0.50 cents. Well, there’s no such thing as free lunch here in Malaysia.
Gua Tempurung – Perak – Malaysia
RM 22 for adults
About 2 hours drive from KL
http://www.guatempurung.com/
Day 2 :- Teluk Batik
All ready for our next adventure, we then continued our journey to Teluk Batik which was about an hour drive from Gua Tempurung, beautiful beach but sad to say its not properly maintained…. How do you expect to attract visitors when rubbish can be seen everywhere, toilets are not properly maintained and empty shop lots are now turned into an unofficial dump site. Oh Malaysians, a simple act of throwing your rubbish in the bin makes a huge different to your surroundings. If only you knew!
Coming back to what happened. We figured to camp at the beach but were perturbed by the whole atmosphere of a big dump site and spotted a fenced camping site where we could bring our car in and make our tent right next to the car… Paid RM8 per head, per night, sounds good but the camping site was a little dirty nevertheless we managed to find a not so bad spot to camp.
It’s a shame that this place is not properly maintained as I see great potential in it. Anyway, We parked our car, found a spot and we build our tent. Everything went lovely till I had to use the toilet… urghhhhhh why didn’t I check on that earlier!! Shower was dirty, one of the toilet had leftover human waste as i can call it since the pump was not working but luckily we found a shower and a toilet that was usable.
When it came for dinner, we brought out our cooker, canister, sardine in the tin, and bread. Although we actually had a choice to buy food at a food stall nearby, we suggested to have a real camping experience… thus our meal was a little dull and my husband’s friend who lived in Perak came and saved our day. He brought in fresh fish, his mom cooked some rice, made some sauce for the fish and because of that the whole toilet incident didn’t bother me until the time came where we had to sleep.
A nearby food stall had a karaoke competition (as it seems) till 1am and right after, there were this group of man noisily accelerating their motorbikes as what we Malaysians call them ‘Mat Rempit’… well that wasn’t all, 3 dogs were spotted on the other side of the fence where one managed to enter through a whole in the fence. I told my husband I do not want to do this kind of stuff at any beach in Malaysia anymore.
Somehow I managed to get my sleep and we woke up in the early morning to perform our Morning prayers. The wind was very strong and not long after it started to rain. My friend and I went in the tent thinking that we were safe from the rain but puddle started to form in the tent so we ran and seek shelter in the car where we actually managed to sleep. Amazingly the guys in the other tent had no problem whatsoever.
After the rain subsided, we packed our stuff, got ready, I vowed not to camp there no more and we headed back to KL with some fruits we bought along the way.
I went to Perak recently with friends and my husband where we stayed for 2 days. Truthfully the first day was great but the second day was what I would call a mini disaster.
First day :- Gua Tempurung
The idea to visit perak was a last minute decision made by all of us with the idea of doing a small adventure trip. Anyway, our quest to conquer Gua Tempurung started with a mini search on what Gua Tempurung has to offer… thus I visited this website http://www.guatempurung.com/ which provided a thorough explanation on what to do, what to bring and a contact number to make reservations.
After browsing the website we uniformly agreed to take tour number 4 (The grand tour) which took us at 3 1/2 – 4 hours of adventure in the cave. For adventure crazy people I would suggest you go for this tour because it encompasses everything, the first stage is climb some steps where the guide will show you some rock formations, second as I vaguely can remember is a trail which has water up to your knee, thirdly you need to duck, then you need to crawl, you will also need to slide and finally enter a small hole which will soak you up to your chest.
We went there on a weekend and the crowd is somewhat appealing thus at some stops we had to wait a little longer for another group to clear till we can move over. Nevertheless I think the whole experience was splendid.
Anyway, back to the start, we woke up at 6am, got our bags packed the night before including our tents and sleeping back for the night, did a final check and started our 2 hours journey to destination. Had a morning stop and had Nasi lemak at R&R Tapah. The idea was to let our tummy digest the food for fear that any of us might need to go to the toilet before entering the cave … there is no toilet in the cave
You have to arrive latest by 9.30am at Gua Tempurung for registration purposes and a brief introduction. Use a plastic bag to wrap your valuables (car keys, camera) and it would be best to bring a water bottle to quench your thirst and PLEASE don’t leave your empty bottles in the cave like what some irresponsible and immature people did.
Anyway, what made the caving exciting was to take it easy, you don’t have to rush in and be the first person inline trying to reach every stop first because at every stop the guide will wait for the last person. So, we were among the last person in the group and because of that we had the chance to take as many pictures as we want along the way….
After our 4 hours of darkness we finally found civilization and came out wet up to our chests. Of course our first destination had to be the cafeteria. Had our shower right after, paid RM1.00 per entry to shower or RM0.40 cents to use the toilet. We brought our own soap and but soap can also be purchased at the toilet for RM0.50 cents. Well, there’s no such thing as free lunch here in Malaysia.
Gua Tempurung – Perak – Malaysia
RM 22 for adults
About 2 hours drive from KL
http://www.guatempurung.com/
Day 2 :- Teluk Batik
All ready for our next adventure, we then continued our journey to Teluk Batik which was about an hour drive from Gua Tempurung, beautiful beach but sad to say its not properly maintained…. How do you expect to attract visitors when rubbish can be seen everywhere, toilets are not properly maintained and empty shop lots are now turned into an unofficial dump site. Oh Malaysians, a simple act of throwing your rubbish in the bin makes a huge different to your surroundings. If only you knew!
Coming back to what happened. We figured to camp at the beach but were perturbed by the whole atmosphere of a big dump site and spotted a fenced camping site where we could bring our car in and make our tent right next to the car… Paid RM8 per head, per night, sounds good but the camping site was a little dirty nevertheless we managed to find a not so bad spot to camp.
It’s a shame that this place is not properly maintained as I see great potential in it. Anyway, We parked our car, found a spot and we build our tent. Everything went lovely till I had to use the toilet… urghhhhhh why didn’t I check on that earlier!! Shower was dirty, one of the toilet had leftover human waste as i can call it since the pump was not working but luckily we found a shower and a toilet that was usable.
When it came for dinner, we brought out our cooker, canister, sardine in the tin, and bread. Although we actually had a choice to buy food at a food stall nearby, we suggested to have a real camping experience… thus our meal was a little dull and my husband’s friend who lived in Perak came and saved our day. He brought in fresh fish, his mom cooked some rice, made some sauce for the fish and because of that the whole toilet incident didn’t bother me until the time came where we had to sleep.
A nearby food stall had a karaoke competition (as it seems) till 1am and right after, there were this group of man noisily accelerating their motorbikes as what we Malaysians call them ‘Mat Rempit’… well that wasn’t all, 3 dogs were spotted on the other side of the fence where one managed to enter through a whole in the fence. I told my husband I do not want to do this kind of stuff at any beach in Malaysia anymore.
Somehow I managed to get my sleep and we woke up in the early morning to perform our Morning prayers. The wind was very strong and not long after it started to rain. My friend and I went in the tent thinking that we were safe from the rain but puddle started to form in the tent so we ran and seek shelter in the car where we actually managed to sleep. Amazingly the guys in the other tent had no problem whatsoever.
After the rain subsided, we packed our stuff, got ready, I vowed not to camp there no more and we headed back to KL with some fruits we bought along the way.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Get a 'REAL' job
A few days ago my sister's house in Taman Tun got broken into at 10a.m , this crazy people does the job in the morning too. Yeah nothing could be done now, The so called Malaysian CSI team came to the house about 6 hours after the crime has been committed and the silly thing was, you have to make a police report first before the police can come to your house and investigate and the problem with that is, in the police report you have to state your losses and how could that be done unless you contaminate the crime scene aiyoooo
moving on, they eventually arrive WITHOUT a plastic bag to store in evidence that can be brought to the lab for further investigation hmmm that wasnt enough! the best thing is yet to come.... so they came, looked through some stuff but they were not wearing gloves. hmmmmm i guess i got to carried away from watching CSI on TV and I have expected something similar in Malaysia : )....
So now, you can't turn back time but what can you learn from it??
Lesson 1 :- Inform your neighbors that you are leaving town
Lesson 2 :- You should use a timer for lights - (My sister left the porch light on without a timer so when someone passes the house in the morning they know no one is in the house because the porch light is still on)
Lesson 3 :- Lock your bin from the inside ( They entered through the bin door)
Lesson 4 :- Lock all your room doors ( They might get in eventually but at least that buys time
Lesson 5 :- Store your valuables at a secure place - give it to a family member or hide it where you wont expect them to find
The good news is that Rafa's favorite toy Mr snail being the only witness to this crime is still smiling and alive
moving on, they eventually arrive WITHOUT a plastic bag to store in evidence that can be brought to the lab for further investigation hmmm that wasnt enough! the best thing is yet to come.... so they came, looked through some stuff but they were not wearing gloves. hmmmmm i guess i got to carried away from watching CSI on TV and I have expected something similar in Malaysia : )....
So now, you can't turn back time but what can you learn from it??
Lesson 1 :- Inform your neighbors that you are leaving town
Lesson 2 :- You should use a timer for lights - (My sister left the porch light on without a timer so when someone passes the house in the morning they know no one is in the house because the porch light is still on)
Lesson 3 :- Lock your bin from the inside ( They entered through the bin door)
Lesson 4 :- Lock all your room doors ( They might get in eventually but at least that buys time
Lesson 5 :- Store your valuables at a secure place - give it to a family member or hide it where you wont expect them to find
The good news is that Rafa's favorite toy Mr snail being the only witness to this crime is still smiling and alive
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Sabah - Kota Kinabalu
7 enjoyable April days in Sabah from the 21st - 28th.
1st day (21st April)
My husband and I Arrived at 8 in the morning at the KK airport and had my friend picked us up at the airport (thanks Tamimi and She). we then went straight to cik lin's house where we stayed for 2 nights... as im writing this i keep on remembering cik lin's sambal terung and masak lemak udang... the best i have ever tasted... cik lin nak makan sambal terung lagi : )..
moving on, we went for a walk at warisan square to do some last minute shopping for any additional items we might need for our climb the next day.
our second destination was to Dataran Merdeka to make a taxi booking to bring us to Mt Kinabalu. The Driver will pick us up from home at 6am and drive us for 2 hours to Mt Kinabalu for RM150 one way.
2nd and 3rd day (22nd – 23rd)
We arrived, we Climbed and we conquered Mt Kinabalu!!!! YEAYYYYY!!! undeterred by light showers and strong wind in the early morning, we continued on with the climb and we reached the peak! alhamdulillah (all praises and thanks to Allah)
4th day (24th)
Regardless of certain parts of our body that were aching we still planned a short trip to Pulau Manukan. welll what can i say but that i was not amazed by this beach. the journey began with us using cik lin's car ( my friends aunties' car), parked at Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park and our starting point was at jeselton ferry terminal in search for a boat ride to bring us to the island. The boat ride cost RM25 per person return and an additional RM3 for locals and around RM10 for foreigners to be paid upon arriving at the jetty.
I did plan to go snorkeling but I didn't bring my own snorkel gear and the thought of using a snorkel that has been used by some random strangers is not for me. anyhow, the boat man charged RM10 for a snorkeling mask and an additional RM10 for flippers... BUT when we arrived at the Island, he offered the mask AND the flippers for RM10.... don't fall for their tricks.
after the beach escape, we went to have dinner opposite Le marridien hotel at those stalls i cant remember the name. and this was what we had... the ever so popular sabah's chicken wings
On the 4th day, we checked in a room at Le marridien in KK primarily because the 'famous' shops (Filipino Market and Warisan Square) were just a walking distance away. Filipino market to me was kinda boring because the souvenirs does not show the true sabah identity and instead, I can still find it in KL with around the same price.
My Husband and I ended up looking for stuff at warisan square and found this souvenir shop where we bought a handful of stuff and the sales person gave us a 10% discount on all of he items we purchased.
5th day (25th)
On the 5th day it was rest and relax for us, need to give our body a rest. so we walked over to warisan square and decided to try a foot massage RM40 for 60minutes.
6th, 7th and 8th day (26th – 28th)
Enough wondering around the city we packed our bags and headed to nexus karambunai. styed there for 2 nights and thinking about it now, we should have stayed at nexus from the start since nexus provides loads of activities that will keep you occupied furthermore, it provides a shuttle bus to warisan square if you wish to visit warisan square from there.
below are some activities that the resort offers:-
We had a swim at the beach, spend some time relaxing by the pool and tried batik painting. that was actually a short 2 days at nexus and without realizing it, it was time for us to depart back to KL...
Had our flight very early in the morning and the resort gave us a takeaway breakfast in a box which consists of a sandwich and some fruits.
TOP TIPS:- ... to plan your trip i wouldn't suggest you make the same mistake as what we did, we planned an early flight, so our transport from home on the taxi costs us RM 100 instead of the usual RM75 to the airport. the same thing happened from nexus to KK airport, we had to pay RM112 instead of RM 75 after 6am.
Packing essentials- sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
1st day (21st April)
My husband and I Arrived at 8 in the morning at the KK airport and had my friend picked us up at the airport (thanks Tamimi and She). we then went straight to cik lin's house where we stayed for 2 nights... as im writing this i keep on remembering cik lin's sambal terung and masak lemak udang... the best i have ever tasted... cik lin nak makan sambal terung lagi : )..
moving on, we went for a walk at warisan square to do some last minute shopping for any additional items we might need for our climb the next day.
our second destination was to Dataran Merdeka to make a taxi booking to bring us to Mt Kinabalu. The Driver will pick us up from home at 6am and drive us for 2 hours to Mt Kinabalu for RM150 one way.
2nd and 3rd day (22nd – 23rd)
We arrived, we Climbed and we conquered Mt Kinabalu!!!! YEAYYYYY!!! undeterred by light showers and strong wind in the early morning, we continued on with the climb and we reached the peak! alhamdulillah (all praises and thanks to Allah)
4th day (24th)
Regardless of certain parts of our body that were aching we still planned a short trip to Pulau Manukan. welll what can i say but that i was not amazed by this beach. the journey began with us using cik lin's car ( my friends aunties' car), parked at Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park and our starting point was at jeselton ferry terminal in search for a boat ride to bring us to the island. The boat ride cost RM25 per person return and an additional RM3 for locals and around RM10 for foreigners to be paid upon arriving at the jetty.
I did plan to go snorkeling but I didn't bring my own snorkel gear and the thought of using a snorkel that has been used by some random strangers is not for me. anyhow, the boat man charged RM10 for a snorkeling mask and an additional RM10 for flippers... BUT when we arrived at the Island, he offered the mask AND the flippers for RM10.... don't fall for their tricks.
after the beach escape, we went to have dinner opposite Le marridien hotel at those stalls i cant remember the name. and this was what we had... the ever so popular sabah's chicken wings
On the 4th day, we checked in a room at Le marridien in KK primarily because the 'famous' shops (Filipino Market and Warisan Square) were just a walking distance away. Filipino market to me was kinda boring because the souvenirs does not show the true sabah identity and instead, I can still find it in KL with around the same price.
My Husband and I ended up looking for stuff at warisan square and found this souvenir shop where we bought a handful of stuff and the sales person gave us a 10% discount on all of he items we purchased.
5th day (25th)
On the 5th day it was rest and relax for us, need to give our body a rest. so we walked over to warisan square and decided to try a foot massage RM40 for 60minutes.
6th, 7th and 8th day (26th – 28th)
Enough wondering around the city we packed our bags and headed to nexus karambunai. styed there for 2 nights and thinking about it now, we should have stayed at nexus from the start since nexus provides loads of activities that will keep you occupied furthermore, it provides a shuttle bus to warisan square if you wish to visit warisan square from there.
below are some activities that the resort offers:-
We had a swim at the beach, spend some time relaxing by the pool and tried batik painting. that was actually a short 2 days at nexus and without realizing it, it was time for us to depart back to KL...
Had our flight very early in the morning and the resort gave us a takeaway breakfast in a box which consists of a sandwich and some fruits.
TOP TIPS:- ... to plan your trip i wouldn't suggest you make the same mistake as what we did, we planned an early flight, so our transport from home on the taxi costs us RM 100 instead of the usual RM75 to the airport. the same thing happened from nexus to KK airport, we had to pay RM112 instead of RM 75 after 6am.
Packing essentials- sunscreen, hat, sunglasses
Saturday, August 1, 2009
New Zealand - North Island (Part 4 of 4)
22nd nov – 11th dec 08
AUCKLAND – ROTORUA – TAUPO – ROTORUA - AUCKLAND
I should continue writing on the things I did in New Zealand from my last visit last November.
Transportation
For transportation, the cheapest at that time for 5 of us was to rent a car at Hertz, go online to see cheap bargains and be careful of the hidden cost you have to know that as well.
Accommodation
We Pre booked our accommodation online at ‘x base’ Rotorua for NZ26pp a night. The rooms were great since they just made a major renovation so everything there is somewhat new. We checked in a room with 3 double Decker beds complete with a toilet and a shower in the room.
Enough cooking utensils in the kitchen, fridge and oven is provided. Of course you have to clean your own plates and cooking pots after you have used it with the provided liquid detergent.
Below is our tasty backpacker meal made in this spacious kitchen
ROTORUA
Once in Rotorua our first stop was the I-center (Information Centre), The Information center provides adventure packages that you could purchase and we bought all our activity packages from there.
1) Our discounted ‘Zorb’ activity costs us NZD 44 (5 dollar discount)
2) 2 ‘luge rides’, ‘return gondola ride’ and ‘sky swing ride’ for NZD45 for all three
3) ‘Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland’ and ‘Waimangu’ package for NZD55 for both
4) Sky Dive and Bungee package for NZD423 ( This is in Taupo)
5) Huka falls (Free)
1) Zorb ride
My Zorb experience was great which left me wanting for more. The NZD44 is for one ride which is one roll down the hill inside a giant inflatable ball. There are 2 options for you to choose from:-
a) The Zorbit is a dry roll down the hill in a zig-zag manner where you will be securely strapped to the ball which provides a slightly longer route than Zydro. But because you are strapped you will end up having a mild headache at the end of the ride because of the ongoing tumble down the hill. ( based on a friend’s experience)
b) Unlike Zorbit, Zydro just by its name gives you the idea of water and so it is. I find this more exciting as around 10 liters of water will be added in your ball, you won’t be strapped so you have the luxury of slipping and doing somersaults down the hill and above all that you can choose have 2 of your friends to join in the experience with you.
My brother and I tried our best to keep on standing but as you can see it was a complete failure : ).
Zorb Location: - located next to the Agrodome, western road, rotorua
Phone: - 07 357 5100
Freecall:- 0800 22 74 74
Min age :- 6 years old
Website:- This website is so cute and sure has all your questions answered
www.zorb.co.nz/
2) Gondola + 2 Luge rides + sky swing
For our second adventure package, we arrived at the gondola ride about 30minutes after it has opened, Rode on the gondolo which was the only way to get on the top and from there we choose to go on the luge first. Because we there were 2 tracks to choose from and we were allowed 2 rides so we tried each one.
The scenic track has a longer route and from its name it is obvious that it provides attractive view as you go down the hill on your luge, a few pit stops along the way for you to get down and take pictures. We went very early and we could stop on the track to take pictures. Of course we wouldn’t have done it if there were others on the track as that would spell chaos.
The adventure track on the other hand,was shorter in distance and the track are bumpier as compared to the first. Nevertheless it was a great ride for all of us as we tried to race one another down the track. after each luge ride, this hanging swing will take use back up
Website:- http://www.skylineskyrides.co.nz/
after the awesome luge adventure we proceeded to tryout the sky swing. You will be seated in a ball like seat with two others, they will first pull you up and with the count to three, they will give you a signal to pull a string and with that you get to swing and swing. It was a scary ride for me and i kept holding the hand rail through out the ride.
3) Wai-O-Tapu + Waimangu
a) Our first visit was to Wai-O-Tapu because we had to see the eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts once a day at 10.15am. If you are late, say good bye and come another day. After listening to an introduction and watching the eruption we went inside wai-o-tapu
Here you will have the chance to see a colorful volcanic environment which is absolutely amazing. the color formation, the different volcanic environment is just something you dont see everyday. Bring your own drinking water for your own convenience as you will walk around the area at your own pace . Read more or what Wai-O-Taou can offer from the website.
Website:- http://www.geyserland.co.nz/
Opening Hours: 8:30 am – 5:00pm Daily (last admission 3:45 pm)
b) Next on the same day as our wai-o-tapu visit, we visited Waimangu Volcanic Valley. which is another beautiful tourist destination that new Zealand has to offer. To experience this you can walk on the tracks provided which can take 45 minutes on the walkway and if you get exhausted along the way you can catch the bus which will bring you to lake Rotomahana., Here you have an option to get on the boat cruise which wasn't my option because we were so tired after all that walking, and the weather didn't help.
So i would suggest visit those places during winter NOT summer because the intense heat from the sun and the additional heat from the formations was dreadful. We tried walking at first and ended up hailing the bus and back to the counter. I DO think it’s a good idea to visit both Wai-O-Tapu and Waimangu during winter.
Waimangu Location:- 587 Waimangu Road
Rotorua 3043
Website:- http://www.waimangu.co.nz/
TAUPO
We had a daily visit to taupo to perform our 4th activity – Sky dive and bungee. We arrived 30 minutes earlier than our supposedly arrival tome the reason being so we get the feel and be prepared to perform this 15000 feet dive. It actually was a good idea because upon arrival we had to fill in forms, get into our uniform and had some extra time to take some photos while gearing up.
The dive was incredible and the view of the earth as you head down was astonishingly stunning. The package comes with a free exit photo and a video of you getting ready and going on the plane and safely landed. Anyone who wish to have a personal video and pictures taken of themselves as they are gliding in the sky will incure additional costs.
After the dive, took our free video ( came together with our package), we got a little dizzy so we went to get something to munch, had some rest, calm ourselves and went for our next activity – The bungee jump. Taupo is a great place to do bungee simply because it has this beautiful view that you can see once you are up there waiting to jump and the beautiful sparkling water down under. I would not do bungee if it was concrete , im just worried the rope might extend too much : )...
Bungee jump was scarier than sky dive to me because you are on your own. Sky dive you are attached to instructor and you have a parachute, bungee on the other hand is you doing it yourselves jumping from a certain height with a rope tied to your ankle. We got a free video which came with our bungee package and we had our friend to snap some photos.
Sky dive location-
Freefall Skydive
Anzac Memorial Drive
Taupo Airport
Taupo
Website:- http://www.freefall.net.nz/
Website:- http://www.taupobungy.co.nz/
5) after all the adventure in a day, we eased our mind listening to the water falls and have a great look at the crystal clear water of the falls.
AUCKLAND – ROTORUA – TAUPO – ROTORUA - AUCKLAND
I should continue writing on the things I did in New Zealand from my last visit last November.
Transportation
For transportation, the cheapest at that time for 5 of us was to rent a car at Hertz, go online to see cheap bargains and be careful of the hidden cost you have to know that as well.
Accommodation
We Pre booked our accommodation online at ‘x base’ Rotorua for NZ26pp a night. The rooms were great since they just made a major renovation so everything there is somewhat new. We checked in a room with 3 double Decker beds complete with a toilet and a shower in the room.
Enough cooking utensils in the kitchen, fridge and oven is provided. Of course you have to clean your own plates and cooking pots after you have used it with the provided liquid detergent.
Below is our tasty backpacker meal made in this spacious kitchen
ROTORUA
Once in Rotorua our first stop was the I-center (Information Centre), The Information center provides adventure packages that you could purchase and we bought all our activity packages from there.
1) Our discounted ‘Zorb’ activity costs us NZD 44 (5 dollar discount)
2) 2 ‘luge rides’, ‘return gondola ride’ and ‘sky swing ride’ for NZD45 for all three
3) ‘Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland’ and ‘Waimangu’ package for NZD55 for both
4) Sky Dive and Bungee package for NZD423 ( This is in Taupo)
5) Huka falls (Free)
1) Zorb ride
My Zorb experience was great which left me wanting for more. The NZD44 is for one ride which is one roll down the hill inside a giant inflatable ball. There are 2 options for you to choose from:-
a) The Zorbit is a dry roll down the hill in a zig-zag manner where you will be securely strapped to the ball which provides a slightly longer route than Zydro. But because you are strapped you will end up having a mild headache at the end of the ride because of the ongoing tumble down the hill. ( based on a friend’s experience)
b) Unlike Zorbit, Zydro just by its name gives you the idea of water and so it is. I find this more exciting as around 10 liters of water will be added in your ball, you won’t be strapped so you have the luxury of slipping and doing somersaults down the hill and above all that you can choose have 2 of your friends to join in the experience with you.
My brother and I tried our best to keep on standing but as you can see it was a complete failure : ).
Zorb Location: - located next to the Agrodome, western road, rotorua
Phone: - 07 357 5100
Freecall:- 0800 22 74 74
Min age :- 6 years old
Website:- This website is so cute and sure has all your questions answered
www.zorb.co.nz/
2) Gondola + 2 Luge rides + sky swing
For our second adventure package, we arrived at the gondola ride about 30minutes after it has opened, Rode on the gondolo which was the only way to get on the top and from there we choose to go on the luge first. Because we there were 2 tracks to choose from and we were allowed 2 rides so we tried each one.
The scenic track has a longer route and from its name it is obvious that it provides attractive view as you go down the hill on your luge, a few pit stops along the way for you to get down and take pictures. We went very early and we could stop on the track to take pictures. Of course we wouldn’t have done it if there were others on the track as that would spell chaos.
The adventure track on the other hand,was shorter in distance and the track are bumpier as compared to the first. Nevertheless it was a great ride for all of us as we tried to race one another down the track. after each luge ride, this hanging swing will take use back up
Website:- http://www.skylineskyrides.co.nz/
after the awesome luge adventure we proceeded to tryout the sky swing. You will be seated in a ball like seat with two others, they will first pull you up and with the count to three, they will give you a signal to pull a string and with that you get to swing and swing. It was a scary ride for me and i kept holding the hand rail through out the ride.
3) Wai-O-Tapu + Waimangu
a) Our first visit was to Wai-O-Tapu because we had to see the eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts once a day at 10.15am. If you are late, say good bye and come another day. After listening to an introduction and watching the eruption we went inside wai-o-tapu
Here you will have the chance to see a colorful volcanic environment which is absolutely amazing. the color formation, the different volcanic environment is just something you dont see everyday. Bring your own drinking water for your own convenience as you will walk around the area at your own pace . Read more or what Wai-O-Taou can offer from the website.
Website:- http://www.geyserland.co.nz/
Opening Hours: 8:30 am – 5:00pm Daily (last admission 3:45 pm)
b) Next on the same day as our wai-o-tapu visit, we visited Waimangu Volcanic Valley. which is another beautiful tourist destination that new Zealand has to offer. To experience this you can walk on the tracks provided which can take 45 minutes on the walkway and if you get exhausted along the way you can catch the bus which will bring you to lake Rotomahana., Here you have an option to get on the boat cruise which wasn't my option because we were so tired after all that walking, and the weather didn't help.
So i would suggest visit those places during winter NOT summer because the intense heat from the sun and the additional heat from the formations was dreadful. We tried walking at first and ended up hailing the bus and back to the counter. I DO think it’s a good idea to visit both Wai-O-Tapu and Waimangu during winter.
Waimangu Location:- 587 Waimangu Road
Rotorua 3043
Website:- http://www.waimangu.co.nz/
TAUPO
We had a daily visit to taupo to perform our 4th activity – Sky dive and bungee. We arrived 30 minutes earlier than our supposedly arrival tome the reason being so we get the feel and be prepared to perform this 15000 feet dive. It actually was a good idea because upon arrival we had to fill in forms, get into our uniform and had some extra time to take some photos while gearing up.
The dive was incredible and the view of the earth as you head down was astonishingly stunning. The package comes with a free exit photo and a video of you getting ready and going on the plane and safely landed. Anyone who wish to have a personal video and pictures taken of themselves as they are gliding in the sky will incure additional costs.
After the dive, took our free video ( came together with our package), we got a little dizzy so we went to get something to munch, had some rest, calm ourselves and went for our next activity – The bungee jump. Taupo is a great place to do bungee simply because it has this beautiful view that you can see once you are up there waiting to jump and the beautiful sparkling water down under. I would not do bungee if it was concrete , im just worried the rope might extend too much : )...
Bungee jump was scarier than sky dive to me because you are on your own. Sky dive you are attached to instructor and you have a parachute, bungee on the other hand is you doing it yourselves jumping from a certain height with a rope tied to your ankle. We got a free video which came with our bungee package and we had our friend to snap some photos.
Sky dive location-
Freefall Skydive
Anzac Memorial Drive
Taupo Airport
Taupo
Website:- http://www.freefall.net.nz/
Website:- http://www.taupobungy.co.nz/
5) after all the adventure in a day, we eased our mind listening to the water falls and have a great look at the crystal clear water of the falls.
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