Milford Sound

14th December 2007 / 10.30am

This is the breathtaking Milford Sound – you can literally lost yourself in this picturesque fiord. It is a sight to behold with dramatic falls and mystic clouds far and wide.

It’s a kind of surrounding that you can amuse yourself with thoughts of swinging swords, side by side with Jack Sparrow against the “heartless” Davy Jones on the infamous cursed Black Pearl. Hmmm…for the young ones, you may want to swap Depp with Bloom. Ok, snap out of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” snippet and back to the intent of this entry…which is the Milford Sound…hee hee hee…

Milford Sound, despite the name, is actually a fiord. It’s spectacular scenery with waterfalls, towering cliffs, soaring mountains, remnant glaciers and wildlife makes a visit unforgettable. Nell was overjoyed with the glimpses of dolphins jumping in and out of the water. Liz... hmmm… was more into the bento set we ordered during the cruise, nevertheless, amused with the pod of dolphins flashing by. Whilst it’s a challenge trying to take a good photo of the fast in and out act from the dolphins, the seals got the best angle shots – sunbathing with cute little faces looking up to the curious onlookers like us....cute eh?

I was so immersed in the beauty and serenity of Milford outside the boat and had forgotten to take turn with Old man to accompany the girls inside. Well, what is new, Old man, came out whining about it….hahahahhahahhahaa

This is definitely a place not to be missed in New Zealand. The beauty of this place can even be seen before you reach the fiord – one of the most scenic drive thru out our trip. “2 thumbs up for Milford Sound”

The captain said we were lucky that it was a rainy day and we get to see a lot of waterfalls... some luck eh?


Liz and her Bento set... yum yum...


This is one of the 2 falls that the cruise got real close to...



More water falls, The Four Sisters (one is slightly hidden from view).

Deer Park Heights (and some rude friends)

13th December 2007 / Morning

Deer Park Heights is an 800 hectare safari teaming mainly with herbivors, some friendly, some not really so, i'll get into it in a short bit.

Among them are Deer (duh...), Bison, Goats, Sheep, Alpacas, Llamas, Kune kune (pig of Asian ancestry), Miniature Horses etc.

Deer Park was one of The Lord of The Rings's filming locations. Also, Walt Disney's "The Rescue" film-set is still there.

There wasn't anyone manning the entrance, just drive up to the gate, insert NZ20 note and the barrier will be lifted. It's free if you are on foot.

Animal feed can be bought at NZ2 (coin) at various stations. We only bought once because that was all the coin that we had. Luckily, we met the park ranger, he gave us plenty more for free ;)

Old lady & Nell (the animal lovers) were quite excited about this place and always rushed out of the car (before i could pull over completely) to catch up with their long lost friends, while Liz and I were just waiting inside the car most of the time, had some snacks, soft drinks while peering out to check on the gathering's situation.

I must say at times i went out to entertain a little bit, if not, i'd appeared to be too arrogant eh? At times i got to get out to control the situations when their friends got overly friendly and became rude.

See what i meant, old lady's ass friends coming for me food. No way, now go away! Of course the more aggressive ones were their Goat friends. they would prance towards you, no patient and no shame.



Some animals had been rounded just the day before, waiting to be sheared.



Nell, Liz & Friends.



The park is 550m above Queenstown with multiple lookouts, breathtaking views!




Liz decided to feed the red deer from a safer distance.




Yummy! Thanks Liz!


Nelly & Billy.


Nell feeding Alpacas and the shameless goat squeezing in even they were fed earlier.



It was an enjoyable experience, glad we stopped by before heading to Te Anau. Good Bye Deer Park - Old lady & Nell sobbed uncontrollably for couple of hours.

Old Man's Bungy - Kawarau, Queenstown

12th Dec 2007

Here's the video of old man jumping down from the Kawarau Bridge, and he survived.

Many people asked how did it feel. Well, to sum it up, it's like committing suicide.

It wasn't as scary until i made those little hops to the end of that pirate ship plank, Jack Sparrow there asked me to look at the camera in front and smile, it was the hardest thing to do, then he asked me to wave at the people witnessing my execution, still i gotta put up a strong macho front, but i think can tell it was fake from that paled face eh?

Anyway, i kept telling myself in my head that "It is safe to jump, it is safe to jump x 100"

Forget about all the planned expression and jumping style. I can't even think straight at that point.

When i finally did it, the feeling was - Orgasmic!

Bungy Jump = $160
DVD = $80
Feeling = $240 poorer


Note: Above video was recorded & edited from AJ Hackett's & my own clips.

Cook Saddle Cafe & Saloon - Fox Glacier

7th & 8th Dec 2007 / Dinner

This Wild West setting cafe was the place we headed for dinner after Lake Matheson's scenic trekking, fell in love with it and went back the next evening. See how "cow-boyish" the place looks .......Yee-ha!! (we managed to dine inside the cafe on our 2nd day dining). Great taste, great value & great portion!

First evening we dined by the veranda, next to Billy The Kid garden, because there was no table available inside the cafe. It was a cool summer evening to have a perfect alfresco dining. The Billy The Kid garden was conveniently there to "entertain" the girls with its mini-sized picnic table and bench (The girls played "masak-masak" in the garden while waiting for their Hoki fish...hehehhehehehe)

Hoki Fries (Fish & Chips) How's that for just NZ$12.00? Fish in NZ definitely taste fresher, Variety species of fish were used for this dish. The girls simply fell head over heels over this NZ's speciality. No wonder they kept requesting for fish & chips throughtout our trip. No iodine deficiency during this trip for sure!


Delightful T-Bone Steak - Not sure if its the green pasture where this baby came from that made it so much tastier than those we had in Singapore. Goes so well with the mushroom gravy..see how thick it is. Perfect combination!!



Mouth watering & grilled "to perfection" lamb. WOW!! don't you love the smell of lamb?? Doesn't suit the faint-hearted-hyper-sensitive-fussy-nose folks...i.e. Old man!!!


This is how delightful the dish looked like when it arrived before Old man scrapped them clean with his teeth! Not joking - see the pic below (worth evey penny spent here - hahahahahah)



After savaging the poor ribs - Finished it up with with a glass of COLD SMOOTH Mac's Gold!!

See the SATISFYING look of Old Man!!

Lake Matheson - Fox Glacier

7th Dec 2007 / 4.58pm

Lake Matheson, a.k.a. Mirror Lake is one of the most famous lakes in NZ due to its location (overseeing & reflecting Mount Cook, sheltered from strong winds, hence less ripples) and darker colour water (great for reflection).

While the girls were waiting on higher platform, i was at the lowest, with an eerie looking eel peering out near the surface as my companion.

Well, we waited for about 2 hours for the wind to stop but it didn't, so this is best shot we can get. By 6pm +, we decided to trek out and go for dinner.

Alpine Restaurant - The Hermitage

17th & 18th Dec 2007 / Dinner

Some of the delicacies from the array of buffet spread at the Hermitage, Mt Cook. YUMMY!!!! Could go on and on about the food at Mt Cook...definitely one of our top favourite meals in New Zealand (joining the top list would be the meals we had at Fox Glaciers) Loved the LAMB RACK...tender..succulent...juicy ...need I say more.

The girls loved the spread so much that we had our meals there two days in a row. Must be the vanilla ice-cream that keep them coming!!!

Can't say much for Old man....he had the boring stuff. Old man mah!!!

(I swear that old lady loved the rack so much that she ate the entire right & left ribs of the lamb... a little frightening.)





Having such stunning scenary as backdrop makes your meal tastes a lot better!

Hooker Valley - Mount Cook

Some of the plants & flowers we saw along the trek.



Swinging Bridge

Hermitage Chalet - Mount Cook

18 Dec 2007 / 11.59am

With the low hanging clouds all day, we couldn't get onto the heli ride and Liz decided to create her own game outside our chalet.

Solitary Walk

18^th Dec 2007 / 3.38pm

This is the part old lady was talking about in earlier post. We have trekked for about 2-3 hours from the village to Hooker Valley’s first swinging bridge.

Instead of normal trek or using the road, I chose to walk the unbeaten path, cutting across the pampas plains and 2 shallow streams.

Walking alone, without the noises of people talking, sound of automobiles, frequent requests of this and that from the kids, orders from old lady, the long deeply buried solitary instinct was awaken.

There were only clouds, mountains, grass, cool fresh air, occasional sights of wild rabbits and rustles from my footsteps - only nature and me-self. That was almost the best 30min of my life.

Then I began to miss the yakety yaks again, and the urgency to get the car was beginning to press harder. The last thing I want is to have 3 voices calling out together “What took you so long?!!”

When I got the car, I gave the 4WD a test run, to see what this baby is made of. For a moment, I felt like a world rally champ, high speed and sharp turns on the unpaved road, sending up high trails of dusts. Showing off me Pajero’s diesel power to others… Then I reached Hooker Valley car park just like that, and asked myself why did I drive so fast for??? Back to reality…

Btw, Nell, Liz & Old Lady were still taking some pics by the stream… Judging from the absence of horse faces (long & black), I must say they haven’t felt that the wait was too long… Phew!

Mount Cook - Aoraki

Click on picture to enlarge panoramic image

18th Dec 2007 / 8.29pm

Ahhhh.....Mt Cook (aka Aoraki)....What can I say about the magnificent Mt Cook...the chalet we stayed has a very unique structure, cosy and clean. The buffet spread was awesome......would have gained a few kilos if not because of the trekking we did around Mt Cook.

Old man saw wild rabbits while doing a short cut to retrieve the car for the "ladies".. that’s what we called a Gentlemen. Well...he was desperate for some peace anyway from us, the girls.

Was a big treat for him on the solo trekking....him, his footsteps, the wild rabbits, the mountains... ahhhhhhh... peace.

No helicopter ride though.....clouds were too low!!!...What a BUMMER!!!

Swimming in Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu - Queenstown - New Zealand

Click on picture to enlarge panoramic image

12th Dec 2007 / 6.40pm

The water level of Lake Wakatipu rises and falls for about 12cm every 5 minutes, Maori legend has it that this is the beating heart of giant Matau (Actually, it is cause by the fluctuations of atmospheric pressures).

Facts
Lake Wakatipu is 290 square km (Singapore is 704 Sq M), 399m at its deepest point, 84km in length & 5km at its widest.

Who cares anyway, this is one of the most beautiful lakes in NZ and the water is crystal clear! You just want to jump in & have a good swim.

Check out this short clip of kiwis swimming in Lake Wakatipu, HERE.

Hokitika Beach - Hokitika - New Zealand

5th Dec 2007 /6.45pm

Arrived at Hokitika chalet after 6 hours of drive from Christchurch.

The sky was still bright and with the beautiful view of Hokitika beach in front of our chalet, Nell & Liz wasted no time - changed, grabbed the beach toys (yes we actually packed the beach toys in our luggage) and off to the soft sandy beach.

The waves from the Tasman sea were wild and rough...so no swimming only sand castle making..or rather mud pie making.

The girls and the old man had a ball of time rushing to the subsiding wave to scoop up some water for the "mud pie" – before the next advancing wave makes its way in again.

The water was so COLD!!!!!! Old man's feet felt pins and needles from the icy water.

As for old lady, as usual, sitting nearby and bossing around.