The first instant impression when we landed in Auckland Airport was... The blue color of the sky and green color of the grass were separated finely by the thin horizon in between. Han Ching and I were captivated on our way to Han Ching’s sister and brother in law home at Hamilton in their newly bought car. So new that they only got the car key hours ahead of our arrival. Nope. Not that they purposely buy a car for us but rather that their original car broke down and they decided to sell it off. Please. I know what you are thinking. Though both of them are doctors but they are not spendthrift. In New Zealand (well, I think other than Malaysia) cars are being given less priority. Once broken, it costs more to repair than to replace it. Here, people don’t buy new car. Used car is a more preferred option. And there is no such thing as washing the car every fortnight.
We spent one night at their custom built house in Hamilton to beat the 10 hours flight. I know what you are thinking yet again. Though both of them are doctors but they are not spendthrift. The housing industry in New Zealand is a bit flexible if compared to Malaysia. The developer basically sells you the land and then let you decide what type of house you want to built on it. Therefore, each unit in one same housing area might have different design.
After a proper dinner and plentiful of rest, we headed to Rotorua the next morning. The first thing we tried was Skyline Rotorua, sets high on the side of a mountain with extensive views of Rotorua city, Lake Rotorua and surrounding hinterlands.
We went for the luge ride and I must say this is really fun. And once is not enough. We went down and up for 3 times in a row! The landscape was captivating with us sliding down the slopes, bends and sharp corners like a MotoGP driver.
We had our lunch at Subway. On their menu, they apologized to customer as they don’t’ serve lettuce due to the supply chain that was interrupted at Christchurch. Looks like the earthquake effect had not been overcome yet even though it has been a few months. Han Ching’s sister, Han Ling who had carefully planned our itinerary in North Island brought us to the next destination. Paradise Valley Springs.
“We going to visit the lion’s feeding at zoo next”, Han Ling’s hubby, Jay told us.
“Zoo?” I frowned my face seems unconvinced by the destination chosen.
When, we reached the place, I was wrong. At Paradise Valley Springs, we were allowed to interact with a variety of wildlife that is found wild around New Zealand. Trouts were found in their crystal-clear pools and it swam wildly in the stream that wind through the park... Actually, the word trout has never been in my fish dictionary until I downloaded a fishing app to Han Ching’s IPhone.
Lion feeding at 2.30pm every day is their main attraction there. After witnessing so many cats in Kuching, this real feline family is not to be messed around. Though their zoo keeper treat them as though it is just another Marley and Me, but I’m sure none of us dare to be in the same ring with them except Spartacus.
In New Zealand, there are many attractions which are offered free. The problem is you must know where to find it. At Huka Falls you can witness the phenomenon of natural hydro power.
The Waikato River, New Zealand's longest river which moves gracefully to just before the Huka Falls enters a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. The effect is nature's large-scale equivalent of a fire hose feeding into a very fine nozzle.
The previously placid water soon roars and rumbles at great speed along the ravine before bursting into space out over Huka Falls and crash into the turbulent pool a few meters below. A foot bridge right at the top of the falls puts you in a prime position to get up close and witness the frightening display of more than 220,000 liters of water blasting down by every second. It’s so frightening that you may faint out.
Lake Rotorua is the second largest lake in the North Island of New Zealand. With a mean depth of only 10 meters it is considerably shallow as the lake was formed from the crater of a large volcano. It is fed with water from a number of rivers and streams; some such as the flow of a water temperature warmer than the lake due to the thermal activity in the Rotorua area. Despite the large volume of water flowing through Lake Rotorua, its shallow depth makes it very prone to discoloration. Owing to the geothermal activity around the lake, the lake has high sulphur content. This gives the lake's waters an unusual yellowish-green hue.
Overall, Rotorua is a nice city that is pleasant with its view but definitely not with its smell.
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