sigh, i knew this is gonna happen, have been expecting this day for weeks, not that i anticipated it...yeah, the car is now lying in the garage, waiting to be fixed...just when i thought i would hit the road again...bugger...

i dunno if i would fancy spending hundreds to fix the car brakes, but if i dont, i wont be able to drive it anymore, that means im gonna needa dump it, that means i will hafta hitch hike again...not that im not fond of hitch hiking, it's just that i dont think i can travel without a car anymore, i've simply too much stuffs now, two thick blankets, and lotsa food supplies...

that put me in a real dilemma now...and that's the downside of backpacking, you constantly have to worry about your finances, you needa budget your expenditure and think more than twice before you commit into spending money...but on the other hand, it's a good learning curve, i cant imagine ever have to consider many factors back at home...

I'm actually looking forward to the Australia trip...everything is beautiful here, but damn, i wanna look at something else other than snow-capped mountains and sheeps...you tend to really get tired after a while...hehe...

let's see what happens next...

Hastings

I've just came back from an amazing praise and worship at the Bay City church here, it was truly awesome, we danced and we sang and the spirit of the Lord was in the midst of us...I've made quite some friends here now and feeling rather comfortable to be in this town...we had a nice lunch in Cliffton earlier and the view of the cape is spectacular...There are a colony of Gannets (some huge birds) here and it's just lovely to see them upclose in the wilderness...

last friday we hung out at a local club here and i managed to pow wow with some influential people in the area...and yeah, i was treated with a sumptuous dinner with an amazing spread of food and of course, freeflow of drinks whole night...it was alot of fun the entire night with games of darts and pools...but not without some consequences the morning after...the hangover...it was really bad, i had to lie in bed the whole day yesterday...

I shall try my hand in Pruning tomorrow, because i heard that the money comes easily...they are paying you sixty cents for every young tree that you prune...i know that sounds like meagre value but imagine pruning some 200 trees a day, it adds up...and im desperate enough to be as hardworking as that, ive really been spending alot of money, like 80 dollars a week for groceries....things are expensive here, and the price of petrol just hiked up yesterday...is 1.88 per litre now...and to think of ppl complaining of expensive petrol back home...

currently sorta hanging around and catching up with some tv programs here...NZ idol is hilarious, and the usual reality tv shows...like TAR, survivor, and project runway...but i really shouldn't make myself so much at home, but should make the most out of this backpacking experience...

having said that, just let me be complacent for a week or two before i hit the roadtrip again...

later...

Hastings


It's happened again...i was supposed to leave for Wellington last Sunday but my travel plan is heading onto another direction now...I've gotten used to the constant change of plan at the very last minute by now...it all just happened so abrubtly that you dont have much to think about...

So last week before i were to purchase my ferry ticket down to South Island, John called up and i told him my itenerary...he was quiet for a moment and then with much urgency said: No, you can't leave hastings just yet...i was like: 'why the hell not?', then he told me that he'd just popped in to the post office and sent me a parcel, and i needa wait for another week in Hastings to receive it...as it turned out, it was actually my camera battery charger that ive left in Te Puke...so, if i want it back, im gonna hafta stay here for another week...

So while spending few more days here in Hastings, i hooked up with Claudia (Germany) again, she came all the way from Te Kaha to Hastings to get a job...so she invited me to work together in the packhouse...and i was thinking: 'hey, i could do that too, money is running low and it wont hurt to build up the bank account again...' to cut the story short, im working again....and with much persuasion from my friends here, im actually gonna postpone my plan down to South Island, everyone's telling me that it is miserably cold down there and it's not a good time to travel, the roads would be icy, and there will be much snow...

Hence ive decided that im actually gonna fly to Melbourne from Wellington instead of Christchurch, and then return to Christchurch from Cairns...that's the plan for now but since ive yet to buy my airticket, it is always subject to changes...

****

Talking about changes of travel plan, i have a story to share...it is a tragic one and i can assure you that there is still sorrow in my heart...

Ive got to know this Korean guy, Jun while i was staying in KeriKeri for six weeks...he was one of my closent friends and we had had alot of fun together...He was supposed to head to Australia in June but he made a sudden change of plan and went on to his south east asian tour of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam with Kate and Jackie, two sisters from Wales who are also very dear to me...

and yesterday i've gotten news that Jun has passed away...they were tubing in Laos and he fell into the river and drowned...it is all so sudden...i still remember saying goodbye to him few weeks back and promised with much conviction that it wasnt the end, that we are gonna see each other again, he was equally as faithful and was making plans of where to bring me to visit should i go to Korea...it is all so unreal, we talked bout his plans to pursue a career in Silicon Valley, California, and all that travelling dreams....it is not to happen now....

i cant begin to imagine the devastation of his parents...they never even got to say goodbye...it made me think of the worthlessness of life and that we are all so vulnerable and fragile...we could just die anytime...it made me reconsider all that activities that i had planned to do, like extreme rafting and bungee jump...who knows something could go terribly wrong...life is just so unpredictable...


****

Right now im gonna stay in Hastings for least two more weeks, im giving myself much time to rest now and to have all that time to do my personal things and to gather thoughts...like what to do in life and which country to travel next...im thinking Italy...

Im only paying $90 a week now and to have the whole room to myself, there are some really nice people here whom i can really get to know to...will tell you more about them next time...

till then, appreciate life and dont wait to do that thing that you've always wanted to do, JUST DO IT...afterall our days are numbered...you never know...

Sky diving


Waikato River


Lake Taupo

Some photos on the ski trip...


Mt. Doom (LOTR film site)


Mount Tongariro and Mt. Ruapehu (rear)


Blizzard coming in...


John and Helen, exhausted...


Mount Tongariro


Arriving at the summit


Chairlift up the mountain for serious skiing


Being hauled up the slope


Arriving at the Whakapapa Skifield

Napier


It's been a long drive today...some 400 km to reach the beautiful coastal town of Napier...i will stay here for few days to recuperate and to explore the place properly...

the cave adventure yesterday at waitomo caves was incredible...imagine abseilling down steep rocks and crawling underneath walls and columns...and glowworms! it was very challenging indeed, especially the rock climbing part...im glad i was able to perform all the stunts required without needing assistant...

I reeeally need a long rest now...it's been all play and no time to relax...

later..

Te Puke ---> Rotorua ---> Taupo ---> Turangi ---> National Park ---> Hamilton ---> Castlerock ---> Waitomo Caves

Cool, im finally on the go again, was travelling with Helen and John and we did Sky diving and Skiing, but right now im travelling on my own as everyone has different travel plans and routes...they have more time in NZ and hence they can take their time and stay on longer in any places they like...

Right now im at Waitomo Caves where im waiting to do Black water rafting and explore the glowworm caves...they are gonna upgrade me to do the abseilling FOC which is worth $165 when ive only paid $90 for the innitial black water rafting trip...reason? being cute is an advantage..haha....but it is actually because of some mishandling of my bookings....

there's no cd rom here hence i cant upload my skiing trip photos as well as the sky diving ones...no words can describe my sky-diving experience....it is...as i said...indescribable...

it was all good fun...jumping off the plane and free falling and parachuting...i can only ask you guys to try it yourself, see if you could put them in words...

The skiing trip was great too, i discovered that i have a natural talent of skiing...it was my first experience and i was skiing down the slopes in no time at all! of course there were some bumps and falls....but no pain, no gain, right?

Ive spent quite some money for the past few days...with some unfortunate events adding toll to wasting more money...yeah...the car couldnt start one morning when we were suppose to do snow boarding...and then i got a speeding ticket for travelling at 68k/h...unbelievable...

now let's see my expenditure for three days...excluding petrol which is NZD $1.70 per litre...and food...

Sky-Diving : $150
Skiing : $80
Speeding ticket: $120
Repairing car: $150
Accommodation for three days: $60
Total: NZD $560

im currently paying $26 a night at the hostel here in Waitomo...really needa find a place to settle down soon...

the plan now is to go back to National park where i left my hand phone charger there and back to Tauranga where i left my camera battery charger...im getting more absent minded as days go by...it must be all the travelling...

i need a job to get some money to purchase my air ticket to Australia...

wish me luck...

more photos soon...

Ive mentioned before that ever since i arrived in NZ, ive been a very good malaysian ambassador, telling people to visit the country and where they should go, and what to do...

So recently ive received a picture from 'team sweden', three swedish kids that ive met in KeriKeri, and they have just finished their Malaysia tour and have been to various places like Taman Negara, KL, and Perhentian island...all of which that ive recommended them to go...

it's always a good feeling when others visit your country, just like im visiting someone else's country...and i feel that ive done my bit in promoting my own country...i can only wish they dont get bad experiences there...

Dont let me down, malaysia...



Team sweden - Anders, Mattias, and Nicolas


The boys at the twin towers...

Out of boredom yesterday, my houseparents were outstation, and all the other folks were working, helen and I thought we would go to the park...so we spent a lovely afternoon strolling under the sun and enjoying the cool breeze...it wasnt so cold when the sun is out...

but really, i cant walk in the park everyday, i really needa move on to a new place soon....that is, national park, turangi, and ohakune...the central plateau...will do so on saturday...


Giant Kiwifruit


Helen reaching out for Kiwi fruit


leaves are all gone now


Resting after a long walk


Giant Maze


Giant Kiwi bird

Just a good idea for you to know my exact location in NZ, as you can see, im still way up north in Rotorua...lotsa miles to catchup on...ETA in Wellington: Mid July

Rotorua

Weather was bad yesterday with pouring rain and howling wind...it was cold! despite that it didnt dampen our mood to travel to Rotorua for a daytrip...so after morning devotion, john, helen, DJ and myself hit the road after putting on some thermals...we packed some light snacks of Sandwiches, cookies, and lamingtons, tonnes of maps and brochures to get us around, and then we set off...

our first stop was the geothermal village of Wakarewarewa where we witnessed some volcanic activies of Geyser and mudpools and hot steam...the place was warm with all that boiling water but it sure stinked badly, from the sulphur, that is...we got used to the smell quickly and moved on to visit the village...We didnt need to pay the entrance fee of $20 because we know someone who's living there...I bought a bone carving necklace for $40 and really love it..i chose the fish hook which represents strength and determination, it also brings peace, prosperity and good health...now that's what i need....

We later went on to do Zorbing...the idea of a Zorb is to roll down the hill in a gigantic ball, and yes, we will be inside the ball...since the weather wasnt so good with strong wind, we had to do the hydro-zorb, and it literally means zorbing with water...as if it wasnt cold enough...anyway we all had great fun even though we were all soaking wet and was freezing to death at the end of the journey...the price was $45 per person but we chose to do it together so it only costs us $31 each...

i wanted to do the luge but the weather really wasnt permitting, so we headed back in the evening, skipping the hot water pool as no one brought their 'togs' (swimsuit-NZ slang)...

there was a power outage when we got back and we all had fun cooking in the dark and having a candle-lit dinner...

it's all good...


Boiling pool and sulphur stained ground


John, Helen and DJ(kiwi) at Wakarewarewa


My bone carving necklace


candle-lit dinner


Skyline up the mountain to do Luge


Zorb


Mud pool


Geyser


DJ and Helen trying out the Maori Flute

Somemore photos while i was on the road trip


Cows are just about everywhere

Mt. Maunganui

Aotearoa - the land of the long white cloud...



This is all so touching...my heart is deeply moved by the hospitality that the maoris has shown...the Hangi was a huge success, there was a congregation from eight nations and from friends and families of our host...they started preparing the food before dawn while we were all still sleeping, and the work went on till noon...

and what a spread it is, ive never seen a feast at such a scale before, we have different meats and vegetable, pumpkins, potatoes, kumaras...dessert was absolutely delicious too...and what a blessed moment when everyone took turn saying grace before we tucked into the food...i chose to say grace in chinese language when it was my turn because i really couldnt think of any malay words at the moment...then we have the french, the czech, brazil, korean, taiwan, england, and maori version...to think of such a cross cultural event taking place where everyone comes together as one, irregardless of the differences and backgrounds...

and after that we have some guests performing maori songs, it was lovely! it's one of those songs and rhythms that touches one's heart...you just didnt want it to come to an end...our housefather later gave us each a token of appreciation - a NewZealand T-shirt...to thank us for staying with them, that is so sweet...

ive decided to stay with them for another week...i just couldnt leave this lovely family, not after such a grand and humble treatment from them...the french couple have decided to stay on too for another week...i dont need to move on in such a haste afterall, ive decided that i have all the time in the world...i can always come back in the summer months...would just wanna spend some quality time with this blessed family right now...


Picking some mandarins for the banquet


Everyone wearing their new T-shirt


My t-Shirt (Kia Mana - Be Strong)



some of the food that was served


Meat slicing


Yummy


treasures unveiled


the hot rocks


the earth is removed to uncover the food


The food was buried underneath the ground, on top of burning rocks

It's getting freezingly cold that it is no longer a luxury to walk on the street...im driving most of the time now even when we went clubbing yesternight...the guys protested that i shouldnt drink driving and we should walk to the bar instead, but they later thought it was a good idea afterall when the cold creeps in...


Lucas and John at the bar


icicles on the car window every morning and night


my hotwater bottle

So john was sick the other day and hence decided that he would cook us something special...i still dont see the relation between sick and cooking but anyway, when i came home there was dinner served...it was made of some cauliflower broth and meat and mashed potatoes...and damn, it was scrumptious! im always amazed at how all these guys that ive met here can cook so superbly well...it is always embarrassing because im forever cooking instant meals like pasta and steaks...im glad everyone is taking sympathy on me and feeding me...we malaysian guys should start paying more attention in this area...cooking...



Risotto (Matthew's cooking)


Matthew (France), John (Czech) and Lise (France)


Ada, Reg, Nicky and Helen (Taiwan)


The maori family im staying with ( plus john and matthew)


John (Czech) and Jeannie (Korea)


John's cooking