9th July 2015
It was the second day in Queenstown. The plan for that day was to explore Queenstown, visit Arrowtown, trying out the famous burger in the town and enjoying the view of Lake Wakatipu.
8th July 2015
It’s unfortunate that one of our friends had to return earlier. We couldn’t wander around and wasting time anymore. We had to drive directly to Queenstown airport and catch the international flight to Australia.
It was an unfortunate condition. It ruined the plan for the whole day. No one wanted this happen. Bad things happen all the time; we just have to be ready. It takes 2 hours and 40 mins from Lake Pukaki to Queenstown. Then, since we were catching an international flight, we had to be there at least 2 hours before the flight.
We packed our things and drove as fast as we can to reach the airport before the time.
Queenstown, we’re coming!
7th July 2015
Rise and shine, good morning Lake Tekapo!
So ready to continue the trip.
On the second day, we planned to explore two places: Lake Pukaki and Mt. Cook. The distance between one place and to another is not that far, but we have to spare more times for picture time. A picture is the most important thing while travelling. It is the return ticket to the memory in the past.
A throwback to June, it was fasting month (Ramadhan), and winter season. I am not really a fan of travelling during winter nor Ramadhan. But I was daring enough to have it try travelling during those times. I thought, “why not?”
One month later, I packed my bags and ready to enjoy my winter wonderland trip. I planned to explore South Island for a week, from Christchurch to Dunedin. It’s going to be a long trip and I can’t wait to share the beauty of the island.
After drove around one hour and a half, we reached the lodge. We stayed in Travers-Sabine Lodge for one night. It is really close to the lake, only around 5-10 minutes walks. We were really tired when we got there, we missed the lodge and keep driving. It was so dark and we tired, we didn't catch the lodge sign on the left, and suddenly we found a sign "Nelson Lakes National Park". We panicked for a while. We thought we're stray. We checked the map again and we're in the right place. Then we turned around and drive slowly. Finally, we found the lodge! It's time to have a good sleep.
A misty morning views in Lake Rotoiti.
This is still the same road trip as the previous post. Actually, I was thinking to put the title as "Road Trip to the South of the North feat. the North of the South". Then, I realized, it is too long. So, I make it short into the current title.
We arrived in South Island in the super early morning. The car that we rent was already in the parking lot, we're just picking up the key from the receptionist in the port. It was so convenience for us. We already booked a package for paddle boarding in the Abel Tasman National Park at 10 AM, so we had to reach there before the time. It needs around 3 hours to reach there by driving from the ferry port in Picton. Thanks to the driver, Mr. B, we got there just almost the time.
It was my first time doing paddle board. A paddle board is different from a kayak. The correct way doing paddle board is to stand in the board and paddle. And if the wave is coming, just wait until it passes our paddle. Don't fight the wave, because it will make you suffer and the paddle is going backward. We have to wait and if we let the wave pass our paddle, we will move forward. It also needs to keep it mind that we have to do paddling in the opposite of the wind direction. If we go in the same direction as the wind, it will push as to keep forward. It is dangerous because it can lead us to go too further from the shore.
