Kia Ora: New Zealand Day 3 (Franz Josef)

Third day into the trip and I would say it's the most exciting of all- putting us through an emotional roller coaster in between. 

We traveled down the West Coast to the township of Hokitika. 

The magic bus did not bring us to gold panning as promised but headed to the Jade factory like a typical tourist. 

Our must- have every morning to withstand the cold

Wanted to get some jade for our parents but I think Asians can't really appreciate their duller- coloured matted jade.
Haha we love those lush green smooth pieces of jade!

Touch the biggest jade in store for some good luck! Heehee

Continued to bevery touristy and got brought to this Bushmans centre.
Paid $4 each to watch a video on the evolution of deer hunting. Not really very interested cos I thought it was a tad too cruel to capture the tame animal in that manner. 

Probably the best part of it was to see the possum. We heard so much of it but never had an idea how this animal they deemed as a pest looks like.

Day Three: Franz Josef

The moment we have been waiting for finally arrived!
I have been rattling on the whole day to WC about the glacier and our heli ride.
We paid for the trip and filled in those safety declaration and suddenly.. the guide walked in and said " Trip cancelled due to bad weather. We will refund you your money."

The fateful receipt! Boohoo.

I was like " I don't want money la! My aim to NZ is to climb glacier!"
No joke, I wanted to cry on the spot and I have never seen WC so disappointed before. 

Until one of our team mate came and said, "I found a package to Fox Trot."

No words can describe my happiness.
WC was still very unhappy cos Fox Trot is a simpler glacier walk- No heli hop which means we won't be able to go deeper into the glacier.
But it's better than nothing right? I can't leave NZ without even stepping on the glacier!
So Fox Trot here we go!

Some bread from the pretty bakery before we start! 

We need to trek an hour plus before we see the ice..

Our very fit guide telling us about the formation of these ice mountains

Finally finally!!

It was not as snow white as I expected it to be..

Totally worth the climb!
Much much much love for the view!
Though they state that we just have to be moderately fit for the trek, it can get pretty tiring after an hour walk.

And it's time to our hostel after that. Too pretty for a hostel eh?

And cos the Sun sets so late in NZ, we can afford a nap before going out.. haha

Love waking up to the glacier every morning:)

Can't remember what time is it.. but sunset can be as late as 9pm at night. So we have all the time to admire the awesome view everyday :)

We can come up with all kind of reasons to dine in such a nice restaurant

Love how cosy the ambience is and the food is fantabulous!
Yummiest calamari we had ever!
The spicy pumpkin has an acquired taste. Either you like it or not. I don't but WC does. haha

I miss the ribs as I am typing now.
I love the ribs so much I actually craves for ribs in the subsequent days of the trip. Haha.

Feeling sleepy as I am typing this.
Gonna crash soon! Excited about the trio meeting and YX and Jon's wedding tomorrow! :))

26 years of love

Jia and I decided to give our parents a surprise on their anniversary.
Knowing that mummy loves buffet, we decided to bring them Spice Brasserie since their review was quite good on hungrygowhere.

They had a pretty good spread plus some Christmas special which I don't really fancy. 

What's a buffet without salmon??

And we even surprise mummy with a bouquet of flowers!

It was so cute that she was a little awkward with the flowers at first but cannot stop asking us to taking pictures of them together with the flowers thereafter :)

 ♥♥♥

Second surprise of the day! :) 

 

Ending off with a picture of the parents.

Though they will not see, we love you daddy and mummy!
Happy anniversary! :)

Kia Ora: New Zealand Day 2 (Greymouth)

We began our road trip with Magic Bus and I would say they did a really good job with the planning.
Everything was pretty well-paced and we had a weirdly funny driver- cum- guide.
He speaks with an accent he came out with himself and he introduced himself everyday as Maaaaa--aaark.

Our daily morning routine..

A really good idea to bring these on a backpacking trip- What beats a nice warm breakfast on a cold morning?

Day 2: Greymouth

We took the Tranzalpine to travel from Christchurch to Greymouth.
It was named as one of the world’s great scenic rail journeys and no doubt it is. 

The four and a half our journey takes us across the Canterbury Plains and farmland then continuing on through spectacular gorges and river valleys of the Waimakariri River.
We had to switch to a bus half way through the trip cos there was some track reconstruction- The problem we face because everything is so unpredictable with nature. 

Our activities keep changing when there is any changes in the weather.

The view is amazing. The photos doesn't do the place justice..
The photos in my SD card looks repetitive cos we just cannot help snapping away.

The train climbs into the Southern Alps stopping at Arthur’s Pass Village for some fresh alpine air before heading down through beech rainforests to the West Coast town of Greymouth.
And if you notice the transformation, the scenery changes from the lush green forests to a sea of blue as we travel downwards :)

Our home for the day at Noahs Ark. 

This has got to be my favourite accommodation- each room cutely themed and decorated :)

We got ourselves the Moomoo room!

We took a little tour around the neighbourhood and I am always awed by the scenery we are surrounded by everyday.

Did our first cooking today!

Ending the post with a picture of the cutest dog ever!