Can't wait for my next holiday... There's a lot to do at the office. The trainings, and of course all the preparation to be completed before hand. But how..? My brain is already off the hook ;-) I'm all set for the vacation, mind & soul...hahaha..

This time it will only be Z & me...time to discharge and destress. Already imagining the beaches.. the mountain view...the shopping spree...the spa....oooh la la.. Anak2 duk rumah diam2 ok, only for 3 days. Insya Allah, kalau ada rezeki...the next one will be your turn.. Anyway the kids have been so understanding & supportive. They keep on reminding us of this "honeymoon".. Alhamdulillah, they are big enough and they have each other's company...and of course the best grandma's home to go back to..hehe. Rasa guilty la jugak for having to go without them, so lately Z & i have been giving them good treats already to bribe them...hahaha, and hope it works ;-D. The last time I went on an escapade was end of last year, when I joined Z in Kota Kinabalu for 2 nites.. Tapi tak boleh nak kira how many times I called home. Missed the kids like mad!

One thing about going on holidays.. can't help myself from eyeing on new clothes. Memang ni satu perangai tak elok I, nak kena ada new clothes..at least 1! Then merapu, cari pulak matching scarves. This time, I'm also searching for a new pair of shades..with solid reasons, the place we're going is hot! So I NEED NEW SHADES. Fullstop. Hehehe, how about dat?

Ohh Bali...here we come ;-)

Trip to New Zealand

NZ Part 1

This is gonna be my long overdue diary on my last trip to NZ. I hadn't witten a single line ever since, and hope I haven't forgotten much.

I was travelling alone this time..no chance of doing it together with Z and the kids as the whole thing was quite a costly one. I wished we could go together, definitely would have been a more meaningful vacation. Anyhow, still had so much fun with my beloved big sister being my superb host there! From KL i took the Malaysian Airlines System flight direct to Auckland. Upon arriving Auckland, I had to check in for my connecting flight to Dunedin, with a short stopover at Wellington. At Dunedin airport, my sister ANA and Octavian (a handsome young Phd student from Romania) were already waiting for me..and off we go to my sister's home at Otago. It was beginning of autumn and it was a cold..cold nite.

A little bit about Otago.. it is nestled near the bottom of the South Island. Its unique character is defined by a magnificent landscape and diverse climate. My sister's house is within a walking distance to her university (Uni of Otago). Actually the town is within the university area, which is big enough to place all the necessities. You don't have to go out of the area to find big shopping malls, banks, mosque..etc. We have to walk across a botanical garden (full with beautiful, colourful roses..) to go to my sister's office. I followed my sis to the her office almost everyday when I was in Dunedin, as she was actually very busy completing her Phd thesis before returning home. And at the same time having to entertain me...Ohh, my poor sista!


Peeping through the roses at the botanical garden on my first day.



Lepak at the univ area, with the brown leaves on the ground...

Later that day, Octavian did us a favour by driving us up to Otago Peninsular that frames Dunedin’s harbour, providing a spectacular setting for unique and natural scenery. The peninsula is spectacular and visits to this area gave me the opportunity to view albatross, fur seals and penguins..live! The Royal Albatross Colony at Taiaroa Head is the only mainland breeding colony of albatross in the world!! The albatrosses are a group of large to very large birds.T hese feathered giants have the longest wingspan of any bird—up to 11 feet (3.4 meters)! They use their formidable wingspans to ride the ocean winds and sometimes to glide for hours without rest or even a flap of their wings..fuuhh! So much about the albatross!


At The Royal Albatross Centre...hehe, that's the female albatross in action..


On the way to Otago Penisular.. indahnya alam ciptaan Allah..


Peeping into the penguin hole and saw this cute little baby..


NZ is a beautiful place with lakes, mountains & rivers everywhere... For someone who lives in a highly polluted city, i appreciated every single place and the breathtaking view there! The lakes there were so, so big and endless..macam laut.

A stop at one of the largest grapevines on our way to Queensland. Tak ingat kat mana, but i think this somewhere near Cromwell..



After a few hours drive, we finally reached Wanaka..






At Queestown, the famous town in the Lord of the Rings country which placed the famous Lake Wakatipu (3rd largest lake). People come from all over the world to do bungy jumping, sky gliding (paragliding), gondola rides etc.. and for me, tadaaaaa... shopping is just heaven here!





At the skyline, for famous and unforgettable gondola ride. Absolutely fabulous view!



Macam dalam postcard...that's Queenstown from the air!







Behind me..Lake Wakatipu, sungguh wa tak tipu...and the beautiful mountain covered with snow is Mount Cook if I'm not wrong. I didn't get to go there, but my mum did when she went there earlier.

We stayed overnite in Queensland at the backpackers (my sis, her friend Hanim and me) and left on the next day to return to Dunedin. Made a few stopovers on the way back for many more beautiful pictures..

Me, under the apple tree..

At a damp..so clean and picturisque. No where you can see anything like this in Malaysia..sad to say.



I was admiring the sheeps, and they were also admiring me, obviously..haha!
That's a special post for me, from the sheeps. And, oooo..aren't they fat and cute?!


my beloved sister and me ;-)

(to be continued to Part 2)