I was away to the beautiful Auckland for the past 5 amazing days.Well,the flights to and back from Auckland were not that amazing as they were exhausting but I had a great time spending my off days there.
On Saturday,a great old schoolmate had been such a darling to meet me up for lunch and brought me around the small city of Auckland for sightseeing,also a little detour around shopping areas.A little background intro,Yaya is a medical student who just recently completed her final year there.She is now a happy little intern at 1 of the hospitals in the city,and cherishing every bit of her moments in Auckland before returning home for good in August.
Harbour site visit.
Apart from the non-stop drizzles and strong winds,Yaya has been such a great sport to walk me around town including a bus ride to Parnell where we enjoyed some tasty waffles for dinner at a little place called the Chocolate Boutique.
Transit at my hotel room,exchanging gossips across continents before dinner.
Yummiest caramel waffles I've ever had!
On Sunday,it was sunnier and brighter than the day before.My captain,co-pilot and I started an early morning journey towards the Southern of Auckland,a little town called Matamata.It's kinda funny that most towns at the rural areas of New Zealand have names that repeat twice,like Katikati,Ramarama and Matamata.We drove our rental car for more than 2hours to arrive Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tours in Matamata.Hobbiton is a picturesque landscape as well as film site for the legendary trilogy movie,Lord of The Rings.The large farm area was initially owned by the Alexander family when Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema discovered it,though not all of the scenes from the movie was filmed on that particular farm area.Now Hobbiton is a major tourist attraction,especially to fans of the Lord of The Rings movie.
Arrival at the movie set.
Lodging area and cafe.
Taking off.
Unfortunately,it was vital that we sign an agreement with the tour company not to expose any pictures taken at the movie set during the tour to any sources/networks.Pictures taken are only meant for personal keeping and memories.I guess it's too bad that I can't share with all of you my experience of being a Hobbit for a day at the site.There were little hobbit houses around the area including Bag End,where Frodo and Bilbo Baggin lived,large Pine trees famously known as the 'Party Tree',as well as visit to the movie star caravans.
Just some random pictures taken around the site.
At the end of the tour,we were invited to witness a sheep shearing process by which the woolen fleece of a sheep is cut off.It was something new to watch but I just couldn't bear opening my eyes,especially when the sheep struggled to be free ='(
After the procedure,they released two little sheep aged 2weeks old for us to feed with milk in bottles.They were so freakin' adorable and affectionate towards humans.One of them kept brushing its tiny little head around my shoulders and neck!I felt like kidnapping them back home!
Feeding the hungry little ones.
With 1 of the junior Alexanders.
Aww..I love you too,little sheep!
The tour ended,and it was time to grab some dinner.We drove a few kilometers away from Matamata and stopped by Tauranga for a plate of fish and chips.We ended our road trip with a three hour drive back to Auckland city.
It was rainy and humid again on Monday while I didn't have the energy to stay awake at all.My gum hurts and fever came uninvited.Luckily there was a colleague of mine who was kind enough to take away a bowl of fish porridge to be sent to my room.She was concerned with my condition as our departure back to KL was only a 12hours away.Luck was on my side,I recovered from fever the next morning,although my wisdom tooth was still torturing me.You have no idea how hard it was to survive an 11hour flight with a toothache!
I'm due to depart for Auckland again this 29th April with the whole family including Sweetie Pie for baby brother's convocation day.Ayah had laid out some plans and activities for the whole bunch of us throughout the week,including flying to the South Island of New Zealand.I bet the trip is gonna be much more exciting than what I just recently experienced.So folks,don't forget to tune in to the page for a detailed report of the trip as I get home on 7th May =)
