Surviving New Zealand: The North Island version

The route:
Flew in and out of Auckland (4 days)
- Bus ride to Paihia + Cape Reinga day trip (3 days)
- Bus ride to Whitianga (3 days)
- Bus ride to Rotorua (3 days)
- Bus ride to Turangi/Tongariro Crossing (3 days)
- Bus ride to Taupo (3 days)
- Bus ride to Napier (3 days)
- Bus ride to Wellington (2 days)
- Bus ride to Whanganui (3 days)
- Bus ride to New Plymouth (4 days)

Total number of days: 31 days

Cost:

Transport	Accommodation	Food	Activities	Misc.	Total	Average/day
NZD292	NZD676	NZD297	NZD308	NZD71	NZD1644	NZD53
SGD310	SGD716	SGD315	SGD327	SGD75	SGD1743	SGD56
USD250	USD578	USD254	USD263	USD61	USD1406	USD45

P.S. Figures are rounded off to nearest whole number.

Day tours are expensive, any tours will cost at least NZD100. Sky diving (Tandem) in NZ is the cheapest in Taupo according to my research and costs around NZD239 for 10,000ft, NZD249 for 12,000ft and NZD339 for 15,000ft.

Hostels cost around NZD25 per night for a dormitory bed.

I cooked quite a bit in NZ so the amount I spent on food were mostly for buying groceries and Subway after I fractured my arm and couldn't cook anymore.

Getting around New Zealand:
I know that driving is the best way to discover New Zealand but what if you can't drive? Have no fear, you can still enjoy NZ like I did! There are two cheap bus companies (NakedBus and Intercity) that offer bus services to most towns in NZ. And if you book early enough (like 3 months in advance when the bus timings are just out), one trip can be as cheap as NZD 1!

I didn't feel that there was any difference between the two bus companies though some people say Nakedbus uses the old buses from Intercity. I just booked whichever is cheaper and most of the time it was Nakedbus. After you booked your seat, write down the booking number and tell the driver.

Getting around the towns in NZ is another story, there are usually no buses except in big cities like Auckland and Wellington. You have to either walk or cycle. I recommend walking. The small towns are usually small enough to discover on foot and walking around is a fun way to discover a place! :)

Supermarkets:
PAK'nSAVE is the cheapest supermarket around because the interior is like a warehouse, so no pretty shelves to browse around but who cares when you get cheaper groceries! I always get very excited when I spot the huge yellow sign of PAK'nSAVE, you can't miss it!

Countdown which is green can be cheap sometimes when they have offers.

New World which is red is the most expensive out of the three big supermarkets I've visited.

Four Square is a smaller supermarket, a little like 7-11 but bigger. Some of the smaller towns only have Four Square. Price wise, well it is definitely more expensive than PAK'nSAVE but still alright if you have no other options.

WiFi:
Most hostels do not provide free Wifi. So you can get a SIM card with data if you really need WiFi, one of my hostels in Auckland gave out free SIM cards so all I had to do was to top it up with value. But I didn't because... you can get free WiFi at all public libraries (within opening hours) and most Burger Kings!

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Sharing a video I made on my trip to New Zealand!

New Plymouth, New Zealand: Stunning Mount Taranaki

This is the reason why I included New Plymouth in my NZ trip. I became Mount Taranaki's photographer during my stay in New Plymouth, trying to capture its glory from various angles. The above photos taken at a particular lake are my favourite. I was extremely lucky that there were no clouds surrounding the mountain so I managed see Mount Taranaki so clearly.

I couchsurfed with a retired couple who lives in a cosy little house near the city center. B drove me to the lake together with her grandchildren who were so cute! Especially the younger boy! He warmed up to me afterwards and played pirate ship with me aww. We sat down at the benches near the lake where the children ate their lunch and fed the ducks. I think I can sit there forever and just look at Mount Taranaki haha.

Then we went to a beach where the sand is black! I was quite fascinated. I think the black sand is due to the volcanic ash? I left them and continued walking down the beach to the white bridge. It was a wonderful stroll and everyone seemed so relaxed and happy.

As you can see, I am in love with this snow capped mountain haha.

Other things I did in New Plymouth include going for walks in the small forests around their house with B where I saw glow worms! I wanted to go see the glow worm caves but it wasn't along the way plus it was quite expensive so I skipped out on it. So I'm glad I saw them here, they resemble fireflies but their lights don't blink. I also went to the free zoo, it was a small zoo made for children. There were otters and they were lazying around the artificial pond, adorable. No kiwis though. I went to another park where there was a light festival going on, so the park was decorated prettily with Christmas lights and other colourful lighting. I also went to the museum and learned about volcanoes around New Zealand and their eruption history. They animated the volcanoes to be like giant monsters so it was quite interesting to watch. Mount Taranaki is the tallest volcano in NZ, some think that Mt Ruapehu is the tallest but it's on a 200m base so Taranaki is technically the tallest.

New Plymouth is the last stop on my trip around North Island in NZ. So I took a bus to Auckland airport at night and slept over at the airport for my flight at 6am. I couldn't really sleep and it was freezing, so I gulped down many cups of hot chocolate from McCafe.

Goodbye New Zealand, I will be back! :D

Whanganui, New Zealand: Where I met a herd of curious cows

I didn't do much in Whanganui since my arm was in sling. I wanted to go to the Whanganui National Park but I didn't want to fracture the other arm so I settled for a nearby park instead. I spent the evening there with my sandwich, capturing birds and enjoying the sunset glow over the park. Doesn't the pavilion look like the one in Singapore Botanical Gardens? I really liked how calm the park was and this old couple walked past and told me to watch my arm haha.

On the way back to the hostel, I caught sight of the moon. IT WAS SO ROUND AND HUGE. I was so mesmerized that I stood there for a good five minutes admiring it.

The next day I walked around the town center which reminded me of Napier. Adorable shophouses line the streets, I think it looks right out of a cowboy film set.

Then I went for a little hike up the hills surrounding Whanganui. There was a herd of cows up the hill and as I climbed over the fence to continue my hike, they all started moving towards me. It may sound cute but it was really scary!! There were at least 20 of them and 1 of me. I was so frightened that they might run over me or knock into me and send me flying. Ok maybe I was exercising my imagination a little too much but I mean it's better to be safe than sorry when you've only got one good arm! So I walked away quickly, even though they didn't follow me, their eyes did. When I was heading back, I had to pass by this place again and this time they were really near the fence where I was supposed to climb over to get home.. I wanted to run but I thought that a sudden movement was not a good idea so I inched towards the fence, praying hard. They were approaching me, coming closer and closer, but thankfully I finally managed to climb over the fence before they got even nearer. I never knew I could be that scared of cows.. I know they are supposed to be gentle creatures, but trust me, if you were me, you would be pretty scared too. 

Wellington, New Zealand: One day in Welly

I only had one day in Wellington since I fractured my arm and missed my bus but that's another story. Thank goodness my bag was just 7kg though since I could only carry it with one shoulder, pros of travelling light!! I managed to exchange my top bunk with the guy on the bottom bunk, he even changed the mattress for me, so nice. I'm forever thankful for the kind people I met.
 

I went to Te Papa museum and spent almost the whole morning there. It reminded me of the Natural History Museum in London. There was a section about Maori culture which was pretty interesting.

Is that a statue of a boy peeing into the sea??

I walked to the foot of Mount Victoria but you can take a bus there then climbed up the mountain. I think the painkillers that the doctor gave me in Napier must be really strong because I wasn't in pain at all and managed to climb up without much trouble. It was really inconvenient though, having a sling and my neck ached from the weight of my arm.

The view up on Mount Victoria wasn't the best I've seen.. since Wellington is after all a big city. But then again, it's a matter of perspective ;) I had a nice time resting there and looking at planes passing overhead.

Next on my list was to go to take the Wellington Cable Car up to the Botanic Gardens. The cable car has been around for 112 years! I took it because I thought the cable car looked really cute but alas it was a very short journey, not the most exciting, plus you don't see anything out of the windows except concrete walls.. sounds as if I'm dissuading anyone from going but it is the fastest way to get to the Botanic Gardens from the central. I explored the Botanic Gardens for a bit before it started raining. It wasn't too big but there were some nice flowers and plants to admire. Nice walk I would say.

Then I walked back to the hostel and called it a day. I thought one day was enough for me in Wellington because I didn't go to New Zealand for the city, I went there for the nature!

Napier, New Zealand II: The story of how I fractured my arm

I joined a tour to Cape Kidnappers to see the gannets. Our little van drove past fields of sheep and cattle.

We stopped at this spectacular cliff top with panoramic views of Hawke Bay right across to the Mahia Peninsula. The water was amazingly blue, it was seriously beautiful.. I didn't want to leave and the driver almost left me behind haha.

When we made the final turn up the hill, these gannets suddenly appeared in front of our eyes. It was quite surprising to see so many of them gathered there and they didn't seem to be afraid of humans. They are magnificent in flight with wings stretching to 2 meters. A few of them were nursing babies under their feet, adults are slender at about 2 kg while babies are fat and round at 3 kg, so cute! They were extremely loud and smelly though. Gannets usually breed on offshore islands or some really inaccessible place, Cape Kidnappers is the only inland place where they breed because there aren't any foxes around. There were some seagulls around trying to fight with the gannets over food and both are pretty aggressive creatures. This is a sight that we rarely see, I felt as if I was in a documentary!

Another colony over on top of another rock. The tooth-like stone has a story related to it.. something about the youngest Maori tribe member not having any weapon but he had his grandmother's tooth which kind of protected him I think? I can't really remember it properly now.

I asked the driver to drop me off at a bicycle rental shop in Clive so that I could cycle to Te Mata Peak. I wanted to do a day trip there but didn't have the time. Also, I think there is no bus between Napier and Hastings because I asked the owner at the rental shop if I could get a bus back to Napier and he said no. But he said he could drive me there which was really nice of him!

It was an extremely scenic ride towards Te Mata Peak but SO HOT. I had to put on layers of sunscreen to prevent myself from getting cooked.

I finally reached the bottom of the peak and I had to push my bike up because the hill was way too steep for me. I pushed and pushed and after an hour, I reached the entrance to Te Mata Peak.. -_- Gee. So I left my bike tied to a pole and walked up. The view up there was gorgeous, mountains after mountains, I love how they stack against each other, creating such a lovely wave.

Dark clouds were approaching so I decided to hurry down. Last thing I wanted was to cycle in the rain again. I zoomed down hill, feeling incredible when a car suddenly sped past really quickly right next to me and I got a shock. I kind of knew that I was losing control of the bike.. as my bike fell sideways with me on it. An immense pain shot through my elbow because I think I stuck out my elbow to prevent myself from tumbling down the hill like Jack and Jill. I couldn't move for a few minutes but managed to drag myself to the side of the road for safety. I really felt like crying at that moment because it hurt so bad.

After sitting down for a while, I picked myself up, dusted my jeans (thank goodness I was in jeans or else I would have scraped my leg) and got back onto my bike. However, I couldn't exert any strength in my left arm/hand so I could only hold onto the handle gently while I gripped tightly onto the other handle with my right hand. I managed to cycle myself to the city center and then back to the rental shop though I got a bit lost along the way. Two little boys offered me help and requested money in exchange! I was really shocked because New Zealand is one of the last places I would expect people (CHILDREN) to ask for money openly on the streets. Maybe they were just being cheeky, I don't know but I told them I injured my arm and needed money to go to the doctor's.

Ah while I was cycling, I startled a rabbit and it tried to escape but got tripped by the fence wire!!! It picked itself up, embarrassed and hopped away as elegantly as possible. AWW SO CUTE but gasp is this karma?!

I didn't know it back then but there was actually a fracture in my arm and amazingly I cycled for almost 3 hours in that state. Thinking back, I am really amazed at myself. Well done, Ally! The owner gave me an apple when I returned and dropped me at my hostel, really thankful for that.

When I got back to the hostel, the French girls (told you I'm fated with the French on this trip or there were just a lot of European travellers in NZ) saw my wound and helped me dress it! They also immediately agreed to change beds with me because I could not climb up to the top bunk. So touched :') They gave me an ice pack so I sat in the kitchen icing my injured arm when an American, S, sat down across me with his steak dinner (yes he cooked steak in the hostel) and asked if I was ok. And he offered me his dinner!! I politely refused but he insisted that he wasn't that hungry anyway so he gave me half of what he cooked. I was beyond touched and we spent the whole night chatting. He is an extremely well-mannered and intelligent boy.

I told S I wanted to catch the sunrise because the sea faces the East and our hostel is really near the sea. We checked Google and it said that the sun would rise at 5.39am. We went early and watched the colours of the sky change from blue to orange but the sun was still nowhere in sight. Then S checked his watch and went, 'Ok, it's 5.39am.' and to our amazement, the sun popped up of the horizon! That moment was so unbelievable and incredible. I didn't capture it because my arm was injured but if you're in Napier, you MUST go see the sunrise at the beach.

Then back to the hostel we went so that I could get ready for my bus to Wellington. But S noticed that my fingers were blue and he was worried that it might mean a break in the bones. He accompanied me to the doctor's but the X-ray wasn't open till 9am so I had to miss my bus. The X-ray result announced that I had a fracture in my bone and it would take 3+ weeks to heal. They put me in a wrap and a sling and sent me off with pain killers and anti-inflammation pills. After taking the pills, the pain subsided and I felt a lot better so I went to buy a ticket for the afternoon bus to Wellington. I didn't manage to say goodbye to S face to face because he was napping when I left but I thank the stars for him because I would have felt so lonely and sad if I was injured and alone, he was such an angel. :')

While I was waiting for the bus, surprise surprise, I met my friends from the Tongariro hike! They were so shocked to see my arm in a sling but we had a nice time catching up.

So there you have it, my long winded story about how I fractured my arm haha.

Napier, New Zealand I: An artsy town

I arrived in Napier feeling lonely after parting with my French friends so I went to emo on the beach when these two Kiwis sat down next to me. I was quite taken aback but they were nice and invited me to hang out with them. But it started to drizzle a little so I headed back.

The next day I went to the viewing point to look down at the harbour and part of the city.

Then I explored the town which looks like a set in Universal Studios.

There are quite a few nice cafes and shops in Napier and I think if you are into Art, you will love this place. As for me, I think I prefer my mountains and sea.