<< Previous Post: Day 1 - Auckland, The First City We Visited in New Zealand <<
It's time to begin with our road trip in New Zealand. We collected our car rental on the second day in Auckland. We rented Nissan Tiida from Apex Car Rental and their services were amazing as they picked us up from the hotel we stayed in Auckland. Driving around New Zealand is not that difficult as the driver's seat is on the right side and they drive on the left-hand side of the road, exactly like in Malaysia. Malaysians can legally drive in New Zealand for up to 12 months if you have a current driver's licence. Just bear in mind that the common legal age to rent a car in the country is 21.
#1: Goodbye Auckland! Will see you again
#2: Nissan Tiida which we rented from Apex Car Rental
#3: The first thing to do when rent a car is to dropby at supermarket to stock up some groceries and snack.
From Auckland, we drove all the way to Paihia, a small town is well-known for a gateway to the sandy beaches of the Bay of Islands. As the journey took approximately 4 hours drive, my friends and I took turn to drive. I have to say that the road in New Zealand is pretty smooth one, and I almost fall asleep midway of the drive.
#4: In Paihia, we stayed in Averill Court Motel
Averill Court Motel
Date Stayed: 14 September - 16 September (2 night)
Room Rate: RM524 for 2 nights for 3 pax
On the next day, we drove another 1 and half hour from Paihia to Harrisons Cape Reinga Tour centre where we signed up with them for an exciting tour around Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga riding powerful terrain 4x4 truck to bus convention. This is one of the top attractions in North Island of New Zealand which I personally think you shouldn't miss it out. The full-day comprehensive tour departs daily at 9am and it's expecting to end around 5pm.
#5: Harrisons Cape Reinga Tour riding on their powerful terrain 4x4 truck to bus convention
The so-called coach can fit up to 45 pax for 1 trip of tour. It has air-conditioning inside the coach and with large panoramic windows for the guest to enjoy the best scenic viewing. Not sure about WiFi connection inside the coach cause when we went New Zealand dating back in 5 years, Internet wasn't so important yet. The tour covering tourist attraction spots such as Aupouri Forest, Ninety Mile Beach, Te Paki Stream & Sand Dunes, Cape Reinga, Tapotupotu Bay, Rarawa Beach, Te Kao, Houhora Heads and Ka-Uri Unearthed.
#6: My ootd on that day - try to act lil bit boyish
#6: Ice-cream in New Zealand is must try. It's amazingly good!
#7: Chamomile (sometimes I mistakenly thought they are daisies)
#8: Some snacks provided by the tour operator
#9: Don't you think their parks are super lovely?
#10: Tapotupotu Bay - A beautiful sandy bay nestled in the hills on the eastern side of Cape Reinga.
#11: Lighthouse in Cape Reinga - the highlight of the tour
In Maori belief, Cape Reinga or Te Rerenga Wairua (Maori language) is a sacred place. It's the departing place of the spirits of the recently deceased. It is also the dramatic meeting place of the Tasman and Pacific Oceans.
#12: Sand board at Te Paki Sand Dunes (extra charges apply and therefore, we didn't play)
#13: Poor dolphin in Ninety Mile Beach
Overall, my friends and I enjoyed the entire 8-hours tour especially with our guide cum driver who non-stop entertaining us with his humour and jokes. And the best part was we're rewarded with clear blue skies and therefore, almost all the photos we took were amazing and stunning.
Tour Cost: NZ$70 for adult, NZ$40 for children
Tour departs at 9am and ends around 5pm.
#14: Our dinner bought from the supermarket - quick and easy. Not forgetting along with the national fruit
[Oh damn! I hate the new interface by blogger. My photos tend to be smaller than last few posts and I unable to share from Flickr]
Auckland looks like Kuala Lumpur. The view from Tapotupotu Bay was marvellous.
ReplyDelete