Friday, December 4, 2009 @ 1:37 PM

Day 1:

Esther sent me to the airport! :) Thank god she was there else mom would definitely had nagged the whole way, she left when the others arrived cuz it got a bit awkward. Had briefing, transactions and stuff, then fiona's sis actually cried when we entered the depature terminal HAHAHA.

I got excited like hell when we boarded the plane, but very disappointing aw. Quantas had the most horrible food ever, lousy sound and tv quality, unfriendly air stewardesses, very quishy seats which made it so stuffy I had a cold and the ride was way too long! Haha but what the hell, we're going to NZ (!!!!) and that made everything worth it :) Sdyney's airport was not bad and the duty free shopping there was good.


(Just woke up)

Air steward: We have fish noodle and beef rice, what would you like?
Siying: Baked rice.
AS: Beef rice? Okay
Siying: Beef?? Can we have the fish noodle instead?

*AS takes out tray*
Cari: (whispers) Fish noodle very hard leh.
Siying: Oh wait! Can we have the beef rice. Thanks.

Later,
AS: Coffee or tea?
Siying: (distractedly) Mmmokay *extends cup*
AS: So which one?
Sying: Huh?
AS: So which one do you want?
Siying: *stares* What which one?

Day 2:

When I first stepped into NZ, it was BREATH TAKING. Auckland has as many people as SG, but look at their land size!! They even had a lake as big as singapore alone (will get to that later) and as we drove, we saw huge expense of fields, mountains, cows and all sorts of beautiful mansions. Very very very pretty! Stopped at Mount Eden otw and we were literally gushing. Queenie freaked out when we took photos over the edge of the deep crater and siying was so fascinated, she really went over to pluck a daisy (hahaha).





Went over to the hostel to drop our bags and headed over to the sky tower. 328 metres, Queenie freaked out yet again and while laughing at her, somebody realised part of the floor was transparent and we can see very clearly through it allllll the way down and before long, everybody was freaking out. Pots calling the kettle black hehheh \m/. There was something where they would strap you to A ROPE and you'll jump from the top all the way down. 328 metres... Mental.


(Your transparent floor lol.)



Wasnt looking foward to our walk all the back to the hostel, then it's like heaven answered our prayers, a few tikki trishaw riders were somehow stationed outside the entrance of sky tower. Haha woooooots coolest ride ever! All 5 of us were squashed like nobody's business, but at least our trishaw rider was cute and the ride was very very very cooling, fast and screamish.



Had reflection that night, flu made us almost dead, ran out to the convinence store very late at night and jumped in the middle of the street, and I couldnt sleep, jetlag.

Day 3:

Slept alot in the bus that day due to the very long distances but that was what really woke everyone up. Went to the waitomo caves, where I didnt understand half of what the guide was saying, but I guess I was the only one, since the woman behind me was wow-ing away. Wondered how explorers got down here though, super dark and creepy, even now that they had lightbulbs. The boat ride was beautiful, thanks to the glowworms.



Drove for the next 2 hours just to watch the Dam (damn) Open. There were black swans!!! (and ducks which Siying adored and insisted that they were more worth snapping photos of, probably becuz they look just like her hahahaha) The water there is actually really blue, not the colourless/brown kind you'll see in singapore's lakes and rivers. Watching the dam turned into major camwhore sessions, me and meien literally took photos with everyone who went, on that day.




(Adele!!)



Had the Wairakei Terraces Guided walk and our Maori guide was really cute hahaha. Saw geysers and it was really hot that day, as hot as how our classrooms in singapore are like, every single day. Burning sunnnn. Went to Lake Taupo afterwards, which was as big as sg alone, and walked till the shops closed, which was like 5. Very awesome place to take walks, cooling and very peaceful.


(Lake Taupo)

Went to the park at night and got chatted up when we were taking photos. But then again, who starts a conversation with: "Taking photos?" And who answers with: "Would you like to take a photo with us?" ??
And... COLDY!!! HAHAHHAA. Watched Whale Rider at night, I actually cried lmafo.

Day 4:

Went to the Okere Falls scenic reserve. Was way too cold for morning walks and everybody was stumbling around, hugging themselves. Was okay after a while and began to do things like, eating leaves that supposedly taste like pepper, touching lucky flowers and recounting the 'coldy' conversation yesterday night, very hilarious. Watched people rafting at the highest rafted waterfall in the world and more camwhoring.





Went to the Agrodome Farm afterwards and we met Fionn!! That little angmoh boy with bright blue eyes who everyone went crazy over. Total children perverts haha, but you really cant help but pat his head, too cute! The sheep show was nice and my very first time sitting beside/ hugging a real sheep and really watched sheepdogs at work. Everytime the baby lambs go 'maaa', my heart can just melt. Got dragged out of the sheep nursery :S





Had a tram ride through the farm which was the best part of all! It's not like those shitty tram rides you get at our zoo, it's awesome, where they literally drive you onto the field with animals roaming freely and make you alight. How cool is that, being able to step on sheep poooo and feel them licking your fingers mmmm. So many people got chased by sheep and some freaked out when the sheep came close then simply threw food in the sheep's face and ran away hahahaha v funny.





The tram seemed to randomly stop at some place by the river and we had river study, which looked boring but turned out to be very fun. The photo of us balancing clipboards on our heads in that self-invented competition to pass time and shelther oursevles from the rain still makes me laugh.





Drove to some Marae, saw the boiling mud pools, geysers and stuff. It started raining so everyone got really really cold. Thank god for the stone rocks above the geysers which somehow burned everyone's butts but kept mine very toastly warm. I wont be surprised my butt has a high boiling point ;) Got invited to the Marae with the Maori's welcome haka, had to bite my lips like shit to prevent myself from laughing, which wldve been really disrespectful :S 5 course dinner from food cooked underground, veryvery filling and I still had to stuff food into my already-close-to-bursting stomach cuz I lost so many times in the stupid game we played afterwards lmao.




(I am so fat! HAHAHA OMG)


(Maori Greeting)

At this dinner, you can really see the difference between an angmoh and the cheenas. During the buffet, you'll see the angmohs (not to be disrespectful, I dont know how to spell caucasians) queuing up in one straight line, nver cutting queue and patiently waiting for their turn to get the food. WHEREAS this chinese woman, she CHIONGED all the way to the front and HEAPED her plate with the obviously most expensive thing, the fresh oysters. Once her plate has been filled and 1/2 the oysters are gone, she dragged her friend closest to her and together they piled another empty plate with oysters. Woah fuck, thank god she's not from sg -'-

Crashed at Queenie and Meien's room with Siying that night and they gossiped like crazyyy. Was very excited to go to the flea market by ourselves the next day, till queenie told me they sold vegetables too... What kind of flea market sells vegetables, how do they get 2nd hand vegs anyway? Went back to our room at 2, and speaking of returning late to our room at night, I'm really gonna miss siying screaming 'FUCK' in the middle of the night cuz she lost something yet again... NOT. Haha Fiona can work at lost and found next time for sure lolol.

Day 5:


(Pale and rumpled faces of 1/2 awake people lmao.)

Went to Kiwi Encounter and Rainbow Springs. Watched Kiwis hatching, saw Kiwi chicks and we actually saw a real Kiwi feeding. They have nostrils at the end of their beaks and they have to keep snorting everytime after they dig their beaks into the ground so that they can clear the dirt in their nose, how cute is that? Had alot of fun at rainbow springs, there was even this bird called MOREPOK! HAHAHA. Should put the bird beside a muslim store and watch it caw: "more pork more pork!"





Long drive back to Auckland from Rotorua and visited their museum which was located on a volcano. The museum guides there are reallyreally good, v informative and they really know what they're talking about, unlike some museum guides over here, *cough*. Went out to the park afterwards and took v awesome pictures. The park is waaay cool, I love how NZ has no ants at all and we can literally roll on the grass down the hill. Umm at least I did, they stood there laughing and took videos of your truly rolling down the damned hill x_x. And the weather? BEST, loved it!





Watched the guys play billard at night, v hilarious hahaha you see the way tzechong try to teach them lmao. Somebody commented on how pool is an ahbeng sport, no wonder we suck at it hor haaha. Snuck out to Queen street in the middle of the night to an internet cafe, *hints 29 nov post*. Saw me boasting? Hahaha we got caught shortly after I clicked publish by Ms Goh, who came in, rapped on the table and simply said, get out, arms folded and all. Queenie was the most epic lor, she went "Hi Ms Goh", then "shit". Hahaha the teachers didnt yell and scream at us like we expected them to, and we freaked out the whole night wondering wth was gonna happen to us tomorrow.



Day 6:

Nothing happened thank god, the teachers seemed to have completely forgottened about it. Went to Howick College to meet our buddies for the first time. They were nice and all, but reallyy cliquish, like they prefer talking to their own people. Many people from our side ended up without buddies. They followed us to another Marae, where TzeChong was our chief and his speech was veryvery funny. HAHAH had to bite our lips to stop ourselves from laughing when he said the bukit timah hill thingy. Went to the beach to pick cockles (!!!!!) but ended up splashing in the sea and taking group photos.







Shopping in the afternoon and you can hear the howick girls screaming when the tour guide told us how there were supre and the warehouse etc. Queenie's buddy was so nice to bring me and Queenie around, even though it seemed very obvious she desnt like to shop. Shopping time really wasnt enough, you could see Queenie's downcast face at the very little clothes she bought hahaha.

Day 7:

Lessons in Howick are totally different and v interesting! The students there are very outspoken and they contribute non stop. Haha dont even have the face to compare them with our own classes here. Went to Environmental studies with anna (my buddy) after 1st period. Anna is like, crazy smart you can see all the excellence on practically all her essays and she spent the whole time they were supposed to be studying for the upcoming quiz, discussing her holiday plans with her friend and me. Lucky new zealanders, their holidays are like really fun, they can just grab their backpacks and go camping on one of the valleys close to their houses. And she spent the whole quiz time inventing answers hahaha very funny.




(Everytime the guy raises the paper, we gotta go 'whoa' no matter how uninteresting it is. HAHA this kind of crap presentation also made us laugh nonstop)


(Anna)

Went on a boat ride to Rangitoto volcano, which erupted some 600 years ago. The boat ride was excellent, had some kiwi fruit competition (lmao) and the wind ahh. Till today, ash and lava stains still remain over the rocky barren ground and it's terribly dusty. Climbed all the way to the summit (356 steps zz), which wasnt very worth it, and camwhored like mad and everybody said they didnt wanna return to sg hahha.

Walked 1/2 way down with siying to some bench in a very secluded place with an awesome view and had our lunch while talking and singing. When we tried being absolutely quiet, the silence was deafening, no insects buzzing, no human voices, nothing. Ate for quite a long time, then we freaked out cuz by now, we wldve seen the group climbing down already. RAN all the way back up and realised they were still there taking photos -.- tired like crap.







Had shopping afterwards @ queen street (hahaha a very famous street apparently) cuz Queenie begged for it last night, but me and Mei En broke off after a while cuz Queenie and Siying were.. CRAZY, no other word for that. Woah also never see them run that fast for 2.4 hahaha. Went to eat Gelato Icecream (V NICE!!!!!!!) and wandered around the street buying only a few pieces of clothing, unlike the other 2 who came back with a BOX, LOL.

Had the best fish and chips ever for dinner :) Spent the night (ok till 4am) with christabel, Jillian and co. Playing truth and dare, billard and lying on the couch talking. Adele, our best tour guide ever, also made a very touching speech. ):





Day 8:



Aww we all wanted to stay. Flight to Sydney was long as usual, but when we went there, they told us our plane never arrived and we probably had to stay at sydney for a night. Haha everybody went mad happy, but then they managed to find us another plane, this time transiting @ jakarta viw Luth Hansa. This plane was alot worse omg, read about the trip back on Queenie's blog, she explained it very fully. :)



Haha sure we all do! Hmmmm where to next year? :)


Missed waking up to this :)

Ciao.