My holiday in NZ is coming to an end and it was starting to bump me out. *sad*
At 7.30am, after some egg + cheese sandwiches (that was the last of our food supply), we journeyed back up north to a place called Greymouth. My mood was kinda somber but I still made myself enjoy the road trip as much as I can.
I mean, it's not like 'everyday' we get to go to Greymouth (no pun intended).
We passed by a whole lot of lakes namely
1. Lake Mapourika - the largest of the West Coast lakes, a glacier formation from the last ice age.
2. Lake Wahapo - small but famous for trout fishing
(no pictures of these two lakes as we just drove by them)
Reached the town Whataroa to pump gas, only to find that the Mobil there is selling gas at NZD 2.02/l. That was officially the most expensive petrol we've ever bought.
Moving on, we passed by the Mt Hercules Scenic Reserve, yet another national park that we didn't have time to explore.
The view was still truly magnificient, with mountains after mountains plus the most cows I've ever seen grazing on the plains.
Lake no. 3 was Lake Ianthe, another fishing site.. .If only I had the chance to fish out one or two salmon here, I would have a sashimi feast.
aaaahhh...so peaceful....
Back on the road, I also saw a dog hanging on for dear life at the back of a fast moving truck.
Last of the lakes was lake no 4, Lake Mahinapua.
Took this from afar so you can't really see the lake. Nvm, just enjoy the clouds je la.
Passing by a town with the cutest name, Hokitika, we finally arrived at Greymouth. And it was drizzling.
Still, we proceeded with our plan in line - to have some off road adventure with 'On Yer Bike'.
This sure doesn't look your typical adventure theme park, eh. So dodgy looking. heehee
But inside this family operated business premise, it was warm and cosy.
Nope, it weren't my dirty shoes leaving marks on the floor .... They were imprinted patterns to tickle the young kids walking in here.
We went for something other than the conventional Quad Bike or Go-kart - we chose to go on the Hagglund Ride.
Just as well, for it was still drizzling.
The hagglund is an all-terrain vehicle once used by the military to get down and dirty (and I mean REALLL dirty) into mud and creeks, ramble through forests and climbing vertical slopes as high as 2m. No 4x4 could do what these monsters could.
Yes, it was THAT wild!
And we were all ready for the action.
We were kept clean and dry inside the hagglund, but it was so so shaky, it was hard to capture any nice shots during the ride, except for these...
At one point, this huge yellow thing even had to cross the highway, much to the amusement of passing cars.
We waded through streams, not to mention 2m deep mudpaths.
I was tossing around inside the hagglund like lettuce being tossed in a salad. Instead of strapping myself down with the seat belt, I actually felt more secure tugging and pulling at it to prevent myself from falling off my seat. I was holding onto the strap the entire 1-hour bumpy ride. And just so you know, we paid NZD 85 per person to experience the
hagglund.....haha, i just love saying that word.
I felt every muscle loosened up in my body after the ride. Time to eat next.
Lunch was at Phil's Top Shop Cafe, where I had the most delicious cream pastry and salty-like-hell potato wedges.
Then, we dropped off our Lancer back at Ace Car Rental. Those 4-wheels really made my holiday a memorable one in NZ.
Those kind ACE people dropped us at the railway station for our Tranz Scenic adventure by rail.
A very very long train arrived to picked us up. Initially I had intended for us to drive all the way back to where we started, Christchurch, but given that poor dear might grow sick of being behind the wheels far too long, I decided to buy us 2 tickets on one of the most scenic train journeys in the world.
I had no worries about enduring a 4 1/2 hour train ride back to Christchurch. The seats were spacious with plenty of leg room and huge windows to soak in the beauty of our scenic tour.
The journey is 231 kms long and passes through the Canterbury plains and farmlands, spectacular gorges and river valleys of Waimakariri River as well as 18 tunnels.
This long train had a viewing carriage right at the front for people to get the best photographs. But since we happened to be seated almost at the back, we were too lazy to move. I was merely looking out from my own window while dear was in a deep sleep beside me.
One thing I learnt about purchasing the Tranz Scenic tickets was you can get them much cheaper buying them from the local tourist agents/ I-site centers, rather than buying them way ahead online. We made extreme savings by paying only NZD 158 for two persons. Getting the tix online would have cost NZD 164 PER person!
A lone female traveller who sat opposite me but then disappeared for the entire journey. My guess is she went to the viewing dec. Lucky me did not have to face a total stranger for the next 4 1/2 hours.
The seats were separated by a table in the centre so we could put away all our stuff or eat some hot piping food and drinks from the train cafe.
Due to the never-ending drizzle, most of my pictures had raindrops on the window pane amidst the background of a beautiful scenery. Hence, you're not going to see much of the pictures here.
Can you spot the little raindrops outside my window?
The reflection on the windows didn't help much either. Bummer.
Some best pictures I picked out...
The nearer we got to Christchurch, the more we noticed the change in the surroundings. It just got greener and greener. ..It got me super excited.
Could winter be finally over with spring knocking at the front door?
The very straight-looking skinny trees are so cute.
The train brought us to Addington Railway Station and for the first time, we were feeling slightly 'handicapped' without a car to take us places.
One complaint I had about the baggage collection area was how the unclaimed baggage were just left on the floor, piling up one on top of another. Didn't they learn about the kaiten-belt concept? =-=
As soon as we stepped out into the open, it was so damn refreshing. Spring had finally arrived!
No more thick woollen jackets, no more long Johns and no more snow for me to play with!
A friendly staff at the Pavilions Hotel came to pick us.
A hotel I randomly picked from the Internet. No more YHAs. I was longing for a more comfortable bed to sleep on during my last few nights here.
And I got two.
They gave us a Queen and a Single. How about that for NZD 92 a night? Plus FOC breakfast for 2.
Right outside my window, they've got the smallest swimming pool I've ever seen in a hotel.
Or I may be wrong and it was the kiddie's pool actually.
Finally, a TV to watch. I've been so deprived of TV shows, I was ready to jump into a local cinema if they didn't have a TV.
Drinking water in NZ has never been more convenient. Water straight from the tap has never been cleaner. I was getting used to drinking water from the toilet (tap).
After a short tour of the room, we went out wanting to grab some dinner.
Flowers were blooming everywhere and I was loving it!
Mum would have gone bonkers if she saw the myriad of colors these flowers bloomed in.
We almost went for Thai (since there were so many of those restaurants around) but then decided to try 'The Bucks Head' instead.
It turned out to be a bar with a mini casino room behind.
Awriiiiite, bring on the Bar-Food!
For a truly reasonable NZD 10, we chose their famous Big Bucks Famous Burger (w. fries)...claims to be voted Best in CC.
And we saw why.
It was better than best ..... it was orgasmic!
I chose the Stewed Lamb Shank and it was another wild experience. Damn GOOD!! And those mashed potatoes were so much, I could only manage like a quarter of it.
I got a much-enjoyed salad on the side too. This dinner was so worth the money, I didn't want to leave that place.
Bet my other half felt the same way too. Notice his thumbs-up?
If you ever head over to CC, look for this bar situated opposite the CC casino.
My advice : Just skip the gambling and head right to the bar across it.
I gambled on it, and I won. *pleased*
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