WW: Cable Top Cafe at Kelburn, Wellington

We have been enjoying some good, sunny days lately here in windy Welly.

Well, spring should be around the corner although I have to admit that September is here and still we have freezing days.

When the weather is friendly, I really enjoy strolling around the city or Kelburn area, near my office. We have the Cable Car here and there's a cafe too called Cable Top. When time and work load permit, we sometimes walk up and have a quick breakfast here in the cafe.

It is really a good walk up to the hilly street to reach this cafe. The last time I came here with some friends, we had a good walk from the office and it took us around 10 minutes to reach the Cable Top eatery.

One of the brunch time we had here, I ordered their signature vegan shake. Well, shake with no milk and they put Feijoa, a unique fruit from New Zealand. Mixed with other fresh fruits, it's very filling indeed. 

the shake

In addition to that, we also ordered the cheese scone. I really love it as it's very creamy. 

If you want, you are more than welcomed to order gelato or ice cream and cookies as well pastries as they also serve many delicious flavours for that.

Well, all in all, I really enjoy this place and happy to go back here again next time.

Join us on (almost) Wonderful Wednesday and have fun with the link party

Enjoying Bula and Aki Mata at Trader Jacks Bar & Grills, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Welcome to Trader Jacks Bar & Grills, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

I haven't really shared my great adventures in Rarotonga, the capital city of Cook Islands here in my blog. Although the visit was done in May 2022, but I guess the stories and memories stay for a lifetime.

We were there for 5 days on the occasion of Ambassador Fientje Suebu's presentation of Letter of Credence to the Queen's Representatives. We stayed in the Edgewater Resort and Spa and it's a lovely villa indeed that we got there. The villa can accommodate the 7 of us and  and it's complete with living room, kitchen, dining room, terrace and even washing machine. Not to forget, the direct access to the beach! Heaven indeed! I will share more details on the next post. 

ready to cruise with this Waka?

During this stay, we had series of meetings as well as the opportunity to browse and scroll around the island.

Welcome to Trader Jacks & Grills, Rarotonga

In one of the occasions, we stopped at Trader Jacks Bar and Grills in Avarua district, Rarotonga. This is really a lovely restaurant with great food, lovely vibe and amazing view of the ocean!

one corner at Trader Jacks

We came here for lunch and really enjoy the food here. Although at that time it was a bit cloudy, we saw the waka or traditional boat ready to sail. I feel like jumping here and joining them! You can see how wonderful this traditional boat is. Here we ordered the fish & chips, onion rings, Bula Fiji style curry complete with rice and roti, the catch of the day, and of course Ika Mata, the traditional Cook Islanders dish made of fish. So ika mata is basically fresh tuna soaked in lime juice and coconut milk, adorned with capsicum and spring onion. I really love it for sure!

I also enjoyed my Bula, Fiji style fish curry. One big, complete tray I have here with the roti, steamed rice, fish curry, yogurt and tomato dipping, plus fresh chili. Yummy and very fulfilling.

Not to forget, I also love their home-made sauce! The ones with mango and coconut chili sauce is so good! They also have pizzas and burgers and more choices as well.

The service is good and staff is friendly. We chatted a lot with some of them, asking about the area as well as the food and beverages being served there.

It is also a bar and it is very strategically located. I guess that is why it is becoming one of the favorite hang out spots. I saw many people waiting for their drinks while enjoying the breeze by the sea.

We stopped by twice during our short stay in the island as we really enjoyed the food and drink here. Price wise, it is also friendly and pretty standard. So, what do you think? Like this place as well like me? Hopefully so. Highly recommended indeed if you do come to Cook Islands!

WW: One Fine Afternoon at Skyline Walkway Karori

Wellington has been bleak lately. 

Gloomy, cloudy days packed with rain and wind certainly make your day. Well, I don't know whether this is what winter feels like in Wellington since this is our very first time, yet been enduring winter in many different countries before, the one we have here is just different. I guess the wind just simply makes it worst. 

 So, whenever we have some sunshine, no matter how short it might be, we try to make the most of it. Since we don't travel that much lately due to the weather, we take our chances to enjoy what we have in the our backyard. Here comes our fine afternoon at Skyview Walkway. 

Five minutes walk from home and we enter one of the many gateways Skywview walkway has. Heading to Karori/Makara Park, or to Mt. Kaukau/Johnshonville is our choice. 

This time, as we don't really have much time and the temperature is still below 15 degree Celcious, we chose to be hiking around the hills, enjoying the sun while it lasts. Bo, Obi et Udi are coming too, making it our fun family walk. The sky is still cloudy but the greeneries just makes it perfect. 

We walked around for about one hour before the temperature dropped and the wind got colder. We were content that we got to feel the fresh air and enjoy the natural landscape before heading back home to get some cooking and enjoy our dinner. 

So do you enjoy walking around your area as well? 

Do you manage to enjoy the greeneries or the natural landscape, or even the urban city?  

Share it with us here.

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the link party.

WW: Les Miserables in Wellington

 

How I miss Broadway!

One of the things that I miss the most from NYC is their all-year-round entertainment, particularly Broadway. Well, at least before COVID-19 pandemic.. and now, as it starts kicking back after the pandemic is a bit manageable. 

I remember vividly those musicals and plays my family, my dearest friends and I watched in Broadways. Kinky Boots, the Rain, Beautiful, On Your Feet, Phantom of the Opera, Sponge Bob, the Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen, Jersey Boys, Chicago  and more..

So when I heard that St. James Theather in Wellington was reopening after years of renovation and series of plays and musicals will be showcased, I directly hunt for the tickets. Together with Stella, my colleague at the office, we got the tickets for Les Miserables. Super excited indeed!

welcome to St. James Theater

Les Miserables is indeed a famous play that has been performed in many corners of the world. Perhaps you are already familiar with the stories of Jean Valjean, Fantine, Cossette,Marius, Eponine,  Javert and even the hillarious crooks, the Thenardiers. We even have the last Hollywood version of it starred by Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.

The show was packed and St. James Theater looks beautiful indeed. We cozily sit for 3 hours plus intermission and the play was amazing. The production troupe, which is mostly based in Aotearoa, New Zealand, is amazing! I really enjoyed the played and the songs, including the hits I had a dream. 

The stage..

Well, all in all I had a wonderful night and I hope I can soon go back for more performance here. Here are some photos showing you the lovely theater.

happy me posing with the program book

the ceiling

the best seats indeed

Have you been joining any live performance lately?
Share it with us here.

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the link party!

WW: CABLE CAR MUSEUM KELBURN WELLINGTON

Welcome back and happy to welcome you back here.

Cable car museum at Kelburn, Wellington

Ready to explore Wellington more with me?

I will take you to the Cable Car Museum which is located near my office in Kelburn area, Wellington.

If you remember, I have shared the story about the famous Cable Car of Wellington
Read : Wellington Cable Car, Enjoying Wellington in Bright, Sunny Day . 

the red cable car

And the end of the stop for the cable car, we have the cable car museum. The museum is the original winding house of the cable car which was operating in 1902 - 1978. The museum has 2 parts, where all the stories are presented on the first floor and more items on the ground floor with items and mechanical elements of the cable car. 

There are photos and videos we all can enjoy here as we learn about the history of this famous red cable car.

It is interesting to learn the fact that since the very beginning, this cable car has attracted people's attention and since Kelburn area, beautifully located on the hills offering amazing view, has become one of the busy parts of the city, more people use the cable car as well. I noted that from 425.000 people using it in 1902, they noted around 2 million people used cable car in 1926! I bet people did enjoy taking this ride.

I have also made a YouTube video on this which you can enjoy down here, a must -try legendary ride when you are visiting Wellington. The view from Kelburn is fantastic and you can definitely enjoy it after a relatively short ride from Lambton Quay, the city center, to Kelburn.

For sure, I really enjoyed my visit to the Cable Car Museum in Kelburn Wellington and I hope I can come back here with my kids. They have been enjoying the trip with Wellington Cable Car as well.

The museum is free of charge and you can definitely buy a lot of interesting souvenirs here. There are cafe shop, perfumerie and more around the area. Really worth a visit!

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the link party!

WW : Enjoying Lake Taupo, New Zealand

Hi everyone..

Welcome back and I have to admit that I haven't shared many of my trips around Aotearoa New Zealand. Last May, we visited New Plymouth and Taupo. 

You can read some stories about it here: Escapade to New Plymouth and Lake Taupo (Part 1) and the Three Sisters and Elephant Rocks.

So now, let me take you around Lake Taupo and the city center.

We stayed in one of the hotels with the access to the lake and in the following day, we strolled around the city before heading back to Wellington. There's a city sign that becomes tourists' favourite and since it's by the lake, many stop by for a while. As you can see up there, the sign is pretty much popular.

We also visited Huka Falls and saw its amazing falls and the bush walk around it. The Falls is not that high but it's surely refreshing to see the sceneries and feel the mist from the falls.

Nadine and I enjoying our selfie..

 Before that, we also enjoyed the beautiful sceneries along the way from New Plymouth to Lake Taupo.

on our way to Taupo from New Plymouth

We then had a lovely lunch in the shrimp farm in the area and tried the Huka Falls Jet! Oh my, it was so much fun indeed! The shrimps we tried there were so fresh! Other food from the menus are also yummy. It's a bit pricey but I guess that's the price you have to pay for delicious, fresh-from-the-farm food.

On our way to Taupo, we took the forgotten highway, which actually lovely and beautiful, although it's longer route than the new highway. We took pictures in the middle of the route as it was only us LOL. It was quite an experience.

So, all in all, we truly enjoy Lake Taupo and the surrounding areas. Hopefully we can explore more and more places in Aotearoa.

 Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the link party!

WW: The Bali Sensory Experience at Wellington Railway Station, New Zealand

 Hi everyone..

A couple of weeks a go, I joined the Bali Sensory Experience which was held at Wellington Railway Station, New Zealand. For the first time, this Balinese performance is conducted in the public sphere like the railway station in Wellington.

As you know, Bali, the island of Gods and Goddesses, has been suffering a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that we are in better situation in controlling the pandemic, Bali as well as the rest of Indonesia is open for visitors. We are happy to welcome everyone to our beloved home.

So in order to ensure that, we are trying to promote Bali and Indonesia in general in various occasions, including like this one. 

We had Gamelan Bali and some Balinese dances, including Tari Rejang Renteng. The performance is done by Mekar Bhuana group, a Wellington - based Balinese troupe led by Mba Putu Evie and her hubby, Vaughn, whom we dearly call Bli Pon. Both of them, together with their kids, Semara and Prana, have been promoting Balinese amazing cultures, particularly through gamelan and dances. Bli Pon lived in Bali for quite a long time indeed as well. The event was supported by NZIIA as well.

I joined the dance and I wore my favorite purple kebaya with Songket Bali accent that day. Together with Nadine, I also joined Mekar Bhuana and has participated in one of the 8 classes that we will have. 

Bli Pon giving introduction

Getting ready for the performance

I love learning and playing gamelan for sure! Here's is the complete instruments that we are going to learn and explore more. Super excited indeed!

I have a live coverage on this event as well on my YouTube channel. Check it out!

Cheers and wait for more stories about our Gamelan exercises yaaa. Will be back with more fore sure and meanwhile, stay healthy everyone!

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the linky party!