WW: Rimutaka Crossing Outlook, Wairarapa, New Zealand

Ready to explore Wellington more with us? 

We spent one lovely weekend to stop by at Rimutaka Crossing, Wairarapa, New Zealand. 

Summer is on and we really are so excited to see more of this country. Rimutaka Crossing is a historical spot where the march of New Zealand Expenditionary Force infantry took place in 1915 - 1918, during the First World War. The military training camp was located in the nearby town called Featherston. Some place we can explore further as well.

As it is situated in the hilly parts of the area, it has amazing view as well.

It took us around one hour drive to reach this place from our home in Karori and since the day was nice and bright, we had a great walk. Once we arrived here, We parked our car and strolled around the area. We walked up along the path and we could tell that the paths have different routes and levels, some are long and quite strenuous. We took the short one and just had a brief climb to get a better view.

I love to see all these flowers

The path is not that difficult, so you can still walk around with the kids, although you are of course welcome to walk further across the hills. The path we took was not too steep but best to wear your comfortable shoes and the proper clothes that would be fit for the weather. We were lucky it was not that windy when we were out there.

I really enjoy the clean air, blue sky, beautiful flowers and some native plants we saw during our walk. The plants remind me of those in the dry or dessert areas. If we were lucky, we could meet a wallaby, a marsupial which is normally seen in the area. 

We definitely take a some pictures as you see above and I wish I brought my action camera to get more footage and photos. 

But we can always come back here next time, as it's located in the famous SH 2 highway taking us to various towns and spots in the area, including Greytown, Martinborough, Casterton and more. My husband and I have put quite a long list of places we plan to explore in North Island, including the one in Wairarapa region, where all these towns are mostly located. 

Some flowers are so pretty

I sincerely hope all is well and the pandemic is way more manageable in the future. Meanwhile, stay safe, happy and healthy, wherever you are.

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One Fine Day at Scorching Bay Beach, Wellington

one fine day at Scorching Bay Beach, Wellington

As we welcomed the new year of 2022, we had some days off in the beginning of January. Noting that in New Zealand summer is on, we took this opportunity to check out the surrounding beaches that we have in the area. One of them is Scorching Bay Beach.

By the time we arrived here, there was a lovely sand castle depicting the words "Happy New Year New Zealand - 02012022". Many of us were posing and taking pictures here for sure.

Scorching Bay is located along the Great Harbour Road near Karaka Bay. It is indeed one of the favorite spots of the Wellingtonians besides Oriental Bay, which is located closer to the water front in city center. 

more sand castle at Scorching Bay Beach, Wellington

This white sandy beach has lovely spot for swimming and relatively flat so it's safe for the kids within the designated perimeter. It has showers and changing rooms as well as playground for the kids with some climbing post and more. The good thing is, this beach has many parking spots, which can be full as well during wonderful days.

The playground at Scorching Bay Beach, Wellington

We went here with some friends and we had a picnic, while the kids (and I) played in the water as well. I didn't really call it swimming as we just played in the water. The water was so cold and I was just there for  15 minutes although the kids continued playing around.

We had fish and chips as well burgers and more for our picnic. It was delicious and practical as well as we bought it along the way. Drinks and fruits were also available so it was very fresh for all of us.

the public toilets and changing rooms

It took us around 20 minutes to reach this spot and find the parking space. Since many of the visitors had been there since early afternoon or even the morning, by the time we arrived we had the parking spot already. What a relief!

Not far from the beach, we have some scenic spot as well. We went there a week before but it was still too cold too swim at that time. We only strolled a bit and took photos there.

Cheers from the Frakarsas

So, what do you think? Will you join us on the beach as well? Come on in then.

Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls and Friends

Welcome to Wellington, NZ

January is going strong and we are indeed enjoying it!

Our first month in Wellington has surpassed and now we are welcoming the new year with so many work plans at the office as well as list of places to explore. We are super excited and hope the itineraries will be realized. New Zealand surely has so many incredible landscape to explore and we are overwhelmed with the list that we are preparing ourselves.

This week I visited Palmerston North as well, a 2-hour drive city famous for universities and educational institutions. We had a break at lovely Orlando Country 

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WW: Seroja Cafe and Indonesian Restaurant in Wellington

Missing food from home is no longer a problem for me and The Frakarsas. 

We have Seroja Cafe and Indonesian Restaurant in Wellington !

Located at the posh corner of the city of Wellington, the Waterfront area, Seroja Cafe is indeed a lovely place to enjoy Indonesian signature dishes, like rendang, bebek and ayam kremes, nasi goreng, batagor, tempe mendoan, ikan bakar or grilled fish and more.

Here are some food we managed to try while visiting this lovely place.

ayam kremes

Special ice tea!

The cafe is located at Clyde Quay Wharf Accessway East, Te Aro, Wellington 6011 and you can definitely check more info and delicious menu at www.serojacafe.nz

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Colorful Culinary Adventures in The Riverside Market, Christchurch, New Zealand

One of the murals in Riverside Market, Christchurch, New Zealand

Heading to the local market in one particular area is always be my fave and most of the time, it becomes top of my itinerary.

That is exactly what I did during my last visit to Christchurch in the late December 2021. Something popped up and we had a business trip to this wonderful city for about three days. Once we arrived here, one of the place that we visited is the Riverside Market.

Located in the heart of Christchurch Central, easily accessed by any means of transportation including the public ones, Riverside Market has become one of the icons of Christchurch. Here you can find a myriad of wonderful choices of fresh farmers' produce, seafood, cheese, and more, plus delicious menus from different corners of the globes with the high degree of authenticity. 

frozen tempeh..

We also have Indonesian food here, provided by Indo Tempeh, the vendor which supplies tempeh or the soy bean cake with varieties of menus using tempeh and more traditional Indonesian cuisines like nasi kuning, sayur lodeh, sambal goreng tempe, mendoan, tempe bacem and more.  

nasi kuning, anyone?

In terms of food, you can also get popular western food like fried chicken, fish and chips, burgers and steak, as well as more Asian cuisines, like Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Malaysian food, and Turkish, Greek, Italian, Mexican, and more. Healthy choices as well as candies and sweets are also available. 

These cheese twists are super yum!

As I came before Christmas, many festive food, chocolates and cookies are sold by the vendors here. Many of them are colorful and super cute. I also like to accent and the decorations used by each vendor here. It makes the whole ambience of the market rich and vibrant as they bring and infuse their unique, one-of-a-kind touch of home. As for the aroma, it is indeed tantalizing!

Cute gingerbread person

Not to mention various drinks like coffee, bubble tea, ice cream, wine, beer, spirits and more. The bakeries that we have here also provide delicious bread, pastries, pies, biscuits, cookies and anything you can think of. So tempting indeed.

Around the area, particularly the laneway, we also have various shops and I have to admit the summer sales as well as the cute, collectable items from many gifts shops dotting the area, really make me strain my shopping appetite. And it was not that easy LOL. 

Some of the colorful items I love to have 

You will find colorful, brilliant, eye-trickery murals outside of the building as well. Obviously many will love taking pictures here as it's so Instagramable. Those murals are the depiction of the original buildings in the area before the great earthquake hit Christchurch in 2011. The Riverside Market is more than just the market as it stands tall marking the collective efforts of the city as well as the nation to restart building Christchurch after that life-changing disaster.

I managed to get a flat white, cheese bread and croissant, nasi kuning, rendang frozen tempeh, candy, organic butter and souvenirs from this market. Well, it's quite a lot for a short trip to the market. Well, for sure, if you are coming to Christchurch, you cannot miss this place.