South Island, Here We Come - Hooker Valley Track - Road Trip in South Island NZ

Hooker Valley Track - Road Trip in South Island NZ 

The roaring sound of water got our attention, as the four of us, the Frakarsas, continued walking on the gravelled track. I looked at my husband and asked, "did you hear that?", with an obvious nod. He instantly took his phone and our action camera while saying,"we're getting close to bridge." And there, in front of us, the swing bridge, beautifully and, at the same time frighteningly, stretched over the valley and the river, was waiting for us. Hooker Valley, we're coming!

Hooker Valley at the mid section of our hike

Let’s continue our trip, after visiting Christchurch and Akaroa as well as Lake Tekapo in the South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Are you ready?

This time, I will share our stories while enjoying Mt. Cook  and Lake Pukaki area, especially Hooker Valley track.

So ..South Island, Here We Come - Hooker Valley Track - Road Trip in South Island NZ.

Mt. Cook is indeed a famous and must-see landmark in the South Island. Its amazing landscapes, with snow-capped mountains, curvy roads frame with clear blue sky and turquoise water lake, has captivated people’s attention and admiration. That includes the Frakarsas.

Even on our way from Twizel to Mr. Cook, we have been swayed by amazing landscapes along the way. As many others, we stopped in the middle of the road and took pictures! Of course while carefully looking at the traffic and make sure we didn't obstruct it!

We are lucky that when we visited the area the weather was friendly. Not too hot nor too summery, yet it was a bit cloudy but still sunny. As we reached the area, we stayed in Twizel ,- approximately 30 minutes from Mt. Cook and 30 minutes to Lake Tekapo. So it is strategically located in  the middle.

We drove early morning to Mt. Cook as we planned to track and hike in Hooker Valley. It takes 3 - 4 hours return from the parking lot or the starting point to Hooker Lake and back. And we had an amazing hike indeed.

my Nadine and the walking stick :)

happy me on the second bridge.. taking photos in the middle of the swinging bridge 

Let’s take a look at the pictures I took along the way.

the second swing bridge we went through

cheers from the four of us..

We passed 3 swing bridges along the way, with roaring rivers and semi-frozen lakes which are a combination of thrilling walk and magically beautiful views. I was a bit scared as we passed the first bridge but then finally got accustomed and felt a lot more relaxed on the next ones.

So that’s our little story about Hooker Valley and wait for more South Island adventures in South Island, Here We Come  - Road Trip in South Island NZ series.

the pristine nature is so overwhelming 

South Island, Here We come - AKAROA - Road Trip in South Island NZ

AKAROA - Road Trip in South Island NZ 

Welcome back to Road Trip in South Island NZ series.

I am way too far from finishing as I only shared a few cities up till now and I do have more on my sleeves. 

This time, I will take you to Akaroa.

Don't forget to get more stories, like the one in Christchurch and Lake Tekapo.

Akaroa is the next city we visited after Christchurch. Well, it's one of the first ones we stopped by on the start of our road trip. 

It took us around 1.5 hour drive from Christchurch to Akaroa. As we left Christchurch rather later then what we have originally planned, we only spent some hours and got our late lunch in Akaroa. 

The war memorial in Akaroa, near the harbour

Akaroa has been famous for being the "New Zealand's only French settlements" - as I quoted from AA Traveller book. As we drove around the city and saw the road sign, we felt like we were no longer in New Zealand as the names are in French. Many cute houses with their gardens reminded us with those petit cities in France, thousands of kilometers away from Aotearoa. As we lived in Geneva, Switzerland - the french part of Suisse,- for more than 4 years, the visit to Akaroa really lives up our wonderful memories while living in Europe.

Along the way to Akaroa, the view is just amazing. The road we took show the turquoise water framed with lush green hills, curvy roads, and blue sky. Truly spectacular. We are looking at Banks Peninsula, famous for the place for penguin colony, from above.

WW: The Good Shepherd Church Lake Tekapo - Road Trip in South Island NZ

Lake Tekapo.

One of the many beautiful lakes we encounter in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Recently, as we explored South Island, enjoying our first Road Trip in South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand, we stopped by at Lake Tekapo’s most famous landmarks, the Church of the Good Shepherd.

This charming small, stone church is beautifully located at one corner of picturesque lake and making it arguably one of the most photographed churches in New Zealand.

Golden hour at The Good Shepherd Church Lake Tekapo

While we visited the area, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to capture this as well. 

Here’s what we got on our 2 nights in Lake Tekapo, taking tons of pictures, literally, in different times, even till pass midnight.

the purple sky

On the first night, we stopped by rather late as we checked in to our hotel in Twizel first before heading here and had dinner. The trip from Twizel to Lake Tekapo takes around 20 minutes. The reason 

Apparently, the church and the church's yard is closed at 8 PM during summer. But we managed to see the yard and also the lake and the surrounding. The church is not open except during its scheduled mass, but if you or your group would like to visit inside or attend the mass, you can definitely be in touch with the church.

So after getting our dinner, we sticked around and waited till dark to get more photos of this place.

Hope you enjoy the photos.

yaaaay we got the star trails...

the picturesque Good Shepherd Church at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Enjoying our nite at the Good Shepherd Church Lake Tekapo

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South Island, Here We come - Road Trip in South Island NZ - Christchurch

Welcome to Ōtautahi or Christchurch

Welcome back…

Still on my series of stories about Road Trip in South Island, New Zealand. I know I promised you Lake Tekapo, but apparently I am way from done on sharing about our trip in Ōtautahi or Christchurch and the surroundings area.

Originally, we planned to take tram trip and punting in Avon river as well as checking Christchurch from above through gondola ride. Pretty much the popular tourist destination and activities LOL.

But then, as we arrived there and also met some friends (and the fact that I have taken the tramway tour on my visit to Christchurch back in December 2021), we diverted the plan and ended up exploring riverside market, heading to Castle Hill conservation area, stopping by at An Nur mosque where the Christchurch bombing happened, and exploring the street arts in this beautiful city.

So here’s a little story about our 1 night, 1.5 day in Christchurch.

Enjoy some photos first, shall we?
Some of them are the highlights of our visit in Christchurch and the surroundings.

One of the street arts in Christchurch, Alice in Wonderland...

happy me posing in the Castle Hills Conservation Area

In front of An-Nur Mosque, Christchurch

Queen Victoria Park

As we arrived at CHC, that’s the code for Christchurch in flight, you know we drove straight to Riverside Market to have late lunch and buy yummy tempe and more food in Indo Tempeh restaurant. I shared that in my previous post.

Read : South Island, Here We come - Road Trip in South Island New Zealand

Then after a quick check-in at Crowne Plaza hotel Christchurch and dzuhur break, we continued our journey to Castle Hills conservation area, famous for its incredible rock formations and its importance to the Māori.

Before that, check out my YouTube video for a little room tour in Crowne Plaza hotel Christchurch.

We drove around 1.5 hours from CHC to Castle Hills. It was a bit drizzling and cloudy along the way but as we arrived at this spot, the weather was lovely.

We parked and got to walk to the hills, dotted with astonishing rocks formation while at the same time reading the history of this place. There is a story about the three pou and how this are becomes so important to the Maori. We browsed around the area and took more pictures while admiring the hills, which, according to the information board we read on the spot, used to be seabed million years ago. So, the place where we were standing used to be the place for the sharks! Interesting, isn't it.

The story of three pou..

Nadine posing amongst the rocks

Well, I will stop there as I still have a lot more to share. Stick around and see you on the next stories.

South Island, Here We come - Road Trip in South Island, New Zealand

 Hi, everyone..

It feels like ages since I share some stories and photos here, especially since my family and I have a little break in the South Island of New Zealand in the beginning of 2023.

As I shared this, we have been on the road for quite some times now for our summer break, my first annual leave after moving to Aotearoa, New Zealand. Finally, we get the chance to come back to the South Island after entering this lovely island as we first arrive in New Zealand on November 26th, 2021.  Super excited indeed!

We do have a lot of plans and itineraries prepared as we travel around 11 days.

I shared in my Instagram that we flew from Wellington to Christchurch and started our road trip from there.

So far, we have planned to visit so many cities, among others Christchurch, Akaroa, Fairlie, Lake Tekapo, Mt. Cook, Lake Pukaki, Twizel, Wanaka, Queenstown, Glenorchy, Milford Sound, Te Anau, Manapouri, Riverton, Invercargill, The Caitlins (Slope Point, Curio Bay, McLean Falls, Florence Hills Lookout, Nugget Points Lighthouse, Kaka Point, Balclutha), then Dunedin (where we are going to watch Red Hot Chili Peppers and Post Malone concert YAY!). Milton, Otago, Lanarch Castle and back to Queenstown to fly back to windy Wellington.

Phewww… I know it was a long itinerary but for sure us, the Frakarsas, is super excited and thrilled to continue our adventure. 

Semangaaat dan bismillahirrahmanirahim .. alhamdulillah semua berjalan lancar.

So, South Island, here we come!

I will definitely share our complete story of the Road Trip in South Island, New Zealand. But first, allow me to share some of the highlights of our 11-day trip. One of my favorite destinations is Milford Sound.

the majestic Milford Sound.. with Lady Stirling Fall on the right side

But other cities are amazing as well. 

First, we arrived at Christchurch after flying from Wellington for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Here we stayed one night, picked up our rented car, and explored the city. 

As we landed at Christchurch in the afternoon, we went directly to pick up the car at the airport and headed to the city. First agenda, late lunch! We went to the Riverside Market, having an appointment with Mba Nana, the owner of Indo Tempeh food stall, one of the successful Indonesian entrepreneurs in Christchurch. As the name suggested, Indo Tempeh sells Indonesian delicious cuisines and produces tempe, the famous soy beans cake which has been dubbed as Indonesian traditional food. The Frakarsas is indeed a big fan of it and whenever I find great tempe, wherever I live, I always get them.

collage of our rendezvous with Mba Nana from Indo Tempeh, CHC

After getting our tempe and lunch, we headed to Crowne Plaza Hotel Christchurch to check-in. We only stopped by for a while and then continued the trip to Castle Hill. 

Then, on the next day, Akaroa is our first destination.

Next, Lake Tekapo.


Well, more stories and photos will definitely come, just bear with me okay.
Do you like some of the places I mentioned above?
Which one is your favorite?

Visiting Castle Point Beach and Lighthouse on the second day of 2023

Welcome back, every and I hope 2023 is giving you a great start!

Again, wishing you nothing but the best for the new year, and may your days be filled with happiness, joy, great memories, and love.

My family and I were enjoying a short trip to Masterton area, around 2.5 hours drive from Wellington. We visited Castle Point Beach and Lighthouse on the second day of 2023. This place is quite famous and many people come and visit it on various occasions.

Before I spill the complete story, here are some pictures my family and I took along the trip. 

Our first family picture in 2023

It was a beautiful day indeed. As you know, even though it is summer in New Zealand at this moment, we do have wet, rainy, dan cold days. So when that particular weekend has wonderful weather, we headed to the beach. We have explored some other beaches in NZ as well, enjoying the breeze and stopping by at some cafes along the bay.

READ: Enjoying Lunch at Beach House and Kiosk at Taputeranga, New Zealand

This time, we would like to take you to Castlepoint beach and lighthouse.

This is the second lighthouse in the North Island, New Zealand that we have visited. Before that, we stopped by at Cape Palliser, as well as Putangirua, the famous pinnacles that became one of the movie sets of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

READ: Cape Palliser Lighthouse at a glimpse.

This is the second lighthouse on the North Island, New Zealand that we have visited. Before that, we stopped by Cape Palliser, as well as Putangirua, the famous pinnacles that became one of the movie sets of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

READ: Cape Palliser Lighthouse at a glimpse. 

As we did the trip on the second day of the new year, we were actually planning to go camping again. On Christmas break, we went camping at Kaitoke Regional Park (will share the story later, folks) and the kids did enjoy it. Now that we had another 3-day break, we were thinking of going camping in a different place. But apparently, picnic is lovelier and there we went.

We stopped by different cities along the way to get some food for the picnic. We passed Grey town and Masterton when we decided to get some fast food as I didn't cook for this occasion. Since the weather was lovely and it was still new year's eve holiday, the kids' favorite restaurant was packed and we got to line up a bit. 

As we arrived at the beach, we found our spot and joined our friends on the picnic. It's lovely to have some relaxing time on the beach with good food, great friends, and wonderful weather. It didn't take long for the kids to run around and get to the beach to play with the water. We didn't really swim as the water is still freezing, at least for us, but the kids sure loved chasing the waves. We saw some Kiwi kids surfing in this area as well. I spoke to their parents and apparantly this is their favorite spot for surfing, especially when the weather is conducive.

I took the video of the beach as well as the lighthouse and feel free to check it out.

Once the kids were done playing in the water, we moved to a different part of the beach and walked up to the lighthouse.

Different from Cape Palliser lighthouse which has hundreds of stairs and quite a steep hike, here in Castle Point we have the ramp. There are stairs on top of the hill but it's very manageable. This makes the hike easier as well. It took us around 10 minutes to reach the top of the hill and the view is amazing. The lighthouse itself is locked so we cannot climb up to the lighthouse. It's only open for the designated official.

Check out my video to get better information about this place.

Well... That's our little adventure at Castle Point Beach and Lighthouse on the second day of 2023.

Cheers to more lovely trips in this new year. Share your stories with me in the comments and let me know if you have visited some lighthouses as well.

Happy 2023 from Aotearoa

Are you ready for the new year?
Yes you are and here comes the last day of 2022!

Wishing you all an amazing new year of 2023, filled with happiness, joy, health, success and abundant blessings. 

Doa terbaik untuk kita semua di tahun 2023 yang semoga akan diisi dengan hari - hari yang produktif, sehat dan bahagia. Semoga segala rencana baik yang sudah disiapkan bisa terealisasi dan apa yang belum tercapai dapat segera dikabulkan. Aamiiin.

happy new year from Wellington, New Zealand

 Di akhir tahun 2022, saya sempat menikmati hiking di Mt. Kaukau, Wellington, yang menjadi salah satu tempat favorit karena pemandangan dari atas yang sangat cantik. Bersama 8 teman perempuan lainnya, kami mendaki selama kurang lebih 1 jam dan menikmati pemandangan serta udara segar. Kegiatan yang sehat sebelum menikmati pesta tahun baru. Pemandangan yang dinikmati juga benar - benar menenangkan jiwa dan raga, membuat kita lebih sehat dan segar. We certainly hope we can do it regularly so we can stay healthy. Sounds like a good resolution to me!

Meanwhile, hours later and after a good break, we gathered on the last night in 2022 in my Ambassador's residence which is beautifully located in Northland, Wellington. We had great times sharing with our big family in NZ, enjoying BBQ, singing karaoke, and playing Just Dance. 

My hubby and  I on the last day of 2022

Around 40 people gathered and we all witnessed the kids' fireworks, starting at 9.30 so that the kids didn't have to stay awake too long, and also the new year countdown with 3-minute fireworks at 12 PM on the dot.

I managed to capture it live for my YouTube channel as well. Feel free to check it out ..

So, have Cheers from Wellington!

WW: Mt. Kaukau and Its Amazing View from the Top

 

We are out and about again, yay!

Summer is here and it means friendlier (read: warmer) weather, going outdoor and enjoying the beauty of Aotearoa. Last weekend, we have series of meetings and celebration as well. We have back - to - back birthdays, farewell and welcoming party.

After all those wonderful sessions packed with delicious food and great laughs, we decided to have a little hike to shake out all the fat and sugar. This time, we went to Mt. Kaukau in Johnsonville area. 

We started the hike from Sirsi Terrace, Broadmeadows. For here, we got 2 steep hills with some loose gravels that make it a bit challenging to hike. Then after that, some flat areas with lovely pathway and great view accompanied us to the top. There are a view choices when it comes to tracks, including the one with more gradients walks and those with steeper hikes. There are stairs that we can use as well. I just found that that one of the entry ways is close from our house in Khandallah. Something to look forward too for another hike.

After around 45 minutes hiking, we were serenaded by the  amazing view from the top of Mt. Kaukau. It is just jawdroppingly beautiful.


Check out these photos I took along the way...

I hope you enjoy it and wait for more hikes we plan this summer in New Zealand.
Cheers..

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