Dunedin: Day 7 - Taeri Gorge Railway

Day 7

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 7.

14/5 Day 7: Taeri Gorge Railway from Dunedin to Hindon

Costs

Day 7

(1) Lunch at a food court - Tonkotsu pork ramen $16.90, Salmon sashimi don $17.90 

(2) Ticket for Taeri Gorge Railway - $60

The Story

140523: Today, we went on a train ride from Dunedin to Hindon. I have gained a lot of interest in travelling by train and appreciating sceneries from another perspective as well as comparing trains at the same time. We departed from Dunedin Railway Station at 10am and arrived at Hindon at 11.20am. I thought there will be a small cafe at Hindon but it was a tiny station house and a view of the mountains. I admit, I was disappointed. We stayed for 1 hour and departed the same way back.  There was a train attendant on board who shared information on the train and the views we passed by so it was an informative train ride. 

Funny that the door handle in this train car is very low!

That is me trying to catch a glimpse of the bridge that we crossed over.

I would not recommend this train ride. It is too expensive for $60 / SEK397. For that amount, I could buy a 3.5 hour train ticket from Stockholm to Gothenburg located at the west coast of Sweden. 

After the train ride, we went to a shopping mall to exchange currency and had lunch. I owed my sister some NZD now and surprisingly, it is cheaper to exchange in Dunedin than in Auckland. In Dunedin, it is NZD1 = EUR0,6132. In Auckland, it is NZD1 = EUR0,6153. According to my sister, there is lesser sales for Euro in Dunedin and hence, it is cheaper to encourage exchange. The lunch in the food court was a disappointment. I ordered tonkotsu pork ramen and the pork slices were so thin. I thought they were mushroom slices. 

I flew back to Sweden the next day. 

---------------------------

Here are the list of places I went. You can click on the link and be directed to the posts immediately. 

Day 1 - Arrived Auckland and visited Botanic Gardens, Weta Unleashed

Day 2 - Drive to Waipoua Kauri Forest

Day 3 - Drive to Kohimarama Beach and Mount Eden

Day 4 - Flight to Dunedin - no post

Day 5 - Graduation robe collection at Otago University. Went to Royal Albatross Centre to see blue penguins.

Day 6 - Convocation day!

Day 7 - Taeri Gorge Railway experience (this post)

Day 8 - Flight back to Stockholm - no post

I have mentioned some of my expenses in each post and I did have other expenses which are not illustrated in the respective posts. For total and different category of expenses, I will sum it here.  

1) Transport - Flight SEK27 071,67, Airport shuttle Dunedin - SEK130
2) Accommodation (Airbnb) - SEK785,72 per person

3) Food - SEK1 554,35 (my expenses)

4) Car rental - SEK975,62 per person

5) Activities - SEK1 330,35 per person

6) Petrol - SEK306,31 (shared)

7) NZeTA (Permit to enter New Zealand) - SEK337,43 ($52)

Total Cost for the trip SEK33 527,45 for 8 days, 7 nights. The flight ticket took up 81% of the cost. THAT IS CRAZY! 

Dunedin: Day 6 - Convocation at Otago University

Day 6

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 6.

13/5 Day 6: Sister's convocation at Otago University

Costs

Day 6

(1) Lunch treat by my sister's supervisor at Maggies - Green bowl $20, chai latte $5.50

(2) Dinner at Futomaki, a Japanese-Filipino restaurant - Bangsilog (fried milk fish) $21.50, Grilled liempo (grilled marinated pork belly) $23.50, Longsilog (pork sausage) $21.50

The Story

130523: Today is my sister's convocation! It is a beautiful day I am happy that I get to be here. It might be a slightly long journey to go for a convocation but it is a new place, so why not. Plus, I got to do some new activities too. We had a brunch in the morning. Then, we went to a specific spot, which is in front of the clock towe, to take her photos. I took this opportunity to take a photo with her flower bouquet. 

After the photo session, we went to a farmer's market. I saw two interesting products for sale - pork brain and pig snout. I asked the farmer how does one cook the pork brain. He said to stir-fry it. Not to forget, a packet of pork brain is from 6 pigs. I do not have any culinary adventure in me, so I withheld myself from buying it. I did not know one can eat the brain and snout of a pig. I just googled on this two products and people have been eating them. Pig snout tastes almost like bacon and pork brain has  a velvety structure and is full of nutrients. I am still not convinced to eat them.  

Here is a coffee cup library found in the market. You can return the coffee cup although I am not sure if you get a cheaper coffee by doing that.

For lunch, her supervisor treated us at Maggies where I tasted a very nice plate of salad and a yummy cup of chai latte. I was very stuffed from brunch so I took a salad bowl - a light version for me. 

Her convocation was at 4pm. I learnt something new today, as in now when I am typing this post. There is a difference between convocation, commencement and graduation. 

1. Convocation is an event where individuals are given recognition where the student's name is called and the student crossed the stage to receive congratulations. - the event that I attended.

2. Commencement is a university-wide celebration.

3. Graduation is the completion of all degree requirements. This is not an event.

For dinner, my sister would like to eat at a Japanese-Filipino restaurant. I could not see from the menu if there was any fusion of the two cultures. We had Filipino food. Very filling with the rice in the dish!

Dunedin: Day 5 - Otago University, Royal Albatross Center

Day 5

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 5.

12/5 Day 5: Otago University --> Royal Albatross Centre

Costs

Day 5

(1) Lunch at Famosa Delight - Beef mince wth rice $11.80, Chive parcel $10.80 (treated by my sister's friend), Coffee latte $5

(2) Ticket to see blue penguins at Royal Albatross Centre - $45

The Story

120523: Today, my sister collected her graduation robe from Otago University. It has been a long time since I stepped into a university. I took a picture next to my sister's department of studies - Science Communication. She completed her masters and did a thesis on kauri's dieback disease. If you want to see her video, here is the link which is also published on the Auckland city council's website. I am very proud of her that she is making a difference by educating the public. I got to meet her friend who treated us to a parcel chive for lunch. How kind of her! 

I had minced beef with rice for lunch. The portion is huge. I am very pleased with my coffee latte because it is sprinkled with cinnamon. Smells so lovely!

This is how Dunedin monitor the cars' parking time. The parking attendant use a chalk to mark on the tyre. Different colours mark different allocated hours. Yellow colour is for 1 hour. Quite creative but very manual and one can erase the chalk away. Not to mention, one needs to buy chalk. 

Auckland: Day 3 and 4 - Kohimarama Beach, Mount Eden

Day 3 and 4

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 3 and 4.

10/5 Day 3: Kohimarama Beach --> Mount Eden --> Night market 

11/5 Day 4: Flight to Dunedin 

Costs

Day 3

(1) Expensive and bad hair cut at Kess Express Hair - $45 

(2) Lunch at Kohi Fresh Fish & Takeaways - 2 crumbed fish $13, 1 serving of chips $5 and aioli $2.50 

(3) Coffee latte at a cafe by the beach - $5.50

(4) Food at Night market - Nasi lemak sambal petal $10.50, 2 small dishes $11

The Story

100523: I thought that cutting hair in Auckland is cheaper than in Stockholm. In fact, I thought cutting hair in anywhere in the world is cheaper than in Stockholm. But I was proven wrong today. My sister booked a fast and easy hair cut and we got a bad hair cut. One of the hairdresser suggested that I go to an Asian saloon to cut my hair when I requested for a pixie haircut. I was confused because she is from India and India is part of Asia. I told her that I am fine with a hair trim instead. I was annoyed that I had to pay $45 / SEK295,95 for an uneven hair cut and a quick hair wash because the hairdresser is unable to cut dry hair. I thought it would be cheaper considering it was a trim. Both of my sister and I came to a conclusion that they are not familiar with cutting thin hair as Indian hair is thick. With that price, I can get my hair cut in Stockholm too.

After our bad hair cut, we drove to Kohimarama Beach and tried the must-have fish and chips. Surprisingly, the owner is from Malaysia! Great fish and chips but odd to be eating a huge fish fillet on the bench without utensils. I thought it would be fish sticks. It was a sticky mess to eat on the bench but luckily, there is a public toilet with a sink. The toilet is clean. 

After lunch, we walked along the beach and enjoyed the very strong wind. Haha! We stopped at a cafe to have coffee because the strong wind and cloudy skies were not very strong motivators to continue walking. The coffee is expensive by the beach. My sister lost her cap too due to the strong wind and could not find it between the rocks.

Auckland: Day 2 - Waipoua Kauri Forest

Day 2

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 2.

9/5 Day 2: Waipoua Kauri Forest 

Costs

Day 2

(1) Lunch at Bakehouse Cafe, Dargaville - Pork loin chops $25 (shared), Flat white coffee $4.50
(2) Petrol - $68.40

The Story

It rained a lot during my stay in Auckland and there were limited activities. I booked for a skydiving but it was postponed 3 times and finally cancelled. The weather was not to our favour. I was disappointed but there will be another time. Too bad I am unable to do it before my birthday. 

090523: The host in the Airbnb provided cereal, jam, bread and instant coffee. I was very happy to have toasted bread with peanut butter spread, cereals with New Zealand milk (creamy. yummy) and instant coffee with milk. 

We drove to Waipoua Kauri Forest today and the drive took 3.5 hours one way. It rained heavily during the entire drive. My sister wanted to see the biggest kauri tree in New Zealand but unfortunately, when we arrived there, the park ranger disallowed us from entering as the pathway was flooded. The kauri tree's roots are very sensitive to the dieback disease (my sister did her thesis on this) as the roots are very visible on the ground surface. The kauri tree is native to New Zealand only and lots of conservative actions are in place to protect this species. So, we went to see the second biggest kauri tree instead. It is HUGE! To enter the area, one has to clean their shoes with water and brush. The facilities are provided and one just has to step on it to get water sprayed on the outsole and then rub the outsoles on a rolling brush. 

A unique characteristic of this species is it shades its tree bark and has a scaly shiny surface underneath it. I think that is how the tree grows wider. 

I was shocked when I saw the tree! That is really huge and I cannot imagine how will the largest tree look like. The trunk has a girth of 16.4meters and a height of 10.2meters. For the largest kauri tree, the trunk has a girth of 15.4meters with a height of 17.8meters. 

For lunch, we stopped along the way at Dargaville town. I drove from the forest to the town and it was quite strange for me as people drive on the right side in Sweden and on the left side in New Zealand. It was fine for me to drive straight but as soon as I was required to turn, I was confused because I was not sure which side I should end up. Then, I got even more confused when I had to do a parallel parking but I succeeded at the first attempt! Yahoo. We had pork loin chops for lunch and I was so disappointed with my meal because half of the meat was fat. I was very hungry and happy to see the food but the emotion was quickly replaced by sadness. Haha! I was pleased with my white coffee, though because it was not very expensive and it came in a large cup. Money worth the spend. :)

On our drive back, we were stopped by the traffic police as the highway was flooded. We drove through a flooded area without stopping the car and we were thankful that we succeeded in doing that. In Malaysia, floods are very common. The water reached the mid of the car and the current was quite strong. I was very nervous but my sister is a good driver. In Auckland town, there was a bad traffic and our host arrived home 5 hours later for a journey that could have taken 1 hour. I can say that the drainage system is poor in Auckland. 

Auckland: Day 1 - Botanic Gardens, Weta Unleashed Tour

This year, my first international travel was to New Zealand. My first trip to New Zealand was in September 2010 where some friends and I travelled to South Island. Since then, I have not found a place more scenic and beautiful than that. 13 years later, I make a trip to New Zealand again to attend my sister's graduation in Dunedin. Yes, it is very far for me who is living in Sweden. In fact, I think, New Zealand is the furthest country from Sweden. During the summer, we have 10 hours difference and during the winter, it is 12 hours. I had to take 4 flights with 3 layovers to reach Dunedin and it was 25 hours flying time from Stockholm to Auckland. I was worried about jetlag but I did not suffer too badly from it. It took two days for me to recover. I just needed to sleep for many hours for a day.

I flew with Singapore Airlines and the tickets were purchased via their website in February 2023 for my flight in May 2023. I admit, it is quite late to purchase the tickets and the return tickets' price came up to SEK22.698. This was just for Stockholm to Auckland. From Auckland to Dunedin, it was a domestic flight and the return tickets costed me SEK4.373,67. The domestic tickets are expensive because I bought them a month before my flight. Since the pandemic, I do not buy my flight tickets from travel sites such as Skyscanner. Mainly due to uncertainties if my flight gets cancelled and what are my backup plans and refund options. It is troublesome for me to go through third parties. However, I use Skyscanner to get an idea on which airlines fly the route at affordable prices. 

Also, I ALMOST forgot to apply for the permit to enter New Zealand. I remembered reading it in the beginning of the year that the permit can be applied later as it takes latest 72 hours for approval. I forgot about it until a week before my trip, a colleague asked me if I needed visa to enter New Zealand. Suddenly, I remembered this and I panicked! I applied on Friday evening and I got it approved on Monday, just in time for my flight on that coming Saturday. PHEW! Applying for the permit costs NZD$52. It is cheaper if it is applied via their app. Applying via their website costs $23 and on the app costs $17. The balance of $35 is the IVL (funds tourism infrastructure).  

My flight route: 

Depart Stockholm 6 May --> London --> Singapore --> Arrive Auckland 8 May 

Spent 4 days in Auckland --> Dunedin 

Depart Dunedin 15 May --> Auckland --> Singapore --> Copenhagen --> Arrive Stockholm 16 May

Day 1
Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1.

8/5 Day 1: Airport Auckland --> Airbnb at Papatoetoe --> Auckland Botanic Gardens --> Weta Unleashed Tour

Costs
(A) Transport and accommodation
(1) 4 nights in AirBnb for 2 persons (my sister arrived 1 day earlier) - NZD$241.76 

(2) Car rental Toyota Vitz for 4 days from Car N Go - NZD$300.19

(B) Food
(1) Lunch at Auckland Botanical Garden - $26.50 (shared), Coffee latte $5
(2) Dinner at Golden Garden Chinese restaurant - $26

(3) Grocery - Super expensive and cheated bananas $6/kg, Water 1.5 liters $5

(C) Activities

(1) Weta Unleashed Tour ticket - NZD$50 per person

The Story

08052023: My flight departed from Stockholm on Saturday 6 May and I reached Auckland two days later due to the time differences. I reached 8 May early in the morning at 8.15am. I was so happy to finally touch land. My butt hurts from the long flight. From London to Singapore and Singapore to Auckland takes slightly more than 10 hours per route. My sister picked me up at the airport and we drove to the Airbnb. I looked forward to the shower and glad that I could change my clothes and brushed my teeth properly. We left the Airbnb two hours later for Auckland Botanic Gardens. The weather was surprisingly humid and I was surprised to see banana and palm trees in Auckland! It feels like I am back in Malaysia. It is not as hot as Malaysia, though. It was cooling and I would still wear a sweater as it was very windy. 

It is free to enter. I enjoyed being at the place to see the greenery and the different types of plants. There is a section for African plants too. I realised that the grass is quite long in most parts of the garden. 

Oceania : Part 12 - Exploring Christchurch Town

Today is a beautiful day. Not in terms of the weather. But the good stuff I have been getting. First, I passed my motor cycle test, and I got my license! Yay! One of my New Year resolutions and achieved! Awesome!! :-) Then, when I got back home, I saw a document from the Post Office that states an official postage has arrived for me. So, I thought it was an official letter from a bank. When I went to the Post Office, to my amazing surprise, it was from my penpal from South Africa! The joy that filled inside me, because it has been a long time since I last heard from her. I went back home, read her letter (how I miss her letters, her cursive writing that brings back the memories of how we started writing to each other 15 years back), and saw in the package that she has attached for me some presents. I carefully opened 1 purple wrapped bundle and it turns out to be a stained glass kind of earring with red flowers painted on it. Another present was a 4-coloured eye-shadow palette. She brings a smile to my face each time I see her letter. 

With a happy happy smile on my face, I am going to write my post on my last day in New Zealand. 

12092010 : We went around Christchurch. The first stop was to visit the Botanical Gardens. My friend loves to visit gardens because she simply adore flowers. Look at the Botanical Gardens. It brings out the serenity of the place. I love the different kind of colours. Well, I love colours anyway. :-) There was a little river that flows through the Garden. It is Avon Rivers. 

After the walk through the Gardens, we went to buy fish and chips. Without the fish though. Lack of money! Haha! The fish and chips seller told us that he still felt the aftermath of the earthquake. 

And dinner that night was frozen pizza, pie and chips, and dessert was ice cream and fruits! Lovely. Although the pizza was a bit burnt. Hehe!

My post has limited words because I let the photos speak for themselves. I love looking at photos with limited words because too many words will just put you to sleep.