Tea Party

As I don't drink coffee, I have resorted to trying out different kinds of tea to battle the boredom of plain water. It's also a great way to warm up when it gets a bit chilly. At the moment I've got 8 teas in my office drawer:

1. Green tea with lemongrass and lemon
2. Whole leaf Chinese white tip green tea
3. White tea
4. Chai tea (black tea with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper)
5. Lemongrass tea
6. Pomegranate & grape fruit infusion
7. Tamarillo & honey fruit infusion
8. Guarana herbal tea (containing as much caffeine as a standard cup of coffee)

This is in addition to the complimentary tea stocked in the office - English tea, jasmine green tea, and South African rooibos (red bush) tea. On any given day I'd take about 3 or 4 different types of tea - of which I'll limit to a single cup of tea with creamer and sugar. Everything else is taken sans sugar.

I've also got chamomile tea at home for relaxation and sleep aid, but that's not something I need often in a place like New Zealand.

Review: Squids Bar and Restaurant

On the penultimate day of my travel I decided to treat myself to a proper good meal. For 6 days I've existed on Subway sandwiches and hastily cooked pasta meals in hostel kitchens, so enough is enough!

My phone's Ovi Maps GPS application has a Trip Advisor utility that combines tourism reviews with the address, so it can suggest and show me nearby places. Under restaurants it recommended Salt as the #1 place to eat, based on user ratings. So I eagerly made my way there:

I stood near the entrance and inspected the menu posted. No one came to ask me if I wanted a table, so I just walked in and plopped down at a table in the al fresco area overseeing the marina. It could have been a pretty peaceful sight if not for the 5 or 6 kids playing roughly while their parents socialize, uninterrupted by the ruckus.

But the thing that broke the camel's back was being ignored. Passing waiters did not bother to hand me a menu or serve. After 5 minutes I got up and just walked out. I instead dined at the eatery across Salt - Squids Bar and Restaurant. What a great choice!

Continue reading my review of Squids after the jump.

Review: Cat's Pyjamas, Whitianga

This hostel was one of the better ones I stayed at in this trip. Though quite crowded we're sufficiently spread out, with plenty of common areas to relax. It's a short 5-10 minute walk to the marina and beach, so a strategic location.

The manager is very friendly, though the resident cat may not always be! Tairua Bus Company (Nakedbus) transports can stop and pick up from this hostel - just let the driver/hostel manager know in advance.

Cat's Pyjamas reception

Well equipped kitchen with working stuff!

Dining area inside

Lots of places to chill outside

Catch some sun or sea breeze here

Living room with books and DVDs

Common bathroom

Cathedral Cove @ Hahei, Coromandel

Nearby Whitianga is the town of Hahei, which has 2 main attractions - Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach. Due to my trip planning I did not manage to visit Hot Water Beach. I later found out that summer isn't a good time to be digging your own thermal pool in the sand anyway. Now would be different though!

Cathedral Cove was featured in the second Narnia film - Prince Caspian. In case you don't remember (it was such a forgettable movie after all), watch the trailer and see where they are at 0:45:


It seems only in Narnia can kids run through the cove as in reality the place is cordoned off and declared unstable.

My experience continues after the jump.

Auckland Town Hall

The Auckland Town Hall is not the current town hall. Rather, it has been converted into an events centre. I came here to watch a comedy show during the recently-concluded NZ Comedy Festival 2011.

I'll be sharing more of these photosynths in the future - they were taken using my >iPod Touch 4 with the excellent free Microsoft Photosynth app. I'm still blown away by how well it makes use of the iPod's hardware to stitch together such awesome panoramas.


(You'll need to install Microsoft Silverlight, a small free plugin)

Whitianga, Coromandel

Whitianga was my next stop after sleepy Thames, and it was the most enjoyable leg of that trip. Fronted by the beautiful Mercury Bay, Whitianga and its neighbour Hahei is a popular base to explore the highlights of the Coromandel - Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach.

Whitianga itself has plenty of holiday homes ('bachs' in Kiwi slang - short for bachelor home) and a marina for boaties to park their sails:

It doesn't have much in the way of natural attractions besides Mercury Bay itself. However, all it takes is a 5 minute ferry ride across the mouth of the harbour to get easy walking access to some stunning scenery of the region.

Map of area across Whitianga

Ferry services: $2 adult each way

Photos of the ferry and some of the places mentioned in the map is after the jump.

Driving License

Note: This is in the series of blog posts I wrote about my preparation to move to New Zealand. Although I've been in Auckland for 4 months, I wish to complete the series in the next post. The original date stamps will give you an idea of how time-consuming migration takes. The 'New Zealand' tag will bring up all related posts.

[Originally written 23/12/2010]
You don't actually need an International Driving Permit to drive in New Zealand. Your current driving license is valid for up to 1 year as long as it has not expired. The other condition is that it must be in English, failing which, you need to provide an acceptable English translation.

For Malaysians, the easiest and cheapest way to do so is to get an official translation from JPJ. Firstly, prepare a photocopy of your IC and driving license, both front and back. Then, at any JPJ branch, ask for the translation application form from the enquiry counter (it's where you get a queue number).

Inform the officer at the enquiry counter once you've filled in the single page form and he/she will direct you to a staff member who will check your forms and take your payment of RM10. That's it! It will be ready for you in half a working day.

[End of original post]

Since I came here and started driving, I've mulled the idea of getting a NZ driving license. The benefits: lower car insurance excess ($400 less!) and it's a valid proof of age ID (as opposed to using your passport).

Unfortunately, I'm not from one of the "lucky" countries who can convert their driving license to a full NZ license. Oh no, Malaysians have to retake the full exam - both road code and practical driving test. This will cost about $200 in fees alone, and I'm not willing to spend that time and effort!

In my original post I mentioned that foreign driving licenses are valid for 12 months in New Zealand. I found a loophole, as explained by the NZ Transport Agency agent - the 12 months validity resets itself every time I enter NZ. So as long as I leave NZ and reenter it every 12 months, my license is good to go again!