NZ Trip - Day 13 - Queenstown

Today was supposed to be the peak of adrenaline rush with skydiving and paragliding on the agenda. However the rainy weather continued in Queenstown,  which meant that we were bracing for more bad news. As expected just as we finished breakfast, we got the message that sky diving is cancelled. With rains forecast to return in the afternoon, we decided to reschedule paragliding to the morning. 

We took a short walk to the gondola to go up to the top of the hill around 1000 ft above to kick off the paragliding. Being a first experience for all of us, it was a bit of a nervous thrill. After the preps and checks, it was time to jump off a cliff! The paragliding was a lot more relaxed and smooth than we had anticipated. It was truly as the name suggests - just gliding through the wind. The paragliders did make it a bit more fun by inducing more sharp turns, but otherwise it was just a nautical view of the city and surround mountains as we glided to the ground.

We again made it to the hill top for our luge rides that the kids wanted to do. The crowd was a lot more than we had expected (maybe because today being Sunday before Christmas) which meant that we spent about 4 hours on the 5 luge rides. But it was fun for the kids and we were racing hard against each other by the end of it.

The kiwi park was nearby but the kids were too tired and hungry, so after lunch, we headed back to the hotel to relax and get some sleep. The weather was cool as usual, and the temperature drops quickly after sunset, which meant we were huddled in our rooms for most of the evening, venturing out only to buy dinner. The Indian dinner continued to disappoint in terms of quality and overwhelm in terms of quantity,  so not a great combination!

Today was the first day that felt a bit underwhelming,  mainly because of the cancelled sky dive. 

NZ Trip - Day 12 - Milford Sound

Today dawned nice and early, too early infact as we got up at 3.30am to prep for our long drive starting at 6am. Such is the life on travel days with kids. It is supposed to be a 6 hour drive and there are roadworks in the Milford Road, which is expected to delay things further. We have a 1pm cruise appointment so it's going to be rather tight. I received a gentle warning from my daughter not to delay things by stopping along the way for photos! 

We started off at 6.30am, and had a nice smooth getaway from Queenstown. It's a U-shaped journey to and fro, and the minute we were out of Queenstown, we hardly had to deal with traffic, so we zipped along at a nice rate. The roads were mostly long and straight until we reached Te Anau about 2 hours later and stopped at the first cafe in sight for breakfast. Looks like pretty much everyone en route to Milford Sound stops there, including tour buses. We got some nice sandwiches and pastries for our breakfast, to load us up for the long journey through Milford Road. We also packed in some snacks to have on-board the cruise.

A few kilometers into Milford Road, I had a new favorite drive in NZ! Almost every turn led to a dramatic change in landscape that was worth a picture of two, with changes in flora making the jaw drop at times.Through wooded rainforests to grasslands to red cossacks to foggy mountains dotted the landscape. The steady drizzle made the fog ever present and it appeared we were driving through a magical place. At times it appeared as if we could reach out and touch the fog! 

There were numerous places to stop over and explore along the way. Mirror lakes perfectly reflected the mountains in the crystal clear waters,  except for the odd wave caused by a Kea swimming lazily across. Falls creek offered us a beautiful view of a falls. There were sweet smelling lavenders of varied colours by the roadside. There was an astounding view of a lake. But the most magical was when we were waiting to cross a 1.2km tunnel, where the whole place was shrouded in thick mist that we could hardly see the vehicle ahead. At that place, we were treated to snow capped mountain tops and numerous small water falls that was truly a sight to behold!

I thought i had quite a bit of time jn hand, but towards the end we were rushing for time. We reached the car park only 5 nins before scheduled check in time for ghe cruise, only to find it full! It was a mad scramble to find a parking spot and rush to the cruise. In all, it took us 6.5 hours to get to Milford Sound.

Having reached the cruise just in time, we debated on the best place to be won the cruise. As usual, my ladies won the debate and we chose a cosy seat inside the cabin and bought some stuff to eat. In hindsight, it was a very wise choice, as it was freezing out in the open on the deck during the journey!

As the cruise gathered momentum,  we took turns to venture out in the deck and admire the natural beauty of the fjords. The two permanent waterfalls and foggy mountains provided a picturesque backdrop for numerous clicks.

The captain provided very insightful commentary throughout the trip. It was a bit of an anticlimax to hear that Milford Sound is not really a "Sound" but a "Fjord"  and like with 13 other sounds nearby, it has been wrongly named! It was amazing that so many trees managed to grow out of sheer cliffs with no soil,  and that all their roots are interconnected, clinging on to rock crevices, taking moisture from the abundant 7-10m rain each year. It left me in awe that life always finds a way to survive even in such tough conditions. With no soil to hold the rain water, it freely falls off the mountain side and forms a layer of fresh water on top of the salty water rushing inland from the Tasman Sea, gathering pace as it reaches the narrow opening among the fjords. The place where it opens up to the Tasman Sea is so rough that the cruise started to bob violently with water splashing onto our faces! The captain had to quickly turn the boat around at that point, but the Tasman Sea indeed made its point as one of the choppiest waters on the planet. We could just about get a glimpse of the Antartic Ocean to the south at that point. The return leg was more relaxed and slowly cruised through various key facets of the fjords, including places where recent tree avalanches had occurred. The captain casually mentioned that the underwater observatory was destroyed by the incessant rain last winter and yet to be rebuilt! The majestic Bowen Falls was breathtaking as well. 

The fjords left a lasting memory indeed. As usual we clicked a few pictures knowing fully well that it cannot possibly capture the beauty of this place that can only be experienced first hand. 

Our return journey was much more prosaic as we made a dash back home amidst heavy rain with just a single stop at Te Anau to take a quick break and grab a bite. I tried to honest my wet weather skills with a few overtakes at pretty high speeds that was nerve wracking at times with oncoming traffic all but a blur in the water spray. However it was not without surprise as while waiting for the tunnel signal, we caught sight of a Kea, which is a large parrot that is endemic to South Island and highly intelligent. It perched on a pole nearby and posed for all our pictures. It even perched atop the bonnet of the car in front of us to scan the passengers and casually walked towards our car to bid us goodbye when the lights turned green!

After 14 hours on the road, we made it back to the hotel in one piece, which is a great achievement in itself. Today was a great chapter in the magic of nature in NZ! Tomorrow is a different story with another rainy day in the offing so fingers crossed hoping the weather doesn't spoil our skydiving and paragliding plans.

 

NZ Trip - Day 11 - Queenstown River adventures

Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the world, and has so many things on offer, from sky jumping to paragliding, bungy jumping to catapulting between mountains, speed boating to ATV rides and mountain biking, the list goes on.. 

With 3 days in Queenstown, we had planned for doing the sky dive and paragliding on day 1 as its highly weather-dependent and we wanted a buffer of an extra day or two in case nature turned against us. Which was well and good, as we got the disheartening cancellation messages 30 mins before our planned skydive in the morning, with both skydive and paragliding cancelled due to bad weather. We tried rescheduling the skydive a couple of hours later but the weather didnt clear up. We were groggy to say the least as we didn't want to get up from the bed in the cool weather in the first place! Anyway we spent the next couple of hours catching up on some much needed sleep and calling up tour operators to reschedule our itineraries. We ended up essentially swapping today's original programme with the one a couple of days later, planning instead to do the river adventures today.

NZ is full of rivers and lakes so there are no shortage of activities surrounding them, including nature walks, biking trails, hiking, crusing etc. We decided for the jet boat ride in the morning in the Shotover river and the zipline over Kawarau River in the afternoon. 

Shotover Jet base was a short 30 min ride from Queenstown, back up the way we entered the city. We could see the most covered mountains on the way up. The Jet boat ride was fast and furious, with the 360 degree turns making a big splash, figuritively and literally! The downstream ride was more spectacular than the upstream part, but the proximity of the rocks and bumping over a few on the way made the ride spectacular. Even my daughter,  who was skeptical at first, enjoyed the adventure, although my son complained of some ear pain later on due to the pressure changes. All of us thoroughly enjoyed the adrenaline rush though!

After a quick stop over at the hotel to have a cuppa, we were on the road again for another 45 min drive to Kawarau bridge. Thankfully, we managed to get the last slot for the day for the zipride, which the family enjoyed. It was longer than the Redwoods ' one, but having had that experience, the novelty had worn off, although left dangling for a good minute or two over the river way down below was fun.

The kids had had enough for the day and wanted to just chill in the hotel, so my wife and myself decided to have a nice stroll along the beach. It was a nice warm evening, and we discovered people enjoying themselves with their families at the playground, relaxing by the beach, doing activities like pedal boating in the lake or just sitting on the grass bank and admiring the nature around them. We found people of all walks of life, of all ages, just relaxing on a Friday evening. 

I ordered a cotton candy to eat along the way but was stunned to get the biggest cotton candy I have ever had in my life, around 1m tall! We went around to find a slightly hidden botanical garden, laced with sculptures, fountains, water lillies and the biggest roses we have seen, in a myriad of colours and a range of scents to blow the mind away. We ended up spending more than 3 hours in the evening walk, covering the garden, beach front and shops in the central area. Things certainly were more expensive here in NZ, but with cosy weather, quintessential beauty all around, fun and relaxing activities to do alone or with family, we were wondering what in the world people from Queenstown wanted to achieve by travelling out of the city! 

The kids were craving for a South Indian dinner, so we went to the only one out of 4 Indian restaurants that had idlis and dosas. At NZD 20 for a plain dosa, I almost had a heart attack, but not as if we had much choice. But the quality was the worst of our trip so far, reinforcing my belief that we should never order south Indian fare from a north Indian restaurant and leaving me with a bitter taste at the end of what was another lovely day otherwise. 

Today was a day to get some adrenaline out and relax. We hit the bed early around 10pm as we have the longest drive tomorrow to Milford Sound, the famed natural wonderland nestled in the heart of the Fjordland. I am definitely looking forward to the drive through Milford Road despite there being some roadworks on the narrow road. 

NZ Trip - Day 10 - Haast Pass/ Queenstown

Today is yet another travel day where we will be going through arguably the third most beautiful drive in NZ, through the Haast Pass on the western coast. There is a road closure on the main highway with no alternative, so we had to plan around this by starting early. However, the inertia of rest exacerbated by the morning chill ensured everyone took their own sweet time getting ready. We were in a rush against the clock to pass through before the road closures begin at noon for road repair works. Queenstown is 4 hours away as per Google maps, but I suspect it would take a lot longer than that. 

We started just in time, and were rushing through the initial leg of the journey. This was one of the more relaxing drives through the rainforests of West coast, covered with trees on both sides, giving you a sense of serenity. We saw hundreds of road kills of common brush tail possum, which are native to Australia but invasive in NZ, which saddened me quite a bit with an ire towards reckless drivers who caused them. In one stretch, we could see one dead possum for each 100 meters or so. Nature would be beautiful only as long as we take care of it. 

The landscape itself was very different and puts the mind at ease, even when going at 120. We stopped at a roadside food truck at Byron Bay for breakfast of coffee and crepes, while admiring the deep blue waters. Onward, we came to the roadworks spot about 30 mins prior to closure, but work was still going on, using a helicopter to ferry loose rocks from the mountains. Helicopters seem to be highly utilitarian in this place!

After a long drive and numerous one way bridges that NZ is famous for, I was wondering if NZ has deliberately kept the one way bridges only for the historical value or to keep the drivers alert every now and then. Irrespective of the purpose, most of the priority was in the way I was travelling, which was nice. After a few photo stops to take in the irresistable natural beauty, we did a bit of detour near Haast Pass to get to the tip of Haast Beach, as it looked wonderful when we got a glimpse of it over a small one-way bridge. Haast Beach had a lovely little lagoon with different shades of blue and turquoise filling the horizon, along with the natural Paua stones that are abundant here. But this was way more than a small detour has we had to travel some 20km to reach the beach and the kids were getting restless, so I had to rush on the way back to make up for lost time.

An hour further into the drive,  we were treated to amazing views of the twin lakes, Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea within a couple of km of each other.  Each were beautiful in their own way. While both boasted turquoise and blue waters of the Glacier melt, I loved the contrasting landscape surrounding Lake Hawea more. Camera doesn't do justice to the sheer awesomeness amd beauty of the place. 

Near Lake Wanaka was a couple of attractions that we wanted to visit - Puzzling World and National Transport Museum. Puzzling World blew our mind with an array of puzzles that keep you occupied for hours, even having puzzles at each table that you can do while munching on your food! We had only a couple of hours until closing, so we had to rush through the illusion rooms. The outdoor maze was just amazing, that kept us intrigued..It was also unlike other mazes are part of the maze was hidden underneath the overhead bridges which kept us blinded as to the real solution and made us wander back and forth in search of a solution. Only my daughter managed to crack it, while the rest of us gave up at some point due to the sapping heat dehydrating us. It is highly recommended to carry a bottle of water while doing this course. My son and myself managed to reach the four towers, but had a tough time even locating the emergency exit afterwards! As we left Puzzling World taking a few illusionary snaps as memoirs, the only regret is that we didn't get to spend more time here,  it can easily keep you occupied for the full day! 

The drive into Queenstown through the mountains was somewhat complicated by Google maps' triggered detour, but the steep S curves, braking hard at 40kmph to make the turns gave me a sense of happiness as it felt like a real mountain drive, rather than crusing at 100kmph like on the highway. Usually such detours makes me wonder why Maps doesn't have a "stick to highway" route recommendation, but definitely not in NZ as such detours invariably give us more than what we were after!

Queenstown itself was a beautiful town nestled on one side of the S-shaped Lake Wakatipu with crystal clear waters despite being extensively used for lake cruises, speed boating etc. It definitely was more developed and beautiful than the other towns, with the residential apartments nestled in the mountains and hotels lining up the beach front. We checked into Crowne Plaza overlooking the pier, but finding a parking slot along the beach front was a challenge! Queenstown is also a lot cooler than the other towns, so once we huddled in the warmth of the hotel room, we didnt want to get out again..

After a lot of western fare recently, we decided to stick to Indian food for dinner. We found multiple Indian restaurants close by for a takeaway dinner, but the quality of food was probably the worst in NZ so far, while being the priciest. Quantity was similarly large as the other towns, so no grouses on that aspect. Beggers cannot be choosers though!

Today was an awesome drive that I would rate as the best drive so far in NZ, better than Arthur's Pass, and Puzzling World was definitely a hidden gem! 

NZ Trip - Day 9 - Glacier Region

Today is a fairly relaxed day, getting up late for a change, which means 6.15am as the sun is too bright! The kids finally found some time to enjoy the Top10 resort playground at the resort before starting for a 2.5 hour trip to Glacier Region. After hunting a bit for a cafe to have our morning coffee fix, we stopped at a nice cafe at Kumara Junction. We gorged on a nice assortment of breakfast options, including pancakes with cream and local honey that was very thin but had an exquisite taste. We also found some Pounamu souvenirs for a much reasonable price compared to Te Papa museum. Also realised that we may have stumbled upon zillions more on the beach yesterday, which we could have picked up for free! One of the things we noticed was the casual culture of small towns like these, where customers drop by to pick up a coffee but end up chit chatting for 30 mins with the staff. And they always part ways with a positive message or wish. What is even more heartwarming is that a lot of the toilets have positive messages framed on them for people to notice and imbibe. No wonder the people are so nice here. What a fascinating place! 

Anyway, off we went to the next stop - Glacier Region - where the plan was to take the helicopter ride to the top of the Glacier for some snowy fun. All along the way I had to temper my son's enthusiasm about seeing snow with vague answers as I did not want to disappoint him if the weather turns sour later on. It was a good 2 hour ride, but we did stop a few times along the way to take in some nice viewpoints and capture some pictures. Some stretches were so straight and empty that I couldn't help but speed along a jolly 120-130 kmph. On one such stretch, I was about to overtake a slower vehicle by crossing to the oncoming lane when I aborted it at the last minute by slamming the breaks as I was running out of road. Just then, we noticed a lone police man with a speed gun pointed right at me. I have seen a net total of 4 police men in the last 8 days here, and I sure hope my NZ souvenirs don't include a speeding ticket! 

Just when I thought the west coast drive hugging the Tasman Sea on one side and the southern alps on the other horizon was not as good as the eastern coast ride, I went through a series of hilly S-Curves for 12km and was once again hooked on the futility of underestimating NZ natural beauty. I was indeed distracted at times and was thankful for the lane crossing alarm in my vehicle. 

Once we reached Franz Joseph glacier region, we did a quick check in for our flight and soaked in the atmosphere of the small town, whose only business seemed to be organising scenic flights and tours for tourists. 

The glacier flight was an amazing experience and the fastest 40 mins or our lives, which felt like 10. Being the first time for all of us aboard a helicopter, it was a cool experience with a steep angle of attack. The pilot was giving us a lot of useful info about the landscape, glaciers themselves and some interesting tidbits like 600cm of annual rainfall in the glacier region requiring several bunds to keep the river from overflowing! 

We did a good 20 min flight covering all the major glaciers, including Tasman glacier, and sighting Lake Pukaki and Tasman Sea, before heading to a flat region on top of the Fox Glacier for the highlight of our trip - the snow landing!

I was as excited as the kids on seeing snow that I struggled with my duty as a father to keep clicking pictures and videos, while throwing snow balls and playing with snow myself! While it was more of icy crystals due to fresh snow not having fallen for a few days, it was great fun nevertheless for the 10 mins we were up there! The moment that the kida were craving for, didn't disappoint, and we were talking about it for a long time afterwards.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant nearby, and again we had a great spread of vegetarian options to choose from, and the quantity was so overwhelming that we had to take away some of it. The Panini loaded with spinach, melted cheese and cream was especially awesome. I have never had so much spinach in my life and felt so good about it!

Once we had our stomachs full, we started on a quick 30 min drive to Fox Glacier to reach our accommodation before the reception closes. We were shocked when it said outside temperature was 29 degrees in the glacier town! The Top10 resort here was a lot more compact than the other two, with limited facilities. We felt the warmest we had during this trip and quickly crashed onto our beds for some rest before dinner. As my brain was struggling to process why the glacier region is the hottest, the sunset couldn't come sooner here! There were some glowworms in the bushwalks around here too that are visible in the night time.

Today was an awesome first experience on-board a helicopter, on a glacier, with snow for the children that we will never forget 

NZ Trip - Day 8 - Arthur's Pass/ Greymouth

Today started off with an excited vibe as we were looking forward to a Dolphin encounter in their natural environment as well as what was supposedly the best drive in New Zealand through Arthur's Pass. 

There was a bit of trepidation due to the inclement weather the night before, but the day dawned drizzly that quickly became bright and sunny, increasing our hopes. We reached the Dolphin Encounter checkin with plenty of time to spare and had a nice breakfast of coffee and the biggest crossaint I have ever seen! The staff told us the sea conditions were very rough, but still within limits to operate, so we idled our time getting a couple of souvenirs and watching the swimmers get dressed for their date with dolphins. My children were disappointed not being able to swim themselves, mainly because we were scared as parents and felt they were not ready for open ocean swimming. The briefing and short video about sea life around Kaikoura only heightened the excitement levels. 

We were soon loaded into a fully packed couple of buses for the short trip to the boat quay. Just when we caught sight of the shore, we were stunned with the news that the sea had turned worse and that the tour will be cancelled. As the locals say, nothing much we can do against Mother Nature aye? 

With the day starting off on the wrong foot, we started off on the long drive from east to West coast. The mood soon became much better thanks to the sheer awesomeness of the Pacific Coastal drive. We just couldn't enough of the majestic Pacific Ocean and had to stop along the way to admire it and touch the cold waters of the Pacific once again before embarking on our journey inland.  

The initial foray was largely through grasslands with mountains on the horizon, but after overwhelming our senses over the last week in NZ, the beauty could be ignored as we drove along in silence. But there were enough to keep us interested like the unique fencing based on cuboid shaped landscaping and quaint little post boxes lining up houses and farms, few and far between. 

As we entered the Southern Alps, the mood changed once again as we embarked on the most beautiful drive we have had ever! The stunning views of the winding mountain roads, the raw nature of hill slopes being eroded by ice as it thawed, the wide river bank that hinted at a huge flow of water during spring, the deep blue waters of the glacial lake, the trek of Castle Hill with Maori cultural significance, the vintage Alpine train station at Arthur's Pass, the Arthur's Pass National Park overlooking snow capped mountains even during summer, the list goes on and on.  The paucity of things that do not take your breath away here is mind-boggling! Given to the true Singaporean nature of complaining, I would say only the last part of the drive out of the mountains toward Kumara Junction and Greymouth was a bit underwhelming, possibly because of the sensory overload earlier on.

On arrival in Greymouth, which is a major train station on the west coast, we had a quick dinner takeaway from a nearby Indian restaurant. Indian restaurants are everywhere in NZ and are typically open until 9pm or so in all places we have been to so far, contrary to the initial scare about scarcity of food here after 3-4pm. No regrets packing a few instant food items including maggi though, which tastes like heaven in this cold weather!  

We were again put up at Top 10 resort at Greymouth, which was a great place to stay with family. We had booked a self contained unit that had everything we need. The facilities included a mini golf and playground with ziplines, trampoline and jumping pillow, with direct access to the Tasman Sea, where we caught a beautiful sunset. Our only regret was that we were staying here only one night and not doing justice to this place! 

What a day it was, with memories to last a lifetime! If wealth was measured in moments that take our breath away, I would be a millionaire! 

NZ Trip - Day 7 - Picton/ Kaikoura

Today is another travel day, but an exciting one, doing a Ferry inter-island crossing. Given the early morning departure, we said our good byes to my friend and came to the ferry terminal in good time. There are a couple of ferries crossing the islands but I booked Bluebridge as I could get a private cabin for my family to relax and shower while we crossed through the Cook Strait. It was a bit of a wait in the car, but we boarded the ferry to be awed by the amount of bug trailer trucks already locked snd loaded inside. It was way bigger than what i thought it would be. While the facilities were just adequate, the crossing itself was a lovely experience. 

We left the Pacific Coast and travelled through clear and calm waters for the first half of the journey. In the second half, the stunning beauty of Marlborough Sound captivated us all through.  Every hill in the mountain range had a different look and feel and various shades of colours. I almost hate my camera for not capturing the true beauty of the nature out here. The viewing deck became increasingly crowded as we made our way towards Picton in South Island, twisting and turning in the gaps between the mountain ranges. 

As a Google contributor, it had prompted me for some reviews based on my travel, which I had provided the day before. It was a pleasant surprise to see that all the review comments had got replies from the service providers, irrespective of whether it was a big or small firm and whether thr reviews were positive or negative feedback. This is again something that I feel differentiates NZ from the rest of the world, with excellent customer service standards!

Alighting at Picton, we found an Indian restaurant nearby where we had a nice lunch, seeing the rains lash out and cover the opposite mountains in fog. As the rain relented, we started on our drive to Kaikoura through beautiful vineyards. At Bleinheim, I was briefly lost and while I was figuring out through google maps,  I was almost T-boned by a lorry at a major roundabout. I was thinking SH1 had priority all the way through, but apparantly not!

For sometime afterwards, it was a homogenous landscape, so it was a bit boring after a while. However, NZ doesn't disappoint for long. 

I fell in love with the Pacific Ocean at first sight, coming down the mountains, that I had to make a hard stop and take a picture! The drive along the Pacific Coast, with mountains draped on one side and the biggest ocean on the other, was mesmerising to say the least. At one point I stopped 3 times within 5 minutes to take pictures that annoyed my sleeping daughter no end! 

The third of those stops was to take a picture against a rocky shore backdrop, but I stumbled upon hundreds of seals resting and playing on or near the rocks, along with a colony of ever-present seagulls! I was so excited that I had to get my family to come down and enjoy the sight. A couple of km away, we stopped at a place where we could trek down some loose rocks to touch the Pacific Ocean. We realised the rocky shore was also home to a couple of seal carcasses as well, but nothing is going to stop our pleasure today as we touched the cold Pacific waters on a drizzly summer afternoon! 

Finally we reached Kaikoura and had a smooth checkin to the Top10 resort, where the motel unit were surprisingly clean and spacious, stocked with almost everything we need. We had a bit of bad news as the weather has turned stormy, so the dolphin tour planned for tomorrow is at risk. This made us want to soak in as much of Kaikoura as possible tonight, but we could hardly get out of the accommodation due to the heavy rain and winds. 

NZ Trip - Day 6 - Wellington

Today had no plan and was free and easy for us. It started early, as its super bright in Wellington even at 6am, and I caught up on a few more pages of the book on Tamils before everyone else woke up. My friend told me that he had felt a 30 second tremor but I couldnt feel it. We got into the relaxed vibes of a lazy Sunday in Wellington, chit chatting about various topics and gorging on a dosa breakfast, before heading out to the Te Papa Museum to learn more about NZ and its history.

Even before we could enter Te Papa, we got distracted by the farmers market in front of the museum at the Warerfront area. It had a mix of trucks selling farm produce, snacks and drinks, and ice cream. The farm produce was amazing to look at, with the biggest vegetables we have ever seen, with cabbages, potatoes and lemons all being very fresh and attractive. If only we didnt have to travel in NZ for another week, we would have packed a tonne of those for our return to Singapore. I understood from my friend that not all stuff is cheaper than in supermarkets, but it was irresistible. We bought some strawberries, bananas and mandarin oranges that were all delicious and sweet. 

We walked around the Waterfront to take in the harbour views, and a picture of the Wellington skyline. Wellington is a small and compact city built surrounding the harbour and slowly spreading out. The city itself had a very happazard congested feel, but the harbour view was great and I loved the novelty of crossing a narrow gauge railway track in the middle of a busy road, although it lasted less than a second. 

Te Papa museum has multiple levels. Level 1 was very similar to Singapore Science Centre that we frequent, with interactive displays and exhibits. No surprises that the main exhibits were around nature, birds, earthquakes and tsunamis, including a toolkit to earthquake-proof the house. The simulation video on Taupo eruption undoubtedly was the star attraction. The kids spent a lot of time engaged with building an earthquake proof house using lego blocks. The other themed exhibition was on NZ participation in the Gallipoli war in World War I against the Turks, which was very detailed, almost stepping us through what happened every month of the war. it included larger than life sized wax figures of the key personnel involved in the war made by the Waka studio who make movie animations. 

We went to two other levels that were operational, including one level dedicated for the Maori culture and artefacts. Their intricate carvings were captivating and their innate connection to nature was evident in all the exhibits, including the Pouanama, the local NZ jade (greenstone). Talking with my friend also enlightened me on the discrimination and oppression faced by the Maoris in the past and how they are struggling to regain their lost glory and pride. The story seemed sadly similar to what other indigenous populations had to go through under colonial rule and afterwards. 

The museum also had a nice cafe where we had lunch and spent time reminiscing the past, revisiting shared memories and talking about what we had planned for the future. For people like us used to the creature comforts of city life made even more convenient by the government, staying in NZ with its isolated location and DIY culture seems to be a big challenge in itself.

While my daughter was determined to stay until close at the museum,  the rest of us took a nice stroll across the waterfront and spent some time in the park, watching people to some dives and my friend explaining to us about the native flora, putting his horticulture classes to good use. We also enjoyed a bit of the local ice cream flavours, although i couldn't get my hands on BoysNBerry, which is an unique NZ flavour. 

On our way back, we stacked up on a few Indian groceries from Newlands before heading back to my friends house for a relaxed dinner and more chat before calling it an early night at 11pm. 

Today was as relaxed as it was possibly going to get on this tour, but thoroughly enjoyed it in the company of my childhood friend and his family. 

NZ Trip - Day 5 - Taupo

Today is more of a travel day, journeying down from Rotorua to Wellington, the southern tip of North Island, through Taupo. Taupo is a dormant super volcano that is bigger than Yellowstone in the US, last erupting 80k years' ago. Now, rain water collected in the caldera has turned it into the largest lake in NZ. There are apparently an earthquake once every 15 mins somewhere in NZ!

The original plan was to viit Taupo, have lunch there before proceeding to Wellington. However, the outlook for the day was complicated by the fact that NZ is hosting the Iron-man challenge for the first time, with 80k athletes descending on Taupo as the host city this weekend. Major roads leading into Taupo had been closed as a result for the cycling leg of the challenge. So we decided to take a detour as recommended by Google maps.

We travelled through the changing terrain that was as beautiful as the other days, with us largely content with just admiring the landscape as we drove. We didnt lose too much time on the detour, so we stopped as planned at Huka Falls to admire the force of nature, raising a loud scream as it plunged a few meters down. The rapids just prior to the falls were even more impressive. After the quick photo stop, we proceeded to Taupo. We realised that the original planned lunch stop has been cordoned off for the Iron-man event, so we opted to stop for some sandwiches and bakery items for lunch. "Baked" turned out to be a very good choice, with us being treated to some yummy Kumara burger, macaroons and falafel wraps. 

After a filling lunch, I wanted to fill up petrol but there was no way to get to the petrol station,  hence we decided to proceed directly to Wellington. However, getting out of Taupo proved to be very challenging, with most of the roads being closed. Google maps didn't have time to refresh the new information I guess. This led to us circling Taupo for almost 30 mins trying to figure out the exit. There was a big sense of relief when we finally made it to the state highway!

A few kilometers later, we were treated to a fascinating wonderful view of Lake Taupo, a glory too much to cover in a camera. The blue waters stretching from horizon to horizon was the caldera of the super valcano, so I involuntarily shuddered a bit thinking how big the actual volcano was, and how shallow the magma below our feet was!

The drive from Lake Taupo to Wellington through the Desert Road was one of the best drives I have had in my life, with the landscape changing dramatically. Traversing multiple sharp S curves over the mountains, we got a picturesque view of the snow capped Mt Tongariro, which dominates the show for about 30 km. Then just as we pass on to the other side, it feels like we have gone onto the Australian outback, with the desert landscape making us gape in awe. It is a completely deserted stretch, with no gas pumps or any sign of human life. However,  it only adds to the allure of this barren landscape with shrubs and a mesmerising reddish-yellow hue that felt totally out of this world! This is also a very straight long road with hardly any traffic, probably the longest straight road in NZ, allowing me to zoom past at 140-150kmph without a worry. But I actually didn't want to speed as the view was too good and I wanted it to last as long as possible. I was begging my wife to take more pictures almost every km. Instead of getting frustrated, she was surprisingly obliging the request! I understood that everyone's heart melts at the sheer beauty of nature. A particular stretch that has up and down roads just left my mouth gaping. The pictures will always be etched in my mind. 

After the desert road stretch, we came to Foxton, a small town with some cafes and gas. We took a halt there and I wanted to check my tyre pressures as my car was drifting left but was told that some inebriated person cut off the air pressure tubes a couple of weeks' back and they were still waiting for the fix! While vandalism was somewhat surprising in the mild natured Kiwis, what was more surprising is being directly offered "coke" when I stopped for air pressure check at the next gas station. With my love of coke, I almost said ok before I realised what he meant!

After the slight worry with my car, we were again on our way, past beautiful and changing horizons. I am already running out of adjectives on this tour 😀. After Palmerston North, you could already feel you are entering the Capital Territory, as the roads become so smooth and cruising speed limits increase. Just when I thought this will become a smooth drive, the landscape changed again without warning,  from bright scorching sun to a thick fog rolling down the green hills obscuring the highway. It dawned on me that Wellington is right on the cost with the strong Pacific winds being funneled through mountains on either side making it very humid and windy place. Again it made for a beautiful drive into the city.

Catching up with my friend Madhu and his family after about 15 years was very exciting and heartwarming. We reached his house around 9pm and caught up on various topics while having a nice dinner, and I almost didn't want to sleep. He also gave me an amazing book on ancient Tamils that had me immersed late into the night. 

Today was an unforgettable drive through North Island that I would strongly recommend everyone to do. I would have missed it as my initial plan was to fly from Rotorua to Christchurch, but for my friend being in Wellington. 

NZ Trip - Day 4 - Rotorua Redwoods

After a fiery start, now onto the woods. My family wanted this to be a more relaxed day, so I cut out Tauranga from the itinerary so that we can relax in Rotorua instead. This involved a couple of trips to Redwoods,  a 10 min drive from our hotel, an adventure trip in the morning and a relaxed walk at night. 

After a day of rain, bright sunshine greeted us today, and we thought it was 9 when we woke up at 6am. We went off to Redwoods on time to be greeted by friendly staff (an almost superfluous and understated adjective to describe anyone in NZ). We were all hooked up to the safety harness before a nice stroll/ hike through the Redwood forest. Interesting tidbit was that the Redwoods for imported from California, but grows 10x faster due to the fertile volcanic soil. However the flip side is that their barks are more brittle given the rapid speed of growth, leaving it more prone to being destroyed by human touch (oils in our hands). It's both an irony and a pronounced sarcasm of the effect of human beings on nature that the tallest trees in the world just can't stand a human touch! 

Our Redwoods Altitude adventure began with a quick demonstration of how to navigate the ropes with our gear and cross bridges and ziplines. It was fairly simple to understand but still made a couple of mistakes along the way! Crossing the different types of briedges they had specifically built was fun, with 20+ bridges of varying complexity for us to cross. The ziplines were fantastic, feeling the cool wind while we zap across the Redwoods trees, earning the mock ire if we touch some of its leaves. I always ended up turning on my back for some reason, but thoroughly enjoyed it. The real highlight was the last drop off, literally, from 20+ meters high, with a 1 second free fall and 7 seconds in all. Doesn't sound like much but I started with a scream of pain as I held the harness a bit too tightly, but enjoyed my way down. My kids had no such issues and was overjoyed by the experience, probably the most adventurous activity of their short lives so far. 2 hours felt like 2 mins here! For my wife and daughter, this was also a bit of a prelude to their planned skydive later on in Queenstown!

Having dropped off the kids at the hotel, my wife and myself went to the city center to buy some shoes for me (which got torn during my morning adventure). Having got a recommendation, we went to the Torpedo7 store at The Warehouse to get some hiking shoes (which were pretty expensive compared to SG by the way) before we had a mix of sandwiches, Indian and Chinese lunch take aways. While the price was high, the quantity and quality more than made up for it, leaving us with a bursting stomach! 

Afternoon was spent gorging on ice cream from the Lady Jones Ice cream shop across the road with 50+ wonderful flavours to try out. It seemed quite popular from the everpresent crowd and we now know why! We also caught up on some sleep and using the geothermal spa at the hotel, soaking in the sulfur rich hot water at various temperatures. 

Dinner was Italian pasta, from the food lane across the hotel. Needless to say, all food stalls, cafeteria and restaurants were mostly manned by Indians and Chinese staff.. Kinda needs some getting used to, especially given some preconceived notions of interacting with a lot more Kiwis on the tour! 

At sunset at 8.30pm, it was off again to Redwoods for the famed TreeWalk at night. Once the lights came on, we were one of the first to go in with the highly recommended Fast Pass, as the queue was quite long otherwise. It was like stepping into a magical place, with lights illuminating the trees and creating structures like Maori lanterns and native birds. It was a 40 min relaxed stroll through a series of bridges across the Redwood trees, with plenty of photo ops. However, photos can only be limited to either people or the background, not both due to the high contrast in brightness between the two. That's probably the only grief about this experience. The isite information center was smelling of coffee the minute we entered and we tasted a wonderful brew there, alongside grabbing a couple of souvenirs.

We came out to a clear night sky full of stars, and even took a small detour on the way back to immerse in the celestial view by the Rotorua Lake before calling it a day.

Day 4 was indeed a lazy day before our long drive to Wellington through the supervolcano town of Taupo tomorrow. I am also increasingly excited to catch up with my childhood pal after many years, and talk a lot more about NZ! 

NZ Trip - Day 3 - Rotorua Geothermal Tours

Today is all steamy,  with tours across 3 geo thermal estates in the plan. After a nice hotel breakfast on a rainy morning, we ventured on a 30 mins drive to Wai-o-Tapu, the geothermal wonderland. It was a beautiful drive laced with tall fir trees on either side of the Thermal Explorer highway. I was amazed that even the trucks go at the same speed (100kmph) as the other vehicles, so that other traffic is not delayed as most of the lanes are one way each side, with hardly any passing opportunities for several km. There are nice passing lanes in some stretches so I slowly figured out how to use them effectively as the day progressed. A few times I was overly eager and tried to pass during stretches of broken white lines but had to abort due to oncoming traffic. A couple were heart in mouth moments, as I realised that the car doesn't want to lose speed that quickly when moving at 100kmph in the rain. 

We reached Wai-o-Tapu just in time for the Lady Knox geyser presentation. People were standing in coats and umbrellas awaiting the 10.15am geyser spurt. An eager Indian family moved to a prime spot just a couple of minutes before, obstructing the views of others behind, drawing moans and disappointed muttering. They withdrew quickly, but this showed how the Kiwis express disappointment - by muttering almost under their breath! The politeness on this part of the world is shocking! Our doubts on how the geyser spewed daily at the same time were dispelled soon enough, when the presenter mentioned that the geyser spews naturally once every 24-48 hours and that they proceeded to add some silica stimulant to get it going on time! It barely lasted a minute, so it was a bit of a damp squib start to the day!

We then went into the Wai-o-Tapu park, which felt like an environment literally straight out of this world! The blend of yellow and red and white caused by the sulphur compounds made up the majority of the landscape. The active geothermal wonderland definitely lived upto its name. From collapsed craters to the bubbling mud pools to the terraces formed by the solidification, we walked our way past in wonder and awe. A strong smell of sulphur, arsenic, gold and silver mixed in those volcanic emissions, and the fog created by the biggest hot water pool in the southern hemisphere (Champagne pool) - There are no words to describe the smell and feeling in that environment. The park itself is made up of 3 walks offering glorious views of the geothermal activities going on in the caldera. The fertile laandscape surrounding the caldera creates a beautiful contrast that speaks about the creative power of volcanic eruptions. Wai-o-Tapu definitely left us with a lasting impression, unlike anything we have ever seen!

We had lunch at a quaint cafe admiring the landscape one last time before riding back to our next stop - Whakerewarewa Maori village. This guided tour offered us an opportunity to get up and close to the Maori culture and way of living. The Maori guide was so passionate and proud of their culture and it showed through every step of the way.  The tour was 1.5 hours, which took us through how the Maoris live their daily lives, cook, bathe, their beliefs, their culture and their tradition. We were treated to a freshly steamed corn from their hot water pool, which was wonderful, probably the freshest and softest corn I have ever tasted. The Maori life is intertwined with nature which provides everything for them. Their focus on sustainability,  care and nurture of nature is second to none. 

More importantly, the tour helped us understand the unique history of New Zealand - the win-win collaboration established between the British and the Maori tribes early on, in part due to the uncanny similarities between Maori beliefs and Christian Roman Catholic religion and rituals. The way Maori have established a permanent home within the geo thermal confines, the only people in the world to do so, harnessing the power of hot water, nearby cold stream, separating the poisonous sulphur rich water from the beneficial geyser waters, was truly a wonderful insight into the human desire to persevere in one of the harshest natural environment. The way they moved on from a devastating volcanic eruption wiping out hundreds of their tribe to call a new place home, and revive their tradition of the females guiding travellers speaks of their resilience. The transition from the warring tribes to uniting for a common cause to survive the colonisation invokes a sense of unity in the face of adversity. 

Making up 17% of the New Zealand population of about 5.5 million, I feel the Maoris are indeed one of the primary reasons why NZ is the way it is, and very different from the rest of the colonised world. People have embraced diversity from the get go for the mutual benefit of all, there is warmth and kindness and sharing nature in everything people do here, which is truly heart warming. There is sadness when they talk about how their lands were taken and lakes drained to build roads, how the commercial development of Rotorua led to the draining of ground water tables by hotels and businesses leading to loss of most geysers, how the industrial waste contaminated their only source of cold water and marine food. However, they quickly put a positive spin on it, and focus on the way forward and strategic steps they are taking as a community to make their case heard and mistakes addressed. There is genuine care and concern, and no bitterness in the way they reminisce. On the other hand, they give due regard to the early British colonisers who positively influenced them and their lives. In my limited life, I have never come across such a wonderful partnership between two cultures that have focused on the positives to take the whole nation forward as I have seen in NZ. No wonder everyone loves the Kiwis second only to their own nation. If only the whole world followed the Kiwi way, it would be a much much better place to be! 

After a brief sojourn back at the hotel, we went to the third geothermal area of Te Puia for a Geyser by the Night guided tour. I felt that this organisation is run by more westernised Maoris, using a site whose native inhabitants have since emigrated, with guides who struggle a bit to recollect their Maori deities and traditions. But their passion to raise awareness of Maori culture through tourism, developing the Maori arts and culture through a formal institute and eagerness to keep the tradition going shown through in the interactions.  I could completely empathise given I am a proud Indian expat myself. The tour itself offered another glimpse into the geothermal environment in a completely different light, literally! It was raining and bitterly cold at night, with geysers and mud pools illuminated by light, making the magic come to light. After a refrehment of a freshly steamed pudding with cream (out of the hot pool ofcourse), We were taken to a platform that had a front row view of the two most active natural geysers of Te Puia. Unlike the artificially stimulated Lady Knox earlier in the day, the natural build up and eruption of these geysers were a sight to behold, and magnificent to watch live! Cameras feel like the most useless accessories in new zealand, as its almost impossible to capture the natural beauty with anything but our own eyes! Still captured a few images to share with our families, but otherwise it was all about taking it in and committing as much as possible to memory! 

Today gave me a few more insights into the traffic mechanisms in NZ. One was the amazing utility of roundabouts in NZ. I was wondering why they had so many roundabouts especially in towns. Then it stuck me that it's a brilliant engineering tactic to ensure smooth flow of traffic without any infrastructure to be built and maintained (ie traffic lights) and also lessen the need for policemen, placing the responsibility fully on the driver. It's a complete win-win situation in a country like NZ with limited capacity and human resources at a premium! The second was how many cars and trucks were there compared to the population, while there were hardly any 2 wheelers. With huge farms to maintain with very limited human beings, there is a need for more heavy vehicles. I counted 3 motorbikes and 2 police cars in my 3 days so far! However I also realised to take a big caution on right turns - the actual turning point could be way further than you think it is, especially if there is another right turn for the straight moving traffic. I realised it in a scary way as I exited a petrol pump at 11pm and turned right after a while, straight onto oncoming traffic lane! Thankfully the lack of any vehicles at the time meant I could quickly do a U-turn and be back on my way still in one piece, although reinforcing my family's belief that I was out to kill them on this trip! 

Day 3 made us recognise that there are more wow moments in a day in NZ than there have been on entire trips before! 

NZ Trip - Day 2 - Waitomo

Today started off bright and sunny (by NZ standards), so we started ok schedule at 8am to drive to Hamilton for breakfast. The views just got better and better when we travelled out further from Auckland, with the meandering drives having a beautiful backdrop. Detours along expressway and some strange rerouting by Google maps led us into Hamilton later than expected, and we just had enough time to finish a quick McD breakfast before heading to Waitomo.  

McD was the first interaction with a proper Kiwi, and it was very pleasant. My school friend in Wellington had just called in and confirmed what I already suspected, that Auckland had a lot of Indian and Chinese population, and that the customer service improves as we get further down south. McD had a lot more drink options than what we were used to back in SG, which was a pleasant surprise. We choose a wide variety, from hot chocolate to frozen Fanta, but didn't take another instant liking to some of those. But the whipped butter was so rich and fresh, a true testament to the daily dream that is New Zealand. The dairy products are something I am sure we will gorge on in this tour. 

With time against us, we discovered another thing - that Google maps shows the commute time for locals who drive, so as a foreigner getting used to the mountain drives and curvy roads, the commute is often a lot longer than what is shown on the maps. I threw caution to the wind and were going as fast as I dared to, causing the ire of my family members who thought i was on a mission to get them killed. Yet, I didn't make up much time and barely managed to check in in-time for the Waitomo tours trip. But the drive itself through vast farms, herd of cow, horses and sheep was mesmerising on the eyes. A couple of smashed cars along the way was a gentle reminder on the main cause of accidents in New Zealand, the sheer beauty of the landscape dwarfs any other distraction!

Waitomo Glowworm Caves were pretty small, but the guide ensured we got the lowdown on the glow worms that call them home, the only species in New Zealand. The tour included a small boat trip to get the angle from the underground stream. 

We had a relaxed lunch before heading out to the nearby Ruakiri caves, but an incorrect reading of the maps meant we went the opposite way for 15 km before doing an U turn, meaning we missed our appointment by 7 min. Thankfully they rescheduled it to a couple of hours later, and in the meantime kindly suggested we explore the Ruakiri bush walk track. This is an highlight in new zealand that even if you miss one, you have 2-3 alternatives ready to take its place to take your breath away! Ruakiri bush walk was one such thing. It was rated an "easy 30 min track with granite footpaths", which was a running joke for us as it would easily be classified as "hard" in Indian speak. I would say the track would be very difficult for any unfit or 60+ Indian adult. It took us 1.5 hours for a round trip. 

The different shades of leaves and flowers left us spellbound as we walked through the thick folliage winding through the stream below. The highlight was a tunnel viewing platform at the other end and a couple of waterfalls. 

Making our way back to the Ruakiri cave tour, we were taking into the limestone caves 10 stories below ground, which are about 4km long. The darkness of the Caves were jarring, but you quickly get used to it. The different limestone formations were explained to us in detail as we made our way through. These Caves were also considered a Maori sacred place, and I was honoured when the tourists sang an impromptu "Happy Birthday" song for me in a Maori citadel inside. The pitch black room was awesome, where you couldn't see a thing including your own hand. The air vent reaching down 150m below surface was cool to look at, the only source of surface light down there. The temperature is around 14 degrees, so better to have a jacket on, which we realised too late. It also has Glowworm to boot. Anyway, while Waitomo Glowworm Caves is a bigger tourist attraction,  I felt that this cave was a lot more worth the time and money! 

From there, it was a 2.5 hours drive back to Rotorua. Again, Google maps played havoc choosing some lesser roads because it saves 5 mins as per its calculations. But for tourists, I would strongly recommend sticking to the main State Highway roads, unless you want to explore lesser treaden paths. Anyway, the detour was worth lovely lavender farms and lots of flowers adorning beautiful houses, although it took 30 mins longer, so no regrets!

We checked into the Novotel hotel right by the lake and walked along the line of nearby shops for a nice Indian Vegetarian dinner at BailwalG restaurant. The quantity was too much though, but that take away settles a meal tomorrow. 

Day 2 really got us going into admiring the natural beauty of NZ while showing us more gotchas. Looking forward to Day 3 with a lot less travel.

NZ Trip - Day 1 - Auckland

Day 1 was all about travel and getting settled into the ways of working in the new world. Well, we accomplished half of it today. Catching a bus to the airport right from our door step was nice, but was cutting it a bit close as it stopped at all possible road signals. However, the automated checking for Qantas meant that it was all completed with plenty of time in hand. Having done the Finnair for the Singapore-Sydney leg and Qantas for Sydney-Auckland, I feel Finnair was way better in terms of aircraft, service and vegetarian food. I am glad the return leg to Singapore is also through Finnair.

It was a special star birthday for me, crossing two oceans and celebrating my birthday across 2 countries! 

Transiting through Sydney with 1.5 hour stopover was a breeze, with plenty of time for browsing through a few shops, although the sniffer dogs touching me with their noses triggered all sorts of paranoai of dogs from my childhood days.. They even had a McD which was nice. Ofcourse my family couldn't resist the comparison with Singapore Changi airport, but I doubt any airport can compete with that!

Sydney airport is right by the Tasman Sea, and the travel leg from Sydney to Auckland was all about admiring the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean (well, technically Tasman Sea, but we were travelling in a straight line that goes from Sydney to Santiago). I had heard that just looking at the Pacific ocean is said to bring a sense of calm, and the colour of the water almost matches the sky in a beautiful blend of blue. It didn't disappoint on both counts! With plenty of time for self reflection and a quick nap, given the 1 hour flight delay, we caught first sight of NZ through a series of what appeared to be volcanic mountains dotting the sea, leading into Auckland airport. We caught a glimpse of the undulating surface that NZ is famous for. 

With preservation filled traveller declaration, clearing immigration and biodiversity security checks were a breeze, rendering all my prior self scrutiny meaningless. Renting a car, though, was a much bigger hassle than I had expected. First I was surprised when a Chinese guy picked up the phone for the car rental company and I could barely make out what he was saying. We had to figure out the pick up spot and wait for a good amount of time before being chauffeured to an offside pickup spot, which looked more like a junkyard! The guy went through the rental procedure in like a minute, leaving me to do the head scratching and heavy lifting. The first car he offered had low tire pressure which he couldn't resolve with air pumps, so we had to take another car, which didn't have GPS navigation that was requested, the fuel was almost empty, the charger ports couldn't be opened, meaning my USB chargers were useless. It also didn't have auto brake that i had become so reliant on.  I just hopes it takes us safely through these 15 days!

The hotel was in a nice location 10 mins from the city center, but we had another surprise when we checked in, the plug points in NZ were very different to what we have seen before, even the adapters we had didn't have the right plug. The Chinese receptionist didn't even know what an adaptor was. Thankfully the convenience store right next door had these items. And an Indian manning it to boot, so we could stock up on some essential items. 

After a quick break, we were off to see the Sky Tower, the 60th floor observation deck offering lovely views of Auckland and a nice glimpse of the sunset at 8.30pm, the first time in my life we have witnessed a late sunset. There was a Saravana Bhavan right opposite where we had a sumptuous dinner, although the bill came as a big shock. With a plain dosa costing NZD 15, I wonder how people manage finances in this place! Another nasty surprise awaited as my bank debit card started getting declined. Thankfully I was half expecting it based on earlier experiences and I had a more reliable backup option with Revolut.

Quick drive back to the hotel to crash ended Day 1 with a lot more surprises than I had expected. Hope Day 2 dawns better!