New Zealand South Island - Day 4

Due to catch up with the Milford Sound Cruise (9.45am), we need to reach early to avoid any emergency thing happen during the journey. Example such as No Fuel (we will starting to pump petrol every time we have half full tank) and not able to start in Dunedin.

Wake up early in morning 5.30am take some light breakfast and leaving the from YHA Te Anau. The journey to Milford Sound is approximate 117km - 1 hour 23 mins. There are some tips to advise to those who going Milford Sound, must fill full tank petrol before go Milford because there is no petrol station along the journey.

At about 30km before Milford there has tunnel, the scenic around is superb, a lots of snow just beside the roadside. We decided to take after end of the cruise as we rush for the boat schedule

My brother draw this... I love meh meh sheep

Too early, alot of fog

So Amazing

The Tunnel I mention above :)

Is like a mirror... so beautiful

Milford Sound / Piopiotahi is a fiord in the south west of New Zealand's South Island, within Fiordland National Park, Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve, and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site. It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey (the 2008 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards by TripAdvisor) and is acclaimed as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling had previously called it the eighth Wonder of the World. - Reference

Reach Milford Sound and its amazing, like what the description said above. We have taken alot of photo and decided to take pre wedding photo as well in this cruise. Lets enjoy the photo !

The Entrance of the Jetty

Everywhere is Beautiful Scenery

Getting Ready

Cruise started !

Sea lion awww awww :)

The ferry bring us to some waterfall nearby :)

The journey end and we taking our group photo :)

After enjoying scenic photo, we continue our journey back to Te Anau. As plan, we stop by and take alot of photo at road side which have beautiful scenery.

Reaching Te Anau around 12pm for our lunch, a small town which not much food choices and we choose Subway. It quite similar to Malaysia Subway so nothing much to talk about :) Leaving Te Anau and Heading to Wanaka, approximate 226km, 2 hours 46 mins, ermmm drive again.

We are preparing heading to Wanaka, here is our load of baggage :p

We visit Te Anau lake before we leave to Wanaka

Reach YHA Wanaka and Check in. Me + YK + AYCK 1 room and Christine + Sam 1 room. We have arranged by YHA with 1 Ang Mo because the house got 2 rooms. The Ang Mo quite nice got borrow us the Heater to use awhile. We shared toilet and living hall with him. We enjoying the night watching Stephen Chow movie together (not with Ang Mo, OK?). Relax at the Lobby/Reception area playing Pools and reading the magazine. There also a Fireplace to warm us up in the cold weather.

The Living Hall in YHA Wanaka - Reference

We settled our Dinner in YHA Hostel Kitchen, as usually, the equipment are well available for light cooking. We just need to make sure the utensils and pots clean after the cooking. Make sure everything is well store and clean all the necessary rubbish created by us :)

YHA Wanaka

Location 3/5 - Good but due need to walk out from to the hostel, distance from reception (very cold)

Sleep Quality 3/5 - Good if the heater can heat up the room
Cleanliness - 4/5 - Clean
Service - 4/5 - Good with all cooking facilities and sofa

New Zealand South Island - Day 3

#throwback on Day 2, we actually having some cooking after our bath. Due to the early closure of store and restaurant/cafe, cooking is the way we can fill our hunger :)

The heater doesn't really help... still cold...

Mum mum time :)

Easy job laaaaa

After a fulfilling our hunger, is time to go back to sleep to prepare earlier wake up as usual for our journey. Wake up in the earlier morning and it about 545am as the sun already come up. Taking light breakfast and preparing to Cadbury Chocolate Factory. We are too early to reach the Choco Factory, it only Open at 9am.

We decided to go to supermarket nearby to explore something that different in our country. We stop by at Countdown Supermarket.

The time is clocked at 9am and we are planing to leave, however the car is not able to start and we have to call AVIS for assistance. While the car fixing, we having fun with our photo shooting. We do not waste any time to capture our previous moments :)

Car is fixed and shooting done, we are ready to heading to Choco factory ! As usually we are taking alot photo before enter the factory.

Entrance of the Choco Factory, alot alot of CHOCO

The tour doesnt allow us to bring any camera, sorry no photo sharing :p We only allow to take photo when we exit of the tour. We learn alot how the chocos are made and the automation processes are awesome.

This is the Cadbury staff that guide us all the way, very friendly !

This is crop version :p

This is refund version :p

Pleasant tour and learn alot here, buying alot choco as souvenirs for friends and family. After we have finish the tour, we have visit around the Dunedin town. Below are some of the place we visit in Dunedin

Is jumping allow around church?

Anzac Square and Dunedin Railway Station

Along the railway

Classic !

The Train

Our next destination in Dunedin will be the world steepest step street ! No kidding, the steepest is at 70.6m. Let me show you the photo.

Taking this photo this way doesnt really look very steep

OK, this angle is the correct as it align with the "tiang", see scary huh?

This really KNS, the board only can been seen when we reach the top.

Hei, come on, it is not joking, damn tired wei, with all camera equipments

Some crazy thing we do in the peak of this street

Lovely Experience :)

Ok we are certified now :)

The shop just right before we turn right to the steepest street

Somebody bring back this cutie sheep back from the shop

Due to the next destination is quite far from Dunedin, we decide just to take fast food.

Along the road to Kaka Point, we saw alot nice view and landscape.

After 1hours and 20mins, we reach Kaka Point aka Nugget Point

Nugget Point is one of the most distinctive landforms along the Otago coast. It's a steep headland with a lighthouse and a scattering of rocky islets (The Nuggets). A five minute walk takes you to the lighthouse, where you'll enjoy amazing views along the coastline in both directions. If you look down onto the rocks directly below the lighthouse, you'll see fur seals lolling about, playing in rock pools and generally having fun. Bring binoculars for close-up viewing of this breeding colony.Nugget Point is also home to sea lions, sooty shearwaters, shags, yellow-eyed penguins, spoonbills and a breeding colony of gannets. Occasionally, elephant and leopard seals visit the area. If you watch the water for a while, you might see Hector's dolphins.From Nugget Point it's an easy walk to Roaring Bay, where you can hide and wait for yellow-eyed penguins. Early morning or sunset are the best times for viewing. - Reference

Very nice view and windy, it take sometimes for us to reach the lighthouse. We spend alot time here and we miss out to go Owaka - Purakaunui Falls. Nevermind we visit next time :p

Due to delay from the original plan as we suppose to reach Bluff (The most southern tip of NZ South Island) around 4pm, but we only can reach at 7pm so we decided to skip Owaka and Invercargill. Want to driving fast but the road condition is not allow - dark and alot sharp corner.

Finally we able to reach bluff around 7pm and most of the shop (90%) are closed. We are still lucky and able to found some cafe is still opening (Anchorage Cafe). Food is OK and nice as we dont have choice :)

The portion is big - Salmon/Fish and Calamari

Blue Cod Fish and Chips :)

Bluff is very popular with Oyster, I tried, but I vomit out :(

Super nice - Clam chowder soup

Food Quality - 3/5 - Average and big portion

Cleanliness - 4/5 - Clean

Service - 4/5 - Good

As a must go photographing hotspot, it just near to our dinner place, however due to the road is dark, we take sometimes to figure out the way.

It suppose like this (borrow from web)

But we only able to take at night time, but still we enjoy the night very much !

We do alot crazy thing here, but I will just keep this as our memory

It just 8pm, every shop is closed including petrol station. Bluff to Te Anau still 180km away, our petrol is down to empty level. We start worrying, and based on the GPS to look for petrol station nearby. All the petrol station in Bluff are closed, the only way is we drive to Invercargill for petrol as Invercargill just 28km away from Bluff. When we reach Invercargill, most of the petrol station is closed too. Panic and worrying in the car as all of us have different suggestion on this issue. 

Thank God that we finally found 1 petrol station which still OPEN ! Pump happily and drive to YHA Te Anau. While we think everything is gonna be fine, the worst thing coming when we reach YHA Te Anau :p The YHA checkin is closed, door is locked, looking around for phone call and luckily we manage to contact the person in charge and we got our PASSWORD to enter !

Start to check in ! Yahooooo

Good night all reader, we should continue the much more exciting journey next morning. Preview for tomorrow activity:-

1) Milford Sound

2) Te Anau

3) Lake Wakana

YHA Te Anau

Location 4/5 - Great
Sleep Quality 4/5 - Good heater can heat up the room
Cleanliness - 4/5 - Clean
Service - 4/5 - Good with all cooking facilities and sofa