For the Easter holidays, we went overseas - for the first time this year, and the 3rd time since the lockdown ended, and travel restrictions were completely relaxed. This trip was a far cry from much of what this year had been - stress and anxiety from Cyclone Gabrielle, the Auckland flooding (although I was in Waitomo, having just done the black abyss adventure that day), a terrible incident at the Plane Sailing festival involving some rogue intoxication team staff from Trademark Live, and having friend and family conflicts online resulting from that.
However, the two weeks leading up to the trip were on a much higher note (including St Patrick's Day!), and more happy - only two days prior to departing Auckland, I did a bungy jump in Taupo (sadly, wasn't allowed to go nude, due to some strange policy regarding children, as Auckland and Queenstown bungy sites allow nudity), and a week earlier, Posie Parker was forced out of the country after being juiced with tomato juice as people protested against her transphobic and hateful behavior.
We left on the 31st of March in the morning, and arrived early morning in Brisbane. The flight was smooth initially, but halfway through the flight, it got violently turbulent - to the point that it actually became frightening, and I even screamed a bit. We were so relieved to exit the plane after such a scary flight, even by my standard as an adrenaline junkie. After arriving and checking in, we spent the first day shopping. It was hard to decide what I wanted to buy. I saw a nice Fendi mini bag which functioned as a keychain that I wanted to buy, but my aunt (who I was travelling with) disagreed and didn't like the style. Ultimately, we ended up buying a blue-colored sequin Furla bag. Later in the trip, we did go back to Fendi again, but this time we settled for a wool shearling headband.
The next day, we did the Sea World Cruise in Surfers Paradise, where we were treated to delicious food, including fresh seafood and tasty desserts. We had to purchase drinks onboard, as they weren't included, but the cocktails that we purchased were absolutely delicious, refreshing and sweet.
Once lunch was over, we were given commentary about Surfers Paradise, and the surroundings. We were treated to lovely views of lovely swimmable beaches, natural scenery, the city coast, and even wealthy suburbs which featured large mansions (and are much more beautiful, cheerful and colorful than the estates and the mansions in the Taupo/Wairakei area, Auckland and Queenstown)!
On the way back from the cruise, I had delicious ice cream from Gelatissimo Surfers Paradise, which sells really good gelato. I highly recommend anyone visiting Brisbane or the Gold Coast goes to this ice cream place at least once during their trip.
The next day, we went to Wet'n'Wild a water based theme park, which is also in the Gold Coast. The waterslides were really fun, and the queue wasn't actually that bad! I wanted to go on every waterslide, but unfortunately, the staff did not allow me to ride some due to the fact that I was a solo rider! My favorite slide was the Aqualoop, as it was thrilling and gave me an adrenaline rush, when the trapdoor suddenly opened and I dropped at a very fast speed!
We also saw some wildlife at the theme park, including sulphur crested cockatoos, lizards and other birds!
On the fourth day of our trip, we went back to Surfers Paradise, this time, for me to do the SkyClimb at the Skypoint tower. The skypoint climb is 270 m above sea level, which is considerably higher - and the views are also much more scenic - than that of the SkyWalk (which I also did but last year, during the Diwali Festival) in Auckland's CBD. For this reason, the adrenaline rush is actually greater and it was also more fun and thrilling than the Auckland version! Bonus point: It's cheaper too, despite the Australian currency being higher than the New Zealand currency. The whole experience lasts around 90 minutes, and according to the site, it is Australia's highest building climb.
Above: The Skywalk in Auckland.
After I did my Skyclimb, I went to the observation deck, to level 77 - in the same tower - and my aunt (who I was travelling with) and I had lunch up there. We had fish and chips, and fried chicken as well, and ordered cider to drink with our lunch. The food was absolutely delicious and it was worth it.
Once we had our lunch, we walked around, taking photos of the beautiful scenery of Surfers Paradise from the observation deck. The views were magnificent, and stunning, with 360 degree views of the beach and the city.
We woke up the next morning to go to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens. We walked in the gardens for about 1 and a half to 2 hours approximately. We took lots of photos, the scenery was very nice, with many exotic plants (in addition to common plants), and water fountains. We also saw more wildlife - from crows and parrots to lizards and even a turtle.
After walking in the botanical gardens, we had lunch and did some more shopping again, and bought a Fendi headband (as shown in the image above). We returned back to our hotel for a rest, before heading out for dinner.
We woke up on the 5th of April, early morning, to go to Mooloolaba, which is a small coastal town in the Sunshine Coast. We had a nice feast of prawns, barramundi fish and chips, and fried calamari, and a refreshing cocktail, then I went swimming at the beach. Later, we walked around the area and took some photos but unfortunately we had to leave early as it is a long way back to where we were staying. We stayed in central Brisbane, close to the river and the shopping mall, where there were designer stores - from which we bought the designer accessories from.
We went to the Pacific Fair mall in Broadbeach, in the Gold Coast the next day. We went shopping once again, this time to buy clothes. I bought a matching set - a mesh top and skirt, both are stretchable and versatile to wear. We had lunch in the mall, then I attempted to swim at the beach, having swum there last year - but unfortunately, swimming was not permitted due to the weather and wave conditions! At least the next time I go back, I will have that opportunity to swim at Broadbeach and also Surfers Paradise.
Then on the next day, we went to Southbank, across the river in Brisbane. We had early lunch, then I got tickets to the Ferris wheel, having had my photo taken first - before going up on the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel ride was amazing, you get to be on it for a few rounds with plenty of opportunities for photos (I took some photos while on the ride). The ride also gave some commentary about the history of Brisbane and Brisbane city itself. After the commentary finished, I was allowed a few more rounds on the Ferris wheel. We also went to the markets in the same area but nearby, where I bought a straw hat and an artwork of John Lennon - the markets there sell amazing stuff and lots of interesting things, from souvenirs to decoration and jewelry and more. Then, we had dessert and an Easter chocolate drink at Max Brenner, which is a well known dessert café, where they make really good cakes and chocolate drinks which I highly recommend if you are looking for good desserts, if Max Brenner is in your area.
On the second-to-last day - and the last full day in Australia, I did the bridge climb in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. It was my first time ever doing a bridge climb, I have not done it before - not even the Auckland Harbor Bridge climb at the Auckland Harbor Bridge, in Westhaven. The bridge climb is about 80 to 90 meters above sea level. The duration of this bridge climb is about 2 hours, including getting harnessed up and the safety briefing. I got lovely views of Brisbane city, and the river and the guide gave us commentary about the city, the surroundings and the bridge itself.
âLater, we went to the Le Bon Choix café, for dessert. We ordered a Moulin Rouge cake, and the Amaliyah cake as well, and both came with Easter eggs - as pictured. We also ordered iced chocolate. The desserts were really delicious and well presented, and I also recommend this place for dessert as well.
Finally, the last full day we had to pack our suitcases to go back home and check out, but as we had plenty of time left, we went back to the same place we went to for dessert the day before - to have breakfast, as supermarkets were not open due to it being Easter day, and also the fact that we didn't want to carry excess food with us. We enjoyed breakfast and another round of dessert, and spent some time in this café.
Later, after breakfast, we stopped by Opa Bar Mezze, which is a Greek restaurant by the Brisbane river, and had lunch and wine there. After lunch, we sat by the river for a while, to take photos. Then we slowly made our way to the train station to take a train back to the Airport, taking photos outside a historical garden for a while on the way back.
We left for the airport to catch the flight back home - and fortunately, the flight was much smoother this time around. When we got back home, I only slept a few hours even though it was already midnight - because the Easter show at the Auckland showgrounds was on that same day (we were back at home past midnight, in the very early hours of the morning), and I got to see two of my cousins at the Easter show, go on some rides, and ordered lunch at the Easter Show from her BBQ Pitstop food truck! Unfortunately though, due to the weather conditions, I could not ride the Turbo Boost, as it was extremely windy and it was also raining, but at least I'll have other chances to ride it in the future.
Despite all the troubles that we have been through this year, including friendship issues that have resulted as an aftermath of the 2021 Delta lockdowns as well as an incident at the plane sailing festival, the floods and the cyclone, we have had the best Easter in a few years, in part due to being able to go overseas without anymore travel or Covid restrictions, and in part due to the fun things we did before the trip, in Australia and also at the Easter show. We love Easter, it is a fun time of the year due to the fact that we eat Easter treats, and also the fact that we also go on holidays. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, and I look forward to more trips, both domestic and international trips this year. Let's hope that the Easter holidays next year - and in the future - will be just as good, or better.
Note: I took the photo featured on the blog cover. The image can be found on my Instagram page, in this link here.
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It was just only two days after arriving back from Queenstown, and a day after watching Spiderman: No Way Home, that we commenced on yet another long, but a fun and an exciting trip. This time, it was a road trip which took us to three places to stay - Rotorua, Taupo and Tauranga. This trip was fun and exciting, and was adventurous as it involved both adrenaline - related activities and nice walks through the geysers. The car trips were also interesting and nice as it went through different scenery in different places - from the thermal explorer highway and the Waikato Expressway to the Pacific Coastal Highway/East Coast.
Please take note that like the Queenstown trip, this trip was also supposed to happen in 2021 August - September university semester break, but the Delta variant had forced us to move it to the New Year.
âWe left Auckland early in the morning on the 28th of December. We bypassed Hamilton, and deciding to have lunch in Tirau before going to Rotorua (which, happens to also be our final destination for the year although it was the first stop of our trip). Tirau is a lovely township with a number of good cafes in the South Waikato district. The town also boasts a museum and is a historical place. After arriving in Rotorua and checking in, we rested (due to the long 3 hour drive), had dinner and went to bed. The next day, we went to the Whakarewarewa geothermal walking trail, and we did the walk, which was about one to one and a half hours long. It was very scenic, and the geothermal trails are lovely. Then, the next day, I went to the altitude tree top adventure in the Redwoods forest to do the treetop adventure, which was thrilling and is about 2 hours long. It involved me crossing bridges, and also going through 3 ziplines! Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of this, as my mum did not allow me to carry my phone with me to record the experience. After that we had lunch, went for a walk, had dinner and rested until the next day, New Years Eve.
On New Years Eve, we went to the secret spa hot tubs in Rotorua. It is a bit like the Onsen Hot Pool in Queenstown, except that the scenery is much different - this time, it is surrounded by trees and bushes - and unlike Onsen Hot Pools, unfortunately, we were not allowed to bring snacks into the pools! We spent an hour in the pool. The scenery was lovely and it was an enjoyable experience.
âLater that evening, we dressed up for a special New Year's Eve dinner, then we headed to a restaurant near the lake, where we had a three course menu and a cocktail. The food was nice, and so was the drink. Unfortunately, however, due to the ongoing pandemic and the Delta outbreak, the glo festival and the fireworks were âcancelled. So we went for a walk, went back and stayed up instead to watch the Auckland New Year's Eve live coverage to celebrate the New Year at midnight (Auckland had fireworks, luckily). After midnight, we slept and got ready for the next day.
On the final day in Rotorua, we went to Orakei Korako geothermal park and cave. This geothermal park sits on the banks of the Waikato River. We had to get across by boat to access the cave. The geysers were beautiful, with pink terraces and were quite colorful and were very pretty to look at. The pools are very clear to look at - but, they are very hot (despite its close location to the river)! It was about a 2 hour walk in total and the weather was perfect that day although it was very hot. After that, we had lunch, swam at the lake, than had dinner, then got ready to go to Taupo.
We then went from Rotorua to Taupo. On the way, I went on the Huka Falls jet , which does a 30 minute trip of the Waikato River, which was really enjoyable and fun (we also got to see the Huka Falls). The The jet boat did exhilarating thrill spins, and the views were spectacular. Oh, and I also got wet! After that, we went to the Prawn Park for lunch. The prawns were very fresh, and the chowder was delicious. After we checked in and rested, we swam in the lake. We went out for dinner, then went back early so we could get ready for the next day.
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âOn the next day, I went bungy jumping at Taupo Bungy (which is also operated now by AJ Hackett following a takeover of the site). The bungy jump was 47 meters high, laying above the Waikato River. I tried to record the bungy jump on my action camera - but failed at doing so hilariously as the video did not come out good at all! After the bungy, we had lunch, rested and The next day we went to craters of the moon, where we did a 1 and a half hour walk, and we got to see the crater like geysers (hence the name). It was a nice day, although the weather was incredibly hot. The geysers were impressive to look at. Later that day, I went parasailing. It was really fun and I got incredible views of lake Taupo and the city itself, but unfortunately I wasn't allowed to bring my own action camera on with me! And as I forgot to get the photo/video package, we have no photos or videos of this experience unfortunately. We then had dinner early, then slept to get ready to go to Tauranga the next day.
We left Taupo and headed straight for Tauranga via Rotorua. It was the final stop of our destination. We had lunch, checked in and walked around Mt Manganui. Then we swam at the beach next to the mount. It was also the final full day of our trip. Then we went straight for dinner, at Mt Manganui. We packed up, after dinner, ready to go home on the next day.
The next day, we left Tauranga to go home, slowly making our way back along the Pacific Highway Coast. We stopped at Karangahake gorge, to have a bit of a walk and a look around of the historic mining area. After that, we went to Paeroa to have lunch, and finally making our way back home after a long, ten day but a good trip. And it was lucky that we avoided the traffic jams, best of all!
Photo on blog cover by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash
We were supposed to go to Queenstown in August, 2021. But, the lockdown (due to the Delta outbreak - which is still ongoing) had derailed our trip, and as a result, we have had to move it to December. Unfortunately, as a result, skiing that we had planned for the trip was no longer on the cards as by this time, it is summer (although we did see snow on the plane and also on the mountains in Queenstown itself). But, there were many other exciting and fun things that we did in Queenstown.
We left Auckland on the 19th of December in the morning. The flight to Queenstown was one and a half hours ââlong. After checking in to our hotel, the first thing I did was to go on the hydro shark jet at lake Wakatipu, which is the lake that the city itself surrounds, which was fun and exciting. It leaps up into the air - and also goes underwater as well. Then, we had lunch, and later in the day, we went to the below zero ice bar.
The next day, we went to Arrowtown, about 15 to 20 minutes out from Queenstown by bus. There, we did window shopping, bought a nice rain jacket and went to The Remarkable Sweet Shop, a nice little shop that is known in the area for selling unusual fudge and candy. We then went gold panning - unfortunately, I had no luck finding gold. We had lunch with a cheese platter and a cocktail before heading back to Queenstown.
On the 20th of December, it was a big day for me as I was an adrenaline junkie, and I did my first bungy jump - at AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge. Initially, I was nervous (I had to admit) as I had never done a bungy before, but I was more excited than nervous. But, it was really fun and it was also not scary - as people would describe it as. After the bungy jump, we went to Gibbston valley winery for a 2 course lunch (which came with wine) - and we did a tour of the cave and also did some wine tasting!
Then, on the next day, we headed to Cromwell, Central Otago, where we did cherry picking. We picked a lot of cherries and stone fruit (we had to finish some on the trip but we could fit a box or two back for home). We wanted to visit the Cromwell heritage precinct, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to do so.
The next day, we went aboard the TSS Earnslaw, sailed across the lake to Walter's peak, where we had a delicious BBQ buffet lunch. It was a very nice cruise, and the views from the boat were scenic and spectacular.
Later that day, after the TSS Earnslaw cruise, we went to the Onsen Hot Pools, which had a spectacular view of the Shotover River. We were also given complimentary juice and snacks at the pool. We spent one hour in the pool, enjoying the stunning view, and taking photos and relaxing. After the pool, we headed back for dinner in the city and headed back to the hotel.
We woke on Christmas Eve, to yet another adrenaline fueled activity - the Nevis Swing. The swing was a 70 meter drop, going by a 300 diameter arc. It was really fun, although not for the faint hearted due to the sudden drop and the fact that you're suspended a long way up from the bottom of the valley. This activity is only accessible by the AJ Hackett bus, and I had to cross a suspension bridge (which swung a bit when I walked across) to access the Nevis Swing, which happens to be one of the biggest swings in the world.
After the swing, we headed back for lunch - then we got ready for the Christmas Eve buffet dinner at the Skyline Gondola. It was time to dress up glamorously - I wore a pink satin slip on dress, with an Alexander McQueen scarf and my YSL clutch (clutch pictured in my blog here). Then I slowly and carefully made my way up to the gondola, which was a bit difficult given that I was wearing stiletto heels, and we enjoyed a few rounds of dinner, accompanied with a glass of wine, then two rounds of dessert. The dinner was absolutely delicious. Making our way back was a little more challenging, as my feet was totally worn out from walking and the heels.
Christmas Day at last (which was also the final full day of our trip) - I went jet boating and did indoor skydiving. We had lunch and then walked along the waterfront - beforehand. Later, we had Christmas dinner - a three course menu (including dessert) with a cocktail. The next day, we headed to cookie time cookie bar to have a small dessert, before finally packing up - and leaving to go home back to Auckland.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip - I cannot wait to go back to Queenstown again, it is an adventure playground - like they say. The food was also delicious - from delicious meals to good hospitality. My favorite dessert places is Cookie time cookie bar - and Patagonia chocolates dessert place at the waterfront. Queenstown has something for everyone - from adrenaline fueled activities to wine tastings and pamper time. It is also a very beautiful city surrounded by a lake Wakatipu. If you are not from New Zealand and want to visit once the pandemic ends - I highly recommend Queenstown as there are lots of things to do all year round.
Photo on blog cover by Peter Luo on Unsplash |
AuthorI am Natalie Dunn. I am a feminist who believes in gender equality and rights for everyone. I have many passions in life such as fashion, beauty, adventures and travelling. Archives
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