NZ Milford Track Nov06

Lee Min writes: The group of 12 pax consisted of family of 4 (parent with 2 daughters), another family of 3 (parent with an adult daughter), three young ladies and one teacher. They were ably led by photographer cum cook cum driver cum guide Mr Goh Seng Aun, a four trip veteran of Yongo Travel. The write up below is kindly contributed by Michelle & Danielle Chong, twins age 12. One member Jamie, is a freelance website designer (a very good one) there is a link to her picture album above. Yongo readers are welcome to seek her expertise at www.jamiesoon.com. Also see her doing the bungy at Kawarau Gorge. It seems that on every Yongo trip, there's always someone brave enough (crazy enough) to do the Bungy. The Yong brothers did the same bungy jump on their first trip to NZ in 1992.

The authors & family / Group of 12 & their van

PART ONE

The 18 day trip to New Zealand was unforgettable. It was more beautiful then we expected with snow capped mountains and lakes. It was fun all the way traveling together in a group. There were 12 of us in a 12 seater van throughout the trip. The main reasons why we had so much fun and enjoyed this trip was the company and the teamwork we had. We did have some disagreements but goodwill always prevailed in all that we did. The small group enabled us to know each other better and we also learnt to give and take better as we progressed throughout the trip.

The highlight of this trip for Danielle and I was the Milford Track.

Danielle and I loved the challenge the Track provided. We found it very exciting because we had our own bunk beds and we had to cook and prepare our own meals in the kitchen. We would always wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast and get ready for the long walk to our next destination. Danielle and I were happy to help Aunty Sue and our Mom walk the distance. Every time we reached our cabin in the evening, we would jump for joy and start to look for a place to sleep in. Everyone was so happy when we reached Sandfly Point and saw our ferry waiting for us. We rested a while and hopped onto the ferry; all excited to continue with our next itinerary.

Our “Executive Chef”, Uncle Goh, did a very good job cooking and teaching us a lot of things during our journey. He was very funny and he helped us in anything that we asked. We appreciated him for that. We had a good laugh when the locals told us the yellow bushes were Scottish Bruins and not “Kow Hai” as we were led to believe for most of the trip.

I agree with my Mum that our trip could have been even more exciting if we had stayed a night or two on a farm. We could then have experienced the animals up close and personal rather than from a distance as we did throughout the trip.

New Zealand was colder then we expected. As a result many of us got sick; including our Chief de Mission who had to double up as our pharmacist, dispensing medications along the way. We also learnt medications, once sold are not returnable.

Thanks to the teamwork, we had a good and enjoyable trip.

Michelle & Danielle Chong

McKinnon Pass - highest on Milford Track / Fox Glacier guided walk

PART TWO

Our tour party consisted of 12 pax .i.e. Mum, Dad, my sister and I, Uncle Lim, Aunty Lim, Uncle Goh, Ah Pheng, and four other people whom we met when we assembled at the Singapore Airport . We landed in Christchurch , South Island in New Zealand and from there we traveled in a 12 seater mini van to the following places in the South Island .

Christchurch
Kaikoura
Greymouth
Haast
Queenstown
Te Anau
Milford Track
Invercargill
Dunedin
Mt. Cook
And back to Christchurch

My Dad and Uncle Goh did most of the driving.

What I loved about New Zealand was the fantastic view of the beautiful beaches and the lovely snowy mountains. We discovered that this country has more sheep than people! I also loved the food there; and the people too. The funny part was that we had a nice seafood lunch by the roadside and Uncle Lim and Ah Pheng had to eat the chowder out from a pot.

How could I ever forget about the interesting Maori adventure we had. It was a nice tour. We got to know about what the Maori people did, eat, and stayed and more.

Most of the meals we cooked ourselves with Uncle Goh doing most of the cooking. I enjoyed the dinners where Uncle Lim, Uncle Goh and my Dad took turns to do the cooking including barbequing. All of us also helped to prepare the ingredients and the washing. Uncle Goh was our executive chef. He is a much disciplined guy and he insisted that we follow his directions especially on recycling and preparation methods including arranging the oysters neatly on the platter and the steps when eating a sashimi. He even told us how to open a plastic bag without destroying it – we learnt a lot! Overall we enjoyed his company because he was so funny.

On the way to Haast, we spent an hour in the hot springs . There were 2 hot springs , one located outdoor and one indoor. In order to go to the outdoor hot springs we had to walk out in the cold with only our swimming suits - brrrrrrrrr. Although it was very cold, I wished I could do it again because it was fun. We also visited the pancake rocks and blow holes. Uncle Goh told us to look closely at the pancake rocks. With some imagination, we could figure out a few figures like a lion's head, a man's face and many more. It was very interesting for we could not experience this in Malaysia .

Fresh Oysters & Lobsters yummy / Barbeque lambs

After that, we visited the Fox Glacier. Uncle Lim, my Dad, Ah Pheng, Aunty Jamie, Aunty Poh and Uncle Han went for the Guided Walk on the Glacier itself with a few experienced walkers. Before they left they had to be well equipped. They were well protected with good raincoat and boots with clamp-ons. Some of them also brought their cameras. Aunty Lim, Aunty Sue, my Mum, my sister, Uncle Goh and I went for the walk on our own to view the Glacier. It was raining and we had to put on our raincoats. However, it was of no use because the rain and the wind were very strong. So after a few minutes we decided to head back to the Main Reception Office Complex. We waited so long for the Glacier Walkers to come back. They were held up because of the rain and strong wind. The normal route was partially washed away and they had to take a new route. While waiting for them, we had light snacks. Finally after a few hours wait, the Glacier Walkers came back. After taking off their soaking raincoats and boots, they were each given a certificate to prove that they completed the walk. My sister and I were so excited to see the pictures that Ah Pheng and our Dad took. The view was so beautiful that my sister and I wished that we had gone along.

We went to Wanaka to visit the most amazing puzzles. We saw the Leaning Tower of Wanaka and took very funny pictures of it. After that, we went to see Bungee Jumping. It was very high and there was a river at the bottom. Participants have to jump from a bridge platform. I was very scared to do it. The three Charlie's Angles who did it were Aunty Poh, Sue and Jamie. Danielle and I salute them for that.

After that, we checked into the Colonial Village Motel in Queenstown. The view from our room was breathtaking. From both our dinning and bedrooms we could see a beautiful lake surrounded by snow capped mountains. As the sun in New Zealand does not set until 9 pm , we could enjoy this breathtaking view over a cup of coffee or tea after dinner.

Queenstown was very memorable to us. One of the main attractions was a Gondola ride up a mountain which provided a beautiful view of the city. We also enjoyed the luge ride that reminded us of go-carts back in Malaysia . The only thing different about this ride was the track. The track was very fun because it had ups and downs as we made our way down the mountain slopes and very terrifying turns that made it more exciting.

The highlight of our trip was the four days Milford Track. All 12 of us went on this track. But unfortunately, one of us had to be ‘helicoptered' out on the last day because of a sprained ankle. The journey was very challenging as we had to walk a distance of 54 kilometers over the four days. We had to carry a backpack containing our clothing and food for the duration of the trip. At the end of each day, we took refuge in non-heated huts. It was extremely cold during the nights and some of us had problems sleeping throughout the night. The variety of snores also contributed to this restless sleep. We were glad to see our boat waiting for us at Sandfly Point to take us back to civilization. Milford track was an adventure we will always remember. Danielle and I would love to do it again sometime in the future. When we reached Te Anau we rewarded ourselves with a lovely western dinner.

Before leaving Te Anau the next morning, we bought lobsters and mussels for our dinner at Invercargill.

Motel in Queenstown / Hooker Valley walk Mt Cook National Park

From Invercargill, we made our way to the southern most tip of the South Island called Bluff. The winds were very strong as we faced the open sea. We then stopped at Dunedin , a university town for a night. We stayed at a lovely motel. On our way to Mt. Cook we visited the steepest street in the world. We enjoyed our stay in Mt. Cook as the scenery was so picturesque. We were surrounded by snow capped mountains. A one hour track the next morning enabled us to see Mt. Cook in the distance. We were sad to leave the beautiful chalets we stayed in. On our way back to Christchurch , we picked up some fresh salmon and had a sashimi feast in the park. We also stopped for lovely pictures at a chapel by the lake. We did some sight-seeing in Christchurch and picked up some souvenirs before leaving for the airport to come home. We made a last minute sight-seeing stop at the Antartic Centre next to the Airport. This visit gave us an experience of what it would be like if we were to go to the Antarctica . We enjoyed especially the Hagglund ride at the centre.

It was a long journey back but we were looking forward to the warm sunny skies in Malaysia once again. Though it was early summer in New Zealand , the weather was cold for us. This caused many of us to be sick. It took us over a week to recover from this trip but nevertheless we brought back fond memories of our 18 day stay in New Zealand . It was a good experience and we hope in future to go back to New Zealand to explore and discover the North Island .

We enjoyed the NZ South Island experience:

Dad: “The New Zealand trip was beyond my expectations. The country is clean and more beautiful than I expected. The highlights were the Fox Glacier and Milford Track. ” Great outdoor country (in summer at least)”.

Mum: “It would have been great to have stayed a night or two in a farm to experience the animals up close and personal rather than as we did from a distance.”

Danielle: “I learned that it is REALLY important for teamwork to prevail within a small group like ours. I also learned that being a small group we could also get to know each other more intimately.”

Michelle: “I learned that we must always share and help each other out and crack a joke whenever you can for everybody to have a good laugh. A good sense of humour is important too!!

Lastly, we must think and care about each other and not only about ourselves.”

Thank you to everybody for the beautiful experience.

Michelle & Danielle Chong

Punaikaki Pancake Rocks & Blow Holes / Clinton Hut Milford Track

| Home |