New Zealand Destroyed Me

I have to be honest. What initially enticed me to go to New Zealand was not the Lord of the Rings movie, nor the fact that it was only a 3.5 hour flight from my city, Melbourne. It’s because…Jetstar offered a round trip ticket to Christchurch for only $250 early last year! I know, what a bargain, right? So my friend and I had to grab that opportunity to explore the photogenic South Island of New Zealand.

So we hired a car to tour the island for a week, and we were so glad that we did! We drove from Christchurch to Milford Sound, and got to stop at amazing lookouts like this (which we couldn’t have done if we joined a tour):

Our first major stop was at Lake Tekapo and wow, what a treat for our tired eyes!

It was a very windy day though, even my own hair slapped me across the face as I took this pic of the Church of the Good Shepherds (or maybe it was God’s way of telling me to repent, sinner!).

Although they banned taking photos inside the church, my friend did the sneaky and took this beautiful image of the cross with Lake Tekapo as the backdrop (credits to Sam):

Wild flowers in purple, white and pink complement the crystal clear glacial waters of the lake. It was beautiful, and although a cliche, the pictures don’t really justify the beauty of the surroundings.

Another picturesque stop was the Mirror Lake, on the way to Fjordland aka Milford Sound. It is called Mirror Lake because on clear days, you get a clear mirror reflection of the surrounding mountains and vegetation on the lake (sometimes the colours are even more vivid in the water).

Another stopover on the way to Milford Sound. Exhilarating!

And here is what the Milford Sound fjord looks like. It felt like a scene out of a fairy tale movie, something like Peter Pan or Avatar. Yep, pretty cool!

We hopped into a cruise and saw all these:

Majestic waterfalls everywhere

We were lucky to spot a double rainbow too!

Fur seals sunbaking…lol they looked so lazy but so cute.

It was spectacular. Everywhere you look, it was postcard perfect so you can’t go wrong with the pictures.

The day ended with big smiles on our faces. Here’s one last look at our big boat:

It was then time to drive back up north to Queenstown. I have to say, this is my favourite town in the Southern Hemisphere. It was absolutely gorgeous and the people were pretty awesome too.

Kayaking in Queenstown

Arthur’s Point:

We literally put our feet up to savor and take in the moment and thank our lucky stars for the privilege of seeing this beautiful, friendly country. New Zealand has such amazing landscape that I have once thought was only possible through Photoshop. All pics here are unedited, by the way 🙂

I will never forget New Zealand and its amazing fjords, rivers, valleys, rolling hills, wild flowers, golden fields and coastal roads. It was the best drive of my life so far.

And also the most picturesque.

New Zealand destroyed me. Because I will always dream of its beauty, and now my city will never feel the same again.

The Most Beautiful Place that No One has Ever Heard Of…

I have been to a few places in the world and as what other frequent travelers would say, each place truly has its own character and beauty. Some places may not be as visually stunning as others, but they can be beautiful and memorable because of the people and the uniqueness of the experiences made there. Some places hold unspeakable beauty – truly stunning  but may lack the adrenaline rush and rustic charm that other places can boast of. So for those reasons, I really do believe that no two places in the world have the exact same offerings.

This is what I found in El Nido, Philippines. It is a group of limestone-laden islands with hidden beaches, secret lagoons and scary open sea small boat rides that will leave you hanging off the edge of your seat, as big waves crash into your humble vessel and madly rock it back and forth, back and forth.

Sure, there is Thailand’s Koh Samui and Vietnam’s Halong Bay that are comparable to El Nido…

However, there was something in those islands that made me look into the horizon wondering how this place could have kept its beauty all to itself – and for how long now.

Not that I want it to be in the traveling world’s spotlight because tourists like me will eventually destroy the place. But it’s quite unfortunate that not everyone in the world have seen this sort of beauty – it’s just mesmerizing. Just have a look at the raw, unedited pictures from my Nikon point and shoot camera and tell me if I am blind.

However, if you agree with me, I wish that one day, you would see this beauty with your very own eyes just like how I did last week. It was amazing, truly unforgettable.

Note:

I did the trip on a budget. El Nido is not that easy to get to, as it is still relatively underdeveloped as a tourist spot (I think that’s a good thing!). I got there by booking a flight from Cebu to Puerto Princesa, Palawan via Cebu Pacific and hiring a van from Puerto Princesa to El Nido. This is roughly a 6 to 7 hour ride, depending on how fast your driver is.

Once you get to El Nido, you’ll see signs everywhere of the tour offerings, or you can book through your hotel (more expensive). Most operators have the same route for each tour package and the only difference is that some operators have bigger boats and better food compared to others.