[A few photos for update -- to brush off the thick layer of dust that has been accumulating on my blog.]


I took a short break to Lake Tekapo during Queen's birthday weekend. Hence, it was my 3rd visit to the heart of Mackenzie District.

It was the beginning of winter back then. The surrounding mountains are covered by snow, giving a spectacular backdrop. The lake is forever turquoise and welcoming.


The name Tekapo actually derives from Maori words. Taka means sleeping mat; whereas Po means night. The clarity of the sky, gives Lake Tekapo one of the world's best locations to probe the heaven at night. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and rainy that day. Hence I only visualized stars in my dream.


Located at the edge of the lake, there is a bronze statue written "without the help of which the grazing of this mountainous country would be impossible". Sheep dogs certainly play an important role in the community back then.


The Church of the Good Shepherd was built in 1935 as a memorial to the pioneers of the Mackenzie Country. The view is magnificent.


About 20 minutes away, Mt John Observatory offers an awe inspiring view overlooking Lake Tekapo. It is internationally recognized as one of the best astronomical observatories for viewing the southern night sky.




Surrounded by magnificient glacier lakes, moraine, and the Southern Alps, no wonder I had one of the best vanilla ice-creams with berries!


The Lake Alexander nearby is pretty impressive too. The water is clear and calm, giving a beautiful reflection of the surroundings.




While mesmerizing the nightfall, we strolled along Tekapo Canal. The water which harnessed for electricity flows to Lake Pukaki powerhouse, and then to Waitaki Valley hydro system.


No wonder NZ is chosen for many Lord of the Rings' locations. Visit Flickr for more photos.

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Thanks to my sis, I'm currently addicted to this song!

The sparkle between Jon Schmidt (piano) and Steven Sharp Nelson (cello percussion) makes this a brilliant piece!

What's more, the mishmash of Taylor Swift's Love Story and Coldplay's Viva La Vida topped the YouTube charts!

Inspirational music makes my day. Hope it does to yours too. :D

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I've this love-hate relationship with catching sunrise. You will know what I mean. *wink*

Weekends is the only time that I can sleep in for another hour or two. You see, I wake up at 7am or earlier during weekdays, despite lack of sleep. So, I tend to catch up with some rest, lazing on my bed, waiting for the sky to turn bright.. before actually getting out from my cozy duvet. ;p


"Knock knock"

"Hmm.. perhaps I'm dreaming. Shouldn't be people looking for me at this wee hour"

"Knock knock KNOCK"

Jumping up from my bed, opened the door. Only to realize that...

"Crap, it's 6.30am! We suppose to go to catch the sunrise at 6am!"


See the sacrifice even on a Sunday?


My friend and I drove along the Summit Road at Port Hill, from Cashmere to Sumner. Perhaps, this is the-highest-sea-level-road in Christchurch. Catching sunrise from the top, overlooking Christchurch city at dawn time gave me a different perspective. It's beautiful to watch sun rises by the seaside, it's even more breathtaking to watch sun rises from a different angle!


The day began to crack in Lyttleton.


The frosty road that we took along Summit Road.


The sun began to rise, colorized the horizon.


A shelter where we stopped by to take photos. It was a chilly morning!


Aurora of autumn dawn.

We continued our journey further to the east. No doubt that I was shivering in the subzero morning. My fingers were beginning to turn purple from pressing the shutter. It was much warmer in the car. How I wish there's hot chocolate!!


Further towards east.


Twilight at New Brighton and Sumner beach.


Zoomed in. Can you see the Alps and pier?


The land of long white cloud.

Although we didn't manage to witness the sun rising gradually above the horizon due to the cloudiness, the spectacular view of the horizon was even more anticipated. Breathing the fresh autumn dawn, listening to the bird chirp, watching them soaring freely in the sky... and most of all, catching the first light of the morning and watching the colours change in the horizon!


It's getting brighter.


Land, water, and sky.


Cotton-soft.


Anticipation.


A beautiful start of the day.

The sun rises and light kicks in. Time never stops. Twilight fades and the sky turns blue. It's a gradual, yet rapid process.


Watching from a higher ground.


Sun shone brightly.


The Alps can be clearly seen.

Having the opportunity to witness the changing process of dawn to twilight to day, as the sun rises was amazing. The sacrifice was all worthwhile. Watching sunrise is enjoyable. I love sunset too.

Perhaps now you understand my love-hate relationship of catching a sunrise. ^_^

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Finally, broadband connection speed was back to normal. You see, we reached the capped bandwidth last week, hence broadband speed dropped to dial-up. It was SLOW! Each page crawled slower than tortoise, with my index finger tapping irritatedly on the mouse.

Easter break was fruitful. Sis, 2 friends, and I flew to Wellington, hired a car, and began our road trip adventure. We concurred Tongariro Alpine Crossing (8h tramping), overcame the fear of blackwater rafting, witnessed one of the most ancient trees, reached the northernmost tip of NZ, visited heaps of cities and towns... It was awesomely fun!

The blue lines are places that we visited.

I've uploaded plenty of photos to Flickr. Feel free to check out North Island NZ road trip and join us on our adventure. Cheers!

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I've always been fascinated by windmill. I like the picturesque scenery of windmill standing majestically on the green green grass. The blades spin as the wind blow. Beautiful!

I've the opportunity to witness a turbine in action last week. Following Earth Hour, Christchurch City Council organized study tour in conjunction with Energy Awareness Week. That was also where I got many energy saving light bulbs. Hehe!


After been shown around Windflow technology factory in the morning, we hopped onto a bus and headed towards Gebbies Pass, which is about 30 min from city center. We caught the first glimpse of wind turbine from far.


It's always good to learn about the development of renewable energy source. This clean and eco-friendly technology plays a role in sustaining the mother earth. No carbon dioxide emissions reduces greenhouse effect. Hence, less stress on global warming.


It's interesting to know that the staffs actually climb up the 29m tower, and abseil down. Wow, abselling!! *wink*


Would you like to try? ;p

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Switch off your lights for Earth Hour!


28th March 2009

Saturday

8.30 - 9.30pm

Your light switch is your vote!

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Wildfoods Festival is an annual event held in West Coast. This year, 15000 people chased the fear factor gourmet thrill in Hokitika. I was one of them.

At Wildfoods Festival, Hokitika.

The wacky food range from whitebait patties, to wild pork, fish eyes, wasp larvae, worms... Any creepy crawlies and exotic treats that may not sound too appetizing. LOL.


The Startled Worm Cafe.


Worm sushi
-Oriental delicacy of flavoured rice, capsicum and chilli worms, wrapped in seaweed.

Worm dukkah
-Spicy nut dip, served with bread and olive oil.

Grasshopper.

There were bands, solo artists, comedy, dances, and much more to entertain the crowds. The youngsters were having beers after beers, mugs after mugs... Gosh, alcoholic everywhere! Some of them were rocking high...

Half-drunk maybe?!

Let's get back to the food. After all, that was the main attraction. We strolled from one stalls to another, in order to witness what this premier special festival offers.

Lamb tails BBQ.

Oyster on toast.

Testicle. =_="

Of course, there was the legendary huhu grubs.

Huhu grubs.

I didn't dare to eat all those creepy crawlies. Ewwww! The only things that I had was vanilla ice-cream with real strawberry. Haha! Nevertheless, my friend seems to enjoy his share. Let's see how it goes...

Cooked huhu grubs.

Dipped with chocolate.

Isn't he enjoying?

Next, there was LIVE huhu grub, which was freshly isolated from the woods.

Hunting for live huhu grubs.

Putting into the mouth. It was still wriggling!

Ewwwww..!!

The wild food was quite an innovation. It was a great experience nevertheless. :D

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