Day 7: Invercargill - Otago Peninsula - Dunedin

DAY 7: 20.09.2015 (Invercargill – Otago Peninsula - Dunedin)

“Travel brings power and love back to your life” - Rumi

We purposely started our day today a bit late sebab nak relax dulu dan explore our holiday park sebab sebelum ni kena start awal sebab kena kejar masa memandangkan jarak perjalanan agak jauh dan kena ikut schedule tertentu untuk ke places of attraction. 

So pagi tu agak relax dan sempatlah kami tengok-tengok sekitar holiday park di Invercargill Top 10 Holiday Park. Menu breakfast that morning adalah French toasts, baked beans and mushroom soup. Pre packed lunch pula adalah nasi goreng, chicken nuggets and hash browns.

TIPS: Penting untuk bawa bekas bertutup sebegini sebab dalam Motorhome tak disediakan bekas tertutup. Ni kami beli kat Queenstown sebab sangat memudahkan untuk sediakan pre packed lunch along the way atau nak picnic. Nanti just reheat je dalam microwave.

At 10.15am selepas dah selesai buat urusan dumping black water pula (malam tadi buat grey water), kami teruskan perjalanan ke Dunedin. Actually masa nak keluar dari powered site, kami tersedar yang Motorhome kami ada rosakkan sikit landscape area powered site kami sebab keadaan lecak dan agak gelap malam tadi lepas buat dumping (a day before hujan di Invercargill). Jadi kami ke lobby dan jumpa lady yang jaga Reception semalam dan tunjukkan tempat lecak tersebut dan tanya dia pasal gantirugi tapi that lady cakap “No need to worry, it’s OK. We just need to put some dry sand afterwards. But thank you for your concern.” Alhamdulillah, rezeki kami tak kena bayar. Yang penting honesty, kan. 

Dari Invercargill Top 10 Holiday Park ke Dunedin mengambil masa selama 2 jam 30 mins (207km). Along the way, sempat berhenti a few stops nak ambil gambar dengan ladang ternakan bebiri. Haha. Cantik, okay warna hijau ladang diorang. On the way to Dunedin, I made a call for reservation on Monarch Wildlife Cruise at Otago Peninsula tapi tak ada rezeki as the cruise was full that day. 

Bila kita menghampiri kawasan ladang tu, berterabur semua sheeps and cows lari jauh-jauh. Sabar jelah :P

As Wildlife Cruise was unavailable, kami decided to go straight to Cadbury World instead. Kami sampai around pukul 12.45 area Dunedin tapi GPS tunjuk arah yang salah ke Cadbury World. Jadi kami call Cadbury World untuk tanya direction. Apparently memang address dah betul tapi kita kena ambil jalan ke South. Jadi kami key in semula address dan pilih South area dan akhirnya jumpa Cadbury World. Sementara tu kami try cari parking sebab bangunan Cadbury World terletak di tepi jalanraya sahaja. Kami tak jumpa parking tepi jalan dan selepas pusing 2 kali we decided to park dekat parking Countdown sahaja. Kebetulan ada guard yang jaga parking area tu jadi kami tanya dan dia cakap if nak parking situ, kena masuk Countdown juga. So okaylah since kami pun ada nak beli groceries sikit since minyak masak dah nak habis. Guard di Countdown cakap kami boleh cover both Cadbury World and Countdown bila park kat situ sebab free for 90 minutes sahaja dan ada sign P90.

Main entrance to Cadbury World

Untuk ke Cadbury World, kami kena melintas jalan dari parking Countdown dan sampai je situ, kami bergambar sikit kat luar. Bila masuk dalam, kami tanya tentang Cadbury Tour so memandangkan tour will start at 2.30pm, kami terus beli ticket. It cost us NZD50 for family package (2 adults and 2 children) untuk Cadbury World Experience. Tour akan ambil masa selama 1 jam. Sementara tunggu tour start, kami pusing-pusing dulu area dalam Cadbury world tersebut.

At 2.30pm sharp, kami dipanggil untuk private tour. Kebetulan masa kami beli tickets, it was just us that day so dapatlah join private tour hanya untuk kami 4 beranak je that day. Awesome lah! For kids yang below 3yo kena pakai carrier sebab tour ini melibatkan banyak tangga. Untuk mendapatkan carrier – kita kena maklumkan masa beli ticket and kena tinggal our driving license sebagai pertukaran dengan resit untuk carrier. It was FOC. Masa nak start tour, kita kena bagi resit carrier tu to our tour guide dan dia akan bawa carrier untuk kami pakai. Next, semua kamera, handphone dan barangan peribadi kena tinggal dalam locker yang disediakan before tour starts. So no picture was allowed for the tour. Kami berpeluang ambil gambar before tour dan bila selesai tu, our tour guide, Samara offered ambil gambar kami kat luar bangunan.

Our tour guide that day was Samara, a full time student at Otago University, Dunedin and a part time tour guide at Cadbury World and very cheerful, nice girl. So tour kami berdasarkan sejarah pembuatan coklat Cadbury, machines yang digunakan dan kami berpeluang untuk melihat bagaimana coklat dibuat dengan penjagaan suhu yang sesuai dalam Cadbury World Sensory Lab. Lepas tu kami berpeluang create our own coklat with toppings yang disediakan. Sedap weh! Then kami diberikan peluang untuk mencuba bau-bau perisa coklat yang ada. Next, kami dibawa ke luar kilang to view the outside Dunedin Town from Cadbury World. The most exciting part was when there was sweet splash of chocolate fall yang kita kena jerit “We love chocolate!” Hahahaha. Even Hafiya remembered this part the most sampai sekarang. Hehe. Then kami juga berpeluang tengok short movie on sejarah chocolate and at the end of tour, kami dibekalkan dengan varieties of chocolate sebagai buah tangan. Best ah. Hehe. Dah habis tour, kami ke souvenir shop sekejap dan beli magnets and a few souvenirs lain serta borong chocolate sikit (all for NZD49).

Dah habis Cadbury tour dan nak ke Countdown pula. 

Next, lepas bergambar sekejap kat luar, kami bergegas ke Countdown nak beli groceries sikit. Untuk menjimatkan masa dan risau kena fine if exceed 90 minutes, hanya Khayra and I je masuk Countdown while hubs and Hafiya stayed in Motorhome. Kami buat quick shopping beli minyak serta biscuits je sikit and used our Countdown Tourist Card which entitled us for 10% discounts. The card was a complimentary by our Motorhome company.

Lepas semua dah settle, kami terus bergerak ke Dunedin Railway Station about 10 minutes drive untuk bergambar sekejap. Parking adalah free during weekend so sangat mudah actually kalau berada di city area during weekend.

Boleh nampak Cadbury World dari depan Dunedin Railway Station.

 Dunedin Railway Station

DSLR salah setting, gambar jadi blur. Tsk T___T

We checked in Dunedin Holiday Park at 5.30pm. Ini adalah rekod check in yang paling awal kami pernah buat. Teehee. Kalau tak, biasanya akan sampai malam sokmo. Selesai check in, kami solat dulu dan makan pre packed lunch and sambal bilis dalam Motorhome sebab tadi makan roti dan biskut je dulu. 

So sementara masih awal dan cerah lagi, kami bawa Khayra dan Hafiya pergi main kat playground serta ronda-ronda area holiday park. Honestly, ini adalah holiday park yang paling aku suka sebab sungguh child friendly, persekitaran yang teratur dan luas serta murals yang cantik dengan lukisan kartun yang famous. Suka sangat! 

Next, kami singgah Reception sekejap untuk booking Monarch Wildlife Cruise at Otago Peninsula sebab terbaca info masa check in tadi yang boleh buat booking through Dunedin Holiday Park. The receptionist lady made a call and informed us that seats were still available, so kami terus booking tickets kat situ. The cruise ada satu sesi je at 2.30pm and the cost adalah NZD49 per adult and NZD22 per child (5yo and above), FOC for infant. Total cost was NZD120.

Malam tu kami buat laundry kat Dunedin Holiday Park and the cost: NZD4 for washer and NZD3 for dryer. Laundry room was closed at 9pm. Kami dah start packing sikit-sikit malam tu sebab esok adalah last holiday park di Timaru. Sedih pulak dah. Tsk.

Day 6 : Te Anau - Milford Sound - Invercargill

DAY 6: 19.09.2015 (Te Anau – Milford Sound – Invercargill)

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things” – Henry Miller

Started our day at Te Anau Lakeview Kiwi Holiday Park early in the morning for Subuh and preparing breakfast and our pre packed lunch thereafter. Breakfast pagi tu buat roti kaya and maggi goreng sikit. Woke up the kids untuk mandi dan siap-siap and had breakfast in our Motorhome. Kami mandi kat holiday park punya toilet/shower sebab lagi selesa dan tak perlu nak jimat air. Kahkah! Lagipun di holiday park, powered site kami memang kesemuanya tak jauh dari toilet, laundry room and kitchen. Maybe masa booking, they took into consideration that kami ada kids. Sementara tu hubby pastikan our Motorhome cukup air dan buat dumping sekejap. 

At 8.45am kami bergerak ke Reception untuk check on the road to Milford Sound. They informed us that the road was opened and the weather was great that day. We were informed that the road to Milford Sound was one way in and one way out, so it was unlikely to be missed or lost. We dropped by to refill Diesel (NZD36.00) right after we checked out from Te Anau Lakeview Kiwi Holiday Park.

TIPS: Must check the road to Milford Sound before bertolak dan wajib penuhkan tangki minyak kenderaan sebab there was no petrol station along the way to Milford Sound. Actually we've found one place with a small signboard on ‘Emergency Fuel’ but we didn’t bother to check that out. So better be safe, isi jelah full sebelum ke Milford, OK?

The journey to Milford Sound from Te Anau Lakeview Kiwi Holiday Park took about 1 hour 50 mins (119km). Kami dah booking ticket cruise siap-siap dari Malaysia melalui website Treatme. Ada coupon murah for any departures on Milford Sound Cruise (Jucy Cruize) under ECO Tours Fiordland offered sebulan sebelum kami ke NZ.

Cruise Times and Prices

Adult Ticket Price Departures $45.00 9:15am summer / 9:45am winter $69.00 *Website Special  $59.00 11:15am summer / 11:45am winter $79.00 *Website Special  $69.00 1:15pm summer / 1:45pm winter $65.00 3:15pm summer only

Children are $15 on all cruises and Infants are free. Prices are quoted in $NZD.

*11:45am and 1:15pm cruises - Book Online and Save $10 (for a limited time)

Seasons: Summer 01 October to 30 April | Winter 01 May to 30 September

The above prices as advertised in Jucy Cruise website. We've got a good deal on this as below:

  

Sangatlah murah, terus je kami beli via online. Lepas dah dapat voucher, we had to email them the voucher numbers and booking for 1 toddler and 1 infant (4yo and under) sebab tickets also will be provided for them. Untuk toddler (NZD15 - 5yo to 15yo) kena terus bayar kat kaunter sana bila redeem ticket voucher di atas.

Pemandangan along the way to Milford adalah sungguh indah, subhanallah. Memang berzikir je sepanjang jalan tu. Our Tourism Radio (included for free in the Motorhome bila kita pilih full insurance cover) banyak juga spot on beautiful places along the way. Kami booking Cruise at 11.45pm (Winter – September is still be considered as late Winter) so kami sempat berhenti area Eglinton Valley sekejap sebab takut rushing to catch the Cruise.

Eglinton Valley

“The Eglinton Mountains above Lake Gunn were used as a location in the Peter Jackson movie The Fellowship of the Ring where the actors walk along a mountain path with the Key Summit evident in the distance. The mountains here were also used in the Fellowship of the Ring introduction to represent the Misty Mountains.” – Peter Jackson

Some of the driving attractions as stated in the website to Milford Sound (will be notified by Tourism Radio provided inside the Motorhome):

At 59kms into your journey you’re in Mirror Lakes. Here you will find a boardwalk that leads through an attractive beech forest and wetlands with pools reflecting the Earl Mountains

At 65kms into your journey you’re in Knobs Flat. The name Knobs Flat comes from the rich terrain where kames and hummocks are left behind by retreating glaciers. Here you will also find amenities such as a toilet stop, campsite and phone.

At 77kms into your journey you’re at Cascade Creek/Lake Gunn. Here you will find a nature walk along a loop track through a red beech forest and along the lake edge.

At 102kms into your journey you’re at Homer Tunnel. At 922m this is the highest point on the Milford Road. Before the tunnel you will find parking bays at the side of the road where the native mountain parrot named the Kea is frequently seen. The Homer Tunnel which opened in 1954 was once the longest gravel-surfaced tunnel in the world (Wikipedia, 24/12/2010). This tunnel descends 129m over its 1.2m length, has a gradient of 1 in 10 and exits at an elevation of 793m.

At 110kms into your journey you’re at The Chasm. Via a concrete and decked track, take an easy stroll through a luxuriant forest which provides access to a 22m deep ravine where the Cleddau River has cut through the rock (diorite), carving fascinating formations in this landscape.

Inside the Homer Tunnel

We arrived at Milford Sound at 10.45am. Tiba-tiba Khayra muntah sikit so hubs bersihkan Khayra and I went inside the Lobby sebab nak tanya tentang redemption tickets. Masa tu ada a few tourists tengah beratur nak beli tickets cruise. Sempat berkenalan dengan one lady from China. Dia pun baru nak beli ticket dan terkejut aku dapat ticket murah. Hehe. Bila sampai my turn, the lady said kami kena terus pergi ke terminal untuk redeem ticket. 

So I went back to our Motorhome dan kami bergerak terus ke terminal. Jalan kaki ke terminal dari parking area adalah about 10 – 15 mins walk. Jauh hokay, better korang sampai awal sikit dari departure time. 

At the terminal building, Jucy Cruize Counter terletak on first check in desk on the right side if entering the terminal from the main entry doors. Kami terus tunjukkan bukti email confirmation on our booking, so dapat 4 tickets / cards to check in the cruise nanti. So sementara tunggu nak check in (must check in 20 mins before departure time), kami sempatlah pusing-pusing terminal sekejap dan bergambar. 

Bila dah cukup masa nak boarding the cruise, kami terus pergi ke terminal number 3 untuk boarding. Kad Jucy Cruise tu dia ambil dan tak pulangkan so tade kenangan ye nanti. Hehe.

Cruising time was about 1 hour 45 mins. Ada diantaranya cruise kami mendekati air terjun yang sungguh indah. Siap ada pelangi kat area air terjun tersebut. Dan ada ketikanya boleh nampak seals from the deck view. Sambil tu boleh masuk dalam cruise untuk minum tea or coffee (free flow). Agak basah juga bila cruise menghampiri air terjun so better selamatkan kamera semua lah. Hehe. The best thing about this cruise adalah we've got to be closed to Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls yang sungguh indah. Subhanallah!

Info tentang Mitre Peak dan Bowen Falls from Jucy Cruise website:

MITRE PEAK – Check out one of the tallest mountains in the world to rise directly from the sea floor. Mitre Peak rises to a height of 1692m and forms one of the most dominant and photographed landmarks of Milford Sound. If you look closely to the top you will see a shape resembling a Bishop’s headpiece.

BOWEN FALLS – Otherwise known as Lady Bowen Falls, it is named after the wife of Sir George Bowen, one of New Zealand’s early governors in the 1870’s. This spectacular waterfall is one of the only two permanent falls and drops 160m from a classic hanging valley in the Darren Mountain Range.

Sejuk menggigil sebenarnya atas dek cruise ni :P

Kantoi, anakku Khayra ber-selfie :P

Indahnya, Subhanallah. Rezeki kami dapat tengok pelangi dari jarak dekat :D

Free flow coffee and tea inside the deck.

Rezeki kami juga boleh nampak seals dari cruise hari tersebut :D

Hafiya dengan model Jucy Cruize :P (bergambar dalam dek cruise ditingkat bawah)

Other Milford Sound Cruise attractions can be read here.

The cruise ended at 1.30pm dan kami terus ke Motorhome sambil bergambar-gambar sedikit area luar terminal building dan terserempak dengan one Indian family from Perak. Sempatlah borak sekejap. Kami ni agak peramah sebenarnya. Hahaha. Sempat juga kami buat nappy change Hafiya di toilet - tempat untuk nappy change ada disediakan dalam toilet diterminal building. Kebetulan juga tengah tunggu husband pergi toilet, ada guard kat situ berkenan tengok the kids then datang borak-borak dengan kami. Lepas tu dia bagi budak-budak tu potato chips sepeket seorang yang dia pergi beli sendiri kat machine area dalam terminal.

Mitre Peak

Main entrance to Terminal building

Inside the Terminal building - the kids dengan potato chips yang pak guard bagi :P

Ini adalah gambaran perjalanan ke Terminal building. Agak jauh juga, so better sampai awal.

Gambar sewaktu berjalan kaki ke parking area di Milford Sound.

So memandangkan dah masuk Zuhur, kami solat sekejap and had our picnic lunch (nasi putih, ayam masak kurma dan chicken nuggets) dalam Motorhome sebab kat luar tu sejuk menggigil dengan angin sepoi-sepoi bahasa.

Rezeki kami juga haritu dapat experience tunggu Homer Tunnel buka laluan (sebab one way direction road). Masa ni traffic light merah, so kena stop sampai semua kereta dari sebelah sana jalan. Lepas traffic light bertukar hijau, baru kita boleh gerak. Ada info tentang berapa lama kita perlu menunggu traffic light bertukar hijau. Sempat kami turun sekejap ber-selfie :P

Pemandangan sewaktu on the way back dari Milford Sound. Cantik, Subhanallah. Memang hati berzikir je sepanjang jalan sebab kagum dengan kehebatan ciptaan Allah SWT.

Dalam perjalanan balik dari Milford Sound, kami singgah untuk bergambar di Mirror Lakes and Eglinton Valley semula dan beberapa pit stops lain yang indah-indah belaka. Cantik sangat. Sebenarnya aku tak khatam pun lagi tengok Lord of the Rings (LOTR) so tak boleh relate pemandangan dengan jalan cerita, but hubby was so excited with all the scenery.

Signature picture yang wajib kalau sampai Mirror Lakes :P

Mirror Lakes - boleh nampak signature signboard kat belakang kami :P

Alhamdulillah we were safely arrived at Invercargill Top 10 Holiday Park at 7.40pm (sebab banyak pit stops along the way) dalam hujan renyai. The lady yang jaga holiday park tersebut sangat baik and she walked with me to show our powered site sebab dekat sangat dengan lobby. Dinner malam tu adalah Spaghetti Chicken Bolognese untuk aku dan suami serta untuk kids aku masak angel hair pasta with mushroom soup. Makan panas-panas kemudian terus nak beradu.

Tapi before tidur tu baru realised that air dalam Motorhome kami dah hampir habis (air dari sinki sangat slow dan agak tersumbat) jadi kami kena buat dumping tapi the kids dah tidur waktu tu. Tapi memandangkan dumping area tak berapa jauh dan esok pagi-pagi aku nak memasak so lagi convenience untuk refill air terus dan sekaligus buat dumping, so kami just bawa je Motorhome tu ke dumping site dan reload air serta buat dumping ditengah malam dengan sejuk menggigil. Hehehe. Then baru boleh tidur dengan aman. Zzzzz.