North New Zealand Trip "7 days Itinerary" (Auckland - MataMata - Rotorua - Tongariro - Hamilton - Auckland)

It has been around 2 weeks since I came back from last minute holiday with my family.
Why I say it was last minute?? Is because I'm not plan to join this holiday, it was suppose to be my parents, sister and brother only. Then one and another things happen, I decided to join, rushing to buy the ticket and applying for the visa.
At first, I was scared I will not get my visa on time, but luckily I got my visa a week before my departure, and instead of 20 working days, I got it after around +/- 7 working days. Lucky me!

Okay, so this is my recap of 7 days in New Zealand.
Mostly, the itinerary was made by my sis and my bf.

Important things to do:
1. DO RESEARCH!! a lot!!
New Zealand is huge, and mostly u need to drive, so do all the research of what you wanna do and the location, the distance and time from one place to another place, what car rental that suits you, see the availability time of the attraction you wanna visit, the hotel, prepaid sim card provider,  etc
2. PLAN THE ROUTE
my sis plan the route from auckland - matamata - rotorua - tongariro - hamilton - auckland
3. BOOK HOTEL
we always change location and is far from one and another, so mostly we only stay one night in every hotel, so is important to know where u wanna stay and book in advance to get a good price or incase is fully book in peak season.
4. BOOK CAR RENTAL
book car rental in advance to get cheaper price and the car that you want. Before book the car, make a comparison from one car rental to another, like the price, the years of the car, how many driver included, insurance, etc.
5. BOOK POPULAR ATTRACTION
the main reason they choose north New Zealand is because of Hobbiton, so if you want to get the date and time that you want it, you need to book in advance to secure the spot.
6. MAKE ITINERARY
some people are spontaneous, some people like things organise. In this case I like the later part, because it make things more easy if we go to new country/destination, save more time, so in there we can spend the most of the time and not waste it to search what to do and where to go.

Okay, stop the long intro, here the 7 days itinerary

DAY 1 (AUCKLAND)
- arrive in Auckland 12.15pm
- pick up car at Go rentals at 1pm
- check in Pullman Hotel (old hotel)
- look for simcard in CBD (bought 2degree sim card)
- eat in random japanese restaurant
- viaduct harbour
- giapo (ice cream)
- dinner at indochine (not recommended)
- countdown (groceries like woolis)

DAY 2 (AUCKLAND - MATAMATA - ROTORUA)
- go to Hobbiton at 7am  (2h15m) - breakfast sandwich at car
- arrive in Hobbiton 9.30am (book @10am)
- kaimai cheese factory
- check in Ibis Rotorua (nice hotel)
- Hamurana Spring
- Countdown and Wendys (water + quick late lunch)
- back hotel, got pick up at 5.15pm for Temaki Maori Village (book at 6.15pm)
- arrive hotel around 10pm
- stargazing at waipahu

DAY 3 (ROTORUA)
- breakfast at capers (not recommended)
- kuirau geothermal park
- wai-o-tapu thermal wonderland
- lunch (nandos)
- polynesia spa (got the deluxe spa)
- check in at Sport of Kings Motel (recommended)
- save n pack (groceries for dinner and breakfast)

DAY 4 (ROTORUA-TONGARIRO/WHAKAPAPA VILLAGE)
- breakfast at motel
- huka falls
- huka honey hive
- check in at Chateau Tongariro (recommended)
- lunch at Pihanga cafe (the rest was closed)
- Taranaki falls 2 hrs walks
- dinner at 7.30 at Ruapehu Restaurant

DAY 5 (TONGARIRO - WAITOMO - HAMILTON - AUCKLAND)
- glowworm cave + rakarui
- zealong tea
- dinner at sichuan style chinese (recommended for fish soup)
- check in Novotel Ellerslie

DAY 6 (AUCKLAND - HAMILTON - AUCKLAND)
- hamilton garden
- lunch at sichuan style chinese
- one tree hill
- tamaki drive
- auckland cbd
- dinner at genta japanese izakaya
- melt ice cream (worse)

DAY 7 (AUCKLAND AIRPORT)
- check out from novotel
- go rental office to return the car
- shuttle to airport
- back to syd

Room 4 Dessert - Ubud, Bali

The Menu

Pretty Plates

Red

Red : (rosella cream, beetroot cake, watermelon, dragonfruit, strawberry).
This is my 3rd fav, is light.

Pandanbert

Pandanbert : (pandan pannacotta, salak tatin, kacang hijau, nutmeg)
Is just alright for my liking. It was light the taste, nothing too strong.

White Chocolate, Black Heart

White Chocolate, Black Heart :  (cocoa butter cake, tamarind, kemangi sorbet, injin meringue)
I like this, love the meringue, cleanse the palate, is only the sorbet was icy and too cold.

Taro Card

Taro Card : (taro pudding, toasted coconut gelato, jackfruit, tarragon, soy meringue)
For this one, i like to eat separately. I dont like the taro pudding, but i love the tuile (oats and a bit tangerine), and the jackfruit itself is not sweet, kinda bland.

The Sugar Refinery

The Sugar Refinery : (coconut nectar chantilly, chocolate toblerone, soursop, balinese meringue)
It was all make from sugar. Is all good, balance well the flavour, the soursop is really good, the sable made from bittersweet. The toblerone made from  cocoa paste and palm sugar and roll thin.
This dish was my 1st favorite!!! Love it!!

ps: tips and tricks to make balinese meringue : 30% water + 70% egg white, cook into 84 degree C, freeze to -9 degree C, then whipped it like meringue.

Gingerbread Man

Gingerbread Man : (sorghum pain d'epice, passionfruit curd, crackerjack, long pepper)

The sorghum tuille with coconut is so good. The flavour match well.
This was my 2nd favorite!!

Ghostface Keller

Ghostface Keller : (doughnut, reblochon cream, papaya, apple tatin, cocoa nibs)
Reblochon cream made from cheese, strong flavour. The papaya rub with balinese spices, not a fan of it

Vanilla Brûlée

Vanilla Brûlée : (a classic with gula local and balinese sea salt)
Even the photo not appetising and looks ugly, but nothing goes wrong with classic dessert. They put lime turmeric bitter in the vanilla brûlée. It was a nice creme brûlée, melt in the mouth, taste good with the sea salt as well.

Housemade Croissant

The croissant is good, flaky outside, they made it by hand!!

ChocoBubbles

Chocobubbles : (mom's cookie, kluwak, warm mousse, "nibs" nougatine)
I love it, it was nice, even is chocolate, but not too heavy, the crunch from the nougatine make a good texture.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Love to comeback when they change the menu. It was interesting combination and flavour.

Room 4 Dessert
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Kedewatan, Ubud
Kabupaten Gianyar - Bali
Indonesia

Bali Trip "Day 1 Itinerary" (Babi Guling Chandra, Gusto Gelato & Tip n Tricks)

Hi again!!

2 weeks ago I just came back from my holiday..
I'm still in holiday mood now!!!
I went to Bali - Singapore - Jakarta.
The main purpose of my holiday is to attend my best friend wedding in bali..

Accomodation 
I stayed in Bali for 7 days and 6 night. From 13-19 July.
And stayed in 3 different hotel and location..
13-15 July : Ibis Style Petitenget (strategic location, close to everywhere, included breakfast)
15-17 July : Mercure Nusa Dua (the worst hotel ever)
17-19 July : Watermark Hotel Jimbaran (love this hotel, the staff is nice, the room is nice, only a bit far)

Tip & Tricks: I search the hotel price to hotel combines cause it tell you the price from different website and I found out Agoda is the cheapest (but still double check those other website), and sometimes Agoda have 5-10% voucher discount code that you can use in today deals.. And before book through website, check as well the price through mobile apps, sometimes mobile apps have different offer and can get cheaper price than in the website (i got cheaper price when I book hotel in Jakarta)


Transportation
I rent a car+driver+petrol (all in) is IDR 350k for 12 hour (around AUD 3.5).
Extra hour is IDR 35k/hr
Half day (because i arrive around 4-5pm) i just need to pay 250k.
I got this contact number from my friend.
The tour name is Teratai Tour Travel (Bali Wayan) : +6285792629544
He have few drivers, so the driver can be always same, but can be different as well.
I book the driver through WhatsApp, and I just need to pay deposit 200k to his bank account.
And the rest of the money I just pay after I finish my trip or a day before I finish my trip (transfer to the bank again).

Note:
- ask for good driver who know places and can speak english. (Bli Made - recommended)
- the first 3 days, I got a new driver that don't know any places and I need to use google maps, and he took a wrong way and go around and around and end up 2 hr in the road, is suppose to be 1 hr. After that I asked for changing driver. The new driver that don't know places was nice, but I'm in holiday and I don't know about Bali, so I want the driver that know about places and not asked me about map and how to get there. (Bli Kadex - NOT recommended)    

Money Changer
after i did research from tripadvisor, blog, etc. Is better to change the money in Bali than in Sydney or in airport, cause in Bali money changer you get better rate, just bring AUD50 / AUD100 note to bali, and find a good money changer to change it.

The Story
So my flight from Sydney to Bali is at 10.15am and I arrive in Bali is at 15.10pm.
But I got out from airport around 5pm.. Yes.. took 2 hr for the immigration.. Super long queue.. :'(
Then the driver pick me up and went directly to the hotel.. and it took 2 hr because of the traffic jam.
I arrive around 7pm and the do check in..

We went out for dinner, firstly I want to try Bu Dayu, but the driver said that Bu Dayu is near airport, so he took us to another Babi Guling place called Babi Guling Candra.

The place don't have any menu, they only sell two item : pork and chicken.

Babi Guling (IDR 50k / plate)

zoom in what we got

the soup

After I eat to different place of babi guling, I just found out Babi Guling Chandra is quite expensive compare to the others and the taste is just alright. The chilli was so spicy which is good, just be careful don't mix it with rice if you can't handle spicy.
Oh I ordered Sweet Ice Tea and Ice Tea (@13k) plus pork crackling (@40k/pack)

After we had dinner, we went to Gusto Gelato.
People said Gusto is quite famous in bali..

I ordered small - IDR 22k, you can choose 2 flavour. I choose Straciatella and Crunchy mascarpone. I don't like the gelato cause I can't really taste the flavour except taste sweet..

Babi Guling Candra

Jl. Teuku Umar, Dauh Puri Kauh

Denpasar

Gusto Gelato

Jl. Mertanadi No.46B

The Mandoo

Hello guys!!

I'm back...

I was so busy with works this past few years and so lazy to do blogging..

But now I have quite a lot free time, so here I am... writing my blog again..

I hope I can continue updating my blog.. fingercross

Moreover, I have a lot of places to write about restaurant in Sydney..

Stay tune guys..

Hopefully I can write about my trip to melbourne and hobart.. :)

I just went to this place last week because my sis is so crazy about korean food..

She just came here but she know about this restaurant..

Is located in Strathfield, super near Strathfield train station..

The place is so small, and the menu is not many..

Front menu

Back of the Menu

Beef Bone Noodle Soup (AUD 12)

The beef bone noodle soup just alright for me.. I like the texture of the noodle.

Free Kimchi

The kimchi is good to eat with the noodle, but not fermented enough, still quite hard.

Deep Fried Pork Dumpling - 5pcs (AUD 12)

Not a fan of deep fried dumpling, a bit oily.

Pork with Pork Dumplings - 4pcs (AUD 13)

This is my second favourite.. I love prawn, but the prawn in here a bit hard, maybe overcooked, but still good. Is one prawn on top of mince pork fillings.. Love it.. They will give you sauce and pickled radish for the dumplings.

Inside the prawn and pork dumplings

Kimchi and Pork Dumplings (AUD 12)

This is my favourite.. Actually the base of all the dumpling filling was same (pork), but this one they mix kimchi and pork as the filling which is really good. I love it.. the dumpling skin was thin and yummy..

I really recommend this place for their mandoo aka dumplings..



The Mandoo
12A Strathfield Boulevard
Strathfield NSW 2135

Jeans Chilli Chicken

The famous Korean Restaurant in Eastwood because of their chilli BBQ chicken..

Cheese Chili BBQ Chicken (AUD 35)

This is the chilli chicken, we ordered the cheese chilli chicken because less spicy and I like cheese.. love their chicken, taste smoky, bbq, and super spicy.. good to mix with the rice ball

Rice Ball

 The rice bowl come in the bowl and u need to mix it by hand, they provide the glove. After mix it, you make into a ball like this.. Yumm.. This rice ball come with the chilli chicken, so you no need to order again. I got two portion of the rice ball cause I ordered two dish and is enough for three - four people..

Free Side Dish - Pasta Apple Salad

 is good to eat this pasta and pickled radish after eat the chilli chicken because it reduce the spiciness

Cheese Rice Cake (AUD 18)

The rice cake was good, but I think I ordered too much carb, so at the end we was super full and can't finish it..

Jeans Chilli Chicken

115 Rowe Street

Eastwood

The Grounds of The City

This is a newly open restaurant in CBD area by the same management as the grounds of alexandria..
They always have a cool concept of their restaurant..
Really love the interior and exterior design of it!!

Oh.. when i went here, it was just open for a few days before.. So i need to wait 2hr to get the seat, but they will call you when the seat is ready, so you can go around do shopping or window shopping..

the menu

 The menu is so cute and nice to see..

We only ordered drinks cause we got the table at 4pm and is too late for lunch.. We want to ordered some cake, but all the cakes that we want also already sold out.. :(

Cold Brew (AUD 

 The cold brew was good..

Affogato with Macadamia Ice Cream

The affogato was alright as well, you can choose the ice cream (tiramisu, macadamia, or vanilla).

Ice Mocha

I ordered Ice Mocha, but it taste like ice coffee, so bitter, not taste any sweet from the chocolate, so I asked for another chocolate sauce.. And when i write this blog, I just realised the coffee is like double shot, no wonder is like ice coffee..

The Grounds of The City

500 George Street

Sydney NSW 2000

Kurtosh

One of my fav bakery in surry hills area.

You can order their cake by grams, so you can have a lot of variances.

My favourite is nutella kurtosh!!

Kurtosh