New Zealand Travel Make Easy (part 5: Try something different, The 10 Golden Picture Frames in Auckland)

1. HUNUA FALLS

In the Hunua Range Regional Park, south of Auckland city, is the 30 metre high Hunua Falls. Not only does the area have a number of bush walks but it’s also a good place for a swim in the waterfall pool.

2. ARATAKI VISITORS CENTRE

Make a stop at the Arataki Visitors Centre to get a photo with this picture frame capturing the Waitakere Ranges, in the north west of Auckland.

3. WAITAKERE RANGES

Another shot of the Waitakere Ranges can be found at Cascade Park. Walk among giant kauri trees in this northern part of the ranges.

4. SHAKESPEAR REGIONAL PARK

Beaches, native bush and pastureland can be found at Shakespear Regional Park on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula in Auckland’s North Shore.

5. SULLIVANS BAY

Situated in Mahurangi Regional Park, north of Orewa, is the picture perfect campground and beach of Sullivans Bay.

6. TAPAPAKANGA REGIONAL PARK

This coastal park is north of the Hunua Ranges. Enjoy beaches and coastal walks.

7. WENDERHOLM REGIONAL PARK

Another beach getaway is in the Wenderholm Regional Park, just north of Waiwera in North Shore.

8. LONG BAY REGIONAL PARK

Plenty of people spend summer on this stretching beach between Albany and Silverdale, North Shore.

9. AWHITU REGIONAL PARK

What a shocker: more beaches! It’s also worth climbing the steps to the lighthouse for views over the rugged coast of the Awhitu Penninsula, south of Auckland city.

10. AMBURY REGIONAL PARK

This working farm on the Manukau Harbour, South Auckland, is the perfect place for bird and sheep spotting.

New Zealand Travel Make Easy (Part 4: Car rental)

Now, Let's us talk about car rental in New Zealand. 

With so many things to do and spectacular places to see, choosing how you travel around New Zealand is as important as choosing where you want to go.

Your choice of transport will depend on how quickly you want to get from A to B. Use our travel calculator to work out travel times and distances.

Self-drive a rental car on one of our recommended trips, or take a bus or coachif you want to let someone else do the driving.

For travel between New Zealand's islands, hop on a plane or ferry. Daily flights are available between domestic airports. Several passenger and vehicle ferriesoffer services between the North, South and other islands.

As for me, I rent a 7 seaters MPV. There are so many companies providing their services if you google them! A few of them are the famous one e.g Jucy .

But, personally, I preferred Argus Car Hire as the price is the most competitive. ( But, they will charge you very soon once you make the reservation despite the fact that you can cancel your booking. 

Photos: All taken in Lake of Taupo

New Zealand Travel Make Easy ( Part 3: good deals at tourist attractions)

well.... the answers for most of the rebate/discounts/coupons available here at this ARRIVAL MAGAZINE (click here for link)

This magazines are available freely at the international airport of the New Zealand. If you have too many brochures to get from the booths. Just grab this one!!! This is the one that you need for most discount that you can get from!

For example for this latest issue: (click here)
you can get all the coupons that you want from page 130 onward!!!! just click the link about and flip through the e book!

Next, if you drive at New Zealand, you can always have petrol rebate via petrol rebate programme. There are groceries e.g Countdown, NewWorld & Pak and Save which provided cash rebate for the petrol stations if you purchase in their groceries. ( which give you about 4-6 cents/ litre rebate). 

Not to forget to apply for AA smart fuel for BP petrol in NZ airport for free! Click here

As for other rebates, you can gather the brochures and look for the vouchers/ coupons if you are lucky. Enjoy your holiday!

All these photos are taken during my trip to Rotorua... a geothermal rich, geysers rich, Maori rich tourist spot :) 

New Zealand travel Make Easy (part 2: accommodations with lots of cash back and discounts)

Pic: taken from Te Mata Peak, Napier, NZ (sunrise)

New Zealand accommodation options are diverse, with something for every level of comfort and budget.

From quality luxury lodges to back-to-nature camping, the selection of accommodation in New Zealand is varied and plentiful.

You’ll find 5 star boutique and lodge accommodation, hotels and motels in most city centres and towns. In some of our more scenic and secluded locations, these are complemented by campsites, motorhomes and holiday homes.

So, how do I choose my accommodations in New Zealand?

Step 1: 

- In order to get most discount/ rebate, you can use cashback website as well. 

Click here for link ( choose Agoda/ booking.com)

if you select the correct date of promotions, you may get up to RM 60 per room / day discount!!! which is quite a sum!

( so.. MUST USE cashback.com.my link to lead you to AGODA or BOOKING.com website.)

- I chose agoda/ booking.com because I still can cancel my booking up to 2-3 days before day of accommodation in case I made any new changes. 

- sometimes, they offered insider discount for certain hotel as well. I get quite a number of those previously. I remembered i stayed in Munich at a 4 stars hotel for only RM 200 plus !!!!

Pic: taken from Whakarewarewa the living maori village, Rotorua

Step 2:

- browse through the accommodations that suit your taste. 

- you can set your selection criteria on the side bar (e.g price, kitchen, wifi, near to transportation station etc)

- For Me, I will choose FREE WIFI, KITCHENETTE as my priority.

( there is nothing much to do in the evening as the night curtain set in at 5-6 pm, so, I will get all my materials to COOK at NIGHT!!! )

Pic: taken at Cape Reinga, Bay of Island

Step 3:

- booked the hotel via the shopback link (make sure click the link from shopback website, if not, you may not get the cashback! ). Only pay as you stayed in the hotel. 

- Normally, for reservation via booking.com. you pay on site either cash/ credit cards.

As for Agoda, normally, they will charge your credit card 1-2 days prior to your stay.

- Still you can cancel your reservation up to 1-2 days prior to the stay depend on term & conditions mentioned earlier. 

pic: taken at Lake Taupo

Step 4:

- ENJOY your holiday!!!

hope this guide help you with your accommodations selection.  

Thanks!

PS:
Please register Shopback before booking! 

Hacked the code of New Zealand's Travel ( Part 1: Flights)

pic: Matamata: The Hobbiton Movie Sets

New Zealand Travel Make Easy 

First of all, we must have a plan/ or must have an idea to travel to New Zealand! 

Next, please scroll through website e.g. Skyscanner. But, I bet the cheaper flight that you will find is Airasia X. ( without check in language and Meals of course)

Tips: 

1. You can consider transit flight at Australia ( Jetstar, Virgin etc) or 
2. you can consider direct flight from KL to New Zealand. 
3. First to bear in mind if travel on Airasia X, it transits at Gold Coast for around 75 minutes. **
4. please bear in mind: **Airasia X charged twice for the checked in languages ( e.g. 25 Kg language from KL to Goldcoast ( RM 90 plus) then Goldcoast to Auckland ( another RM 90 plus). 
5. The airfare for Airasia may end up around RM 1700 plus for Airasia including meals and check in Language. 

( How to save more money if you bought via AirAsia? )

1. EASILY ADDITIONAL 1 % DISCOUNT : https://www.shopback.my/airasia ( Please buy through shop back website as given, you will get additional 1 % cash back)
2. POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL 10 % DISCOUNT: you can consider other credit cards e.g Hong Leong Wise card ( 10 % discount if you choose travel/ flight tickets as your cash back categories )

Pic: Rotorua 

Maori: Kia Ora

Welcome! and we will come back shortly about further tips of travelling to New Zealand

IF YOU'RE NOT HAPPY, HERE'S WHY!

How to create HAPPINESS... STEP by STEP guide! 

Here is the story by Tony Robbin:

As I write these words, I'm looking out over the deep blue Pacific from my room at the Hyatt Regency Waikoloa resort on the Big Island of Hawaii. I've just observed something that won't happen in North America again until the year 2017: a total eclipse of the sun. Becky and I got up this morning at 5:30 a.m. so that we, along with thousands of other visitors, could witness this rare astronomical event.
As crowds of people gathered at the viewing site, I began to entertain myself by watching the diversity of people who had come to share this occasion: everyone from top businessmen to vacationing families, from scientists lugging dozens of telescopes to hikers who'd pitched their tents in the lava pits overnight, and little children who knew this was an exciting event only because their parents had told them so. Here were hordes of people who had flown in from all over the world, at a cost of thousands of dollars, just for the chance to see something that would take about four minutes! What were we doing here? We wanted to stand in a shadow! We're an interesting species, aren't we?

By 6:28 a.m., the drama had begun to unfold. There was anxiety in the air, not just the anticipation of seeing the eclipse, but the fear of disappointment. For on this unique morning, the clouds had begun to gather, and the sky was becoming overcast. It was interesting to see how people were dealing with the possibility that their expectations would not be met. What they had come to see was not merely a brief flitting139 of the moon over the sun, but a four-minute total eclipse—when the shadow of
the moon would completely block the sun's rays and envelop us in darkness. They even had a name for it: totality!

By 7:10 a.m., the clouds had increased and were getting larger by the minute. Suddenly, the sun broke through a hole in the clouds, and for a moment we could all see a partial eclipse. The crowd greeted it with excited applause, but soon the clouds rolled back in, thicker and thicker, completely obscuring our view. Nearing the moment of totality—utter darkness—it became obvious that we wouldn't be able to watch the moon overtake the sun.
Suddenly, thousands of people began to run over to a big-screen television set that one of the many TV crews had erected. There we sat, watching the eclipse on national television, just like everyone else in the world! In those moments I had a chance to observe an unlimited range of human emotion. Each person responded according to their rules: their beliefs about what had to happen in order for them to feel good about this experience.

One man behind me started cursing, saying, "I spent $4,000 and traveled all this way, just so I could watch this for four minutes on television?" A woman only a few feet away kept saying, "I can't believe we missed it!" while her bright little daughter enthusiastically reminded her, "But, Mom, it's happening right now!" Another woman sitting just to my right said, "Isn't this incredible? I feel so lucky to be here!"
Then a dramatic thing happened. As we observed on TV the last sliver of sunlight disappear behind the moon, in that instant we were engulfed in darkness. It was completely unlike nightfall, when the sky darkens gradually. This was immediate and total darkness! Initially there was a roar through the crowd, but then a hush140 fell upon us. The birds flew into the trees and became silent. It was a truly amazing moment. Then something hysterical happened. As people sat in the dark, staring at the eclipse on the television screen, some of those who had brought their cameras and were determined to get their outcome began taking pictures of the screen. In a moment, we were flooded with light again—not because of the sun—but because of all the flash bulbs!

Almost as soon as it had begun, though, totality was over. The most dramatic moment of the whole event for me was the instant that a thin sliver of the sun slipped out from behind the moon, instantly bringing full daylight with it. It occurred to me then that it doesn't take very much light to wipe out the darkness.
Within moments of the return of sunlight, a large number of people got up and began to leave. I was puzzled. After all, the eclipse was still happening. Most of them were muttering141 complaints about how they'd "come all this way and missed out on the experience of a lifetime." A few enraptured142 souls, however, lingered143 to watch every minute, feeling great excitement and joy. The most ironic thing of all was that within fifteen to twenty minutes, the trade winds had cleared all the clouds from the sky.
It was now blue and clear, and the eclipse was revealed144 for everyone to see. But few people had remained; most had already returned to their rooms disgruntled. They continued to give themselves the sensations of pain because their expectations had not been met.

As I usually do, I started interviewing people. I wanted to find out what their experience of the eclipse had been. Many people talked about how it was the most incredible, spiritual experience of their lives. One pregnant woman rubbed her swollen tummy and shared with me that the eclipse somehow had created a feeling of stronger connection with her unborn child, and that this was just the right place on earth for her to be. What a contrast of beliefs and rules I noticed today!

What struck me as most humorous, though, was that people would get so excited and emotional about something like this, which was merely a four-minute shadow. If you really think about it, it's no more of a miracle than the sun coming up each morning! Can you imagine if every morning people from all over the world got up early so they could watch the sun come up? What it national and international news ardently covered every phase of the event with in-depth reports, passionately tracking the sun's rise into the sky, and everybody spent their mornings talking about what a miracle it is? Can you imagine the kind of days we'd have? What if CNN opened every broadcast with, "Good morning. Once again, the miracle has happened—the sun has risen!"? Why don't we respond this way? Could we? You bet we could. But the problem is that we've become habituated. We're so accustomed to the miracles happening around us every day that we don't even see them as miracles anymore.

For most of us, our rules for what's valuable dictate that we covet things that are scarce, instead of appreciating the miracles that abound. What determined the differences in these people's responses, from one man who got so upset he destroyed his camera on the spot, to those who not only experienced joy today, but would experience it every time they told others about the eclipse in the coming weeks, months, and years?

Our experience of this reality had nothing to do with reality, but was interpreted through the
controlling force of our beliefs: specifically, the rules we had about what had to happen in order for us to feel good. I call these specific beliefs that determine when we get pain and when we get pleasure rules. Failure to understand their power can destroy any possibility for lifelong happiness, and a full understanding and utilization of them can transform your life as much as anything we've covered in
this entire book.

Let met ask you a question before we go any further. What has to happen in order for you to feel good? 

Do you have to have someone hug you, kiss you, make love to you, tell you how much they respect
and appreciate you? Must you make a million dollars? Do you have to hit below-par golf? Do you have to be acknowledged by your boss? Do you have to achieve all of your goals? Do you have to drive the right car, go to the right parties, be known by the right people? Do you have to be spiritually evolved
or wait until you achieve total enlightenment? Do you have to run five miles a day? What really has to happen in order for you to feel good?

The truth is that nothing has to happen in order for you to feel good. You don't need an eclipse to feel good. You could feel good right now for absolutely no reason whatsoever! Think about it. If you make a million dollars, the million dollars doesn't give you any pleasure. It's your rule that says, "When I hit this mark, then I'll give myself permission to feel good." In that moment, when you decide to feel good, you send a message to your brain to change your responses in the muscles of your face, chest, and body, to change your breathing, and to change the biochemistry within your nervous system that causes you to feel the sensations you call pleasure.


Who do you think had the worst time the day of the eclipse? Those with the most intense rules about what had to happen before they could feel good! There's no doubt that the scientists, and the tourists who saw themselves as scientists, probably had the most pain. Many of them had huge agendas they were trying to complete in those four minutes before they could feel good about it.


Don't misunderstand; there's nothing wrong with being committed to accomplishing and doing everything you can. But years ago, I made a distinction that changed the quality of my life forever: as long as we structure our lives in a way where our happiness is dependent upon something we cannot control, then we will experience pain. Since I wasn't willing to live with the fear that pain could shake me anymore, and I considered myself to be intelligent, I redesigned my rules so that when I feel pain and when I feel pleasure is whenever I feel it's appropriate based on my capacity to direct my own mind, body, and emotions. Specifically, Becky and I enjoyed the eclipse immensely.

But the real reason we enjoyed ourselves was not that we had low expectations; we were looking forward to it. The key to our happiness could be found in one key rule we shared: we decided that our rule for the day was that we were going to enjoy this event no matter what happened. It wasn't that we didn't have expectations; it was that we decided that no matter what happened, we'd find a way to enjoy it.

Now, if you adopted and consistently applied this rule to your own life, can you see how that would change virtually everything you experience? When I tell people about this rule, some of them respond, "Yeah, but you're just lowering your standards." Nothing could be further from the truth! To adopt this rule is to raise your standards. It means you'll hold yourself to a higher standard of enjoying yourself despite the conditions of the moment. It means you've committed to being intelligent enough, flexible enough, and creative enough to direct your focus and evaluations in a way that allows you to experience the true richness of life—maybe that's the ultimate rule. 

I am in this week's Picfair Picks!‏-- No. 11 in the "PAUSE"

After first prize in Panoramio website for my Langkawi Photo, which got me a new digital camera.

Panoramio February 2011 photo contest. First prize in Travel category. Please click here for the link 

This is the second one that excited me! I am in this week's Picfair Picks, the "PAUSE". wow! Never thought my photos will get another recognition like this! I am so so so EXCITED!

WOW! Picfair Picks 2015, The "PAUSE"--- Please click here for the link 




More to come ! definitely More to come!!!
Please come and support me!! yeah!

In life, never spend more than 10 percent of your time on the problem, and spend at least 90 percent of your time on the solution. Most important, don’t sweat the small stuff. . . and remember, it’s all small stuff

Remember, our goal is not to ignore the problems of life, but to put ourselves in better mental and emotional states where we can not only come up with solutions, but act upon them.

Then, anything... I mean anything will become possible! As long as you focus, decide and TAKE ACTION! A LOT A LOT Of action!!!! 

Just like this photo! IT is possible!!! 
Thanks again for the support!