KUL - AKL
I've become a real jet-setter in these past few weeks, given the number of times I've traveled from one city/country to another in such a short period of time - Sarawak, Singapore and now, Auckland. Travelling to Auckland, however, would be the furthermost of them all. I've been on long flights before but I don't think I've ever enjoyed it as much as I did this time around. For one, we got to sit in Business Class (no First Class). It was an A330 aircraft and still being considered new, we were lucky enough to have been given such a privilege.
[Fun fact: All A330 air-crafts have a 'Premier Economy' class where passengers pay slightly more for a seat that is neither as crammed as in the Economy class nor as spacious as in the Business class. Neither here nor there. Lovely. Makes no sense to me.]
I need not elaborate more about how comfortable it was but all I'm going to say is that I made full use of that 10-hour flight by watching one movie after another, cat-napping and sky-dining (literally) to gourmet meals. The crew were as warm and as tentative to our every need, as usual, and the icing on top of a cake was when I got to watch dad in action - making his announcements and serving passengers. Very proud moment, indeed.
The comfort we experienced left no room for any jet-lag and so when we finally landed in Auckland at midnight, we were wide awake. Immediately after we checked into the Rendezvous Grand Hotel, where the 5 of us shared a spacious suite, we layered ourselves with thick overalls and went out to roam the city of Auckland at night. There was a slight drizzle and most of the shops were now closed, but we walked a good length and soaked up all that we could of the night life before we headed back.
Where we walked, we saw one too many homeless people, sleeping on cardboard boxes with all their belongings hugged tight to their bodies. The streets were either wet from the drizzle or vomit and if not, rubbish was scattered everywhere. It was Friday night and as expected, the bars and clubs were poppin'. There were groups of people in every corner, mostly youngsters who still get a kick from partying and coming home drunk. It was the kind of night where the city never sleeps - well, not yet at least. The people here in Auckland are pretty diverse. We saw so many Indians, Bangladeshis, Koreans, and even Malaysians. We didn't feel that much of a foreigner, after all. What's more, they were so warm and welcoming. I've had boutique owners bending their rules for me to exchange a discounted item, taxi drivers who went the extra mile for my family and I, complete strangers who offered assistance instead of shying away like most would. Real gems of people whose random acts of kindness will never go unappreciated.
The next day started off with a slight drizzle that lasted throughout the entire time we were out. We hid under umbrellas and slowly made our way to the city. It was brunch time by the time we woke up and so we were on the hunt for food. Dad lead us through an alley, into a mini food court where they had different cuisines for us to choose from - Brazillian, Indian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. My family and I went for Japanese, of course, in hopes that every slurp of miso soup would keep us warm.
We then went grocery shopping at some huge supermarket. We went a little nuts, multiplying everything by 3 and tossing things into the trolley which were way cheaper here than back home. It's safe to say I've stocked up on peanut butter, chocolates, and muesli to last me a lifetime. After dumping everything in our hotel room, we went out again and Dad lead the way to the waterfront. There were so many boats that were docked and apparently, they belong to the majority of the families here in Auckland. It's kind of like a past-time or a holiday activity for the locals here.
Walking along the dock, there were so many restaurants that enticed us with amazing deals. In the end, we settled for the Crab Shack. We had seafood-everything - spaghetti marinara, fish tacos, soft-shelled crabs and as for Dad, he had a perfectly medium-rare steak. Once we were done with our meals, we stayed at the waterfront a little while longer, enjoying a generous serving of some heavenly New Zealand ice-cream that was 100% organic and freshly made - Rum and Raisin, always.
At night, we went to Sky City. It was my first time in a casino. There was a band playing while huge throngs of people crowded every table, trying their luck at winning the big bucks. At one corner of the room, there were those who were downing gallons of beer while watching the All-Blacks game. Ladies were dressed in the most exquisite dresses despite the cold weather and the arms they clung onto belonged to old men who were rich enough to gamble all night, even if it meant losing every single time. Seeing what it's actually like in a casino was nice, but it can't be all that fun if you're just a spectator the whole time.
The following day, Tim (one of our cousin's) picked us up from our hotel at 9am and drove us around to see places in the city we have not yet seen. The last time we saw him was around the same time last year, when the whole family came down to KL. This time, it was his turn to take us around. He was sweet enough to drive us right up to the opposite side of the waterfront; told us stories of buildings and shops and showed us where he stayed and worked. He became our tour guide around Auckland that instant. He even took us to brunch at a little cafe he's a regular at - Cafe Kohi. I had the most delicious serving of Smoked Trevally on top a lightly buttered slice of ciabatta bread, with Green Harvest green juice on the side. Their poached eggs with bacon on toast was Tim's all-time favourite and we could easily tell why - it was delicious! Shortly after, we were joined by Uncle John and Aunty Di. It was lovely to be reunited with family, although we've only just met for the first time last year.
As with all family gatherings, it's not a gathering if it doesn't involve food. Half an hour later, we went for 'Yum Char' - I was surprised that they used that term too, to mean 'Dim Sum' or teatime. They meant Dim Sum this time because we ended up at Alexandra Park, where a Chinese dim sum restaurant was located on the ground floor in the home of a trotting club (horse-racing). We were so hungry and allowed our eyes to be bigger than the size of our stomachs but thankfully, we managed to finish all the food we asked for, slowly but surely.
With our tummy's raised two feet above our waists, Uncle John drove us to One Tree Hill. He specifically wanted to take us there because that was the place where the late Aunty Rosalyn and him tied the knot. So many generations of memories were made on that hilltop and we were humbled that he wanted to share it with us. Doing the usual, I climbed onto the ledge to have a better view of the city below and you could definitely see everything from where I stood. It's sights like these that are worth the risk.
Later on that evening, they invited us back to their home for dinner. Their's is a home well rested right in front of the beach, where they get to catch sunrises and sunsets and hear the splashes of waves when the tide comes in and hugs the shore. As Aunty Di was getting busy in the kitchen, we decided to take Sid (their pretty doggie) for a walk down at the beach. It was pretty chilly but we were at the right place, at the right time, to witness the sky come alive. It was a view only to be stored in our own memory as no amount of pictures could do it's beauty justice.
When dinner was ready, we all took our seats and enjoyed a night filled with laughter and stories that have been repeated a thousand times. There were 18 people seated around the table; new faces - some family members whom I've just met for the first time, and some friends whom have known about us but are only seeing us for the first time too. Aunty Di whipped up an amazing array of salads and side dishes, while Uncle John got busy on the grill - okay, I'll tell you : Baby tomatoes and feta salad, roasted beetroot, barbecued lamb and sausages. As for dessert, there was a Golden Kiwi Pavlova which was drizzled with Berry compote, Apple Crumble with Vanilla and Hokey Pokey ice-cream and a huge bowl of candy to go around - talk about chocolate with pineapple jam filling and gummy bears. This was probably the most I've eaten the whole time I've been in Auckland but I'm not complaining. Let's not even talk about the number of times my wine glass had been topped up and emptied that night.
I went home that night with a slight headache but I could thankfully remember everything.
This trip to Auckland was too short for my liking - it's hard when you're just growing to like the company of family members you just got connected with and have finally met up with them after a year but in 24 hours, have to say goodbye again. The thing with 'family' is that no matter the different time zones, you will always be connected at heart. I truly believe this, whether we tend to show it or not. Although too short a trip, I'm thankful I got to be in their presence once again and got to enjoy a day together, even if it was shorter than 24 hours.
But NZ, I'm not done with you yet. I'll be back soon. There's so much to you I need to figure out and explore. So, until we meet again!
Love always, Krissy xx
The first thing that comes to mind when 'New Zealand' is mentioned is SHEEP. And FARMS. Well, I can tell you, for certain, that there were no sheep nor farms... at least not in the city.