Travel: The Journey to Auckland, New Zealand (Part 1: Travel Details)

Overview

Finally had the time to write this content regarding our recent journey, travelling, holiday, getaway, or whatever you call it to Auckland, New Zealand. If we could describe about the journey in one word: MEMORABLE! Honestly, 10 days of holiday just wasn't enough for us then. 

We're not going to talk much about how the holiday went just yet but only to focus on the tentative that was prepared prior to the journey as well as the expenses involved. Therefore, this journey is going to be split into parts for detailed reviews and explanations.  So here goes:

1. Flight Tickets

Itinerary for 12 people 

We flew with Qantas Airlines from Singapore Changi Airport (drove from Johor Bahru to Singapore). For our family of six (6), the return ticket costed approximately RM3,000.00 each depending on the timing of the booking. It's better for you to book as early as 4 to 6 months before the date you want to go. The reason we took this airline was because it's somehow cheaper for us compare to others then, with the allowance of 30kg baggage each person. 

2. Hotel - Arrival at Auckland

Oakwood Manor Motor Lodge Booking Info

We stayed at Oakwood Manor Motor Lodge upon arrival at Auckland, New Zealand. It costed NZD$450 per night for Studio Apartment that can accommodated up to 9 person. We stayed for a night before headed to pick up the caravans on the next day.

3. Caravan/ Motor Home

Ahmad Caravan Booking Info

Ahmad Caravan was the agency we went to book our caravans which costed approximately RM6,100.00 per caravan for 6 days 5 nights on winter. This rate included holiday parks where you stay in the caravan. Holiday Parks = NZD$80 per day depending on pax

It was excellent, efficient and smooth for us as it was so easy to pick up the vehicles during our second day in Auckland. Like the flight tickets, it's advisable for you to book early to prevent higher rate especially at the last minute. 

BRITZ Motor Home

Outdoor view of the caravans

Also, make sure to deal with Ahmad Caravan instead of the local agencies at Auckland for good rate (Malaysian rate) and with full liability. Full Liability allows you to return the caravan later without having to worry about full gas tank, waste dumping & etc. Any missing/broken items from the caravan will not get you any penalties. In fact, if you happen to receive the vehicle with missing items such as awning poles, chairs and so on, you may request for partial refund according to which items that were missing. As for the gas, it's better to go for the diesel type as their gas rates were so freaking expensive. We spent between NZD$130 - NZD$150 for one full tank of gas. 

4. Holiday Parks 

Holiday Park Booking Info

Each place we went to there's Holiday Park for the caravans where you can rest and there were also charging stations to power up the caravan. The Holiday Park provide facilities which includes Parking for Motor Home/ Caravan, Public Bathrooms/ Toilets, Kitchen, Waste Dumping Station, etc. 

Some Holiday Parks provide their own entertainment as well. 

Well that's about it for now. Stay tuned for our reviews for the journey to Auckland, New Zealand. 

Bubble Tea 05

Finally...! I got my hands on this mainstream bubble tea by the mainstream Korea-concept store Family Mart and I got not much to say about it, despite my crazy obsession on bubble tea. #TrulyAsian

The photo is as depressing as the taste of this tea.

I got me some "Brown Sugar Bubble Milk Tea". Nothing special. And it wasn't cheap either. I thought it was like RM4 or something, turned out to be RM6+ bucks. So meh... it kinda sucked for its price. Tasted bland, I thought my tongue didn't function. And the boba kinda melted together into a slump of milk tea sedimentation. Yuck. After few minutes, I ended up drinking iced milk. And you know how iced milk taste like? *shudders*

Definitely something I won't repeat unless I'm too desperate for a boba tea and it's the only one available at the moment. A disappointment, indeed.

New Zealand - Hobbiton Adventure

Bubble Tea 04

Source: Facebook

Finally! Now I can give you my review for Duriang Milk Tea after weeks of trying to get one. One word: SEDAP!

Duriang Milk Tea; Tealive Port Dickson Branch

Duriang Milk Tea can be purchased for RM10.90 from selected branches as it is limited offer. 

Pro tip: You can get it 50% cheaper if you pay via Touch n Go e-Wallet.

The Durian that is used is genuine D24 and it blends well with the tea, every sip is wooooooorth it! It's a 9/10 for me, although my friends suggested I should try the Durian smoothie next time. Every sip is worth every cent! Highly recommended for you Durian lovers to try it out. 

The only downside about this drink is they only sell in regular size! Otherwise, it's all good! 

Till next time.

Foodie - Ayam Goreng McD 3x Pedas [Limited Offer]

[Image credit: Mcdonald's Website]

Recently, we tried this menu and they weren't joking around. PEDAS BODO! Definitely not for everyone especially those who can't cope with spicy food! The normal Ayam Goreng McD already had that mild spicy taste to begin with.

Ayam Goreng McD 3x Pedas; 3 pc Combo

When I tried this, at first I thought it was like, alaaa tidak jua pedas bah, but after few bites, the level of spiciness slowly increased until I had to find me some milk! And I hate milk! But it didn't ended right there, my stomach started to growl, I had a diarrhea for few days. So a word of caution, when you decide to try this, please leave your ego behind. 

Overall Rating: 7/10

Taste Wise: Spicy! Spicy! PEDAS! But tasted the same as the original. 

Presentation: What you see in the photo above is what it looks like. Meh.

Pricing: Correct me if I'm wrong, but apparently you can either get their 3pc combo or 2pc combo with Nasi Lemak, is it how it supposed to be? Or I just got "scammed" by the cashier lady? It was RM17.90? Mahal for me boss, sekali try jak.

Till next time!

Gaming - Night Call

What can I say about this game? Well, it's not for everyone. You might get bored easily, even fall asleep (like my wife). It has that noir-style kind of feel, like a black and white comic themed environment I could almost imagine myself being in it.

You are a Parisian taxi driver who drives night shifts, engaging with different kinds of passengers' manner. Until one night, your encounter with a serial killer had left you scarred but with your dark history, you are accused as the prime suspect instead of a victim to the crime.

I actually enjoy this game in terms of how he interacts with passengers he picks up, creating some kind of driver-passenger relationships. With what's happening to him in recent event, he uses this opportunity for his private investigations and also to prove that he is the victim. The passengers sometimes provide hints and clues if you know what to say based on the situation.

One challenging thing about this game is the fact that most of the time I am clueless about the things I am suppose to do such as how this case needs to be solved. They would give you five suspects to investigate but whatever clues and information I have, I don't know how it relates to any of the suspects. Like trying to find an answer without looking at the question.

As good as this game is, it is not perfect 10 worthy. One of the flaws is how it gets repetitive at some point and because of the mellow environment, I sometimes get sleepy too. Another downside about this game is how the story progress slowly it gets dull and boring.

But nevertheless, it is still a good game to try out as you have a choice on how your character going to be with multiple dialogues and decisions to choose from as you venture deeper into the story.

Overall Rating: 6/10

Graphic: Good noir-style, black and white comics graphic in an indie game.
Gameplay: Multiple choice of dialogues and decisions to choose from that could affect the game progress but you have limited time in a night to gather all the intels you could find for your case.
Storyline: The encounters with the passengers get repetitive at certain point of the game and it's a bit slow.

Would I recommend this? Sure if you want to play this game like reading a bedtime story.

Movie : Aladdin (2019)

They could show us the world... Shining, Shimmering, Splendid?

Neh... They totally ruined this one. Felt like I was watching a cheap Broadway show that was produced in a month. The casting was horrible. I mean who was responsible for a drake-ish Jafar with a high-pitched voice who had to squeak every time he wanted to make a point. The guy who played sultan should have been Jafar, at least his voice represented evil.

Movie Poster from IMDB

So the cast was a disappointment. Mena Massoud (who played Aladdin) looked like he was confused all the time. His acting was weak and didn't appear heroic at all. Naomi Scott wasn't so bad. She looked pretty enough to play a feminist princess. Will Smith tried to save the movie by being Will Smith. And CGI Rajah and Iago? They were so forgettable, they could have just saved money and removed from the movie unnoticed.

Aladdin was my favourite Disney Animation. They had really good songs (Prince Ali being my favourite) and good storyline. Jafar was appropriate, being old and perv-ish and had the characteristics of a person you'd despised instead of annoyed because you used to call him on his cellphone. Geddit? Yeah excuse the lame Drake joke, I just had to...

Having watched the original Aladdin like a gazillion times, I would say they didn't change any important parts that would have made it different. I didn't hate the re-made songs. In fact, for me the modern touch made the songs better than the original. Naomi's got a nice voice. The new song "Speechless" was not bad either. So kudos for the OST.

Overall, I'd give it a 6/10. They seemed to rush into the production, making Aladdin seem like a Bollywood movie, sinking the story-line deep into the cave of wonders. Come on, Disney, you could have done better.

Jafar, downgraded.