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The HTPC Project

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:50:00 +0000

HTPC you say... Home Theatre PC, or more a less a computer built to hold all the media/video/photo/music files which i have, so the entire family has access to it.
Of course the Home Theatre part... where u hook it to a TV/LCD screen, and sound to a nice set of speakers... for some home entertainment...

heh... so here is my worklog/ picturelog of my project which began early this year...

Please bear with the grainy pictures... i did most of the installation in the middle of the night...

First of, the processor - the heart of the machine, so to say... Thankfully some bloke was upgrading and i got this decent Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 @2.53Ghz for RM280, 2nd hand. This is almost overkill for running the media centre, but who knows... the extra power will be there if you need it later...

It is actually my first time really getting my hands down and dirty at installing/building a computer myself... most of the time, i just customize and let the shop people assemble it.

I didn't really had any proper place to fix this, and just used my desk to prop all the stuff... heh! didn't even ground my self properly, but i did take some precautions like touching my other computer metal case prior to handling the motherboard... (to get rid of static)

Inserting the chip! I really looked at the manual a couple of times just to make sure I was doing the right thing... heh... 1st time mah... but it was straight forward lah... almost impossible to get wrong.

Next was to apply some thermal grease and installing the cooler fan. Here I again referred to some online guide to apply the correct amount of grease. (the grease is to maximise the heat transfer from the chip to the cooler)

Whilst shopping for a decent computer case to be my media centre, i came across this obscure shop selling some old stock of Lian-Li PC-V850 case!

It was a steal at RM150. Normally Lian-Li full aluminium casings are sold at a premium side... but somehow i think the shop was trying to get rid of old stock, thus the rock bottom price.

You have to remove the drive cage, to install the DVD/rw (LG-RM75), i also took the opportunity to replace the floppy adapter with a plain bezel i had (from my other Lian-Li case)

Here, it is installed back with no ugly floppy adapters...

The Green Drive... heh... marketing! anyways... it's a 1Tb WD Harddisk (RM345) for my rapidly growing accumulation of HD video files.

The case has 2 HD drive cages at the sides... U screw in some studs in the drive, slide them in this cages... and lock them... DONE! simple and easy. Only when u need to increase to 3hd's is when u need to think further...

Motherboard installation: first of it to screw in the standoffs... points where the motherboard will be placed...

Then place in the mobo... with the back plate too.. tighten! & we are almost done...

I bought some decent RAMs, Kingston KHX6400LLK2 44412 (2x2Gb) for RM240 - it came with some cool aluminium heat spreaders attached to them... i still prefer the corsairs with extended fins... but they were more expensive...

Next up... fixing all the case connectors to the mobo, and preparing the space for the Power Supply.... (note: yeah the PSU is located in the front of the case)

U have to attach the plate to the PSU, in order to fix it in the slot allocated for it in the case... special design... (I bought this PSU 2nd hand... a Enermax Liberty 500W for RM120)

Here it is, fixed in the case... next up will be all the other wiring connections...

I wasnt very good in making it all neat and tidy... but i mostly crammed all the excess wiring under the DVD/RW... allowing lots of air-space.

I fitted in the primary HD at the back (a smaller 160Gb hd as a primary OS disk) and it's about complete!

Lastly i fixed in a wireless card, and found this keyboard to complement the system... (card-RM100, keyboard-RM70)

The keyboard was a plesant surprise... the pointer needs getting used to... but overall a decent compromise...

She's Six!

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:04:00 +0000

Hannah Celebrated her birthday... just before Chinese New Year! after a horrible 6 hour journey back to penang...

WHOA!... she's 6 going to 7... gosh... time has certainly passed by at a supersonic speed... soon she will be in school... then "dread" brrr....

the year too certainly flashed past very fast... within moments the first month of the year is over... and this is my very first post of the year... talk about total change of free time...

after all the busy shifting back to KL from kuantan, starting work again in Church... and settling back into faster paced city life... whoa... time is moving fast.

Hannah of course is still oblivious... totally enjoying her time back in Tadika Suria... and thankfully has regained her appetite and eats like before... and has gained back her lost weight...

Chinese New Year this round too was a quiet affair... since my parents weren't around... heh... sendiri went galavanting in Europe during the holidays... so CNY was spent totally in Penang this year...

Goodbye Land of the Long White Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:03:00 +0000

After a wonderful 18 days in New Zealand... it had to come to an end...

So what memories of New Zealand will be forever etched in my memory?

First off... this was the place where we could see wild ducks at every city (maybe not in Rotorua, due to the geo-thermal area)... they ran free and heh... if it were Malaysia, some chinaman would be having a field day selling roast duck, and raking in the free catch!

Then of course the diverse flora and colorful landscapes all over New Zealand... even their normal wild flowers are beautiful... i can't imagine lalang to be beautiful.

Next will be their interesting landscapes... not very tree heavy... but unique... with breathtaking blue skies...

Of course u can't ever forget all those bodies of water u see all around New Zealand... from their unreal blue impressive lakes... to grand waterfall filled fiords...

Also all those lamb steaks, ice-cream, fresh salmon & large amounts of kiwi fruits & cherries.

Goodbye Aotearoa / New Zealand, Land of the Long White Cloud...

Mitai Maori Village, Rotorua NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 15:54:00 +0000

For our last night in New Zealand, we had the opportunity to go and see the traditional/cultural show of the native Maori... in the Mitai Village.

Our hosts had graciously booked for us our seats, and the van came at 5.45pm to pick us up at the lodge...We were then driven to the venue... where we were ushered straight to our dining tables, already prearranged seatings?... we were wondering... eh... food first?

Then the host for the evening appeared and invited us to see our dinner... keh... see the fruits of 3 hours of cooking prior to arrival... the photos are already in the previous post.

We were then ushered through a very short walk to a crystal clear stream, we were told later the water comes from a natural spring in the village itself... and as we passed it, we could see the water coming out from the ground... the stream was also filled with rainbow trout and eels!

The show started with the Maori warriors paddling upstream and shouting their war cries...

We then adjourned to their stage... which was tastefully done half of which was covered for the audience, a platform for some lighting and the backdrop which was a section of an actual Maori village.

the next portion was all in Maori, with some dances and singing... and a welcome invitation

the chief then appeared to greet us and quickly reverted to english to explain the meanings of the dance and song... and also followed by an introduction to the daily routine of the Maori people, from exercise to training to the types of dance, types of instruments... The chief was also a good entertainer and funny.

there were also several demonstrations of warfare, spear wielding and dance routines

of course it ended with a haka! :p

We then adjourned for dinner... yum...

before ending the night, we once again re-entered the forest walkway for an introduction to the flora and fauna in the dark! and also saw some Glow-worms...

Thus ends all our activities in New Zealand...

Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Rotorua NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:57:00 +0000

The next day after breakfast, we quickly drove to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland to catch the daily daily eruption of the Lady Knox Geyser at 10.15am...

later we found out... it erupts daily at 10.15am due to some help my man... keh... if left to its own, the geyser would have erupted every 2-3 days... in an not so timely manner... they used normal powder detergent to drop in the geyser to loosen the surface tension of the geyser... and when the cold and hot water mixed underground... spurt... a geyser is formed for an hour plus....

we then took our time walking the shortest route around all the volcanic craters, sulphur pools and bubbling mud...

their famous attraction was also their champagne pool... which was boiling, with bubbles constantly rising to the surface... thus its name...

the pool also is beside a basin of dif metal excretions, giving it a very colorful effect...

heheh... do note all the steam rising out, do have a certain smell to them... sulphur smell... akin to rotten eggs... but u do get used to it after awhile...

we left heading back to Rotorua for lunch, then stopped by The Redwoods! It really was California Redwood trees... brought and planted by the early colonists... and man... they are mighty large... we walked around this public park cum reserve for about 40 minutes admiring the trees and then headed home to rest before our night Cultural Show!

Waikite Valley Thermal Pools, Rotorua NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:16:00 +0000

Upon Check-in, and a short nap for the kiddos... we wanted to venture to one of the hot springs in Rotorua...

U cant visit Rotorua and not go to any of them! Problem was... we needed to shortlist and choose only one... due to our lack of time... thankfully the hosts pointed out to us Waikite Valley Thermal Pools.

About 25min out of Rotorua... this was one of the far ones... but they said it was better then the one smack in the city... and they also noted even the main big pool water was actually from the hot springs and filled daily... so off we went...

Woo hoo... upon reaching the spot... you could see all the steam rising out from the valley, when u park the car...

We not only tried the main splash pool, but also some of their sit and soak pools with nice valley views... both at 36-37C

We also ventured for 15 minutes to their hottest pool... to soak in... 39-40C, u really had to step in step by step and allow your body to adjust before continuing in...but ahhh... really relaxing...

too bad their cafe kitchen closes at 7.00pm and we couldnt eat there anymore since we wanted to soak longer. U can stay till 9.00pm, but they will start draining the first pool by 8.30pm... we left before they started draining - all of our stomachs were growling by then, plus we didnt know where to eat!

West Minister Lodge, Rotorua NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:15:00 +0000

While in Rotorua, we stayed in this English cottage up on the hills slightly off the town area... it's a mini farmstay... with a couple of animals and 2 very friendly dogs... which the kids enjoyed playing with.

We didn't really spend much time exploring the place, since we only had so little time in Rotorua...

The hosts were also very helpful in recommending the best places to go... we had to narrow down certain places... like the best hot pools or which Maori village to go to... The hosts also did eventually book us for a Maori dinner plus cultural show... so being in the business for 10 years, have given them ample advise for travellers...

The place is also very well kept with flower filled gardens and an excellent view of the valley.

One of the highlights was also the morning breakfasts... heh... we don't really eat much breakfast but they do cook up a lot... lot of fruits, yogurt, toast and eggs... and the best - FRESH Apple Muffins daily for us to eat then and pack the rest to eat later... this was one of the best muffins I've eaten... lovely...

p/s: if you have spare NZ$1.3Mil, West Minister Lodge is up for sale... cuz they too want to retire and travel!

Onwards to Rotorua

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:06:00 +0000

Whilst Julie's Parents and Bro's Family changed cars and drove back to Christchurch to fly back to Malaysia, we were on our way to Rotorua...

We were taking another 2 days to check out Rotorua, the only North island place we were visiting... not counting Auckland lah... cuz we were going to just drive straight from Rotorua to Auckland Airport.

Rotorua... is the land of sulphur pools... mud pools and Maori culture...

with limited time at hand we had our days all mapped out...

But first, lets see what we ate there!

McDonalds!... unique burger called "The Boss!" - actually its a mesh of 2 quarter pounders with added tomatoes. We had initially just wanted to try Burger King, which had more unique stuff then Mc'Ds but we ended up here for lunch after helplessly wandering around a shopping venue looking for food... not cheap at NZ$9 (value meal)

After a relaxing dip in some thermal pools at Waikite Valley Thermal pools, we headed back to Rotorua for dinner. We were very afraid since it was late most places would be closed but thankfully after roaming around we came across a whole stretch of restaurants... We went to a pizza place first but it was closing... then wandering to another restaurant, they seemed so busy and would care less of us waiting to be seated, so ahh... we walked next door and stumbled upon the restaurant, "Solace Cafe & Restaurant" which offered us a steak special at NZ$19, which each of us took... it was lovely...

Seafood chowder for Hannah... (it was good with lots of fish and scallops)

& Tiramisu dessert to cap off the evening...

The next day after our trip to Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, we went to Fat Dog Cafe for some of their Nz$9 lunch specials... it was served with rice!

I had the Pork Ribs Special... awesome amount of ribs...

and Julie had the Chicken with Apricot sauce... the rice served was mash like...

Our last dinner in New Zealand was a Hangi dinner - traditional Maori dinner, after an excellent cultural show! It was all cooked via hot stones and steam in the ground... more modern now... but still a traditional method.

All the Kūmara (Maori, for sweet potatoes) you could eat; they were really sweet and nice!

Lamb central... it was a buffet... serving this much lamb is sinful...

Chicken galore... plus potatoes which was served with a thick creamy sauce...

suffice to say... it was an extremely extreme dinner... :p

TSS Earnslaw Steamship, Queenstown NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Our last outing in Queenstown was to the Old Steamer at the Wharf in Queenstown. This is a genuine vintage steam ship... still running since it was constructed in 1912.

It would take us on a cruise around Lake Wakatipu... actually it goes to the other side of the lake to a Country Farm, where you could opt for a BBQ lunch or a Farm Tour... but since we have done this before we didnt want to spend extra $

The ship is the genuine article... still running on coal... which is used in the boilers to power the steam engines.. very like a steam train engine... the boat itself is quite large with 3 decks... and very nicely refurbished to have ample areas with a full cafe serving warm drinks and snacks...

There was even a grand piano in with a pianist for singing along sessions, during the cruise...

Whilst chugging along, you can view the engine from a cut out portion from the top deck or u can even venture to the engine to see the steam engines at work...

There is also a room, where the history of the boat is explained... of course the outside deck is where u can experience the cold air and strong winds blasting on you!

overall, the cruise was nothing spectacular... only the ship was... TSS Earnslaw is a real historical ship... really old... and i have never seen a steam ship before... so it's something new...

Drive thru Fiordland NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:03:00 +0000

The journey back from Milford Sound to Queenstown was a much clearer drive. All the mist and low lying clouds had dissapeared and blue skies filled our view...

The journey will once again take us another 4hrs plus (290km)... and we intended to reach back in Queenstown by 9.00pm... while there was still daylight. (yeah... it only got dark around 9.45pm here in Queenstown, during summer)

Our first stop was a lookout point which we bypassed on the way in, it was "Mirror Lakes"... just a small body of water mirroring the mountains in the horizon...

A rainbow also graced our drive back... admidst a backdrop of deep yellow wild flowers... man... these wild flowers were all over the place and in such a striking color of yellow...

Stopping to pack some food - Chinese take aways at Te Anau... we quickly resumed our journey as soon as the drivers gobbled up their share of food... the rest could continue eating whilst the car was still moving...

Then came a view we also just drove past in the morning... hills with windmills in the distance... i guess they were for generating electricity...

I was also hunting for a scene where u can't see nothing but sheep till the horizon, but finding one whilst driving wasn't a easy task... this was the best i could get...

The rest of the journey was straight and quiet. Almost no cars were on the road except for ours... so we made good time and did arrive back in Queenstown at 9.05pm...

Milford Sound, Fiordland NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:28:00 +0000

The day began deary... overcast clouds with no blue sky in sight...

Our first leg drive to Te Anau from Queenstown was shrouded and skyless... with nary a decent view... thankfully the clouds did break as we approached Te Anau...

only for a while...

whilst stopping at a rest area for a quick packed lunch, a slight drizzle was soon upon us... continuing with us almost all the way to Homer Tunnel, a 1.2km tunnel before the downward last leg to the harbour in Milford Sound.

So far the views were disheartening, while u could see the impressive mountain bases and the immense scale of the surroundings... thick fog and cloud covered most of the view above a certain level... and grey skies didn't help in keeping the atmosphere cold and harsh.

At the peak of the tunnel we had a short stop due to one way traffic in the tunnel, we caught sight of wild kea parrots too.. about 6 of them coming down to cars looking for scraps... outside u could see some snow, dirtied by dirt... but u can imagine the temps... sticking my hand out to get some video, u could feel the freezing air...

Total time of drive from Queenstown was 4hrs...

I was contemplating not taking the boat cruise since the weather wasn't really good... questioning what could we see??? BUT thankfully some stubborn family members pushed on... and we went on the 2.00pm cruise out..

By God's Grace, the rain stopped... and some of the clouds lifted... and certain portions of blue sky peeked at us... and

WHOA! Gods amazing handiwork in all its splendor was shown to us...

I've never seen a fiord before... and it was nothing like i imagined...

Here, you will see countless waterfalls... plus the Boat captain said due to earlier rains in the morning we were seeing extra waterfalls from the excess water buildup... and truly the whole mountain was filled with waterfalls... in all sizes...

bear in mind the size comparisons of the 2-storey cantamaran viewing boat and the waterfall... u can calculate the immensity of the fiords...

waterfalls... waterfalls... and more waterfalls...

there were also seals basking on the rocks... :p... the boat came almost beside them!

there was also this cascading waterfall where the boat went very near to its base... and we got really wet! we stayed out... to feel the experience!

we saw penguins too...

and some dolphins...

It wasn't my ideal weather for photo taking, but HEY! God worked and He gave us a cruise worthy of His creation! Milford Sound was definitely one of the key highlights of our NZ trip!

Kiwi Birdlife Park, Queenstown NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:26:00 +0000

20 years ago this 8 acre dump site was converted to now a Kiwi Birdlife Park, still operated independently by locals...

We had initially wanted to ride a steam ship in the lake, but a timing oversight made us to visit this park first...

The park is filled with super tall trees and located at the base of the gondola ride... It's very hard to imagine it being an ex dump site...

Of course the main attraction was live Kiwi birds, but unfortunately no cameras are allowed in... but we did see them! My first impression was... wow... they were big... the ones we saw were very cute and fat... and ran pretty fast... i would say they were the size of large chickens on long legs with a long snout... in their enclosures with only a pilot light u could see them scavenging around for worms, running around quite a large enclosure... there were 2 huts having these kiwi birds...

also note, all the birds in this Birdlife park animals are endangered, thus also protected animals.

they also had some shows with some birds and rats! An 80 year old lizard was also a highlight...

We also saw the Kea parrot, its one of the few alpine parrots in the world and one of the most intelligent parrot species in the world, also the most endangered.

Of course, the kids had a fun time here... running around and animals are always attention grabbers. Phoebe also had a stone picking great time... the grandparents say, she will be a geologist...

The Cow Restaurant, Queenstown NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:46:00 +0000

It's over 100 years old...

and it's still in business...

they must have done something good...

and yes! EXCELLENT PIZZAS!

We came here right after our gondola trip... for a warm, toasty meal... we ordered 2 large and 1 medium size pizza plus a plate of pasta to share among us.

IT seems, their menu hasn't changed since it was first introduced... woo... i bet the prices has though... as the large pizzas were NS$30 each! and pastas at NZ$20.

The minute u enter the building, u are hit by how dark it is... as u enter u think, eh... is it actually open... only when your eyes adjust to the lighting, do u see the ever so dimly lit lights... and a fireplace with real wood still crackling! A top the fireplace as a mantle piece is an old panoramic view of Queenstown... all pristine with trees... not a hint of all the buildings nowadays...

There weren't many people for lunch that day and our food did come quite quickly...

We took a large Seafood Pizza... filled with mussels and chucks of blue cod! worth the $$ we spent!

Next was a large Royal something with all kinds of meat! and smothered with cheese! Lovely

A Small plain pepperoni pizza... also looked lovely...

The pasta was drenched with meat sauce... was nice but normal lah... not as worthwhile as the pizzas... but this was mainly for the kiddos to eat... so it served its purpose...

So if u do stop by Queenstown... and hungry for pizzas, don't look elsewhere... The Cow Restaurant is the PIZZA place to be!

AJ Hackett Bungy, Queenstown NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Nahh... we didn't jump... it was closed by the time we arrived...

Heh, not to say if it was opened, we would have jumped... Did you know the Bungy rope is actually just spun rubber bands?... you are literally hanging for dear life on rubberbands!

But that said... Queenstown is home to the first ever Bungy platform... and it's over river Kawarau, on a Historical Bridge too... This 43m high jump is the worlds first & original Bungy and a jump here will set u back Nz$195 for 1 jump , 1 T-shirt & 1 DVD recording of your leap!

Even though we didn't jump, the place is built very nicely for excellent views of the bridge, the jump platform and the gorge!... and if you have more time, crossing the bridge u can go for a nature walk in a protected reserve.

Here's your expected view from the platform looking down... :p

Phoebe was doing some hanging exercise too... maybe she has the courage to jump... err but i don't think i will let her... it's a noncensical risk!

Queenstown Gardens NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:43:00 +0000

The kids were restless... so off we went to the Gardens we saw in a peninsular, from up in the Gondola... it was Queenstown public gardens... beautifully done, with spectacular harbour views and gardens filled with huge trees and flowers...

A tiny bridge gave the perfect family photo op...

and the kiddos, enjoyed running around and and just playing. The play areas weren't in the park itself but were built further down, near the beach...

There were lots of flowers too but so not to spam with flower pictures here's a lone beautiful white rose...

heh, there were also some Holly... to start the christmas Ho Ho Ho... mood!

Skyline Gondola, Queenstown NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:30:00 +0000

For a birdseye view of the town, We went on this Skyline Gondola ride up a hill in Queenstown... its not really high... unlike the ride from the base of Genting... but nevertheless... unless u feel like hiking for 3hrs, the gondola was the fastest way up...

Another thing was also the Luge rides at the top... Whoa! this was fun... it's a gravity based sled ride from the top of a higher part of the hill to a lower portion... heh... too bad it doesn't go down all the way to Queenstown... I wish! But u do get to ride a special ski lift up to the higher portion... fun! (Sorry no pix... only video, go check the link for video) Hannah sat with me, at the front down the ride and kept asking for a second ride... alas... it will have to be next time... Sentosa, Singapore also has this sport!

U could see the whole of Queenstown from the vantage point at the top of the Gondola ride... check the panorama on top... u can even spy a Bungee Jump Platform in one corner, which was closed the day we went...

We also did some souvenir shopping in the shops before we took the gondola back down... U could actually have lunch or dinner up here and soak in the views... but we had other plans...

Onwards to Queenstown

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Our drive the next day to Queenstown was beautiful also... traversing unique landscape, filled with funny clumpy shrubbery... then passing another beautiful lake with mountains in the background...

we stopped by Cromwell for some lunch and a time for the kids to run about... we also picked up some fruits at the orchards there... they also had lovely dried fruits... tasting a sampler of "rasp-cherries"... it was to die for... but i couldn't bring myself to fork out the $$ for a packet of it... heh... took some extra samples for the kiddos.

We then drove at a non-stop pace in order to reach Queenstown to check in before 5pm, by passing gorges and winery's

The RCI place we had in Queenstown was The Ridge Resort. The place has 19 units of 3room apartments, which could hold all of us... one room, bath, kitchen and living in the first floor and another 2 rooms plus bath on the second... with Superb views out of the dining, kitchen and balcony...

the view out of the balcony was lovely... one early morning, i think it was a cold night - the lake had a layer of mist over it and the surrounding cloud cover was lower then the mountain tips... lovely... u see that in the top panoramic shot.

even at night, when its clear.... the sky is filled with stars! sitting in the comfort of the dining area, with the lights off, u can literally see the sky filled with tiny dots of light... the town below is devoid of any street lights... so there are not much ambient light to disturb your view of the stars... lovely...

Aoraki Mount Cook NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 07:26:00 +0000

We had hoped to be able to play in snow at Mt Cook... but eh... it turned out, It's actually situated within a National Park, so there aren't any skiing places around... plus the motel was at the foot/base of the mountains... so even if u could see snow capped mountains... u had to climb the mountains to get snow... Of course if it was winter... we would have had snow...

Keh... so no snow...

But by God's grace, the weather when we were there for a day was beautiful! Blue cloudless sky! so the view of Mount Cook was excellent...

U had several choices of accommodation in Mt Cook... some for backpackers and some Higher class at the Heritage, We took the middle road @ Alpine Lodge. The only difference in view was, at Alpine u had the visitor Centre blocking partly and the mountain wasn't so centre... if you have the $$ by all means... lavish at the Heritage...

With our hopes for snow dashed... what else was there to do? U could visit a Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre to learn of his climb and history of Mt Cook... but the entrance cost deterred us... U could rent a helicopter to take u sightsee and land on the mountain slopes... or take a boat tour down the glacier to even taste the oldest/purest waters in the world.... $$$$$

Of course u could walk the numerous trails they had all around the area... but even when we did go on the family trail... having 4 Lil kids tagging along proved too difficult a task...

we were left to enjoy the views and await for the next day to depart...

when night came... God's Amazing Hand came to play... when you looked up and saw... countless twinkling stars... awesome!

Mt Cook was an experience in the Awe & Wonder of God...

onwards to Queenstown!

p/s: on the day we left... 2 Mountain Climbers got lost in the Mountains, later in the evening due to worsening weather conditions... one of them died, and the other rescued when we left New Zealand.

The Lake Run

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 06:40:00 +0000

Leaving Fairlie... we were in Lake district... we were going to pass 2 lakes prior reaching Mt Cook and another 2 lakes before reaching Queenstown...

But we are headed to Mt cook, and the first lake we reached was Lake Tekapo... a really stunning lake with crystal clear waters and banks filled with Lupins in every color imaginable...

there is even a historic Church built here, the Church of the Good Shepherd with impressive views from the altar, inside...

Along the banks too are man made rock structures, more like balancing stones put by individuals who can't help but leave something to claim their spot... but it was unique... there were lots mind u, all over the place...

But wow... this is really a touristy place... with loads of tour busses and a whole town built around this area to cater for tourists... lots of new resorts too!

the next lake we came too, and would be driving alongside to Mt. Cook was Lake Pukaki...

one word...

surreal

the lake was blue-er then the sky! (it seems the glacier feed, created by extremely finely ground rock particles from the glaciers gives the lake its distictive hue)... it was so so unreal...

As we drove alongside it towards Mt. cook u can't help but wonder... WOW! God is GREAT!

The Old Library Cafe & Bar, Fairlie NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 06:10:00 +0000

After our Farmtour... we were wondering what to eat for dinner, and upon recommendation by our hosts we drove to Fairlie town... 3km away.. to this restaurant, The Old Library Cafe & Bar.

Wow... we didn't expect it to be a restaurant which had won several national & international awards a few years consecutively... in this obscure town...woo... what a blessing.

Prices weren't to say very ex... but it was considered and indulgence lah.... The deco and ambience of the place was nice... unfortunately i think also due to it being a small town... the restaurant really didnt have many cooks in the kitchen maybe only 2, and there was already a big group plus some other patrons when we went in... so food did take a bit long to arrive.

But overall service was good... and the kids did get have lots of books around to entertain time.

Julie had some BBQ pork - lovely, soft meat with crispy skin, with a huge bowl of chips,

whilst i took the rack of Lamb to share with Hannah (she developed this taste of lamb meat... she can eat more meat then rice) - super tender, unfortunately almost too little.

I later found out their desserts were highly recommended... darn! should have tried one! So... even if u don't stay at the Farmstay... and just passing by Fairlie, do it justice and eat a meal here...

AlpineView Farmstay, Fairlie NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:56:00 +0000

Upon arrival and a quick check-in to throw in our bags... we immediately went around the farm house grounds... all carefully maintained flower filled gardens! beautiful...

The host was also mowing some grass to attract some of the cows over for the kiddos to touch... u had to touch them through the fence... because of their size and their slightly rough nature... they were kinda territorial... :p

The farmer then invited us for a tour around the farm... starting with the feeding of the lambs... 3 of which u could bottle feed... Hannah, phoebe and her cousin did manage to feed these 3 month old lambs... they were so cute! Was a bit shocked at their size at only 3 months... was bigger then i expected...

They also had some Deers... and the farmer had some barley as feed for them... just put some on your hand and the deers will come and feed off them... u get very soft feeling eating off your hands... hehe... :P

The farmer also had 2 new Wallabies... but u had to throw them carrots as they weren't tame enough to step up to u. There were also a chicken coop at the far end of the farm... where we saw some 1 day old chicks... Phoebe had one of them pecking her cheek...

I must say... the single day we had on the farmstay was awesome! the place was super modern too with very nice beds and modern interior deco... plus a delightful breakfast the next morning.

They gave us a full continental breakfast with some added super delicious pineapple filled pancake with venison sausages!

I must say, with the very affordable rates, AlpineView Farmstay is a must stay if you're on your way to Mt. cook... definitely worth your while! The kids were even given a 2nd opportunity to feed the lifestock before we left the farm!

Onwards to Fairlie

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:52:00 +0000

We left Akaroa early heading towards Fairlie. The direct journey from ChristChurch to Mt. Cook would have taken us 4.5hrs non-stop journey... which would be a bit too long and boring for the kids... so we instead planned to break our Journey halfway in Fairle with an overnight stay in a Farmstay.

We bypassed ChristChurch via Lincoln... and stopped by Rakaia, supposedly the Salmon Capitol of New Zealand for some snacks which were lovely salmon sandwiches and salmon quiche! There was also a huge salmon model in the entrance of the town... heh!

We took a detour to Mt. Somers, hoping to catch some Lord of The Rings views... alas... the town was not the film site... it would take a 4WD journey further in to see anything... so after a fruitless detour we went back on route to Fairle via Geraldine.

We stopped to get some fruits at an orchard on the way... Alas it wasn't really fruit season yet... as the peach trees were not ripe for picking yet... We only got some apples and (duh!) imported bananas... the kiddos were hungry for bananas...

We did stop by for lunch at a park somewhere packing some Subway sandwiches... Hannah went wild by rolling in the grass... must have either read or watched it somewhere, to actually do it...

The drive was very pleasant even with only a single lane most of the way... with a speed limit of 100kmh and beautiful sights... ahh... a breeze to drive.

We arrived at The Farmstay at about 3.30pm just in time for the Farmtour!

Day trip to ChristChurch

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:43:00 +0000

On one of our days in Akaroa, we took a day trip back to ChristChurch to check out some sights...

We planned to just visit the town centre, sit the trams and go punting on the city river.

Leaving early, we took the scenic route out of akaroa, heading to Christchurch... wow... the view magnificent... i took the panoramic shot of akaroa then...

Thankfully Julie's Bro had a GPS with him... so driving into the city was much easier... U really don't need the GPS if you are only driving in the rural areas... but when u hit urban areas, is when GPS comes to the rescue.

We drove straight to a car park in the middle of the city... walked out and presto was at the ChristChurch Cathedral, a historic landmark and National Treasure... heh a visitor attraction lah...

it's a really old church with super impressive architecture, high ceilings and intricate stained glass... impressive...

Then we hopped on the TRAM service which had their main stop nearby... the TRAM actually only takes u around quite a small circle around the old part of the city... where u see the govt offices, museum, Super impressive university & a City Park.

We dropped off, to walk down the river to where we were going Punting. Heh... it's actually a boat ride on the river... bear in mind, the river here is like crystal clear... running tru the city... unlike our malaysian ones... go near also scared already...

Maybe it was lunch time, but man... the entire river stretch... u could see people just lying about eating their sandwiches and lazing in the sun... looking unto the river... so so ahhh... life... bear in mind also the temperatures were a cool 18 Celsius too... u will never see this in malaysia...

We opted for the park route... whereby the boat goes upstream into the botanical gardens and back... lovely boat ride... slow, with ducks swimming alongside... Thankfully they had big boats which could accomodate all 10 of us...

We later had lunch at the boat cafe... Julie and I ate light with some quiche, fudge and a large cappuccino... Hannah and Phoebe shared some fish and chips.

Though it was a short trip to ChristChurch...but Wow... memorable...

Goodbye Akaroa

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:00:00 +0000

We had initially planned to stayed here 7 days... but we shorten it by 2 days...

Undoubtedly it's a very beautiful place, with wild ducks coming to your doorstep looking for food...

seagulls at the bay and if u're into boating... a paradise...

The town is small enough to just walk all round... with many gardens to peek into... and lots of bistros and eateries to cater to your palette... lots of shops selling souvenirs and even lovely fudge.

We did enjoy our barbeque's, where lamb steaks were much much cheaper than chicken... and cooking a barbecue didn't leave u sweaty, hot and sticky...

Lovely sunsets at 9.00pm, and almost empty streets by 7.30pm to wander around the parks and pathways..

But as idyllic as it sounds... it can't entertain a bunch of young families with kiddos on tow... so sayonara and off to a farm stay on the way to Mt. Cook!

Hector Dolphins, Akaroa NZ

noreply@blogger.com (edwin74) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:46:00 +0000

The must thing to see in Akaroa, New Zealand is the Hector Dolphins... the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world... easily discernable by their small size and rounded dorsal fins, and black highlights...

We had some trouble choosing a date, cuz the weather wasn't too good... but eventually settled for a slightly overcast day... cuz we were getting bored :p... Akaroa whilst idyllic, proved to be too laid back... & we were shortening our stay...

So the whole family went on the Harbour Cruise, to catch a glimpse of the dolphins! U could opt for a "swim with the dolphins" package too, but err... with icy cold waters & an expensive price tag... no no... We opted for the Black Cat operator due to it having the larger boat... to lessen the motion sickness

The captain of the boat was also our guide... and woo, what a far cry from our local guides... very informative and down to earth explanations... plus totally comprehensible!

Since Akaroa was formed from a volcanic explosion - the harbour is its crater, u can see weird rock formations and unusual cliffs filled with birds and local wildlife all around the banks.

By Gods grace we saw about 3 groups of Hector Dolphins during our cruise! Even the captain of the ship said we were a lucky group, and we couldn't get any better then that. the Dolphins just swam around and playfully followed the boat for a time... sometimes in 3-4 formations...

We went out to open sea to move to a different bay where there were a few seals in their natural habitat... the rocks all had an unusual color and compositions...

The entire cruise was almost 2 hours long... and certainly a worth while trip!