Alfred and Cheryl in NZ

Our friends from Singapore, Alfred and his wife came to celebrate to New Zealand to celebrate Christmas with us. They were here for 6 days from 20th Dec to 26 Dec. Although it was a short 6 days, we packed as much activities for them as possible.



Day 1
They arrived at Auckland International Airport at about 12pm, and by the time we got to Auckland city via the Airbus, it was already 2.30pm. Cheryl was a bit hungry... she is 4 months pregnant and thus have to eat a bit more than usual! :) We grab a bite in the food court. Cheryl noticed that the cost of food was higher than Singapore. Having lived here for a year, I did not really notice it until Cheryl mentioned it.

After the lunch break, we took the ferry over to Waiheke. We introduced them to Jet, Kaly and Hannah said hi to them... they already met each other in Singapore 4 years ago. We ended the day with a great dinner at Stefano's pizza. They just build an extension to accommodate more customers and we were lucky to be the first few customers to use it.

Day 2
We headed out to Auckland city! Walked from the Ferry terminal to University of Auckland city campus. Having walked this same route everyday during the school term, Hannah and I are used to the up-slope walk, but it is a bit tougher for Cheryl. We tour the city campus, did a few stops to rest and have a drink, and just enjoyed the summer view. And of course, we introduced them to the fabulous Korean pancakes. After the short campus tour, we went to the Domain, visited the cold, hot and fern garden exhibition. We also visited the Auckland Museum. We ended the day with a great dinner at Burger Fuel.

Day 3
We rented a car, drove to Waitomo caves. It was a 3 hours drive from Auckland city, and it was a great chance for Alfred and Cheryl to enjoy the mountains and rural views. Of course, there are tons of sheeps, cows etc. We decided on a walk through tour of the Waitomo caves. The guide was humorous and knowledgeable. He is also the owner of the land above the caves we were exploring. The cave formations were very nice, and the glow worms were interesting. However, Hannah and I were just thinking about how nice it is if these caves were flooded, and we were diving in it! :P

Day 4
We spend a relaxing day on Waiheke Island, exploring the beaches and Oneroa town. It was Cheryl's birthday today as well. Hannah prepared Breaded Pork Chop and baked a carrot cake for Cheryl. We had plans to go kayaking but I guess the trip to Waitomo caves were a bit tiring and everyone just wanted to take things easier today.

Day 5
We went back to the city again today. However, it wasn't for shopping but to watch the move Tron on 3D IMAX... Came back home and it was a cooler night. Cheryl was bit cold, and thus we decided to start a fire. It was a relaxing evening.

Day 6
Merry Christmas. As it was a public holiday today, a lot of places are closed. We decided to show Alfred and Cheryl the other more remote parts of Waiheke Island. We visited the Man-O-War Bay, Stony Batter, and other parts. It was a interesting day for Alfred and Cheryl to explore the island, seeing Alpacas etc.

It was great to meet Alfred and Cheryl again after so many years. We have plans to visit them in Singapore sometime in July 2011. All the photos were taken by Alfred using his new SONY camera. It is a very advanced camera, and it is able to compose several pictures with different exposures together instantly on the camera using HDR technology!

See you soon, Alfred and Cheryl.