Berjimba-jimba di South Island New Zealand - Part 1

The preparation

Wokey!! mari kita mulakan kembara 12 hari kat blog nih..so akan ada 12 or lebih le entry and mungkin berbaldi gambo kalo aku rajin..ngahahhaa..setelah di upload gambo dari  4 kamera + 1 vidcam + 4 handphone  maka totalnye ade lah dlm 3000+ keping gambo, memang muntoh ijo aku nak nengoknye yg kebanyakkannye gambo jalan raya.  Motip gambo jalan raye je aku snap??? hem~~sbb mmg lawa sesangat viewnye smpikan tiap saat jari aku dok mengketip kamera tak tentu hala..ngahhaa..smpikan rumput tepi jalan pun aku geram..ngahhahah..basically entry ni more on my preparation & tips before pegi ye, so sila bace sbb aku takkan ripit lagi cara2 aku wat preparation kat next entry hehehe.

aku start planning nak tobang ke 'dreamland' aku ni start dr Air Asia bukak route ke Christchurch beberapa tahun lampau tapi apakan daya fulus blum cukup tuk bawak aku gi tobang ke sana.  By the time aku dah cam 80% ready nak gi AA telah membuat aku sentap dgn meng 'cut' laluan ke sana..ohhh punah harapan~~~

makanye bajet dah lari ke laut dgn gunakan tuk balik 'kampung' beberapa kali..ngahahha..last2 decide nekad nak gi tahun ni walau apa pun yg jadi. Last year aku dah start wat planning and looking around for 'partners' to go. Harapan cerah bile try to 'influence' geng2 di opis tuk wat road trip togeder geder and sambutan sangat walah!!! but suddenly sorang demi sorang tarik diri.  Tinggal lah yg single mingle je willing to go dengan 'paksa rela' hahaaha... add on my cousin.  But suddenly last minit bile nak bli tix my cousin cannot make it sbb urusan keje..ohhh stress!!! dengan bekurangnye partner maka betambah la bajet.

Note that, i'm not really a budget traveller or budget backpackers..i'm just a tourist that try to fit my travel desire.  Makanye NO istilah 'mahainye tiket ko?', 'napa tak opt for budget hotel?' or what so ever..all the budget yg aku tulis kat blog ni adalah atas kemampuan aku so if ada yg nak opt for cheaper bajet please do so ye..bajet2 aku akan ada dicelah celah cite aku yek, sbb tak rajin nak type detail..hahahha..rajin2 la cari gali kat sini yek.

Every destination aku nak pi opkos akan allocate certain budget according to kemampuan aku and try to fit it, takmo ade tambah2.  Makanye dengan nekad aku open to 'public' tuk sape2 yg nak join pi...unfortunately none yg willing to, sbb last minit sgt2. Makanye the whole structure of itinerary need to be revised. Penat~~~~
Then kami ber3 decided tuk beli je le tiket flight wpun hanye ber3.  Nekad dah ni ape pun jadi, aku ade backup plan jugak incase dorang tak pi. 

Ade few selection of flight yg kita boleh amik depends samada nak transit or not. Antaranye Emirates (bapak mahai!!), MAS (turun Auckland), Singapore Air (turun Auckland),Jet star (turun Auckland), Qantas (transit Aussie) and few others but kene transit. 

So selection kami is transit sbb nmpk cam lagi murah.  From KL --> Sydney (Air Asia) and From Sydney --> Christchurch (Jetstar).  Tiket at the time aku beli tu mungkin antara yg promo and boleh kawtim lagi kalo nak beli. Takut harga naik maka kami beli je le. Air Asia -> RM 1172 (inclusive meal) & Jet Star -> AUD 418.49 (return). Jetstar dah siap bagi 20kg baggage so x yah beli baggage lagi. Check in for jetstar hanya boleh dibuat 48 hours before departure.

Pas dah settle bab tiket, lega jap. A month after beli tix,suddenly hosmet aku tibe2 volunteer tuk pi..walaweiii!!! ye beno ke nih?? dah le bajet mahai..tapi sbb mak jemah ni kaya ngahahaaaahha..makanye dia la partner in crime aku yg ke 4..complete set of PIC (Partner in crime).  Alhamdulilah...since dia last minit add on so kelam kabut beli tix but alhamdulilah rezeki dia, time tu MAS tgh promo so dia dpt return tix RM 1300+ and Jetstar plak lagi murah dr tix kami.  Memang rejeki dia katanye..hehehe so not much different dr bajet kami.

Lagi sebulan nak gi aku dah start sibuk nak wat booking segala mak nenek. Gile hectic time tuh, dgn keje opis lagi but yg pasti time tu aku dah overexcited dah. Keje tah ke mane dok berangan nak tebang je..ekeke..

Ape je yg aku booked?

1. Campervan

Awal2 aku dah wat research on campervan/motorhome yg bakal kami hire. Mula2 nak pakai cap Wenderkreisen but sbb lambat sgt book makanye motorhome for 4 pax dah fully booked.  Tinggal yg 6 pax je which is much more expensive. Campervan pun fully booked. Wenderkreisen ni among company yg offer cheapest motorhome but kalo nak tgk review dr previous user kene rajin2 la gogel ye. Cekidaut web dia --> WENDEKREISEN NEW ZEALAND
Then my second choice is JUCY rentals. Cik Sengal aka my friend dah penah guna ni masa trippin dia so got review dr dia. Aku booked and paid on-line. Ni web dia JUCY RENTALS ..So setel for transportation~

ada few other choice bleh riki2 contohnye, BRITZ, APOLLO, MAUI, TUI. These are among yg byk aku nmpk on the road kat sana. To those yg btui2 nak campervan road trip please! please! do some research and bace review before make booking. Make a correct choice by considering how many people yg nak stay lam tu, bukan depends on cheapest hire. I've learn my lesson, disebabkan nak yg chipo skali so we get what we paid. It's not that bad but considering days we spend cramping dlm tu yg membuatkan aku terfikir if aku gi lagi i do not mind to spend more on motorhome rather than campervan in term of space..huhuhu..masa booking remember to include 'stress free' insurance. Yes! mmg mahal but bare in mind if anything happen along the way, it is much more expensive to pay without insurance. Sila bace btui2 term & conditionnye and tgk ape yg dicover kat situ.  Also add on GPS ye unless you have so much time to read the map (aku still bentang map wpun ade GPS..hehehe)

so ni campervannye.  Jucy Condo (katanye for 4pax but aku rase 2pax is more suitable). Camper ni actually van HIACE yg di extend bumbungnye tuk dijadikan tempat tido. So bayangkan van ni le tempat kami bermastautin selama berada kat NZ. Aku advicekan those yg bersaiz XL sila la book motorhome, seriously bukan nak perli tapi kenyataan...sangat hazab aku nak panjat bumbung tu bile turn aku tido atas tuh..walawei space pun agak kecik kat atas tuh..kalo ada yg berpenyakit 'claustrophobia' please avoid naik ni ye sbb dah cam keranda aku rase kalo tido kat atas tuh..lam byk2 campervan yg lalu lalang kat sana, camper Jucy le yg paling menonjol skali kale ijo..sebatu dah nmpk, dah le ade gambo gegirl sexy kat depan dia...akakakkakaka..

(picture from Jucy rental web)

2. Translation of Driving license permit

In order to bawak kete kat NZ, first thing kene convert licence korang or gi buat International Driving Permit. Nak cara murah convert je lesen asal kat JPJ kene bayo RM10 ringgit je per person. Aku wat kat JPJ Petaling Jaya, gi kat kaunter cakap nak wat translation lesen nnti dia kasik borang pastu isi le. Bawak copy IC and lesen and RM10. Tak sampai sejam siap le.  Nak tgk ropenye? 

surat simple je pun, mentioning yg kita ni ada driving licence yg valid.  Kalo nak wat IDP lak kena bayo RM150 per person mahai kan..so xyah bazir. If tak de salah satu benda ni, makanye masa korang nak pick up kereta nnti korang akan didenda kat Jucy. Dorang akan buatkan jugak le translation but it will cost you about NZD 60-70 per person tak silap aku. So better prepare awal-awal ye.  Semua org yg nak drive nnti kene provide surat ni ye. Kalo 3 org nak bawak, ketiga tiga kene ada surat nih. 

3. Powersite

Disebabkan kami bwk campervan makanye tak boleh le nak paking sesuka ati ayam kat mane2 pun melainkan kat powersite nih. Powersite ni besepah2 kat holiday park sana.  Holiday park ni plak adalah accomodation yg offer bilik, budget room and powersite for motorhome. Actually boleh je kalo nak gi sana and walk in but aku ni suka prepare awal2 tanak kat sana nnti susah payah nak gi merata rata cari kalo penuh. so aku gugel and book powersite according to destination yg aku pilih tuk stop.  Basically aku bajet kat mane nak book tu after calculating distance and how many hours geng2 aku boleh bawak dlm satu hari. Ooo aku tak drive sbb aku tak pandai drive auto car, sila jangan gelak! aku tau manual je..ngahahhahahahaha..aku gelak xpe. Please make sure kalo nak drive tu jgn smpi malam sbb kat sana xde lampu jalan and very dangerous for ladies tuk drive.  Aku budget kalo nak drive pun smpi area kul 7pm je tu paling lambat la sbb kul 8.30pm dah gelap sana (do consider on what season korang pegi ye, aku pi time spring so malam dia lambat kul 8.30pm mcm kul 6pm gitu)

(pic from google)

4. Booking tour

Yg ni sangat2 penting, sbb dgn cara ni bleh dpt rege yg murah. Bebekalkan bacaan dr blogger2 yg penah gi sana, so aku pun book le segala mak nenek tour yg aku nak pi kat sini --> BOOK ME , GROUPON and some other website. Trust me, u save your money alot! but kene la rajin2 bukak hari2 ye. Please do read terms and condition sebelum buat booking. Make sure u can fit to it, means dr segi masa and do predict the unpredictable. Contohnye keadaan cuaca mempengaruhi tour tuh.  Bleh la riki2 kat accuweather time tu cane cuaca wpun tak brape nak betui tilikan cuaca tuh but at least u got some ideas time tu slalu ujan or not. Ade few tours yg kita kena send email confirmation 2 days or 1 days before tour, yg tu mmg agak susah especially bile kita dah ada kat NZ sbbnye kat sana INTERNET CONNECTION adalah sangat sangat SENDU and berbayar utk guna so other choice korang mungkin kene cari public phone tuk wat call. Remember to put reminder tuk follow up as per mention dlm booking korang otherwise they will cancel otomatik ye. Kalo mampu, buat le roaming kat phone korang ye.

5. Visa

Nak pegi New Zealand TAK PERLU VISA, tapi sbb kami transit ke Sydney makanye perlu la jugak buat visa entry ke Australia. According to Immigration sana, eventhough kita hanya transit still kena buat visa unless if flight yg kita naik tu connected or satu flight xde tuko2 flight lain. Means kalo naik MAS dr Mesia, makesure kat Aussie pun naik MAS jugak for the next destination (do contact your airflight office to know cammane nak buat).  If not, kena buat visa and kena go through immigration and lepas tu kena check in again, so better make sure transit time korang tuh adalah berpatutan tuk buat semua process2 tersebut. Sbb kami naik AA and tukar Jetstar so kami kene lalui proses tu semua, kene amik baggage and kene check in kat kaunter Jetstar.

Nak buat visa ada 2 cara, samada nak buat online sendrik or by travel agent. Aku choose by travel agent sbb senang and murah.  Cari la mane2 TA yg bleh buatkan and slalunye mmg boleh la. Sekejap je buat dia, sehari dah siap. Normally dorang akan send email lebih kurang cam ni mentioning your visa dah approved so sila print email ni ye tuk tunjuk kat immi aussie sbb dorang akan mintak.

Kalau buat online pulak bleh masuk sini --> IMMI AUS and apply for ETA.  Tak silap aku AUD 20 per person and sekejap gak siap. Make sure to print out documentation dia ye. And also please make sure yourself is 'clear' dr larangan2 tuk ke luar negara coz my friend's punye friend visa tak approve, takde reason kenapa tak approved kene le cari gali sendrik kenapa so avoid buat visa last minit ye.

6. Others - Makanan, what to wear, money changer, list of medicine

sbb kami mmg plan nak bwk makanan makanye kami bwk satu kotak makanan, ada master chef so senang skit koje nak masak2 bagi kat dia. Aku surrender sbb bleh gagah bancuh air je ngahahhaa.. since kat Aussie and NZ barang makanan adalah antara barang2 yg paling kerek tuk dibenarkan masuk jadinya PLEASE DECLARE makanan anda wpun sebungkus roti..sila pangkah 'Yes' kat yg no 6 tu ye.

makanye aku letak semua makanan dlm satu kotak, senang tak yah nak bukak2 beg luggage kang tah ape lak tepelanting keluar kan..thehehe..kalo rajin buat la list makanan tapi sbb aku tak sempat nak buat so aku tak buat. Just make sure korang tau ape benda yg korang bwk tuh so bile dia tanye bleh explain. Jgn bwk benda2 yg telarang ek. Ubat2 pun aku letak lam kotak tu jugak. Xde la ubat ape pun just panadol and minyak angin ja.. Nampak dak kotak tu? tu semua makanan.

lagi nak bitau if let say korang nak bwk supplement ke or herba2 ke hape ke make sure dlm packaging asal ye jgn letak lam botol lain sbb dorang akan rampas. Same goes with toiletries if let say nak bwk hand carry jgn letak lam botol pelik2 ek bior lam botol asal otherwise letak lam kargo je ye. My partner time balik kat epot sydney kene rampas syampoo and gel ape tah sbb letak dlm bekas lain.

Considering how many days nak pegi tuh bwk la baju yg berpatutan and disebabkan kami naik camper so ruangan adalah sgt limited. Walaumacammanapun masing2 sgt gatai membawak beg gabak sebanyak 4 bijik ditambah dgn bagpack..bayangkan betapa tenatnye..hahahhaa..kat sana semua tmpt ada laundry so bleh la basuh2 ye xyah bwk byk sgt.

Tukar duit lak patut2 je la sbb aku bleh kata kat NZ takde benda sgt nak dibelanjakan.  Aku bawak NZD 300 tak habis pun rasenye aku guna lam NZD150 je tuk serbenir adik badik..same goes dgn AUD..sudahnye balik Mesia tuko balik hehe..

so at the moment tu je le tips & preparation dri aku. From time to time aku akan top up lagi info2 kat entry nih..

Please do not ask me about my itinerary sbb i don't feel like sharing right now. How about do it yourself dulu baru korang akan rase thrill nak pegi sana, trust me! bukan aku kedekut tapi seriously bile kita buat research and bacaan pasal tmpt yg kita nak pegi sendiri mmg rase cam interesting sangat especially bile kita adalah org yg bertanggungjawab 100% atas itinerary tuh..feel the responsibility. The knowledge tu very valuable sgt even info yg kita dpt tu kadang2 boleh menjadikan kita ni dah macam local people NZ gitu, sbb byk benda tau..cewahhh! aku still akan buat entry according to my itinerary so just take it out dri situ je ek..

next entry cite2 kat sana lak ek~~very soon insyallah


Link:

1. Jetstar

2. Jucy Rental

3. Bookme

4. Groupon NZ

5. Visa Australia