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KIA ORA! Woweeee…Haere Mai AirAsia ! AirAsia X first flight from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland landed on 23 March 2016 this week at Auckland International Airport…Indeed its good news for all of us… Tunggu apa lagiiiii…bak kata AirAsia “Now everyone can fly…” hehe…start planning and book your tickets travel lovers…Kiwi Land will welcome you with an open heart…and you will fall in love with the beauty of this country…Ikhlas Tours is ready to be part of your holiday journey…yeahhh promotion for AirAsia and Ikhlas Tours di situ…hihihi I’m so excited to share with you about this week topic…my awesome life experience highlight in 2015 “What I did last summer?” … Just like Frodo and Sam in the land of Mordor...cewahhh…best niiii  Tongariro Alpine Crossing The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is heralded as the best one-day trek available in New Zealand, while others say it ranks among the top ten single-day treks in the world….You will be crossing 3 mountains as the back ground… Mt Tongariro…Mt Ngauruhoe (Also known as Mt Doom in Lord of the Ring movie)…Mt Ruapehu (this one you can see from far in good weather) Haaa giler tak excited when you get to know it’s the best and top ten in the world tuuuu… I had the most amazing 3 days 2 nights adventure moment with one of my dear friend…just 2 of us went..sorry guys...this week iols have lots to share...a bit long to read...but I try not to be boring kayyy...hehe Let me walk you through my precious journey… Bought promotion package in GrabOne NZ few months earlier (I think about 3-4 months early)…package include 3D2N accommodation, 2 breakfast, 1 packed lunch to bring for hiking day, 1 dinner and transport from hotel to start of the track and pick up from end track back to hotel. We had to arrange transport from Auckland to nearest town caused it's not in the package…(budget ciput…ye la student kan...haha)...Instead of renting a car…we booked “InterCity Bus” from Auckland City to Ohakune (nearest town to stay to Tongariro National Park)...naik bus uolsss...but happeningggg naik bus ada katil double decker...can sleep maaa..hehe Our journey starts… Day 1 By bus took us about 6 hours plus…if by car will be around 4.5 hours driving… Distance is about 356km (Auckland City – Ohanuke town) Reached Ohanuke around afternoon had our lunch at one of the best fish and chips shop I’ve ever tried so far…serious sedap weiii…then walked around the town…very small and quiet town I must say…koboi gak la…I guess people who stays there are busy with their adventurous activities… Check in 3.00pm at Tussock Grove Boutique Hotel First during briefing... they told us that we might need to cancel our trip tomorrow due to strong wind according to weather forecast for Mt Tongariro….They will update again latest by 9.00pm whether we can proceed “Hopefully the wind will drop for you guys…” That’s exactly what he said with a big smile on his face…meanwhile he told us other alternative walk we can do..there are few forest trails la…but your heart been waiting to do this crossing kan…but tu la…tipu la tak frust…giler I tell you…we were like “Noooooo….we came all the way here…” but then you can’t do much right…all this in God’s hand…so pray hard people that weather will be good…Allah knows best While waiting in the room…still praying hard…like seriously we were like “Ya Allah pleaseeeeee help us…only You can change all this…” same time we were looking at other alternative walk…sedapkan hati since we ‘re already there and if there’s no choice…belasah aje lah…so be prepared for any consequences ya guys...seriously the group after us had to cancel it due to bad weather... 9.00pm…someone knock on our door…serious nervous hokayyyy… “I have good news for you…the wind has dropped to 45km/h…so you guys can get ready tomorrow morning as planned.” Fuhhhhhh….Sujud Syukur terus…punya la happy to go and Allah listened to our prayer…hehe…Syukur Alhamdulillah…now can see big smile on our face...haha DAY 2 The actual adventure day…hehe excited! (Please read the last part…coz I’m sharing good tips to prepare yourself for this hike…sounds like a pro hey…haha…takde la pro pun…speaking through experience…hehe…but very important to take note) 6.30am Had pancake for breakfast…yumss Took our packed lunch prepared by hotel...2 vegetarian sandwich, 1 apple, 2 muesli bars, 1 bottle drinking water (1L)…cewah macam kiwi dah kan…hehe…feeling p laaa… You definitely need more than 1L people…standby 2-3L of water coz you can’t refill any along your hike…no water supply 7.15am Departs from Hotel to starting point of the track called Mangatepopo 8.30am Arrived at Mangatepopo…Shuttle driver told us pick up time is 4.30pm at the other end Ketetahi Car Park….It’s a one way trail ya…you won’t have enough time to patah balik in a day 8.45am And…The fellowship journey begun…  The track The Tongariro Alpine Crossing track spans the length of Mount Tongariro, covering 19.4 kilometres. On average the trek takes between seven and nine hours to complete. We completed around 7 hours plus the crossing passes over the volcanic terrain of the multi-cratered active volcano Mt Tongariro passing the eastern base of Mt Ngauruhoe which can optionally be climbed as a side trip. The track starts at the Mangatepopo Valley and finishes at Ketatahi Road. Following the track in this direction means the least amount of climbing is involved, though first timers should be aware that the track is considered steep in parts. Track has few stages…seriously you will be amazed throughout your journey…but don’t forget to set your walking timing ya…if not you won’t have enough time to reach the end…the shuttle won’t wait for you…they will only wait for 5-10 minutes…if not byeeeee…honestly hard to follow time especially when your eyes are stuck with God’s creations…Subhanallah you were like in different world I tell you…chek tak tau laaa…how to explain in words how crazy beautiful your journey will be… Cantikkkkk sangattttt Ok…let me help you with some timing tips…this one also I got it from Tongariro Crossing journey plan official sites…I’m saving your time here people so you don’t have to Google and browse to find info here and there… Mangatepopo Car Park to Soda Springs (1,350m) Easy…allow 1 – 1.5 hours walk Soda Springs to South Crater (1,650m) Medium-Difficult….allow 40 minutes to 1 hour South Crater to Red Crater (highest point 1,886m ; 6,188ft…if you don’t do Mt Ngauruhoe peak side hike this will be your highest point) Medium-Difficult….allow 1 hour *This part is a bit tough due to strong wind…almost feel like flying there…I had to hold to one of the rock…plus here the temperature dropped…during our time…it was (-2 degrees)…sejuk nak mampus… Red Crater to Blue Lake Medium…allow 30 minutes *All I can say…enjoyyyyyyy!!!! Blue Lake to Ketetahi Hut Easy-Medium…allow 1 hour Ketetahi Hut to Ketetahi Car Park Easy-Medium…allow 2 hours *We were basically running here…haha…xcukup time cause we spent too much time being jakun on top there…  Important point to take note/tips: Weather…very…very important to know this
Tips: How to check weather forecast…you could go to link below www.metservice.com/mountain/tongariro-national-park
What to bring/wear
Transport
Timing
Do you need a Guide?
 Truth is…I can’t tell you exactly the whole journey experience caused seriously words can’t describe the actual feeling when you are there… stunning view that made you just stunt and can’t moved…cantik MasyaAllah…the beauty was just beyond words….I was like walking in different movie scene…macam betul ke niiii…plus I better keep some of the surprises that awaits throughout the journey…if I tell you everything tak thrill la kannnn…hehe…different people will have different kind of experience and feel…but what I can tell you…definitely need to be in your bucket list...you don’t wanna miss it and you won’t regret doing this…CONFIRMED!!!! Overall…you will need to arrange few things here…so for those yang need help/assistance…apa lagi… Contact Ikhlas Tours to arrange for you…Insha Allah everything will be sorted out for you…hehe It's a long weekend for us this week...Good Friday and Easter Holiday...Yayyy!!! Till then...talk to you soon travel lovers...have a great week peeps!   Te Henga Walkway KIA ORA! Hello travel lovers…hope everyone is having a great week…I had an awesome week again last week…as always…hehe Doing what I love the most when I’m free…take a little moment to have “ME” time…apa lagiiii…pampering myself with the beauty of nature…my kinda place to get a peaceful mind… Tramping is what New Zealanders called it…Hiking/trekking whatever you wanna call it…one of the top activities people here love to do…of course la….New Zealand is heaven for that…the view is beyond words… Outdoor lovers….adventure people…muddy and dirt…crossing rivers, swamp, waterfalls…walking in the bushes…climbing up the hills or mountains…you surely wanna read more here…this week is for US!!!! Hehe Cheap activities but you get priceless experience…you'll definitely won’t regret every moment of it cause not everybody gets what we…trampers/hikers get to view from up there….best feeling everrrrrr! Ok…now I wanna share some tips with you guys…Perhaps you're wondering how this woman (me…hehe) started tramping in New Zealand when she knew no one there…hehe…”Sometimes we just need to think outside the box”…cewahhh…ayat poyos a bit there…haha… If you love meeting new people…don’t mind car pooling with strangers at the beginning, and in the end you'll end up with a bunch of new friends from different parts of the world who love doing the same thing that you do…best kannn??? Then this is for you….kalau malu tak dapek la den nak nolong sayang oiiiii…. Seriously...every trip I only spent around $10-$15 with them... Most of the groups are very active and every week surely there’s something for you. This is what I did…I joined them! MEET UP APPS…    Since I like Hiking/tramping and I live in Auckland, I joined Auckland hiking group… Actually I joined a few others too but this posting is about hiking/tramping so I will share a few group names and how you can take the opportunity to have a wonderful time of your life here in New Zealand. Even if you just come for holiday you can grab this chance….ada je some people that I met who came for holiday and join us… Have you heard of “MEET UP” APPS? You can register and install in your phone…zaman canggih already people…make use of the technology that we have…hehe
Second step once you join the Meetup…
Why I joined so many groups…reasons:
Other points to take note…
CLUB WEBSITES Another option…basically every main city will have their own tramping club… memang you pilih je lah mana nak pegi…they always open for the public to join….Kiwis love to share their nature beauty with people…here are some tramping club websites you can follow…there are more actually www.aucktramping.org.nz/ (Auckland) www.wtc.org.nz (Waikato) www.htc.org.nz (Heretauga) www.wanganuitrampingclub.org.nz (Wanganui) www.nelsontrampingclub.org.nz (Nelson) www.ctc.org.nz (Christchurch) www.otmc.co.nz (Otago,Dunedin)
Well…hiking/tramping...great activities that you can do when you plan your holiday journey to New Zealand…If you ask me...it's a MUST! You spend CHEAP COST yet…You get EXPENSIVE VIEW & EXPERIENCE. PRICELESS!! You can always contact Ikhlas Tours to plan your journey moments…we surely have something to offer…. Till then…talk to you soon travel lovers…have a great week ahead peeps!  Pinnacles Coromandel Kami banyak terima pertanyaan tentang kembara motorhome. Ramai yang kurang pasti dan mencari maklumat lanjut kerana teruja dengan kembara motorhome di New Zealand. Ramai yang pertama kali dan tiada pengalaman menggunakan motorhome. Sebelum mulakan kembara, kami akan cuba jelaskan beberapa perkara asas tentang pakej motorhome dengan bahasa yang mudah untuk difahami.  Motorhome Tour - The Northern End of Lake Wakatipu Kita mula dengan kenali kenderaan ini. Ada yang sebut "motorhome", ada pula panggil "campervan", tidak kurang juga "caravan", ada pula sebut "RV". Sama ke semua kenderaan ini?  Motorhome dan Campervan - Auckland Caravan Caravan adalah sebuah unit tanpa motor yang yang perlu ditunda dengan kenderaan lain menggunakan tow-bar. Caravan biasanya milik peribadi dan tidak banyak pembekal yang menyewakan caravan secara komersial. Untuk makluman, lesen Malaysia tidak boleh digunakan untuk menunda caravan. Hanya lesen New Zealand, Australia, US dan negara Eropah yang memiliki kelas menunda caravan atau trailer.  Caravan - unit tanpa motor yang perlu di tunda RV - Recreational Vehicle RV adalah nama yang digunakan di US yang bermaksud "Recreational Vehicle". Di US, kebanyakan menggunakan chassis yang besar seperti chassis bas atau lori. Sebuah filem Hollywood RV lakonan Robbie Williams amat menarik menceritakan pengalaman keluarga yang menggunakan kenderaan ini. Campervan Campervan adalah sebuah van yang diubahsuai dan dilengkapi dengan tempat tidur dan dapur kecil. VW Kombi adalah antara kenderaan paling awal diubahsuai kepada sebuah campervan, yang menjadi icon campervan. Sehingga kini VW Kombi amat diminati dan mempunyai efek retro sebuah campervan yang unik. Di New Zealand terdapat banyak model yang diubahsuai kepada campervan, sama ada menggunakan chassis buatan Eropah seperti Mercedes dan VW atau chassis Jepun seperti Toyota Hiace. Kapasiti campervan biasanya diantara 2 hingga 4 penumpang.  Campervan - European chassis  Campervan dan Motorhome ; "The Journey To The Middle Earth" Motorhome Di New Zealand, kenderaan yang biasa di sediakan selain campervan adalah motorhome. Motorhome lebih besar dan lebih lengkap berbanding campervan. Kapasiti motorhome biasanya di antara 4 - 6 berth (berth = kapasiti tempat duduk/tempat tidur). Motorhome dilengkapi dengan dapur yang lebih besar termasuk oven, bilik air dengan tandas yang lengkap dan tempat tidur. Motorhome 6 berth dilengkapi dengan 3 unit double bed - bahagian atas pemandu, belakang pemandu (dining area) dan ruang belakang (family area). Chassis yang biasa digunakan biasanya buatan Eropah seperti Mercedes Sprinter/VW Crafter. Chassis ini lebih besar dengan engin diesel yang tahan lasak untuk kegunaan di New Zealand/Australia.  Motorhome Tour South Island - "The Gateway to Paradise"  Seterusnya kita fahami beberapa faktor yang mempengaruhi harga pakej motorhome/campervan Seperti membeli kereta, perlu diketahui model motorhome, kapasiti, insuran, aksesori dan sebagainya. Pakej motorhome juga bergantung kepada beberapa perkara tersebut. Oleh itu perlu ada sedikit pengetahuan asas untuk memilih pakej ini. Musim/Season Harga sewa motorhome bergantung kepada musim/season, iaitu harga Off Peak season, Shoulder Peak, Peak dan High-Peak. Kos motorhome amat tinggi pada pertengahan Disember hingga pertengahan Februari (high-peak season) kerana pada masa ini musim panas di New Zealand. Permintaan motorhome tinggi kerana penduduk tempatan dan pelancong Eropah mengambil peluang cuti Krismas/Tahun Baru ataupun lari dari musim sejuk di Eropah. Mereka membawa tukaran GBP atau Euro dan kos sewa masih lagi affordable menggunakan matawang mereka berbanding matawang nilai kecil dari rantau Asia Tenggara. Cuba elakkan memilih tempoh high-peak season untuk menempah pakej motorhome.  Insuran Amat penting untuk fahami kelas insuran motorhome. Ada beberapa kategori insuran dengan harga dan tahap risiko yang berbeza. Perlu baca terma dan syarat untuk fahami liabiliti sekiranya berlaku perkara yang tidak dingini. Ramai yang mengambil risiko dengan tidak mengambil insuran tambahan kerana memilih kos yang rendah. Tanpa insuran tambahan, anda mempunyai liabiliti sehingga NZD7,500 @ RM21,000 sekiranya berlaku tuntutan insuran. Liabiliti ini boleh dikurangkan dengan kos insuran tambahan (liability reduction option). Setiap pakej motorhome Ikhlas Tours disertakan comprehensive insurance - liabiliti sifar (nil/zero excess liability) untuk pastikan perlindungan maksima. Powered Site / Non-Powered Site / Freedom Parking Di waktu malam, motorhome/campervan perlu tempat parking yang dibenarkan sama ada freedom camping site atau di holiday park. Terdapat dua jenis parking di holiday park - Powered site, lot parking beserta bekalan elektrik untuk motorhome atau non-powered site, parking tanpa bekalan elektrik. Freedom camping site biasanya terhad kepada beberapa unit motorhome sahaja dan agak jauh dari bandar. Hanya motorhome/campervan self-contained sahaja yang boleh menggunakan kemudahan parking ini. Kami syorkan guna kemudahan parking di holiday park yang menyediakan ruang yang lebih selesa, lebih selamat dan lengkap dengan lain-lain kemudahan seperti dump station (tempat lupuskan waste water), dapur, bilik air, laundry, dsb.  Powered Site Parking Lot - Christchurch Spesifikasi pakej motorhome Harga pakej motorhome juga ditentukan oleh kapasiti muatan, tahun pendaftaran kenderaan, transmisi manual atau auto. Juga peralatan tambahan seperti car seat untuk kanak-kanak di bawah 7 tahun, GPS, snow chain, bike rack dan sebagainya. Kadar Tukaran Matawang Kadar tukaran matawang juga memberi kesan kepada harga pakej motorhome. Untuk merancang percutian, sila semak turun naik Ringgit Malaysia berbanding New Zealand Dollar.  Cukai dan lain-lain caj Kadar sewa motorhome/campervan tertakluk kepada cukai perkhidmatan, Road User Charge RUC (caj menggunakan diesel) dan caj LPG. Sila semak terma dan syarat untuk pastikan harga pakej anda termasuk cukai/caj ini atau perlu dibayar semasa memulangkan kenderaan. Untuk memudahkan klien kami, setiap pakej Ikhlas Tours telah termasuk cukai dan caj-caj ini.  Lake Wakatipu & The Southern Alps Antara soalan yang biasa kami terima : Bila waktu sesuai kembara motorhome? Pilihan utama kami ; Shoulder peak - awal September hingga akhir Oktober (Musim Bunga) atau awal April-awal Mei (Musim Luruh). Pilihan lain; awal off-peak (awal Mei) atau akhir off peak (akhir Ogos) - untuk dapatkan harga paling rendah. Elak pertengahan Disember hingga Februari (Summer) harga terlalu mahal dan agak kurang selesa berada dalam motorhome di musim panas. Perlu lesen memandu antarabangsa? Tidak perlu. Hanya lesen memandu kelas D (lesen kereta penuh). Pastikan ianya tidak luput tarikh semasa kembara dan pastikan bawa credit card untuk bond. Berapa bond diperlukan? Terma biasa penggunaan motorhome, bond sebanyak NZD250 diperlukan. Seperti menetap di hotel, bond di pegang secara credit card imprint. Bond ini akan dikembalikan bila kenderaan dihantar pada masa yang ditetapkan, dihantar dengan tangki minyak penuh dan waste water/toilet cassette dibersihkan. Macam mana menyelenggara motorhome? Motorhome/campervan memerlukan lebih penyelenggaraan berbanding kenderaan biasa. Banyak komponen tambahan untuk melengkapi sebuah motorhome umpama seperti motel bergerak. Antaranya, tangki air bersih, tangki air kumbahan, peralatan dapur, LPG, tandas dan sebagainya yang perlu diselenggara. Sebelum dibenarkan memandu, anda akan diberi taklimat untuk mengendalikan kenderaan ini. Adakah disediakan pemandu / tukang masak? Konsep kembara motorhome adalah santai - Kembara bersama keluarga dan rakan-rakan, memandu sambil menikmati keindahan alam. Kami tidak sediakan pemandu, tukang masak, tukang cuci, dsb. Harga pakej termasuk entrance fees? Tidak. Semua orang mempunyai minat & bajet berbeza. Kami hanya cadangkan aktiviti di setiap laluan bergantung kepada musim pengembaraan. Terpulang pada anda untuk masuk aktiviti berbayar atau free sightseeing. Boleh kami guna motorhome selama 2 hari? Motorhome/campervan hanya boleh disewa sekurang-kurangnya 5 hari ketika off-season dan 10 hari ketika high-peak season. Kami akan tiba di Queenstown, boleh pick-up motorhome di sana? Motorhome/campervan boleh diambil atau dikembalikan di 3 airport utama; Auckland, Christchurch dan Queenstown. Boleh kami mix kembara motorhome dan Leisure Package? Pakej kami fully customised, boleh combine Leisure Package (memandu kereta/ MPV di North Island )dan Motorhome di South Island atau sebaliknya mengikut kesesuaian masa dan musim. Kami beberapa family, keluarga saya ingin kembara motorhome manakala keluarga rakan saya ingin pandu SUV. Kami boleh uruskan kombinasi motorhome dan Leisure Package. Tuan akan kembara konvoi bersama dan bermalam di lokasi yang sama. Kami ingin pandu motorhome, tapi bermalam di motel. Tiada masalah, kami boleh uruskan bermalam di motel atau holiday park. Mengapa pakej Ikhlas Tours lebih flexible dan harga tawaran menarik? Kami syarikat berdaftar di New Zealand dan juga ahli Tourism Industry Association New Zealand. Kami mempunyai hubungan jangka panjang dengan pembekal motorhome, rental car, pembekal penginapan dan syarikat pengurusan aktiviti di seluruh New Zealand. Mereka menawarkan kami harga secara wholesale, maka kos operasi kami rendah. Kami mempromosi pakej New Zealand secara direct / online kepada klien dari Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei dan Australia.  |
