Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel Blog

1. Chomp on Fergburger – Everyone loves a burger anytime of the day. But you can’t really claim that you’ve ‘eaten’ New Zealand if you have not dropped by Fergburger at least once. And attempted to finish one by yourself. You have to bear with the snaking lines even during the non-peak hours. Don’t let this dampen your spirits though. It was a mere 15 minutes wait for me as the team was churning out dozens of burgers like clockwork; effortlessly.

Read more snippets of Motormouth’s New Zealand adventure … 

2. Camwhore @ Lake Tekapo & Church of The Good Shepherd – Almost frozen in my steps everytime the wind blew. But the azure waters, blue skies and long white clouds hovering above the mountains made for excellent photography. And we could not help ourselves but to jump all over the place for spectacular shots (more to come in future posts).

3. Shriek on every 360 degrees spin of the Shotover Jet – One of Queenstown’s MUST-try for thrill-seekers and even for the kids, the 360 degrees spin and the speed of which the jet traversed the Shotover River Canyons got our ears numb from the cold and a silly grin plastered across our faces.

4. Walk like a star on the ramp to The Helicopter Line (Mount Cook/Aoraki) – Spectacular views from above for a good 20 minutes; culminating in a finale of a brief landing on the snowy mountains (if the weather is good) or a spot of patchy, grassy lands above sea level (when the sky’s not on your side). Go during clear and sunny skies to maximize your money’s worth.

5. Warm your limbs @ Patagonia Chocolates, Queenstown – Award-winning ice-cream (in more flavours that you can imagine), chocolates and hot beverages to calm the frayed nerves. Imagine a hot cup of lavender-flavoured hot chocolate (yes, even chili-flavoured hot chocolate is available!) while seated out in the open; caressed by a chilly breeze and overlooking the pier juxtaposed against the waters and magnificent mountains.

6. Sail on a classic steamship & eat lamb chops; TSS Earnslaw Cruise + Walter Peak Farm – The iconic steamship cruises across the serene and vast Lake Wakatipu to reach Walter Peak Farm where we had a delicious BBQ lunch followed by the sheep farm tour where you can see how the sheep are stripped of their dignity and ended up on your plate. Well, not in such a macabre sense actually …. But the lamb at the Farm was good.

7. Eat Fudge @ Remarkable Sweet Shop – Dozens of flavours to choose from; not cheap but very sweet and decadent. Don’t attempt to finish one block by yourself; else you might just be dancing on the streets from the sugar rush.

8. Send postcards and Eat Pies @ Arrowtown – A detour to a charming small town named Arrowtown; where the two streets-township have more stories to tell than you can imagine. Start by eating pies at Arrowtown Bakery, then visit the Lakes District Museum and the Post Office.

9. Take panoramic landscapes @ Skyline Gondola, Restaurant & Luge – A gondola ride to the peak of the hill for spectacular views of Queenstown from the observatory deck. Plus, had a fabulous buffet dinner at the restaurant and watching authentic Haka dance by the Maori’s. The combination of dizzying heights, cold winds and excellent company can only mean one thing …. lots of wine to cap the feast off!

10. Mrs Jones Fruit Orchard @ Cromwell & Gibbston Valley Cheesery & Vineyard – Fresh fruits of hybrid varieties (think cross-breeds of peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums), and wine and cheese tasting at Gibbston Valley; a short distance away from Queenstown.

11. A chilling moment of realization @ Christchurch – That the town has suffered and survived the disastrous quake and the aftershocks, and the cold and lifeless atmosphere in some parts of town was a chilling experience. It may take 20 years to recover what was lost in the 20 seconds quake; as quoted by our cab driver, but the locals will persevere and build a city in a park concept.

12. Skydiving – Free-falling at a breakneck (figure of speech, don’t worry) speed of 200 kph, the NZone Skydiving experience must be on top of every adrenaline junkie’s list. If this glob of a blotted Motormouth was able to jump from a dizzying height of 15,000 feet, why shouldn’t you?

*The full NZ story including the itinerary, traveling tips, more FOOD shots (you’re here for those, aren’t you?) to come soon. Just got back from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) yesterday; and had dinners at Bobby Chinn’s, Hoi An Restaurant and Com Nieu Sai Gon. Plus, a really excellent stay at Intercontinental Asiana Saigon located right smack in the middle of District 1. You don’t want to miss the details.